Product Description
In this lively and accessible book, Colin Heywood explores the changing experiences and perceptions of childhood from the early Middle Ages to the beginning of the twentieth century. Heywood examines the different ways in which people have thought about childhood as a stage of life, the relationships of children with their families and peers, and the experiences of young people at work, in school and at the hands of various welfare institutions. The aim is to place the history of children and childhood firmly in its social and cultural context, without losing sight of the many individual experiences that have come down to us in diaries, autobiographies and oral testimonies.


Heywood argues that there is a cruel paradox at the heart of childhood in the past. On the one hand, material conditions for children have generally improved in the West, however belatedly and unevenly, and they are now more valued than in the past. On the other hand, the business of preparing for adulthood has become more complicated in urban and industrial societies, as the young face a bewildering array of choices and expectations.


A History of Childhood will be an essential introduction to the subject for students of history, the social sciences and cultural studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

brief overview of the field
Colin Heywood's History of Childhood is a brief overview of the state of the field as of 2001.In under 200 pages, Heywood traces the origins of scholarly interest in the history of childhood, summarizes Philippe Aries's classic work and the major critiques of it, and outlines current thinking on several major topics, including infancy, early childhood, the "third stage" (from age 7 through adolescence), children's labor, and education.Heywood's treatment of each topic is inevitably very brief, and while he cites numerous primary sources, he sometimes uses them uncritically.I did not learn much history from this book; if you're looking for an engaging overview of childhood in early modern and modern times, I would recommend Steven Mintz's Huck's Raft: A History of American Childhood or something similar.The merit of Heywood's History of Childhood lies in Heywood's extremely clear and succinct laying out of the major themes and research questions in the field.It would be useful to a graduate student preparing for comps or to someone who is just beginning a research project on some aspect of the history of childhood. ... Read more

Product Description
Thorough. Accurate. Reliable. Engaging.These are just a few of the words used by adopters and reviewers of John Santrock’s Child Development.Child Development is widely considered the most accurate and up-to-date topically-organized text in the field. Used by hundreds of thousands of students over eleven editions, its learning goals-driven learning system provides a clear roadmap to student understanding of the content. The fully revised twelfth edition reinforces the highly contemporary tone and focus by featuring hundreds of new citations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good book
If you're paying this much, probably some teacher is making you buy the book, and you don't really care how good it is or not... but just in case:

Great book.Well written, interesting concepts.Easy to self-teach out of.Clear and concise, well organized.I'm an engineer, and took this class as my very last elective before I graduated, and the book kept me interested.

Excellent Condition
Recieved book in excellent condition, in a timely manner, and at a reasonable price. Very satisfied with this purchase. ... Read more

Product Description

This book brings together in one volume information about the neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral bases of reading and reading disabilities. In recent years, research on assessment and treatment of reading disability (dyslexia) has become a magnet for the application of new techniques and technologies from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. This interdisciplinary fusion has yielded numerous and diverse findings regarding the brain basis of this syndrome, which are discussed in this volume by leading researchers. Intervention approaches based on such research are presented. The book also calls for research in specific directions, to encourage the field to continue moving into the bold frontier of how the brain reads.

The volume is essential reading for a range of researchers, clinicians, and other professionals interested in reading and reading disability, and also commemorates the tenth anniversary of the Extraordinary Brain Conferences hosted by The Dyslexia Foundation.

Product Description
George Washington Univ., Washington, D.C. Presents normative data for the neuropsychological tests most commonly used with children. Integrates the concepts and models central to the neuropsychological assessment of children into discussions of data, with clinical focus. DNLM: Neuropsychological Tests--standards--Child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must have for any pediatric neuropsychologist !
Thanks to Sue Baron, the pediatric neuropsychologist finaly have the equivalent of the Lezak for adult neuropsychology. This book is in the top list of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology and you will understand why when you will read it ! The heart of the book is the description of almost all the tests available in the field of pediatric neuropsychology. The descriptions cover the statistic properties and the main studies available on the principle tests. Each chapter that presents a function starts with a state of the art at a Phd level. It really saved me hours of reading in many books ! Included are also numerous norms (mostly americans)with unpublished ones. The references included are of a great interrest too. The chapter on report wrinting is also essential. To be perfect one would expect a chapter on achievement tests and due to its publication date the WISC IV and the WPPSI III are not included. Apart from this there is simply no criticism to formulate. In a short way I strongly recommand this book and would be very surprised to find any disappointed reader ! ... Read more

