Child Psychology: The Modern Science, 3rd Edition

by Ross Vasta (State Univ. of New York at Brockport); Marshall M. Haith (Univ. of Denver); Scott A. Miller (Univ. of Florida)

• ISBN13: 9780471192213
• ISBN10: 047119221X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Ross Vasta is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Brockport. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1969 and his Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1974. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association (Division 7). In 1987 he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award fro Excellence in Teaching. His previous books include Studying Children: An Introduction to Research Methods, Strategies and Techniques of Child Study, and Six Theories of Child Development. He is currently editor of the annual series Annals of Child Development. Marshall M. Haith is Professor of Psychology at the University of Denver. He earned his B.A. in 1959 from the University of Missouri and received his masters degree and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1964. After completing postdoctoral work at Yale University, he held positions at Harvard University, University of Geneva, and Rene Descartes University in Paris. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has previously authored Day Care and Intervention Programs for Infants Under Two Years of Age and Rules That Babies Look By: The Organization of Newborn Visual Activity. Along with J.J. Campos, he edited Volume 2 of Mussen’s Handbook of Child Psychology. His research interests include infant perception, the formation of expectations in early infancy, and the development of information-processing skills. Scott A. Miller is Professor of Psychology at the University of Florida. After completing his undergraduate work at Stanford University in 1996, he entered the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his Ph.D in 1971. His initial appointment was at the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association (Division 7). He has previously authored Developmental Research Methods, 2^nd edition, and coauthored (with John Flavell and Patricia Miller) Cognitive Development, 3^rd edition. His research has been in the cognitive area, focusing on Piaget’s work, children’s understanding of logical necessity, theory of mind, and parents’ beliefs about children.  

Table of Contents

1 Introduction and Perspective	1	(26)
2 Theories of Child Development	27	(30)
3 Research Methods	57	(26)
4 Genetics: The Biological Context of Behavior	83	(30)
5 Prenatal Development	113	(36)
6 Physical Development: Birth, Motor Skills, and Growth	149	(46)
7 Sensory and Perceptual Development	195	(46)
8 Cognitive Development: The Piagetian Approach	241	(54)
9 Cognitive Development: The Information-Processing Approach	295	(50)
10 Cognitive Development: The Intelligence-Test Approach	345	(50)
11 Language Development	395	(46)
12 Early Social and Emotional Development	441	(46)
13 Development of the Self	487	(38)
14 Moral Development	525	(46)
15 Gender-Role Development and Sex Differences	571	(42)
16 Peer Relations	613