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Laura E. Berk is a distinguished professor of psychology at Illinois State University, where she has taught human development to both undergraduate and graduate students for more than three decades. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in child development and educational psychology from the University of Chicago. She has been a visiting scholar at Cornell University, UCLA, Stanford University, and the University of South Australia.
Berk has published widely on the effects of school environments on children’s development, the development of private speech, and most recently the role of make-believe play in development. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Office of Education and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It has appeared in many prominent journals, including Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Development and Psychopathology, and Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Her empirical studies have attracted the attention of the general public, leading to contributions to Psychology Today and Scientific American. She has also been featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and in Parents Magazine,Wondertime, and Reader’s Digest.
Berk has served as a research editor for Young Children and a consulting editor for Early Childhood Research Quarterly. Currently, she is an associate editor for the Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology. She is a frequent contributor to edited volumes on early childhood development, having recently authored chapters on the importance of parenting, on make-believe play and self-regulation, and on the kindergarten child. She has also written the chapter on development for The Many Faces of Psychological Research in the Twenty-First Century (Society for the Teaching of Psychology); the article on social development for The Child: An Encyclopedic Companion; the article on Vygotsky for the Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science; and the chapter on storytelling as a teaching strategy for Voices of Experience: Memorable Talks from the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (Association for Psychological Science).
Berk’s books include Private Speech: From Social Interaction to Self-Regulation; Scaffolding Children’s Learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education; Landscapes of Development: An Anthology of Readings; and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool: Presenting the Evidence. In addition to Exploring Lifespan Development, she is author of the best-selling texts Child Development and Infants, Children, and Adolescents, and Development Through the Lifespan published by Allyn and Bacon. Her book for parents and teachers is Awakening Children’s Minds: How Parents and Teachers Can Make a Difference.
Berk is active in work for children’s causes. In addition to service in her home community, she is a member of the national board of directors and chair of the central region advisory board of Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization that provides one-to-one literacy intervention to thousands of low-income preschoolers across the United States, using college and university students as interveners. Berk is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 7: Developmental Psychology.
PART I. THEORY AND RESEARCH IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 1: History, Theory, and Research Strategies
A Scientific, Applied, and Interdisciplinary Field
Basic Issues
The Lifespan Perspective: A Balanced Point of View
Scientific Beginnings
Mid-Twentieth-Century Theories
Recent Theoretical Perspectives
Comparing Theories
Studying Development
Ethics in Lifespan Research
PART II. FOUNDATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 2: Biological and Environmental Foundations
Genetic Foundations
Reproductive Choices
Environmental Contexts for Development
Understanding the Relationship Between Heredity and Environment
Chapter 3: Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn Baby
Prenatal Development
Prenatal Environmental Influences
Childbirth
Approaches to Childbirth
Medical Interventions
Preterm and Low-Birth-Weight Infants
Birth Complications, Parenting, and Resilience
The Newborn Baby's Capacities
Adjusting to the New Family Unit
PART III. INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD: THE FIRST TWO YEARS
Chapter 4: Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Body Growth
Brain Development
Influences on Early Physical Growth
Learning Capacities
Motor Development
Perceptual Development
Chapter 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Information Processing
The Social Context of Early Mental Development
Individual Differences in Early Mental Development
Language Development
Chapter 6: Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Erikson's Theory of Infant and Toddler Personality
Emotional Development
Temperament and Development
Development of Attachment
Self-Development During the First Two Years
PART IV. EARLY CHILDHOOD: TWO TO SIX YEARS
Chapter 7: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
A Changing Body and Brain
Influences on Physical Growth and Health
Motor Development
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget's Theory: The Preoperational Stage
Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory
Information Processing
Individual Differences in Mental Development
Language Development
Chapter 8: Emotional and Social Development in Early Childhood
Erikson's Theory: Initiative versus Guilt
Self-Understanding
Emotional Development
Peer Relations
Foundations of Morality
Gender Typing
Child Rearing and Emotional and Social Development
PART V. MIDDLE CHILDHOOD: SIX TO ELEVEN YEARS
Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Body Growth
Health Issues
Motor Development and Play
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget's Theory: The Concrete Operational Stage
Information Processing
Individual Differences in Mental Development
Language Development
Learning in School
Chapter 10: Emotional and Social Development in Middle Childhood
Erikson's Theory: Industry versus Inferiority
Self-Understanding
Emotional Development
Understanding Others: Perspective Taking
Moral Development
Peer Relations
Gender Typing
Family Influences
Some Common Problems of Development
PART VI. ADOLESCENCE: THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD
Chapter 11: Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Conceptions of Adolescence
Puberty: The Physical Transition to Adulthood
The Psychological Impact of Pubertal Events
Health Issues
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget's Theory: The Formal Operational Stage
An Information-Processing View of Adolescent Cognitive Development
Consequences of Adolescent Cognitive Changes
Learning in School
Chapter 12: Emotional and Social Development in Adolescence
Erikson's Theory: Identity versus Role Confusion
Self-Understanding
Moral Development
Gender Typing
The Family
Peer Relations
Problems of Development
PART VII. EARLY ADULTHOOD
Chapter 13: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Biological Aging Is Under Way in Early Adulthood
Physical Changes
Health and Fitness
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Changes in the Structure of Thought
Expertise and Creativity
The College Experience
Vocational Choice
Chapter 14: Emotional and Social Development in Early Adulthood
A Gradual Transition: Emerging Adulthood
Erikson's Theory: Intimacy versus Isolation
Other Theories of Adult Psychosocial Development
Close Relationships
The Family Life Cycle
The Diversity of Adult Lifestyles
Career Development
PART VIII. MIDDLE ADULTHOOD
Chapter 15: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Physical Changes
Health and Fitness
Adapting to the Challenges of Midlife
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Changes in Mental Abilities
Information Processing
Vocational Life and Cognitive Development
Adult Learners: Becoming a College Student in Midlife
Chapter 16: Emotional and Social Development in Middle Adulthood
Erikson's Theory: Generativity versus Stagnation
Other Theories of Psychosocial Development in Midlife
Stability and Change in Self-Concept and Personality
Relationships at Midlife
Vocational Life
PART IX. LATE ADULTHOOD
Chapter 17: Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Life Expectancy
Physical Changes
Health, Fitness, and Disability
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Memory
Language Processing
Problem Solving
Wisdom
Factors Related to Cognitive Change
Cognitive Interventions
Lifelong Learning
Chapter 18: Emotional and Social Development in Late Adulthood
Erikson's Theory: Ego Integrity versus Despair
Other Theories of Psychosocial Development in Late Adulthood
Stability and Change in Self-Concept and Personality
Contextual Influences on Psychological Well-Being
A Changing Social World
Relationships in Late Adulthood
Retirement
Optimal Aging
PART X. THE END OF LIFE
Chapter 19: Death, Dying, and Bereavement
How We Die
Attitudes Toward Death
Thinking and Emotions of Dying People
A Place to Die
The Right to Die
Bereavement: Coping with the Death of a Loved One
Death Education
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