Synopsis
Reviewing a 600 page textbook might not be everybody′s favorite job for July, but I have to say that it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. This is the best possible kind of textbook, and I found it both very informative and a real pleasure to read... Much of the pleasure I got from reading this book came from its production. It is clearly laid out and beautifully printed on high quality paper, with black and white photographs and simple, elegant line drawings. Referencing is encyclopedic... Judy Rosenblith′s writing is adult and courteous in tone. She leaves open issues that need to be left open, and gives firm opinions where firm opinions are possible... These are few areas of major practical or theoretical importance that are not covered in this book, and the balance between the two is excellent, as is the way their treatment is integrated. Key terms are first printed in bold, and carefully defined. As the preface correctly points out, the student needs to be aware when what they might take to be mere vocabulary represents a major concept, essential to the understanding of a point central to infancy. Throughout we have not only a summary of what is known but also a careful and clear account of the research methods used, and data are presented at an appropriate level of detail. It is these characteristics, especially, that will make this book an invaluable source for advanced undergraduate, or even graduate level teaching. Treat yourself. --R.F. Drewett in Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology Popular for its presentation of current data and its focus on methods for studying infants, the best-selling infancy text is now available in a thorough revision! New to this edition are alternative birthing techniques and their effects, neuropsychological tests for premature infants, the effects of cocaine and other ingested substances on fetal development and the infant, the latest research on the consequences of alcohol and smoking on the newborn, extended coverage of temperament, an updated look at the attachment controversy, and the most current coverage on the issue of day care for infants. Additionally, the book has been thoroughly reorganized and rewritten based on readers′ feedback on the first edition. Aimed at helping students evaluate new research and understand the major issues of the field, In the Beginning, Second Edition, retains such pedagogically effective features as: presentation of major theories in the context of the general or specific issues to which they are relevant; summaries of contradictory research results with Rosenblith′s view of which interpretation is best supported by the data; and practical implications of infancy research. And, whenever appropriate, cultural comparisons are made of various infant and care-giver behaviors, such as ways in which to soothe a crying infant. If you want your students to have the latest and most effectively presented look at infancy research, you′ll want to reserve your copies of In the Beginning, Second Edition, today. The strength of this book lies within the developmental theories, particularly the application of prenatal environment and its implication on subsequent development. It is thought-provoking and is of particular interest for students who would like to develop in this field." --Midwifery Digest "This book draws on research and experience in a variety of fields and thereby provides the kind of broad-gauged assessment so badly needed for these crucially formative years. It provides a superbly informative account of existing knowledge. Anyone interested in child development, child health, and the underpinnings of education will find it valuable." --David A. Hamburg, M.D., President Carnegie Corporation of New York "For those of us who used the first edition of this masterful book on infant development, the second edition has been well worth the wait. The revised text has been completely updated, so much so that it may be a bit of an embarrassment to those of us who thought they knew the field of infant development. The book is comprehensive in its coverage of the first two years of life, yet does so without compromising the detail that each facet of development deserves--and receives. Perhaps as importantly, the book is also exceedingly well-written and organized. As a result, it should prove to be very accessible to a broad audience that may well include advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and research faculty on the one hand, and very possibly the interested ′parent-to-be′ on the other. I recommend this book in the very highest terms." --Charles A. Nelson, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota "The wonderful value of this volume is not in theory but in evidence. Rosenblith and Sims-Knight have reviewed their world of research in infancy in exquisite detail. They have scoured the journals, organised the findings, interpreted the conclusions, weighed the balance of the evidence, and presented a compendium which is invaluable. . . . It is superbly edited." --European Journal for High Ability "The wonderful value of this volume . . . [is] in evidence. Rosenblith has overviewed the world of infancy research in exquisite detail. . . . The author has scoured the journals, organised the findings, interpreted the conclusions, weighed the balance of evidence, and presented a compendium which is invaluable. . . . It is superbly edited and published." --British Journal of Psychiatry "The heart of [my] course continues to be [In the Beginning] and I continue to find that undergraduates--even those who are not necessarily shining stars--can read, enjoy, and comprehend it. In fact, I have been using a strategy in which the students divide particularly demanding chapters . . . into two or three sections which will be read carefully by only a subset of students who are responsible for coming to class ready to describe the issue and evidence they find most important. I have been ecstatic that even methodological issues have surfaced without my prompt and have received clear exposition. All of which is testimony to the clarity of the writing an even multilayered, complex subjects." --Derek Price, Wheaton College
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