Synopsis

Known for its clear, straightforward writing style, comprehensive coverage, strong and current research-based approach, and excellent visuals and tables, this life-span development text offers a topical organization at the chapter level and a consistent chronological presentation within each chapter. Each chapter focuses on a domain of development such as physical growth, cognition, or personality, and traces developmental trends and influences in that domain from infancy to old age. Within each chapter, you will find sections on four life stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This unique organization enables students to comprehend the processes of transformation that occur in key areas of human development. Another staple of the text is its emphasis on theories and how they apply to specific topics in each chapter. This new edition also asks students to engage more actively with the content, and includes a clear focus on the complex interactions of nature and nurture in development, more integrated coverage of culture and diversity, and an exciting new media package for both students and instructors.

Booknews

A topically organized, research-based text covering the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of human development, with attention given to all periods of the life span. Discusses theories of human development, environmental influences, perception, gender roles and sexuality, motivation, lifestyles, and psychological disorders throughout the lifespan. This second edition covers cognitive and language development in separate chapters, and emphasizes interactions between nature and nurture in relation to genes, hormones, and other biological forces. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Biography

Carol K. Sigelman (Ph.D., George Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University) is associate vice president for research and graduate studies, and professor of psychology at The George Washington University. She also has taught at Texas Tech University, Eastern Kentucky University (where she won the Outstanding Teacher Award), and the University of Arizona. She taught courses in child, adolescent, adult, and life-span development for 25 years, and has published extensively on such topics as the communication skills of individuals with developmental disabilities, peer reactions to children and adolescents who are different, and children's developing understanding of diseases and psychological disorders. Through a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, she studied children's intuitive theories of AIDS, and developed and evaluated a curriculum to correct their misconceptions and teach them the basic facts of HIV infection. More recently, through a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, she and her colleagues have conducted similar research on how well children of different ages understand the effects of alcohol and drugs on body, brain, and behavior.

Elizabeth (Betty) Rider is professor of psychology at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. After earning her degree in developmental psychology at Vanderbilt University, she taught at the University of North Carolina at Asheville for several years before moving back to her home state of Pennsylvania more than 15 years ago. She regularly teaches Psychology of Women and Developmental Psychology courses to undergraduates at an institution where student learning is the number one priority. She has been awarded exceptional performance distinctions nearly every year for her work in or out of the classroom. When not writing or teaching, this single mom devotes her energies to raising her son and working outdoors.