Developmental Psychology (3e)

Developmental Psychology: From infancy to adulthood, 3rd edition, continues to bring together a balanced focus on Australian and international research contributions in developmental psychology.

Students and lecturers alike will find this text addresses the issues of lifespan development in a rigorous and challenging way using a thematic rather than chronological approach. International and national research on graduate attributes consistently identifies critical thinking as one of the most important skills for psychology students.

The inclusion of Critical Thinking for Group Discussion at the end of each chapter is designed to encourage students in the development of this key skill. These questions help students develop the ability to engage in discussions on truth and validity and evaluate the relative importance of ideas and data. Students learn by doing, and this is encouraged through interactive features such as Stop and Review, Research Focus Boxes, and Practical Exercises which engage them in group discussion and challenge them to delve into complex and cross-domain analysis of lifespan development. Concept maps at the start of each chapter provide students with a visual snapshot of the chapter content.

1: Introduction to developmental psychology
2: Foundations of development: Genetics and prenatal development
3: Physical and motor development
4: Perceptual development
5: Stages of cognitive development: Piaget and beyond Piagetian approaches
6: Cognitive development II: Information-processing, core-knowledge and sociocultural approaches 
7: Language development 
8: Personality development 
9: Social development 
10: Emotional development 
11: Moral development
12: Psychological problems and development
13: Conclusions

• NEW! Concept Maps, a pedagogical feature highlights to students how theory and research are linked throughout the chapter.
• In many chapters attention is drawn to the several contexts in which development occurs. These contexts include the family, peer group and culture.
• Research Focus boxes highlight (1) important research studies that provide a deeper coverage of relevant theories covered, (2) Australian research and researchers, and (3) relevant Indigenous Australian issues.
• Interactive and applied components for students: Stop and review questions are carefully placed throughout the chapters to encourage students to think at a deeper level about what they have just read; and end-of-chapter Critical thinking questions can be integrated into tutorials or seminars to generate group discussion among students.
• Practical Exercises at the end of each chapter have been carefully developed to encourage students to apply their theoretical knowledge while developing actual research skills in the ?eld of developmental psychology.
• End-of-chapter reference lists, with both recent and seminal papers, and glossary.
• There are also several particular pedagogical strengths of this third edition.
• Includes student and lecturer supplements such as a companion website (www.pearson.com.au/highered/white), testbank, instructors’ manual and Image bank presentation slides. These additional supplements will serve to further strengthen the core teaching and learning objectives.

Specific chapter changes:

Chapter 1

• New introduction to contextual theories
• New section on the 'lifespan' approach
• New definition of 'standardization'
• New Practical exercise

Chapter 2

• New Research Box 2.2- Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure
• New section on maternal diseases and disorders

Chapter 3

• New Research Box 3.2 The relationship between motor performance and peer relationships

Chapter 4

• New Research Focus Box 4.1 How do children with autism perceive ‘biological motion’?
• A significantly expanded / revised section on Face Perception to cover recent developments in that field (including new Figure)
• Additions to research reviews in sections on smell/taste and haptic perception

Chapter 5

• Two new Research Focus sections on topics of high interest.  Box 5.4 Developing an understanding of the division of cognitive labour and Box 5.5 Educational implications of Piaget’s theory: ‘Discovering learning’

Chapter 6

• Discussion of new research on the effects of culture on attention development
• Two new Research Focus sections on topics of high interest.  Box 6.1 Can playing video games enhance attentional skills? And Box 6.3 Metamemory development and understanding false memories

Chapter 7

• A new section on ‘Language and Thought’
• New Research Focus Box 7.3 Numerical thought without words: Evidence from indigenous Australian children. This new box highlights Australian research that deals with literacy and numeracy issues in Anglo and indigenous Australian children. 

Chapter 8

•  New Research Focus Box 8.2 Neuroticism, mortality and old age

Chapter 9

• New Research Focus Box 9.5 Reducing racism in Australia
• New section on social development milestones from infancy to adulthood
• New section on anti-social development from infancy to adulthood

Chapter 10

• New Research Focus Box 10.3 Research examining emotional resilience during infancy and childhood

Chapter 11

• New sections on alternative theories of moral judgment and moral behaviour including Social Domain Theory, Social Cognitive Theory and Psychodynamic theory

Chapter 12

• Changes (including changes to table content) incorporated because of the DSM-5 transition phase that is being driven by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) regarding the restructuring of the diagnostic manual.

• Learning objectives outline the key learning areas being discussed within each chapter.
• Concept Maps highlight to students how theory and research are linked throughout the chapter.
• Stop and review questions encourage students to think deeply about what they have just learnt.
• Research focus boxes highlight important research studies and thus provide coverage of the theoretical issues highlighted throughout the text.
• Contexts of development feature assists students’ understanding of the important fact that cognitive, motor and moral development do not change in isolation but are affected by family, peer, school and cultural contexts.
• Chapter summary breaks down the key points discussed within each chapter so students can revise and refresh their memory.
• Discussion questions can be integrated into tutorials or seminars to generate group discussion amongst students.
• Practical exercises at the end of each chapter encourage students to apply their theoretical knowledge while developing actual research skills in the field of developmental psychology.
• Photos, tables and figures for visual and statistical learning.
• Glossary collates all the key terms throughout the chapters into one clear list at the end of the text.
• References are collated at end of book in the APA style for ease in use.
  

Dr Fiona White, Associate Head, Associate Professor, Associate Head, Learning and Teaching, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney
Dr Brett Hayes, Professor, School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales
Dr David Livesey, Associate Professor, Deputy Head of School, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney