An Introduction to Child Development: (SAGE Foundations of Psychology series)

An Introduction to Child Development, Third Edition provides undergraduate students in psychology and other disciplines with a comprehensive survey of the main areas of child development, from infancy through to adolescence, in a readily accessible format. It equips students with an appreciation of the critical issues, while providing balanced coverage of topics that represent both classic and cutting edge work in this vast and fascinating field. The new edition has been fully updated and features: Topical research examples from current literature in psychology, education, nursing and medicine including new material on fetal learning and the role of play New and expanded sections covering key contemporary issues in cognitive, emotional and social development New features such as ′Points for Reflection′ boxes, designed to encourage the reader to reflect more deeply on the subject matter Access to an enhanced SAGE Edge companion website which features online readings, Powerpoint Slides, ‘Test Yourself’ questions and much more (https://edge.sagepub.com/keenan3e). This textbook is essential reading for undergraduate students taking an introductory course in child development or developmental psychology and provides a clear and accessible foundation for essays, assignments and other projects.

Table of Contents:
Introduction, Theories and Methods The Principles of Developmental Psychology Theories of Development Introduction: What is a Theory? Research Methodology in Developmental Psychology The Biological Foundations of Development The Biological Foundations of Development I: Physical Growth, Motor Development and Genetics The Biological Foundations of Development II: The Developing Brain The Development of Perception, Cognition and Language Perception Theories of Cognitive Development Cognitive Processes The Development of Language and Communication Emotional, Social and Moral Development Emotional Development Social Development Moral Development Applied Human Development Developmental Psychopathology

About the Author :
  Thomas Keenan was a Professor in the School of Academic & Liberal Studies, Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  He was also an adjunct member of the Department of Psychology, Brock University.  He was a developmental psychologist with interests in children’s theory of mind, sarcasm & irony comprehension, and music.  Subhadra Evans completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She is currently serving as Associate Professor in the UCLA Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program, where she researches the impact of chronic pain on family and social relationships, and the use of mind-body medicine to treat chronic pain. She also teaches courses on Child Development, Health Psychology and Introductory Psychology. Dr Kevin Crowley was a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of South Wales. He has published research papers in a number of areas of child development, including bilingual language and literacy development, and play and learning in the early years.

Review :
This new and well-written edition will really help my students to understand developmental psychology. This book pulls the reader into on-going and always current debates in the area of developmental psychology, providing an extraordinary combination of pedagogical challenge and inviting didactics. It stands out from other textbooks with its relevant and contemporary viewpoints on human development across the life span, covering theories of child development, including biological viewpoints, as well as methodological issues in child development research. Additionally, the structure of the chapters beginning with specific and clear learning aims and ending with ‘test your knowledge’ questions make this a fantastic textbook for both students to engage in a very pleasurable learning experience, and for lecturers who can therefore rely on an invaluable resource to support their teaching. This textbook is a very good choice for an introductory course in developmental psychology. The text is well structured, it reads well, and it covers the main topics in an updated, engaging and comprehensible manner without being too voluminous.  I would recommend it to staff and students on Education Studies courses who wish to get a deeper understanding of development beyond the brief mentions of Piaget and Vygotsky that they might find in many Education Studies textbooks. This book will offer greater depth on those topics and others but in a way that is accessible to a student without a psychology background. In summary, a really good book for anyone who is looking to introduce themselves or their students to the field of child development.