The Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, a four-volume reference, is the field-defining work to which all others are compared. First published in 1946, and now in its Seventh Edition, the Handbook has long been considered the definitive guide to the field of developmental science.

Table of Contents

• List of Illustrations
• List of Tables
• Foreword to the Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, Seventh Edition
• The Handbook's Developing Tradition
• References
• Preface
• References
• Volume 2 Preface
• Contributors
• Chapter 1: Reflections on Cognitive Development
• Chapter 2: Brain and Cognitive Development
• Introduction
• Models of Neurobehavioral Development
• The Plan of the Chapter
• Methods of Interrogation
• The Lesion Method
• Neuroimaging Methods
• Major Milestones of Anatomical Brain Development
• Prenatal Brain Development
• Postnatal Brain Development
• The Role of Experience in Brain Development
• Neural Pathology and Input
• Brain and Cognitive Development in the Postnatal Period
• Development of the Brain Systems for Visual Processing of Faces
• Development of Brain Systems for Cognitive Control
• Development of the Brain Systems for Language
• A Neurocognitive Perspective on Human Development
• Future Directions
• References
• Chapter 3: Perceptual Development
• Introduction
• Theories of Perceptual Development
• Piagetian Theory
• Gestalt Theory
• Nativist Theory
• Information-Processing Theory
• Gibsonian Theory
• Neoconstructivist Theory
• Neural Foundations of Perceptual Development
• Organization and Growth of Subcortical Structures and Cortical Networks
• Plasticity and the Role of Experience
• Interim Summary, and a Look Ahead
• Audition
• Hearing in the Fetus and the Neonate
• Auditory Sensitivity
• Masked Thresholds
• Loudness and Frequency Discrimination
• Perception of Timbre and Pitch
• Temporal Integration
• Temporal Resolution
• Sound Localization
• Perceptual Grouping
• Relational Versus Absolute Information in Pattern Perception
• Perception of Music
• Perception of Speech
• Vision
• Vision in the Fetus and the Neonate
• Visual Acuity and Contrast Sensitivity
• Orientation Sensitivity and Form Discrimination
• Color Perception
• Motion Perception
• Depth Perception
• Visual Attention
• Object Perception
• Social Perception
• Intermodal Perception
• Audiovisual Synchrony
• Shape
• Intermodal Associations
• Concluding Remarks
• References
• Chapter 4: Motor Development
• Learning to Move and Moving to Learn
• Chapter Overview
• Behavioral Development Is Motor Development
• Brain? Body? Both. More!
• Embodied Movement
• Incidental Activity and Consequential Function
• Developmental Continuity: Ontogenetic Adaptations, Historical Antecedents, and Primitives
• Variability: Problem and Promise
• The Passage of Time and Development
• Adaptation and Developmental Diversity
• Summary: Movement Is Embodied
• Embedded Action
• Learning by Doing: Exploration of the Environment
• Planning and Innovating: Prospective Control
• Perceiving and Generalizing: Affordances for Action
• Summary: Actions Are Embedded
• Enculturated Interaction
• Other Cultures, Other Paths
• Developmental Cascades
• Summary: Interaction Is Enculturated
• Conclusions: Moving Forward
• References
• Chapter 5: Attentional Development
• Introduction
• Cool Cognition: Information-Processing Models of Attentional Development
• Assumptions Underlying the Information-Processing Approach
• Paradigms of Attention
• Themes and Limitations
• Emerging Trends in the Transition from Cool to Hot Mental Function
• What Information Is Prioritized by Attention in Daily Life?
• How Do the Dynamics of Attention Prioritize Social Information?
