The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development is an authoritative, accessible and up-to-date account of all aspects of child development. Written by an international team of leading experts, it adopts an interdisciplinary approach and covers everything from prenatal development to education, pediatrics, neuroscience, theories and research methods to physical development, social development, cognitive development, psychopathology and parenting. It also looks at cultural issues, sex differences and the history of child development. The combination of comprehensive coverage, clear, jargon-free style and user-friendly format will ensure this book is essential reading for students, researchers, health care professionals, social workers, education professionals, parents and anyone interested in the welfare of children. Features include: • Foreword by Jerome Bruner • Comprehensive coverage • Extensive glossary • Biographies of key figures • Companion website, www.cambridge.org/hopkins • Clear, user-friendly format
• Authoritative, comprehensive, accessible guide to child development • Interdisciplinary approach ensures will be valuable resource for students, researchers, health professionals, teachers, social workers and parents • Written by international team of leading experts
Contents
Foreword; Introduction: what is development and interdisciplinarity? The concept of development: historical perspectives; Understanding ontogenetic development: debates about the nature of the epigenetic process; Defining ontogenetic development; Challenges for the future; Part I. Theories of Development: Biological-maturation theories; Constructivist theories; Ethological theories; Learning theories; Psychoanalytical theories; Theories of the child's mind ; Dynamical systems approaches; Part II. Methods in Child Development Research: Data collection techniques: brain imaging; Clinical and non-clinical interview methods; Cross-cultural comparisons; cross-species comparisons; Developmental testing; observational methods; Experimental methods; parental and teacher rating scales; Self and peer assessment of competence and well-being; Research design: epidemiological designs; Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs; Twin and adoption studies; Data analysis: indices of efficacy; Group differences in developmental functions; Multilevel modelling; structural equation modelling; Ethical considerations in studies with children; Part III. Prenatal Development and the Newborn: Conceptions and misconceptions about embryonic development; Prenatal development of the musculoskeletal system in the human; Normal and abnormal prenatal development; The birth process; The status of the human newborn; Part IV. Domains of Development: From Infancy to Childhood: Cognitive development infancy; Cognitive development beyond infancy; Perceptual development; Motor development; Social development; Emotional development; Moral development; Speech development; Language development; Development of learning and memory; Part V. Selected Topics: Aggression and prosocial behaviour; Attention; Brain and behavioural development (I): subcortical; Brain and behavioural development (II): cortical; Connectionist modelling of development; Day care; Executive functions; Face recognition; Handedness; Imitation; Intelligence; Locomotion; Parenting and the family; Play; Prehension; Reading and writing Peter Bryant; Schooling and literacy; Selfhood; Sex differences; Siblings and peers; Sleep and wakefulness; Socialization; Temperament; Part VI. Developmental Pathology: 'At-risk' concept; Autism; Behaviour and learning disorders; Blindness; Cerebral palsies; Child depression; Developmental coordination disorder; Down's syndrome; Dyslexia; Excessive crying and colic; Hearing disorders; Sudden infant death syndrome; Prematurity and low-birthweight; Williams syndrome; Part VII. Crossing the Borders: Anthropology; Behavioural genetics; Cognitive neuroscience; Developmental genetics; Education; Embryology; Ethology; Linguistics; Paediatrics; Sociology; Appendix 1. Biographical sketches of key figures; Baldwin; Binet; Bowlby; Bruner; Coghill; Erikson; Hamburger; Piaget; Preyer; Vygotsky; Werner; Winnicott; Appendix 2. Milestones of motor development indicators of biological maturity; Appendix 3. The statistics of quantitative genetic theory; Glossary of terms; References; Name index; Subject index.
Reviews
'… an excellent handbook, and can be recommended to all academic libraries catering for courses in psychology, education or social care.' Reference Reviews
'The authors include many of the leading people in the field, the quality of the writing is generally high, the text is mostly free of obfuscating jargon and mangy of the chapters are very interesting as well as informative. These add up to a set of considerable strengths, and there is much of value to be found in the wide-ranging accounts of different aspects of child development.' Times Higher Education Supplement
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