Product Description
This book gives readers a systematic look at the process of child psychology by examining the twenty most revolutionary scientific investigations in the field over the course of the last fifty years. The individual chapters are dedicated to each revolutionary study and derived from empirical data and scientific methodology.A four-part organization examines studies that revolutionized cognitive and language development, social development and parenting, clinical child psychology, and how we think about child psychology.For those with a professional or personal interest in child and human development. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Twenty Studies...
This book is written very well, Dr. Dixon is an awesome teacher. If you're not into the big, long, scientific terms, he does it right. Puts everyhting into perpective by joking around (on paper!) and giving personal experiences to help understand. Every chapter is a different study, and there's a Summary, Conclusion, and Discussion questions section at the end. It's so much easier than reading through every study written by the experimenter. The studies are summarized well, and like I said, they're a whole lot easier to read. Good book.

I highly suggest this as an intro
I'm a developmental psychologist teaching at University of Washington in Tacoma.I've used this book as a resource for my students who want to do a directed reading with me.I find that it is a very useful resource to introduce the reader to seminal research in child psychology and it is written at a level that is perfect for someone who isn't very proficient at reading scientfic literature.I highly suggest this book to those who want a good overview of the fundamental theories of child psychology.Though, I have to say that I wish it would have tried to give more credit to the philosophy of behaviorism which is crucial to our understanding of child psychology. ... Read more

Product Description
Part of the authoritative four-volume reference that spans the entire field of child development and has set the standard against which all other scholarly references are compared. Updated and revised to reflect the new developments in the field, the Handbook of Child Psychology, Sixth Edition contains new chapters on such topics as spirituality, social understanding, and non-verbal communication.

Volume 2: Cognition, Perception, and Language, edited by Deanna Kuhn, Columbia University, and Robert S. Siegler, Carnegie Mellon University, covers mechanisms of cognitive and perceptual development in language acquisition. It includes new chapters devoted to neural bases of cognition, motor development, grammar and langauge rules, information processing, and problem solving skills. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is the second revision (third edition) of one of the classic texts in child development and the analysis of behavior. First published in 1961 and revised in 1978, this volume is now entirely updated, especially including new material on verbal interactions both from the point of view of the speaker and the listener. It takes a thoroughly natural science approach to what is popularly called child psychology.

Authored by Sidney W. Bijou, widely considered one of the fathers of applied behavioral psychology, this book is intended for the student with a limited background in psychology who is embarking on a study of human development, particularly child development. It provides one of the most succinct available presentations of basic behavioral terms and principles, and provides many examples of the application of these principles to the understanding of children. Like the earlier versions it can also be used as a primer of behavioral principles in a variety of courses related to human behavioral development and learning. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique book is an accessible, "child-centered" introduction to child growth and development.It presents the most up-to-date information in descriptive terms to inform readers about how children look, sound, and behave. Practical and research-based, without being research oriented, it looks at children over small time periods to reveal patterns of growth and development.Courses in Child Development, Educational Psychology, Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Child Psychology, and Parenting courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Developmental aspects of children
I first encountered this book as an asigned text in graduate school. It was the first book that explained to me (by inference) why so many kids are really ready to drop out of school by fifth grade. Children are concrete learners being taught by abstract methods in primary grades and middle school. Indeed, only about 1/4 of Freshmen in high school are truly capable of abstract reasoning, let alone the younger children. This book is wonderful to help teachers and parents better understand the children in their lives and be of real help to their growing and learning through childhood. ... Read more

Product Description

For undergraduate courses in Child Development taught Chronologically. 

Customer Reviews (2)

Book Review
This book was in great condition. It is easy to read with power points listed.

Not enough detail
This book does not go into very much detail. It also doesn't cover some very important aspects of child development. ... Read more

Product Description
When should you seek professional help for your child's behavioral, social, or learning challenges? Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior is the ultimate resource for assessing your child's behavior, learning when to intervene, and knowing how to seek further help for a struggling child. Whether a child is dealing with performance issues, anxiety, noncompliance, angry outbursts, or a host of other difficulties, this book offers a step-by-step method that walks parents through the often-complex process of treating a child's problems. You'll learn

• Not to accept any 'quick-fix' solutions
• How to holistically assess the condition and determine the nature and cause of the behavior
• What professionals can offer, and when to consult them

Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior can help parents make informed and confident decisions about their child's well-being.

Praise for Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior

'This is a terrific guide for knowledgeable parents who want to be informed consumers of care for their children. It reduces the often confusing abbreviations and psychobabble that we clinicians use into practical, easy-to-understand language.' --Holly Galbreath, PhD, child clinical psychologist and former program director, Child Study and Treatment Center

'A very useful and practical guide for those wondering where to begin to help a child who is struggling with troublesome behaviors.' --Brock Eide, MD, MA Co-Director of Eide Neurolearning Clinic and coauthor, The Mislabeled Child

'This book provides clarity for parents in situations that are often confusing and forms the basis for implementing practical and helpful changes.' --James T. Webb, PhD clinical psychologist and author, A Parent s Guide to Gifted Children

'This book is a helpful start in giving parents a systematic approach and guide to understanding the terminology and methods used by educational, medical, psychological, and other practitioners who study and work clinically with children. If parents can speak the same language and approach professionals with good documentation, perhaps a greater understanding of the child s puzzling behavior can be arrived at sooner and more effective solutions can be implemented.' --Bobbie Collins-Perry, Duke University's Duke Gifted Letter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

An important guide when you need it most
Any parent concerned about her child's emotions or behavior has enough to deal with. Navigating the psychotherapy world can be confusing and frustrating. Dr. Curtis provides a very thoughtful and thorough guide to getting the answers and help you need. The Glossary of Terms is especially helpful and the section on Parent Resources is invaluable. As a parent and a child psychologist I highly recommend this book.

Positive in Both Worlds
Dr. Curtis has written an excellent book that can be a great resource for parents and processionals in supporting their efforts with children. Written in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner this book provides resources for working with children who are frustrated and parents who can be frustrate with the child or the world around them that is designed to support them. I have purchased copies for parents I work with and utilize it in a parent support group for children with processing challenges. I also have recommended it to professionals I work with as it fills a void left by too many other books that do not accomplish what Dr. Curtis has.

At what point do you seek professional help when a child is acting, by his parent's standards, weird?
At what point do you seek professional help when a child is acting, by his parent's standards, weird? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is a parent's guide to understanding a child's strange behavior and whether they should intervene or it is simply another kind of normal. Suggesting that parents never go for short term solutions, how to look at why the child acts the way they act, and when is the line to seek psychiatric assistance? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Child with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is essential for any concerned parent who doesn't get their child's behavior and for community library parenting collections.

A bright light...
Trying to find your way through the myriad of advice about how to parent your child can be overwhelming on the best of days.The actual child can get lost in all of the ideas/philosophies/beliefs. That truth is amplified if your child has any sort of behavior that seems to be outside of the "norm".Dr. Curtis guides parents in an honest, nonjudgmental way toward the avenues which can best help them and ultimately, most importantly, help the child get the support he/she needs. His assurance that positive progress can be made is a gift.That these are not "problem" children who have something wrong with them... a message those of us with atypical children are confronted with all too often, but that they are children who merit more support, understanding and sensitivity.Dr. Curtis knows that children with puzzling behavior operate within a family, and that the parents, who love these kids more than anything and are trying to help them to the best of their ability, need guidance and support too.His holistic approach is truly a relief to those of us who deal daily with the beauty, challenge, heartbreak and joy of raising these unique little beings.

Refreshing
There are numerous "how to parent" books available, with each having their unique twist to the age old problem of raising children.None however, have placed the responsibility upon parents who ultimately know their child better than anyone!This book is a practicle guide for the parents to identify the problems and how to address them.Their teacher?The parents of troubled children know their child better than anyone could hope to.This book is their practical guide to putting their knowledge to work. ... Read more

Product Description
When should you seek professional help for your child's behavioral, social, or learning challenges? Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior is the ultimate resource for assessing your child's behavior, learning when to intervene, and knowing how to seek further help for a struggling child. Whether a child is dealing with performance issues, anxiety, noncompliance, angry outbursts, or a host of other difficulties, this book offers a step-by-step method that walks parents through the often-complex process of treating a child's problems. You'll learn

• Not to accept any 'quick-fix' solutions
• How to holistically assess the condition and determine the nature and cause of the behavior
• What professionals can offer, and when to consult them

Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior can help parents make informed and confident decisions about their child's well-being.