• Emergent Themes and Limitations
• The Future of Attentional Development
• Mind Wandering and the Default Mode Network
• Attention as a Mediator of Self-Regulation
• Motivational Factors
• Concluding Comments
• References
• Chapter 6: Memory Development
• The Structure of Memory
• Carving Memory at Its Joints: Dissevering Memory Systems
• Carving Memory at Its Joints: Dissevering Memory Processes
• Synopsis
• The Adaptive Function of Memory
• Early Memory Development
• The Emergence of Autobiographical Memory
• Infantile and Childhood Amnesia
• Episodic and Semantic Aspects of Autobiographical Memory
• Synopsis
• Memory Development in Later Childhood and Adolescence
• Fuzzy-Trace Theory
• Associative-Activation Theory
• Children’s True and False Memories
• Suggesting and Implanting Memories
• Emotion and Children’s True and False Memories
• Synopsis
• The Adaptive Nature of Memory and Memory Development
• Adaptive Memory Effects
• Adaptive Memory Effects in Children
• Using False Memories to Solve Problems
• Synopsis
• Conclusion
• References
• Chapter 7: The Development of Symbolic Representation
• Introduction
• Extant Definitions and Theoretical Frameworks
• Research Findings
• Language
• Pretense
• Material Artifacts
• General Conclusions
• References
• Chapter 8: Language Development
• Overview
• Universal Grammar
• Emergentism
• Competition
• Mechanisms Based on the Body
• Neural Mechanisms
• Social Mechanisms
• Levels and Emergence
• Auditory Development
• Distributional Learning
• Sequential Learning
• Words as Cues to Segmentation
• Articulatory Development
• Fixed Action Patterns
• Babbling and Cortical Control
• Circular Reactions
• Phonotactic Processes
• Word Learning
• Discovering Meanings
• Initial Episodic Mapping
• Undergeneralization, Generalization, and Overgeneralization
• Flexible Learning
• Children’s Agenda
• Whorf Versus Humpty Dumpty
• Learning From Syntactic Contexts
• Words as Invitations to Learning
• Competition and Mutual Exclusivity
• Building Theories
• Milestones in Vocabulary Growth
• Models of Word Learning
• Syntax
• Item-Based Patterns
• Learning Item-Based Patterns
• Evidence for Item-Based Patterns
• Feature-Based Patterns
• Competition and the LPLA
• Category-Based Patterns
• Morphology
• Amalgams
• Mental Models
• Linguistic Relativity
• Vygotskyan Approaches
• Perspective Theory
• Perspective and Gesture
• Conversation
• Language and Brain
• Components
• Auditory Processing
• Articulatory Processing
• Lexical Processing
• Morphological Processing
• Syntactic Processing
• Mental Model Processing
• Conversation Processing
• Declarative and Procedural Encoding
• Errors in Connectivity
• Timeframes
• Multilingual Development
• Immigrants
• A Critical Period for Language Learning?
• Summary
• Open Questions
• References
• Chapter 9: Gesture and Cognitive Development
• Situating Gesture Within the Realm of Nonverbal Behavior
• The Development of Gesture in Language-Learning Children
• Becoming a Gesture Producer
• Becoming a Gesture Comprehender
• The Gestural Input Children Receive
• Gesture When Spoken Language-Learning Goes Awry
• When Hearing Children Have Difficulty Learning Spoken Language
• When Deaf Children Cannot Learn Spoken Language and Are Not Exposed to Sign Language: Homesign
• Gesture Is a Window Onto the Mind
• Gesture Can Reveal Thoughts Not Found in Speech
• Gesture Offers Unique Insight Into a Child’s Knowledge
• What Makes Us Gesture? The Mechanisms That Lead to Gesturing
• Does Having a Conversation Partner Make Us Gesture?
• Does Thinking Hard Make Us Gesture?
• Does Gesture Have a Purpose? The Functions That Gesturing Serves
• Gesture’s Role in Communication: Does Gesture Convey Information to the Listener?
• Gesture’s Impact on Learning Through Communication
• Gesture’s Role in Thinking: Does Gesturing Help Us Think?
• The Next Frontier in Gesture Research
• Gesture Facilitates the Transition From Action to Abstraction
• Gesture Spatializes Information
• Gesture Adds a Second Representational Format
• Gesture Synchronizes Seamlessly With Speech
• Summary
• References
• Chapter 10: The Development of Social Understanding
• Overview
• A Brief History of Research on Social Understanding
• The Origins of Social Understanding in Infancy
• Starting From the Individual
• Steps Toward Starting From the Social Process
• From Coordinating Attention to Conveying Meaning: The Case of Pointing
• Beliefs, False Beliefs, and Recent Theoretical Debates
• Criticism of Theories of Theory of Mind
• Do Infants Understand False Beliefs?
