Carolyn Smith, a freelance writer, is the author of THE ABSENTEE AMERICAN and STRANGERS AT HOME, and co-editor of IN THE FIELD: READINGS ON THE FIELD RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. She has also lent her writing expertise to other psychology texts child development. Don Baucum is an Associate Professor and a member of the primary faculty of the Department of Psychology at UAB. His Ph.D. is in General Experimental Psychology, with extensive training in clinical psychology as well. He currently divides his professional time between teaching and writing. Courses include personality, social psychology, introductory statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, psychology of learning, and various others--along with numerous offerings of introductory psychology. Writing efforts include two other textbooks as co-author, plus two general psychology surveys and assorted study materials as author. In his words, "Psychology is what I do, and I'll always enjoy doing it. But I also have that half-finished novel in the computer..."