Praise for Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior

'This is a terrific guide for knowledgeable parents who want to be informed consumers of care for their children. It reduces the often confusing abbreviations and psychobabble that we clinicians use into practical, easy-to-understand language.' --Holly Galbreath, PhD, child clinical psychologist and former program director, Child Study and Treatment Center

'A very useful and practical guide for those wondering where to begin to help a child who is struggling with troublesome behaviors.' --Brock Eide, MD, MA Co-Director of Eide Neurolearning Clinic and coauthor, The Mislabeled Child

'This book provides clarity for parents in situations that are often confusing and forms the basis for implementing practical and helpful changes.' --James T. Webb, PhD clinical psychologist and author, A Parent s Guide to Gifted Children

'This book is a helpful start in giving parents a systematic approach and guide to understanding the terminology and methods used by educational, medical, psychological, and other practitioners who study and work clinically with children. If parents can speak the same language and approach professionals with good documentation, perhaps a greater understanding of the child s puzzling behavior can be arrived at sooner and more effective solutions can be implemented.' --Bobbie Collins-Perry, Duke University's Duke Gifted Letter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

An important guide when you need it most
Any parent concerned about her child's emotions or behavior has enough to deal with. Navigating the psychotherapy world can be confusing and frustrating. Dr. Curtis provides a very thoughtful and thorough guide to getting the answers and help you need. The Glossary of Terms is especially helpful and the section on Parent Resources is invaluable. As a parent and a child psychologist I highly recommend this book.

Positive in Both Worlds
Dr. Curtis has written an excellent book that can be a great resource for parents and processionals in supporting their efforts with children. Written in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner this book provides resources for working with children who are frustrated and parents who can be frustrate with the child or the world around them that is designed to support them. I have purchased copies for parents I work with and utilize it in a parent support group for children with processing challenges. I also have recommended it to professionals I work with as it fills a void left by too many other books that do not accomplish what Dr. Curtis has.

At what point do you seek professional help when a child is acting, by his parent's standards, weird?
At what point do you seek professional help when a child is acting, by his parent's standards, weird? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is a parent's guide to understanding a child's strange behavior and whether they should intervene or it is simply another kind of normal. Suggesting that parents never go for short term solutions, how to look at why the child acts the way they act, and when is the line to seek psychiatric assistance? "Understanding Your Child's Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Child with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges" is essential for any concerned parent who doesn't get their child's behavior and for community library parenting collections.

A bright light...
Trying to find your way through the myriad of advice about how to parent your child can be overwhelming on the best of days.The actual child can get lost in all of the ideas/philosophies/beliefs. That truth is amplified if your child has any sort of behavior that seems to be outside of the "norm".Dr. Curtis guides parents in an honest, nonjudgmental way toward the avenues which can best help them and ultimately, most importantly, help the child get the support he/she needs. His assurance that positive progress can be made is a gift.That these are not "problem" children who have something wrong with them... a message those of us with atypical children are confronted with all too often, but that they are children who merit more support, understanding and sensitivity.Dr. Curtis knows that children with puzzling behavior operate within a family, and that the parents, who love these kids more than anything and are trying to help them to the best of their ability, need guidance and support too.His holistic approach is truly a relief to those of us who deal daily with the beauty, challenge, heartbreak and joy of raising these unique little beings.

Refreshing
There are numerous "how to parent" books available, with each having their unique twist to the age old problem of raising children.None however, have placed the responsibility upon parents who ultimately know their child better than anyone!This book is a practicle guide for the parents to identify the problems and how to address them.Their teacher?The parents of troubled children know their child better than anyone could hope to.This book is their practical guide to putting their knowledge to work. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a topically organized introduction to child development from conception to adolescence. It examines child psychology from the perspectives of the three principal traditions which characterize the discipline today-the cognitive-developmental, environmental-learning and ethological orientations. Emphasizes the very latest issues and findings including the microgenetic research method, gene therapy, the social bases of early memory and family contributions to peer relations. This new edition includes a greater integration of contextual material, and an increased emphasis on cross- and multi-cultural research. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A very comprehensive book
This is the first time I use Vasta' book on Child Psychology for the course on Developmental Psychology I give at the American University of Beirut. The semester just finished, and I can say this book was extremely enriching for me (I am a clinical psychologist), especially the parts on the bio-ecological perspective, and the sections on cross-cultural research. The one part I found a bit "exhausting" was the chapter on language development, perhaps because it is not my specialty ! I am looking forward to the 4th edition. I wouldalso very much like to be in touch with Dr Vasta because I am currently working on a study of Personality Characteristics of First - Borns in Lebanon, using a cultural approach. I also wish to thank Wiley for sending methe 2004 catalogue ofPsychology, Life and Medical Sciences Student Texts (that is how I found out about Vasta's 4th edition). My students (a majority of Psychology majors) also enjoyed his book.

A former student comments
I utilized the second edition of this book while studying under Dr. Vasta at SUNY Brockport. This book, along with his teachings gives insight intothe various steps that a child goes through in becoming aware of his or hersurroundings and growth.

This book is extremly educational
Being a new parent this book helped me to understand the development of my daughter. It covered conception all the way through 12 years of age.I found this book very interesting to read. I liked how each of the earlypsychologist works were clearly defined and explained to you. I felt thisbook was very easy to read and understand. ... Read more

Product Description
Current theory emphasizes involvement of the child?s family in helping to identify, monitor and treat developmental delay.Family members are in a unique position to help these children master their handicaps.It is our hope that the following information will aid family members, professionals and others concerned about developmentally delayed children in their attempt to help these children function successfully in society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not worth the cost.
This is not really a book, but rather more like a pamphlet. Very short , basic and only deals with infants. ... Read more

Product Description

For courses in Child Development, taught Chronologically.

Courses may be in psychology, education, nursing, social work or human development.

Most balanced presentation of the research and applications important to the field and students taking the course.

Introduces students to the theories, research, and applications of child and adolescent development. Child Development 5e features a variety of student-focused tools that make the study of development interesting and engaging with an emphasis on practical, take-home information that students can use now and in the future.

 Looking for additional resources to help you understand the material and succeed in this course? MyDevelopmentLab contains study tools such as flashcards, self tests, videos, as well as MyVirtualChild which allows you to raise your own virtual child from birth through age 18 and monitor the results. 

Want to learn more about MyVirtualChild?  Visit www.mydevelopmentlab.com and click on the ‘watch this video’ link to learn about MyVirtualChild.

MyDevelpmentLab with MyVirtualChild is available at www.mydevelopmentlab.com.

Customer Reviews (2)

Instructive textbook
Excellent delivery service, on time, no product faults. The textbook is very instructive, written in a friendly manner, lots of study cases presented. Easy to read, however, from what I've read so far, the friendly voice of the author presenting the facts gives me the feeling is not all so scientificaly based. But that remais to be concluded as I complete my reading.

good textbook
i needed a textbook for my child development class and it was cheaper online...THANK GOODNESS saved money and got the exact same book ... Read more

Product Description

Changes within the interdisciplinary field of intellectual and developmental disabilities are evolving at a rapid pace. Clinicians, academics, administrators, and a variety of mental health providers alike need easy-to-access, reliable information that enables them to stay abreast of the numerous advances in research, assessment, treatment, and service delivery within a real-world sociopolitical framework. To that end, the Handbook of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is an essential resource for any professional who works with this vulnerable population.

This volume examines in detail the numerous advances in the field, summarizing major domains and emerging subspecialties into one eminently useful reference. Its contributors comprise a panel of the leading scientist-clinicians, who offer much-needed insight and guidance into ongoing improvements in theory and practice as well as intervention and prevention. For example, the handbook:

- Opens with chapters that offer a comprehensive review of current definitions, classifications, etiology, and findings on the most prevalent conditions, including cerebral palsy, pediatric brain injury, genetic syndromes, and autism spectrum disorder

- Provides a survey of psychological and educational service delivery systems available to people with intellectual disabilities – for example, several chapters focus on explaining how agencies work, the politics of service delivery, residential versus day treatment, and program evaluation

- Offers a wide range of assessment and diagnostic tools and tactics, including cognitive and adaptive behavior assessments, assessing for psychopathology, developmental screening, family assessment, and forensic applications

- Reviews the latest evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies, from social skills training to self-harm reduction to pharmacotherapy

- Concludes with insightful chapters on the ethical issues social acceptance and advocacy

The Handbook of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities makes clear the far-reaching impact these disorders have on individuals, their families, and society in general. For clinicians, researchers, and advanced-level graduate students, this volume is a must-have resource and reference.

