Table of Contents

BEGINNINGS1 Introduction to Child Development Basic Concepts and Issues in Child Development Historical Views of Childhood Theoretical Perspectives Research in Child Development Critical Thinking2 Heredity, Environment, and Prenatal Development Genetics and Heredity Process of Conception Stages of Prenatal Development Environmental Influences on Prenatal Development3 Birth and the Newborn Infant Process of Childbirth Medical Techniques During Labor and Delivery Birth Complications Characteristics of the Newborn The Newborn Infant in the FamilyINFANCY AND THE TODDLER YEARS4 Physical Development and Health During Infancy and the Toddler YearsPhysical GrowthMotor DevelopmentSensory and Perceptual DevelopmentBasic NeedsHealth and Safety Concerns5 Cognitive and Language Development During Infancy and the Toddler YearsPiaget's Cognitive Developmental TheoryContemporary Perspectives on Early Cognitive DevelopmentIndividual Differences in Early Cognitive DevelopmentThe Beginnings of Language6 Social and Emotional Development During Infancy and the Toddler YearsHow Infants and Toddlers Experience and Express EmotionsInfant and Toddler TemperamentDevelopment of Attachment RelationshipsDevelopment of Self-Awareness and AutonomyChild MaltreatmentEARLY CHILDHOOD7 Physical Growth and Health During Early ChildhoodGrowth of the BodyBrain DevelopmentMotor DevelopmentHealth and Wellness8 Cognitive Development During Early ChildhoodAdvances in Children's Thinking:Representational Skill and Pretend PlayInformation Processing ApproachesVygotsky's Sociocultural ApproachIndividual Differences in Cognitive Development9 Social and Emotional Development During EarlyChildhoodDevelopment of Self-UnderstandingGrowth of Emotional Self-RegulationGender and the SelfParent-Child RealtionshipsPeer and Sibling RelationshipsAgression, Prosocial Behavior, and Self-ControlMIDDLE CHILDHOOD10Physical Growth and Health in Middle ChildhoodGrowth of the BodyHealth and WellnessMotor DevelopmentChildren with Special Needs11 Cognitive Development During Middle ChildhoodPiaget's Theory: Concrete Operational ThoughtInformation processing ApproachesIntelligenceLanguage DevelopmentSchooling and Cognitive Development12 Social and Emotional Development During Middle ChildhoodDevelopment of Self-ConceptsFamily Influences on Social DevelopmentGrowth of Peer RelationsEnvironments of Social Development

About the Author

Charlotte J. Patterson is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, where she teaches an introductory course in child development every year. She was born and attended school in California, receiving her B.A. at Pomona College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. at Stanford University. Upon graduation from Stanford, Patterson moved East to accept a position at the University of Virginia, where she has been actively pursuing research and teaching in developmental psychology ever since.Patterson has published widely in the areas of social and personal development among children and adolescents. She has conducted research on childrens self-control, on childrens communication skills, on child maltreatment, and on the family, peer and school contexts of child development. Recently, much of her research has focused on the role of sexual orientation in human development, especially on issues related to child development in lesbian- and gay-parented families. Reports of her research have appeared in Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Family Psychology, and other well-known journals. Her 2004 article on adolescents with same-sex parents has been recognized by Child Development as one of its Top 10 Downloads; it was the journals 2nd most-frequently downloaded paper for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007.In addition to her empirical research, Patterson has edited three books, and served on many editorial boards, including those of Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Human Development, Journal of Marriage and the Family, and the Journal of Family Psychology. She spent three years as Associate Editor of the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, and has twice served as guest editor for special sections of Developmental Psychology. Active in professional matters, Patterson has served on numerous committees and task forces. For instance, she has been a member of grant review panels at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and at the National Science Foundation (NSF), and she was a member of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) task force on Cultural and Contextual Diversity.Patterson has also been an innovative teacher. She was a University of Virginia Teaching + Technology Fellow, and was an early adopter of technological tools such as presentation software and digitized video clips in lectures for her child development course. When Patterson first made a collection of digitized classic and contemporary video clips available to students and instructors in her Multimedia Courseware for Child Development, it was considered so novel that it received notice in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Her contributions in teaching have been recognized by an award from the University of Virginia Faculty Senate Initiative on Excellent Teaching, and by repeated invitations to speak at the Developmental Science Teaching Institutes at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).In recognition of her research, teaching and service, Patterson has been the recipient of numerous awards. She won the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from APAs Division 44 (the Society for Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues), she was given an Outstanding Achievement Award from the APA Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, and she was awarded the Carolyn Attneave Diversity Award from APAs Division 43 (Family Psychology) for contributions that advance the understanding and integration of diversity into family psychology. She has served as President of APAs Division 44, and is a fellow of both APA (Divisions 7, 9, 43, and 44) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS).