The Fourth Edition of Infancy is a comprehensive and accessible core text for courses in infant development and early childhood development. Dana Gross's sensitive and engaging teaching voice seamlessly weaves together research and theory with current issues of diversity and culture. This latest edition provides students with enough detail to understand methodological issues, explore both practically and theoretically important topics, and engage in thinking critically about development from birth to age three.
Dana Gross is professor of psychology at St. Olaf College, where she teaches infant development and developmental psychology. She has been a faculty member at St. Olaf since 1988. In teaching, research, and scholarship, she emphasizes the interplay of nature and nurture, cross-cultural variations in beliefs and practices, practical applications of research findings, ethical community engagement, and policy considerations. She has developed short-term study abroad courses in India, China, and Norway, as well as student assignments to promote global learning in her on-campus courses.
Preface Chapter 1: Beliefs about Babies: Historical Perspectives on Children and Childhood Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Why Do We Study Infants? Development as Transformation Impact of Early Experience Research Methods and Tools Interdisciplinary Collaboration Recurring Themes in the Study of Child Development The Path of Development: Stages versus Continuous Change Heredity and the Environment Active or Passive Development? Typical and Atypical Development Culture and Context in Historical Perspective Historical Perspectives on Infancy and Early Childhood Historical Studies of Children and Childhood Views of Children Family Life The Development of the Field of Child Development Child Development Research, Theory, and Practice G. Stanley Hall Maria Montessori John Watson Arnold Gesell Anna Freud Margaret Mahler Myrtle McGraw John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth Child Development Organizations Conclusion Wrapping It Up Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 2: Research Methods Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Issues in Research with Infants Ethical Concerns Behavioral State Inference and Interpretation Research Settings Naturalistic Studies Laboratory Studies Research Designs Case Studies and Single-Subject Research Quasi-Experimental Studies Experimental Studies Research Designs for Studying Development Longitudinal Research Cross-Sectional Research Microgenetic Research Research Measures Psychophysiological Responses Behavioral Measures Parental Reports Wrapping It Up : Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 3: Genetics, Conception, and Prenatal Development Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Genetics and the Human Genome Genetic Diseases and Disorders Genetics and Prenatal Development Conception Sex Chromosome Abnormalities Twins and Other Multiples Infertility and Assisted Reproduction Prenatal Development The Germinal Stage, Fertilization to Two Weeks The Embryonic Stage, Two to Eight Weeks The Fetal Stage, Eight Weeks to Birth (38 Weeks) Congenital Anomalies Neural Tube Defects Congenital Heart Defects Prenatal Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) Ultrasound Maternal Blood Screening Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) Amniocentesis Fetal Echocardiography Fetal Therapy Prenatal Influences Nutrition Alcohol and Drugs Disease Stress Environmental Hazards Paternal Influences Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 4: Birth and the Newborn Chapter Overview Learning Objectives The Birth Process: Stages of Childbirth The First Stage: Contractions, Dilatation, and Effacement The Second Stage: Delivery of the Infant The Third Stage: Placental Expulsion Complications of Childbirth Failure to Progress Breech Presentation Preterm Birth Low Birthweight Post-Term Birth Twins and Other Multiple Births Childbirth Options Medical Interventions Hospital or Home? Neonatal Assessment Assessment at Birth Reflexes Sensory Abilities Adaptations during the Neonatal Period Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 5: Physical Growth, Health, and Nutrition Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Physical Growth Measuring and Predicting Growth Failure to Thrive Brain Development Maltreatment and the Brain Health and Safety Newborn Screening Screening for Lead Poisoning Infant Mortality Common Illnesses and Immunizations Accidental Injuries Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Nutrition and Feeding Nutritional Requirements in Infancy Breast Milk Nutritional Requirements in Toddlerhood The Problem of Malnutrition Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 6: Sensation, Perception, and Motor Development Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Theories of Infant Perception Vision Newborn Abilities Perceiving Objects Perceiving Depth Perceiving Images on Screens Hearing Locating Sounds Perceiving Speech Listening to Music Music Perception Touch Reflexes Pain Taste Innate Preferences Effects of Experience Smell Innate Preferences Effects of Experience Other Senses, Intermodal and Cross-Modal Perception Other Senses Intermodal Abilities Cross-Modal Abilities Motor Development Assessing Motor Development Fine Motor Skills: Reaching, Grasping, and Using Tools Gross Motor Skills: Sitting, Crawling, and Walking The Cultural Context Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 7: Play and Foundational Theories about Cognitive Development Chapter Overview Learning Objectives The Development of Play Play with Objects Social Play Pretend/Symbolic Play Piaget's Theory: Constructing and Representing Knowledge Sensorimotor and Preoperational Intelligence Object Permanence The A-Not-B Error Understanding and Using Representations of Space Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory: Learning as A Social Activity The Zone of Proximal Development Guided Participation Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 8: Cognitive Science and Intelligence Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Cognitive Science Perspectives Attention Gaze Following, Joint Attention, and Theory of Mind Memory Categorization Defining and Testing Intelligence in Infancy Traditional Tests Information-Processing Assessments Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 9: Language and Communication Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Studying Language Development Why Language Matters Systems of Language Theoretical Foundations Prelinguistic Communication Receptivity to Language Speech Perception Early Production: Babbling Gestural Communication Semantic Development Milestones in the Acquisition of Meaning One-Word Utterances Individual Differences in Language Experience Explaining Early Word Learning The Acquisition of Grammar Multiword Utterances Overregularization Cross-Linguistic Studies of the Acquisition of Grammar Atypical Language Development Measuring Language Development Early Language Delay and Specific Language Impairment Language and Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 10: Relationships and Social Development Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Infant-Caregiver Relationships Patterns of Care and Interaction: Beliefs about Infants Cross-Cultural Differences in Mothers' Involvement Father-Infant Caregiving and Interaction Cross-Cultural Differences in Fathers' Involvement Postpartum Depression The Influence of Culture and Context How Postpartum Depression Affects Infants Intervention Approaches Developing Trust, Becoming Attached Bowlby's Theory of Infant-Caregiver Attachment Assessing Attachment Relationships Attachment and Subsequent Development Sibling Relationships Becoming a Sibling How Siblings Contribute to Development Peer Relationships and Friendship Peer Interactions Friendship Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 11: Temperament, Emotions, and the Self Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Temperament Defining and Measuring Temperament Temperament and Biology Temperament and Attachment Temperament and Personality Emotions Theories of Emotion Expressing Emotions Perceiving Emotions Parent Influences on Emotion Development Regulating Emotions Developing and Using Social Emotions The Self Recognizing the Self Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Chapter 12: Childcare and Early Intervention Chapter Overview Learning Objectives Childcare Maternal Employment Parental Leave Policies Childcare Arrangements Effects of Childcare: The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development Including Children with Disabilities in Childcare Early Intervention Poverty as a Risk Factor: Implications for Prevention and Intervention Early Intervention through Childcare and Preschool Early Head Start Measuring the Impact of Early Childhood Intervention Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Think About It: Questions for Reading and Discussion Key Words Glossary References Index About the Author