Product Description
This Second Edition of Child Abuse is devoted to a topic of major social and clinical significance. In this book, the author describes the different types of abuse and discusses the influence they have on development and social consequences in childhood and adolescence. The book uses theory and research to convey the importance of multiple contextual influences that affect abuse and can be used to ameliorate it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Book
Lots of highlighting but it was all important stuff so it actually helped me. THANKS! Speedy service!

A must read for anyone working with children
Thx for an excellent contribution to the field of child development and in strategies for reducing the epidemic of child maltreatment!

Child abuse. Implications for child development
This is the second edition of a small, but important book on the implications of child abuse for child development and psychopathology. It is written by David A Wolfe, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. He has been very active in the field of child abuse and neglect with several books to his name, like �Children of battered women�, �Preventing physical and emotional abuse of children�, �Alternatives to violence� and �Abnormal child psychology�. This book is part of the Sage Series on �Developmental Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry� prepared by experts in clinical child psychiatry, psychology, development and related disciplines. The focus is on the diagnosis, assesment, treatment and prevention of problems in developmental psychopathology that arise in the period from infancy through adolescence. The book is devided into six chapters: What is child maltreatment ?, Normal and abnormal child rearing patterns, A developmental perspective of the abused child, Unraveling the causes with theory, background and multidimentional influences and the last chapter on Prevention and treatment strategies. Since the first edition of this book (1987) there has been an explosion in child abuse research and therefore also more knowledge and background to understand the mechanisms involved. This is taken into account in this book, but also the fact that the author in the meantime had three children of his own has made this book very important for professionals working with abused and neglected children. ... Read more

Product Description

“A wonderful way to look more deeply into issues in child development.”
-Sarah Jane Anderson, Mount Ida College

“With its emphasis on critical thinking about child development, Mercer’s text is unique and timely. . . . Mercer has done an admirable job in selecting and tackling the topics that she does.”
-Nancy Dye, Humboldt College

In Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings, author Jean Mercer uses intriguing vignettes and questions about children and families to guide readers in thinking critically about 51 common beliefs. Each essay confronts commonly held misconceptions about development, encouraging students to think like social scientists and to become better consumers of media messages and anecdotal stories. The book is organized so that essays can be assigned to parallel either chronologically or topically organized child development texts.

Features and Benefits:

• Presents 51 short essays about child development that challenge readers to reconsider their pre-conceived notions
• Includes critical thinking questions at the end of each reading
• Offers examples of research to help students make the connection between research designs and conclusions
• Shows students how to approach research reports
• Provides reference lists, including links to relevant SAGE publications

Child Development: Myths and Misunderstandings is intended for use as a supplementary text in courses in Child Development, Child and Adolescent Development, and Developmental Psychology.

Customer Reviews (9)

Thorough, helpful, well-researched book from experienced psychologist
This is an excellent, helpful analysis of 51 of the most frequently-heard claims about child development. Some of these claims have been made by well-meaning teachers and parents, while others are a product of the lunatic fringe (who will no doubt be distressed at finding their pet ideas so thoroughly refuted by scientific research). Professor Mercer's book is well-written, and each section includes questions to encourage critical thinking and references for further reading. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in child development -- and parent development! -- and is an excellent text for courses in educational, developmental, and cognitive psychology.

Don't believe the true believers
Don't believe the one star reviews; this is a superb book by a thoughtful, courageous, and well respected scholar of child development.Despite what a few reviewers (many of whom appear to be advocates for attachment therapy, a treatment that Mercer has criticized in her published work) say, the book is factually accurate, engaging, and well researched. It does an especially good job of unmasking widespread misconceptions about child development and encouraging critical thinking in a domain in which it is often in short supply.I recommend this book highly for child development instructors as well as for intellectually curious laypersons.

Practical advice for parents
This book contains a wealth of information that can help parents make important decisions. It discusses 49 claims related to child development and cites scientific findings when they are available. It's clear that most (perhaps all) of the negative reviews were written by others who have a personal grudge against the author because of her criticism of certain quack practices. I say this because they use similar wording (such as "biased") and describe the book so inaccurately that I believe they haven't read it. I did -- and was pleasantly surprised to find that it provides insights I would have found useful during my psychiatric career.

Important Book For Students of Child Development
Once again Dr. Mercer has carefully and thoughtfully reviewed the literature and provided the reader with a clear and concise analysis of salient issues and concerns.I recommend this book to the students I supervise at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level who are training in child psychology and psychiatry.