• Further Development of Social Understanding: Beyond False Belief Understanding
• Social Understanding and Neuroscience
• Neuroimaging
• Mirror Neurons
• Social Interaction and the Development of Social Understanding
• Cross-Cultural Research
• The “Sibling Effect”
• Parent-Child Interaction and Social Understanding
• The Role of Relationships
• Language and Social Understanding
• Concluding Theoretical Reflection on Language and Social Understanding
• Social Understanding and Children's Social Lives
• Trust and Deception
• Cooperation and Morality
• Conclusions
• References
• Chapter 11: The Development of Play
• Introduction
• Defining Play
• Theories of Play
• Piaget
• Vygotsky
• Varieties of Play and Their Developmental Course
• Sensorimotor and Object Play
• Physical or Locomotor Play
• Rough-and-Tumble Play
• Exploratory Play
• Construction Play
• Symbolic Play
• Summary
• Contemporary Issues in Play Research
• Pretend Play and Theory of Mind
• Symbolic Understanding
• Object Substitution
• Distinguishing Pretense From Reality
• Initiating Pretend Play
• Does Play Improve Developmental Outcomes?
• Interindividual Differences in Play
• Gender Differences in Play
• The Play of Atypically Developing Children
• Play Across Cultures
• Future Directions
• Changing Modes of Play
• Why Children Pretend
• Play Across the Life Span
• Conclusion
• References
• Chapter 12: Conceptual Development
• Introduction
• What Are Concepts?
• What Do We Want to Understand About Conceptual Development?
• Principles of Conceptual Development
• Structure and Organization of This Chapter
• A Historical Overview
• Philosophical Origins of the Study of Concepts
• Early Psychological Theories: The Classical Approach: Piaget and Vygotsky
• Subsequent Theoretical Development: Prototypes, Exemplars, and Theories
• Summary
• Multiplicity of Conceptual Behavior
• Category Learning and Category Knowledge
• Perceptual Groupings, Categories, Concepts, and Conceptual Networks
• Different Kinds of Categories
• Spontaneous Versus Supervised Category Learning
• Summary
• Neural Bases of Conceptual Behaviors
• Neural Bases of Category Learning
• Differential Maturational Course of Brain Systems Underlying Category Learning
• Neural Bases of Conceptual Processing
• Summary
• Categorization in Nonhuman Animals
• Summary
• Conceptual Development in Infancy
• Preverbal Infants Exhibit Evidence of Category Learning
• Preverbal Infants Can Learn Categories Without Teaching or Supervisory Signal
• Controversial Issues in Infant Category Learning
• Summary
• Conceptual Development After Infancy
• The Role of Cognitive and Linguistic Factors in Conceptual Development
• Interaction Between Language and Other Aspects of the Experience
• The Development of Semantic Knowledge and Its Role in Conceptual Development
• The Development of Conceptual Hierarchies
• The Role of Categories in Inductive Inference
• Summary
• Principles of Conceptual Development
• Principle 1: The Diversity of Conceptual Behaviors
• Principle 2: Simpler Forms Are More Universal; Complex Forms Are More Unique
• Principle 3: Complex Forms of Conceptual Behavior Are Likely to Be Affected by Language and Instruction
• Principle 4: The Structure of Input Matters
• Principle 5: Conceptual Development Progresses From Less Structured Representations to More Structured Representations
• Concluding Comments: Future of Research on Conceptual Development
• Structure and Mechanism
• Development
• Biological Foundations
• References
• Chapter 13: The Development of Reasoning
• The Dual Systems/Process Model of Reasoning
• The Algorithmic and Reflective Systems
• Two Types of Reasoning
• Development of Deductive Reasoning
• Paradigms and Methods
• Mental Logic Accounts of Deductive Reasoning
• Metacognitive Theories
• Mental Models Theories
• Conclusions Regarding the Development of Deductive Reasoning
• Development of Inductive Reasoning
• Category-Based Induction
• Causal Induction
• Scientific Thinking
• Overall Conclusions—Dual Systems and the Development of Reasoning
• References
• Chapter 14: The Development of Executive Function
• Introduction
• EF: Its History, Contemporary Conceptualizations, and Theoretical Issues
• History of EF
• Executive Function Lists
• Developmental Theories of EF
• Summary
• Review of Empirical Research on the Development of EF and Its Neural Basis
• Development of the Neural Basis Underlying EF
• Development of Working Memory
• Development of Inhibition
• Development of Flexibility
• The Development of Performance on Complex EF Tasks
• The Development of Hot EF
• Summary
• Problems in the Assessment of EF
• General Methodological Problems in the Assessment of EF
• Test–Retest Reliability of Measures of EF
• Validity of Measures of EF
• Summary
• Influences on the Development of EF
• Genetic Influences on EF
• Influences of the Social Context and EF
• The Influence of Language on EF
• Training Studies
• Summary
• Impact of EF on Social Understanding and Academic Skills
• Executive Function and Theory of Mind
• EF, Emergent Academic Skills, and School Achievement
• CONCLUSION
• References
• Chapter 15: The Development of Temporal Cognition
• Introduction
• Time as Duration
• Time as a Framework
• Time and Space
• Chapter Themes
• Time as Duration
• Duration Processing in Infancy
• Children’s Duration Judgments
• Children’s Duration Judgments: The Piagetian Tradition
• Time as a Framework
• Representing the Locations of Events in Time
• Children’s Concepts of Time
• Toward Understanding Time as Linear and Unified: A Model of Developmental Change
• Learning the Calendar System: Further Developments in Children’s Ability to Locate Events in Time
• Final Summary and Conclusions
• Quantitative or Qualitative Changes in Children’s Temporal Abilities?
• Time and Space
• Concluding Remarks
• References
• Chapter 16: The Development of Scientific Thinking
• Introduction
• Images of Science
• Science-as-Reasoning
• Science-as-Conceptual Change
• Science-as-Practice
• IMAGES OF SCIENCE REFLECTED IN SCIENCE EDUCATION
• Clues From Studies of Science About Foundations of Modeling
• Models as Analogies
• Representations and Modeling
• Models and Materiality
• Pathways of Development in Modeling
• Physical Microcosms
• Representational Models
• Models of Emergence
• Development of the Remaining Scientific Practices
• Asking Questions
• Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
• Analyzing and Interpreting Data
• Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
• Constructing Explanations
• Engaging in Argument From Evidence
• Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
• CONCLUSION
• References
• Chapter 17: The Development of Mathematical Reasoning
• Introduction
• Analyzing Children's Mathematical Reasoning and Numerical Knowledge
• The Nature of Mathematical Concepts
• Numbers, Quantities, Operations, and Relations
• Two Meanings of Numbers: Representational and Analytical
• Different Types of Quantities Are Represented by Different Types of Numbers
• Quantities Represented Numerically by Relations Between Two Other Quantities
• Number Knowledge and Reasoning Mathematically About the World
• Two Types of Relation Between Quantities That Children Encounter in Elementary School
• Counting, Understanding Number, and Solving Problems
• Counting Principles and Their Coordination as a Step in Understanding the Analytical Meaning of Number
• Creating Sets With a Prespecified Number
• Using Numerical Representations in Quantitative Reasoning
• Equivalence As an Explicit Understanding of the Representational Meaning of Numbers
• The Development of Additive Reasoning
• Additive Reasoning and Understanding a Counting System With a Base
• Different Types of Problem and Some of the Logical Principles Involved in Additive Reasoning
• Additive Reasoning and the Commutativity of Addition
• Additive Reasoning About Relations Between Quantities
• The Development of Multiplicative Reasoning
• Multiplicative Relations Seen From Different Perspectives
• Young Children’s Multiplicative Reasoning
• Processes in the Development of Multiplicative Reasoning
• The Development of an Understanding of Rational Numbers and Intensive Quantities
• The Use of Fractions in Different Situations and Children’s Understanding of Order and Equivalence
• Understanding Quantities Smaller Than the Unit and Fractions as Numbers
• An Alternative View of How Children Understand Numbers and Fractions
• Understanding and Proficiency in Operations With Fractions
• Rational Numbers and the Construction of the Concept of Intensive Quantity
• Understanding and Quantifying Space
• Length Measurement
• Iteration and Measurement
• Measurement of Area: Learning About the Relation Between the Areas of Different Shapes
• Closing Remarks
• References
• Chapter 18: Literacy Development
• Overview
• What Is Reading?
• A Simple View of Reading
• Decoding
• The Alphabetic Code
• Development of Word Reading
• Linguistic Comprehension
• Lower-Order Skills
• Higher-Order Skills
• Construction-Integration Models
• Development of Reading Skills
• Behavioral Genetics of Reading Skills
• Emergent Literacy
• Development of Emergent Literacy Skills
• Reading Difficulties and Disorders
• Developmental Dyslexia
• Problems of Reading Comprehension
• Late-Emerging Reading Disorders
• Identification of Reading Disability
• Instruction
• Teaching Reading
• Early Childhood Education
• Summary and Conclusions
• References
• Chapter 19: Gender and Social-Cognitive Development
• Overview of Major Theories and Conceptual Models
• Cognitive-Developmental and Information-Processing Theories
• Intergroup Theories
• Motivation Theories
• Theoretical Models of Person-Environment Interactions
• Summary
• Children's Gender Cognitions
• Developmental Trends in Children’s Understanding of Gender
• Gender as a Social Gender Identity and Gender Segregation
• Social Influences on Gender Stereotyping and Prejudice
• Gender-Typed Play
• Developmental Patterns in Children’s Gender-Typed Play
• Possible Influences on Gender-Typed Play Preferences
• Gender Comparisons of Performance and Achievement
• General Intelligence
• Overall Academic Achievement
• Verbal Skills and Achievement
• Spatial Skills
• Mathematical Skills and Achievement
• Overall Science Achievement
• Physical Sciences and Technology Achievement
• Life Sciences Achievement
• Musical and Artistic Achievement
• Physical Performance and Athletic Achievement
• Interpersonal Competencies
• Intrapersonal Competencies
• Summary
• Possible Explanations for Gender-Related Variations in Performance and Achievement
• Individual Influences
• Social-Relational Influences
• Summary
• Conclusions and Future Directions
• References
• Chapter 20: Cognitive Development and Culture
• Chapter Overview
• Foundations of Research on Culture and Cognitive Development
• Approaches to Studying Culture in Psychological Research
• The Importance of Developmental Analysis
• Some Important Considerations in Studying Culture and Cognitive Development
• A Cultural Approach to Cognitive Development
• Tracing Out the Relatively Recent Interest in Culture and Cognitive Development
• The Sociocultural Basis of Cognition
• The Capacity to Participate in and Create Culture
• The Social Brain
• Development of Social Cognition
• Cognitive Development in Cultural Context
• The Development of Memory as a Sociocultural Process
• Spatial Cognition
• The Development of Cognitive Self-Regulation: Executive Function
• Problem Solving
• Conclusions and Future Directions
• References
• Chapter 21: Artistic Development
• Introduction
• Visual Arts
• The Beginnings of Human Image Making
• Historical and Contemporary Theoretical Approaches to Drawing Development
• Development of Understanding and Drawing Representational Pictures
• Development and Understanding of Aesthetic Properties in Children’s Artwork
• Cultural Influences on Children’s Drawings
• Music
• Defining Musical Behavior
• Historical and Contemporary Theoretical Approaches to Musical Development
• Development in Music
• Cultural Influences on Music Perception and Music Making
• Concluding Remarks
• References
• Chapter 22: Media and Cognitive Development
• Overview
• Scope
• Popular Concerns About Media Impact
• The Media Debate: The Example of Sesame Street
• Practical Limitations on Research
• Children's Time Spent Using Media
• Media Multitasking
• Children's Cognition While Using Media
• Attention to Media
• Processing Media Content
• Media Impact on Cognition
• Pathways of Influence
• Research on Media Effects
• Comments and Conclusions
• References
• Chapter 23: Atypical Cognitive Development
• Introduction
• Key Phenomena
• Individual and Developmental Differences in Cognition
• Equifinality and Multifinality
• Complex Systems
• Relation Between Typical and Atypical Cognitive Development
• Historical Overview
• Psychometric Intelligence
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• Framework and Findings
• Reciprocal Relation Between Research on Typical and Atypical Development
• Multilevel Analysis of Development
• Comorbidity
• Examples of Atypical Development
• Environmental Deprivation
• Genetic Syndromes
• A Behaviorally Defined Syndrome—Developmental Dyslexia
• Current Answers to Key Questions and Implications for Future Research
• Appendix: Online Resources
• References
• Author Index
• Subject Index