Child Development (5th Edition)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0205286348 ISBN 13: 9780205286348

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon, 1999

The fifth edition of this best-selling topical approach to child development continues its tradition of being the most current and comprehensive book available. Laura Berk, renowned professor and researcher in the field of child development, has updated the text with a heightened emphasis on inclusion of interdisciplinary research, diverse pathways of change, the critical interplay between biology and environment in child development, and greatly strengthened links between applications and theory or research. This edition's substantial revision brings forth all the new themes that represent the burgeoning, changing field of child development at the crossroads of a new millennium. KEY TOPCIS: Laura Berk carefully considers the complexities of child development, presenting classic and cutting-edge theories in an especially clear, engaging writing style, with a multitude of research-based and real-world examples. The helpful topical organization emphasizes to readers the interrelatedness of all aspects of development physical, cognitive, emotional, and social throughout the text narrative and in special features. Students are provided an especially clear and coherent understanding of the sequence and underlying processes of child development. For readers who have an interest in updated research on child development.

About the Author:

Laura E. Berk is a distinguished professor of psychology at Illinois State University, where she has taught child and 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 makebelieve 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. Berk has served as research editor for Young Children and consulting editor for Early Childhood Research Quarterly and 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 chapter on social development for The Chicago Companion to the Child, 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, and Landscapes of Development: An Anthology of Readings. In addition to Infants, Children, and Adolescents, she is author of the best-selling texts Child Development 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 of Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization that provides early 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.

Review:

Reviewer Quotes:

Berk Child Development

 

 

“I voted for Berk because of the ancillaries. I teach the course on the Internet and appreciate the rich media and web resources, as well as the TestGen test bank.”

  — Barbara Simon, Midlands Tech

 

“Berk’s emphasis on culture is excellent and I think superior to most other development books. She includes a wide variety of interesting, relevant, and thorough cultural examples in boxes and throughout the chapters.”

  — Barbara Simon, Midlands Tech

 

“Berk is definitely committed to using the latest developments and research, including evolutionary development and the new emphasis on dynamic systems approach.”

  — Barbara Simon, Midlands Tech

 

“I think that Chapter 4 is great, really great. It is comprehensive, accurate, and balanced, and written in an accessible way.”

  — Scott Johnson, New York University

 

“The milestones tables in the chapters I reviewed [4 and 5] are excellent. Just right, lots of information packed into an easy-to-digest format.”

  — Scott Johnson, New York University

 

“Commenting on the Digital Media Archive: “Love ‘em, they go right on the computer, right into the lecture. Perfect.”

  — Scott Johnson, New York University

 

“The text is very comprehensive and covers all the topics I cover in my courses and more!”

  — Susan Siaw, California State Polytechnic University

 

“Students all learn differently, and the features included in chapter 7 of Berk give students an opportunity to find what strategy is going to work best for them.”

  — Darlene A. Brodeur, Acadia University

 

“In terms of pedagogy, I would like to commend Berk for providing reasonable features throughout the text, without totally overwhelming the actual content of the chapters.”

  — Darlene A. Brodeur, Acadia University

 

“I was planning a lecture on perceptual development, and found [chapter 9] in this text very useful, with great visual aids! Thanks for making my job teaching easier.”

  — Carla Hudson Kam, University of California Berkeley

 

“Laura Berk’s texts are distinctive because they are research-focused and extraordinarily well-written. I also deeply appreciate the integrity of Laura’s thinking and presentation of issues: she does not dodge or unduly simplify difficulty developmental problems or scientific questions.”

  — Ross Thompson, University of California Davis

 

“Over the years, [Dr. Berk’s] texts have become more accessible to a broader student audience, in part owing to her incorporation of greater attention to the practical, practice, and policy implications of developmental science. I think that the current text is nicely balanced between theory, research, and applications.”

  — Ross Thompson, University of California Davis

 

 

“The coverage of  [chapter 10] is outstanding: Laura has addressed each of the major issues I would expect to find in a chapter concerned with emotional development, temperament, and attachment.”

  — Ross Thompson, University of California, Davis

 

“Like all of Laura’s writing, [chapter 10] is breathtakingly current.”

  — Ross Thompson, University of California, Davis

 

“One of the challenges of the high level of the Berk texts is to make them accessible to students of a range of backgrounds and ability, and I perceive these learning aids [Ask Yourself Questions] as one way of doing so. All of these study aids are thoughtfully conceived and well-designed. “

  — Ross Thompson, University of California, Davis

 

“[Chapter 10] is an extremely comprehensive and well written chapter on Emotional Development. I found the presentation clear and concise, and an appropriate blend of theoretical background and detailed descriptions of research results”

  — Robert Coplan, Carleton University

 

“I think that [Child Development] is an excellent text. It is up-to-date, comprehensive, and demanding. At the same time, it is highly readable and very attractive.”

  — Rebecca Bigler, University of Texas, Austin

 

“I think that [More focus on Emerging Adulthood] is a great idea as it is something that most of the students I teach would be most interested in.”

  — Jayne Gackenbach, MacEwan

 

“For both chapters [11 and 15] the introductory story is useful to orient the student to the topic of the chapter. The chapter outlines are also useful but especially the ones provided in the Instructors Manual.”

  — Jayne Gackenbach, MacEwan

 

“I appreciate Berk’s resources which provide suggestions for in-class active learning and demonstrations, as well as the often good video footage that allows me to enrich the time we spend in class and hopefully make things more real for the students.”

  — David A. Nelson, Brigham Young University

 

“One real advantage of Berk’s text, given that a new edition emerges every 3 years or so, is that she is consistently on top of things.”

  — David A. Nelson, Brigham Young University

 

“We [Psychology Faculty at Brigham Young University] conduct a review of potential introductory child development texts on a regular basis. We have consistently concluded that Dr. Berk’s child development text is the most accurate, coherent, comprehensive, and insightful offering on the market. Her careful, systematic approach to organizing the knowledge base in the field serves our students well.”

  — Craig Hart, Brigham Young University

 

“I have been using the Berk text for 7-8 years. I chose this one by myself, because it is well-written and it includes many clear examples.”

  — David Baskind, Delta College

 

"Superb! Really, really nice job! You interrelate so much, it's so organic, that the chapter starts to come alive!”

  — John Gibbs, Ohio State University