Judith Wides, President of The New Jersey Association For Infant Mental Health

A well written book by a developmental psychologist
This is a well written book that should be supplemental reading in any child development/child psychology course.The book is a valuable example of how critical thinking skills can be applied when one examines a variety of claims about child development. I appreciate the way the author brings in empirical findings into the discussion of examining the myths and common misunderstandings about child development while at the same time keep the interest of the reader who may not be an academic or researcher. I highly recommend this book for parents, students, teachers, child development specialists and mental health professionals. ... Read more

Product Description
The dictionary defines attitude as, ?a state of mind or feeling with regard to some matter.?Another way of describing attitude is as a learned behavior that determines the way a person sees himself, others and the world.For example, two children receive identical presents.One child is disappointed, while the other child is pleased.Their individual expectations influenced their responses, which shaped each youngster?s attitude. ... Read more

Product Description
How does a child acquire language, and what may facilitate this learning? In this book, renowned psychologist Jerome Bruner explores the child's most remarkable achievement.

To carry out his investigations, Bruner went to "the clutter of life at home," the child's own setting for learning, rather than observing children in a "contrived video laboratory." For Bruner, language is learned by using it. An central to its use are what he calls "formats," scriptlike interactions between mother and child—in short, play and games. What goes on in games as rudimentary as peekaboo or hide-and-seek can tell us much about language acquisition.

But what aids the aspirant speaker in his attempt to use language? To answer this, the author postulates the existence of a Language Acquisition Support System that frames the interactions between adult and child in such a way as to allow the child to proceed from learning how to refer to objects to learning to make a request of another human being. And, according to Bruner, the Language Acquisition Support System not only helps the child learn "how to say it" but also helps him to learn "what is canonical, obligatory, and valued among those to whom he says it." In short, it is a vehicle for the transmission of our culture.

Customer Reviews (3)

Language Acquisition
An easy to read explanation of Bruner's theory of language acquisition.Although based on infants learning to speak the theory could also apply to older people learning a second language.

Actually, pre-talk
Generally, this book deals with the development of language from birth to two years of age.Bruner begins by offering two competing theories, one an "impossible empiricist associationism," which covers everything from Saint Augustine to B.F. Skinner, and the other, a "miraculous nativism," introduced by Noam Chomsky.To complement Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device (LAD), Bruner proposes a Language Acquisition Support System (LASS), which helps assure continuity from pre-linguistic to linguistic communication.

After a philosophical discussion, Bruner devotes the remainder of his attention to games, the growth of reference, and the development of request.He concludes that whether or not humans have innate capacities for language, they still have to learn to use their language in a socially acceptable manner.Thus the rationale is established for the LASS, which frames interaction between mother and child in such a way as to help the young speaker master the use of language.

Three salient points emerge from Bruner's study.The first, that pre-linguisitic communication consists of breaking down conversations into units by means of "completives" uttered by the mother, is intrinsically weak.If the child is taught that these completives segment actions, and subsequent sentences are built of a subject and an action-based predicate, then the analysis that Bruner suggests must exist above the sentence level, not below it.

Secondly, Bruner asserts that young mothers focus on action units that have the structure Agent - Action - Patient - Beneficiary, e.g., "Mommy is putting Doggy outside so Baby can sleep."However Bruner's argument does not allow for different word orders in different languages.

Thirdly, Bruner supposes that the management of joint attention leads to the development of predication.Here Bruner does not provide sufficient details to convince us of his arguments.He implies throughout that the child imitates the parent, but a few simple observations will show that in many cases, the opposite is true: it is the adult, in fact, who imitates the child.

Bruner gets a lot of mileage (perhaps stretching things a bit too thin) out of two longitudinal studies of young children in England.One of these was cut short when the child's family moved away.Despite the occasional lapse into a kind of Oxbridge cynicism, however, Bruner's ideas come across with a certain freshness, welcome diversions from the field of language acquisition studies.

A Fine, But Flawed, Study Of Learning Useful Language
Bruner's book will offer much information on how children should learn language so as to promote their ownership of it as a communcable tool even though he fails to argue using multicultural eyes.

Toward the end, he begins to get bogged down in complex theories and academic langauge thus making the book (like many of his books) inaccessible to classroom teachers.

He apparently wrote the first half to all professionals while writing the rest of the book to a higher education audience. ... Read more