Synopses & Reviews
Like no other text,
The Development of Children tells the story of how biological and cultural processes intertwine over the course of childhood. Building on the legacy of Michael and Sheila Cole, and now under the lead authorship of Cynthia Lightfoot, this acclaimed textbook enters an exciting new era, bringing an integrated biocultural perspective to the teaching and learning of childdevelopment.
Within the chronological organization of the book, you will find a continued emphasis on contemporary research, biology and the brain, the linking of theory to practice, and the emphasis on cultural issues that have earned the textbook enthusiastic support edition after edition. But you will also find a fresh new vision and voice. This thoroughly revised text guides students through the latest scholarship on the biological and cultural processes that frame the interacting physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains of development.
About the Author
Cynthia Lightfoot is Professor and Head of Human Development and Family Studies at the Pennsylvania State University, Brandywine. Her published works focus on the sociocultural contexts of child and adolescent development, most recently, on teen pregnancy, identity development, and youth culture. Lightfoot has served on the editorial boards of
Culture and Psychology and
Cognitive Development, and as Vice President of the Jean Piaget Society. Her interest in children and adolescents was fueled by experiences working with emotionally disturbed and autistic children in schools and as a child development specialist in a program for teenage mothers.
Michael Cole is an all-University of California Professor of Psychology, Communication, and Human Development. His home base is University of California, San Diego, where he is the Director of the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition. For many years he spent his afternoons participating with children and undergraduates in development-enhancing after-school programs. He is an editor of the journal Mind, Culture and Activity. He has published widely on the role of culture and schooling in development for which he has been awarded honorary degrees at Copenhagen University and the University of Helsinki. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academies of Education (of the United States and Russia).
Sheila Cole is a former journalist who specialized in writing about families, children, development, and education. She is also a children's writer. Her most recent book offers a history of American childhood and is written for young people. She has also authored picture books, historical fiction, and novels for young adults. She participates in literacy programs for homeless adolescents.
Table of Contents
1. The Study of Human Development Developmental Science Children, Society, and Science The Central Issues of Developmental Science Theories of Development Methods for Studying Development Looking Ahead
Box: High-Tech Research on Brain Function Box: Understanding the Causes and Correlations of Childrens Behavior and Development In the Field: Probing the Mysteries of Learning Part I In the Beginning 2. Biocultural Foundations Inheriting Culture Biological Inheritance The Coevolution of Culture and Biology Retracing the Laetoli Footsteps
In the Field: Doctor of Plain People Box: Genetic Counseling 3. Prenatal Development and Birth Periods of Prenatal Development Environmental Conditions and Prenatal Development Teratogens: Environmental Sources of Birth Defects Birth The Newborn's Condition Beginning the Parent-Child Relationship
In the Field: Reclaiming Birth—Midwifery in the Inuit Villages of Northern Canada Part II Infancy 4. The First Three Months Physical GrowthBrain Development Sensing the Environment The Organization of Behavior Temperament Becoming Coordinated with the Social World Summing Up the First 3 Months
In the Field: Baby-Friendly Hospitals Box: Sleeping Arrangements Box: Sudden Infant Death 5. Physical and Cognitive Development in the First Two Years Physical Growth Brain Development Motor Development Cognitive Development: The Great Debate Sensorimotor Development Conceptual Development The Growth of Attention and Memory Summary and Implications
Box: Brainy Babies In the Field: The Diaper-Free Movement 6. Emotional and Social Development During Infancy The Nature of Infant Emotions and Emotional Expressions The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship The Changing Nature of Communication A Sense of Self Developing Trust and Autonomy Summary and Implications
Box: Attachment to Fathers Box: Out-of-Home Care: A Threat to Attachment? In the Field: Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder Part III Early Childhood 7. Language Acquisition The Power of Language Keys to the World of Language The Basic Domains of Language Acquisition Explanations of Language Acquisition Reconsidering the Keys of Language
Box: Children Creating a Language Box: Bilingual Language Acquisition In the Field: A Speech-Language Pathologist in Vietnam 8. Physical and Cognitive Development of Early Childhood Physical and Motor Development Preoperational Development Information-Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development Cognitive Development in Privileged Domains Cognitive Development and Culture Reconciling Alternative Approaches
Box: Bearing Witness: Can Young Children Tell the Truth? In the Field: Supporting Siblings of Children with Autism 9. Social and Emotional Development in Early Childhood Acquiring a Social and Personal Identity A New Moral World Developing Self-RegulationUnderstanding Aggression Developing Prosocial BehaviorsTaking Ones Place in the Social Group
In the Field: Coping with Illness Box: Spanking 10. Contexts of Development The Family Context Nonparental Child Care Neighborhoods and Communities Media Contexts Contexts, Risks, and Resilience
Box: Fathers In the Field: Swamp Nurse Box: Children and War Part IV Middle Childhood 11. Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood Physical and Motor Development Concrete Operational Development Information-Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development The Role of Social and Cultural Contexts Individual Differences in Cognitive Development Reconsidering the Cognitive Changes in Middle Childhood
In the Field: The Edible Schoolyard: Thinking Outside the Lunchbox 12. School as a Context for Development The Contexts of Learning School Readiness In the Classroom The Cognitive Consequences of Schooling Contemporary Challenges in a Globalizing World Outside the School
In the Field: Learning After School in the Fifth Dimension Box: Comparing Mathematics Achievement Across Cultures 13. Social and Emotional Developments in Middle Childhood Moral Development Peer Relationships The Influence of Parents A New Sense of Self Reconsidering Middle Childhood
Box: Childrens Ideas about God Box: Bullies and Their Victims: The Darker Side of Childrens Relationships In the Field: Gender Politics on the Playground: Defining a Moral Order Part V Adolescence 14. Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence Adolescents and Society Biological Theories of Adolescent Development Puberty The Emergence of Sexual Behavior Cognitive Development Moral Development
Box: Teen Pregnancy In the Field: ICONS: Peacekeeping in a Virtual Classroom 15. Social and Emotional Development During Adolescence Emotional Development in Adolescence Relationships with Peers Relationships with Parents Identity Development Social and Emotional Problems of Adolescence Emerging Adulthood
In the Field: Friends with Benefits Box: From Diaries to Blogs Box: Hip Hop Box: Suicide Among Native Americans