Infancy provides students with enough detail, without overwhelming them, in order to understand methodological issues, explore both practically and theoretically important topics, and engage students in thinking critically about development from birth to age 3.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Beliefs about Babies: Historical Perspectives on Infancy and Early Childhood Reasons to 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? Normal and Atypical Development Culture and Context Historical Perspectives on Children and Childhood Historical Studies of Children and Childhood Views of Children Family Life Education The Development of Child Development G. Stanley Hall James Mark Baldwin John B. Watson Arnold Gesell Child Research Institutes: Investigation and Dissemination Child Development after World War II Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 2: Research Methods 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 Behavioral Responses Parental Reports Archival Research Issues in Research with Infants Behavioral State Inference and Interpretation Ethical Concerns Where Do Babies Come From? Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 3: Conception and Prenatal Development Genetics and the Human Genome Genetics and Disease Genetics and Prenatal Development Conception Twins and Other Multiples Sex Chromosome Abnormalities Infertility and Assisted Reproduction Prenatal Development The Germinal Stage, Fertilization to 2 Weeks The Embryonic Stage, 2 to 8 Weeks The Fetal Stage, 8 Weeks to Birth (38 Weeks) Birth Defects Neural Tube Defects Congenital Heart Defects Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Ultrasound Maternal Blood Screening Chorionic Villus Sampling Amniocentesis Fetal Therapy Prenatal Influences Nutrition Alcohol and Drugs Disease Stress Environmental Hazards Paternal Influences Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 4: Birth and the Newborn 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 Birth Weight Postdate Birth Twins and Other Multiple Births Childbirth Options Medical Interventions Hospital, Home, or Birth Center? Neonatal Assessment Assessment at Birth Reflexes Sensory Abilities Adaptations during the Neonatal Period Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 5: Growth, Health, and Nutrition Physical Growth Measuring and Predicting Growth Failure to Thrive Tooth Development Brain Development Maltreatment and the Brain Shaken Baby Syndrome Health and Safety Newborn Screening Screening for Lead Poisoning Infant Mortality Common Illnesses Accidental Injuries Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Nutrition and Feeding Nutritional Requirements in Infancy Nutritional Requirements in Toddlerhood and Early Childhood The Problem of Malnutrition Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 6: Sensation, Perception, and Motor Development Sensory Abilities and Perceptual Development Theories of Infant Perception Vision Perception of Objects Perception of Depth Hearing Touch Taste Smell Intermodal and Cross-Modal Perception Other Senses Motor Development Reaching, Grasping, and Manipulating Objects Crawling and Walking The Role of Experience: Implications for Parents and Caregivers Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 7: Cognition, Learning, and Intelligence The Development of Play Play with Objects Social Play Pretend/Symbolic Play Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Intelligence: Constructing Knowledge through Action Six Stages of Sensorimotor Development Evaluating Piaget's Theory of Sensorimotor Intelligence Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory The Zone of Proximal Development Guided Participation: Learning as a Social Activity Evaluating Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory Cognitive Science Perspectives on Early Learning and Memory The Development of Attention The Development of Memory Categorization Defining and Testing Intelligence in Infancy Traditional Tests of Infant Intelligence Information Processing Assessments of Infant Intelligence Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 8: Language and Communication Why Language Matters Studying Language 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: The Role of Language Experience Cultural and Linguistic Influences Explaining Early Word Learning The Acquisition of Grammar Multi-Word Utterances Grammatical Morphemes Overregularization Individual Differences in Early Grammar Cross-Linguistic Studies of the Acquisition of Grammar Explaining Grammatical Development Atypical Language Development Measuring Language Development Early Language Delay Language and Communication in Children with Autism Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 9: Relationships and Social Development Infant-Caregiver Relationships Beliefs about Infants: Patterns of Care and Interaction Developing Trust, Becoming Attached Attachment and Subsequent Development Disturbances in Infant-Caregiver Relationships Maternal Depression Maltreatment: Abuse and Neglect Early Institutionalization and Social Deprivation Sibling Relationships Becoming a Sibling How Siblings Contribute to Development Peer Relationships Peer Interactions Friendship Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 10: Temperament, Emotions, and The Self Temperament Defining and Measuring Temperament Temperament and Neurophysiological Responses Temperament and Attachment Temperament and Personality Emotions Expressing Emotions Perceiving Emotions Communicating with Emotions Developing and Using Social Emotions The Self Recognizing the Self Evaluating the Self Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 11: Building Better Babies: Child Care and Early Intervention Child Care Parental Leave Policies Maternal Employment Child Care Arrangements Effects of Child Care on Infants and Toddlers Including Children with Disabilities in Child Care Early Intervention Early Intervention through Child Care and Preschool Early Head Start Poverty as a Risk Factor: Implications for Prevention and Intervention Measuring the Impact of Early Childhood Interventions Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion Chapter 12: Babies of Today and Tomorrow: Music, Media, and Computers Music Listening to Music Making Music The Mozart Effect Media Television for Infants and Toddlers Barney & Friends Computers Interactive Books and Toys Wrapping It Up: Summary and Conclusion
Author Biography
Dana Gross, Ph.D., is a Professor and Department Chair of Psychology and Affiliated Faculty of Asian Studies and Linguistic Studies at St. Olaf College, where she teaches an advanced seminar on Infant Development, as well as courses in Research Methods, Developmental Psychology, and Human Development in East Asia. Dana Gross received her BA in Psychology from Smith College and her PhD in Child Psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. Dana's research has been published in Child Development, Cognitive Development, and International Journal of Behavioural Development, among others. Dana has presented her work at numerous conferences, and served as consultant and co-author for several developmental textbooks.
