Infants and Children in Context. Tara L. Kuther

in Context explains this process, emphasizing how individual factors combine with the places, sociocultural environments, and ways in which we are raised to influence children’s development.

      The contextual theme is infused throughout the text and highlighted specifically in Lives in Context boxed features that appear in each chapter. The Lives in Context features are labeled to illustrate the various contexts in which children and adolescents are immersed: Family and Peer Context, Community Context, Cultural Context, and Media and Technology. Examples of these features include the effects of parental military deployment (Family and Peer Context), the effects of exposure to community violence (Community Context), and culture and theory of mind (Cultural Context). Advances in technology and the advent of social media have led to a new but highly relevant online context that is depicted in Lives in Context features labeled Media and Technology, such as the effects of screen time on children’s health or screen use and infant motor development. Finally, when considering context, it is tempting to overlook biology, but our biology influences and is influenced by our contexts. The Lives in Context feature labeled Biological Influences calls attention to the role of biology in development. Sample topics include pregnancy and the maternal brain, genetic engineering, and the effects of poverty on brain development.

      Applied Emphasis

      The field of developmental science is unique because so much of its content has immediate relevance to our daily lives. Students may wonder: Do the first 3 years shape the brain for a lifetime of experiences? Can we teach babies to communicate through sign language? Is learning more than one language beneficial to children? What does it mean to be a transgender child? Developmental science is increasingly applied to influence social policy. For example, why vaccinate infants? Can we outlaw bullying? Research in child and adolescent development can inform our understanding of each of these topics. Moreover, these topics fascinate students because they illustrate clear-cut examples of why developmental science matters. The Applying Developmental Science feature highlights the above topics and more.

      Current Research

      Developmental science instructors face the challenge of covering the growing mass of research findings within the confines of a single semester. Child and Adolescent Development in Context integrates recently published and classic findings. Rather than present an exhaustive review of current work simply for the sake of including recent references, I carefully select the most relevant findings. I integrate cutting-edge and classic research to present a unified story of what is currently known in developmental psychology.

      Accessible Writing Style

      Having taught at a regional public university for 24 years, I write in a style intended to engage undergraduate readers like my own students. This text is intended to help them understand challenging concepts in language that will not overwhelm: I have avoided jargon but maintained the use of professional and research terms that students need to know in order to digest classic and current literature in the lifespan development field. I attempt to write in the same voice as I teach, carefully structuring sections to build explanations and integrating content with examples that are relevant to students. I regularly use my own texts in class, students work with me in preparing elements of each text, and my students’ responses and learning guide my writing.

      Organization

      Child and Adolescent Development in Context is organized into 15 chronological chapters, within five units, that depict the wide range of developments that occur over the lifespan. Unit 1 (Foundations of Child and Adolescent Development) includes Chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 1 combines developmental theory and research design within a single chapter. I chose this approach because, given limited class time, many instructors do not cover stand-alone research chapters. The streamlined approach combines comprehensive coverage of methods of data collection, research design, developmental designs (such as sequential designs), and ethical issues in research with full coverage of the major theories in developmental psychology. Chapter 2 presents the biological foundations of development, including patterns of genetic inheritance, gene–environment interactions, and epigenetics. Chapter 3 describes prenatal development and birth, from conception to the newborn, including the emerging family system. I chose to present prenatal development, birth, and the newborn as a single chapter (rather than birth and the newborn as a stand-alone chapter) to reflect continuity in the perinatal period.

      The remaining units contain three chapters each on physical development, cognitive development, and socioemotional development to reflect the major areas of development during infancy (Unit 2, Chapters 4 to 6), early childhood (Unit 3, Chapters 7 to 9), middle childhood (Unit 4, Chapters 10 to 12), and adolescence (Unit 5, Chapters 13 to 15). Therefore, Child and Adolescent Development in Context contains 15 chapters that correspond to the 15 weeks of the typical college semester.

      Pedagogy

      My day-to-day experiences in the classroom have helped me to keep college students’ interests and abilities at the forefront. Unlike many textbook authors, I teach four classes each semester at a comprehensive regional public university (and have done so since 1996). I taught my first online course in 2002 and have taught online and hybrid courses regularly since. My daily exposure to multiple classes and many students helps keep me grounded in the ever-changing concerns and interests of college students. I teach a diverse group of students. Some live on campus but most commute. Most of my students are ages 18 to 24, but my classes also include many so-called adult learners over the age of 24. Many are veterans, a rapidly increasing population at my institution with unique perspectives and needs. I have many opportunities to try new examples and activities. I believe that what works in my classroom will be helpful to readers and instructors. I use the pedagogical elements of Child and Adolescent Development in Context in my own classes and modify them based on my experiences.

      Learning Objectives and Summaries

      Core learning objectives are listed at the beginning of each chapter. The end-of-chapter summary returns to each learning objective, recapping the key concepts presented in the chapter related to that objective.

      Critical Thinking

      Critical Thinking Questions: At the end of each main section within the chapter, these Thinking in Context critical thinking questions encourage readers to compare concepts, apply theoretical perspectives, and consider applications of research findings presented.

       A Lives in Context box program illustrate contexts drawn from the real world and their connections to one another, including international adoption and child outcomes, exposure to war and terrorism and children’s development, the effects of neighborhood on development, HIV infection in newborns, and the impact of family stress on health.

       Lives in Context: Biological Influences boxes tied to each chapter’s learning objectives cover cutting-edge biological topics and prompt students to think critically about each concept.

       Lives in Context: Community Context boxes raise issues related to the context of community and push students to consider real world implications of concepts connected to chapter learning objectives.

       Lives