Highly regarded for its mastery of the major research and theories in child development, the book is updated throughout with references to the latest studies and reviews. * Icons in the Applying Development Themes sections (at the end of Chapter 3 and in every chapter thereafter) help to visually emphasize the book"s four core themes (nature/nurture, active/passive, continuity/discontinuity, and the holistic nature of development). These informative sections help to "wrap up" the chapter"s messages by showing students how the themes are reflected in the developmental topics just covered. * Students can gauge their understanding with the help of Concept Checks after each section as well as chapter-ending Practice Quizzes with ten multiple-choice questions that cover main chapter concepts. * The text highlights developmental sequences and processes that children and adolescents experience within each developmental domain. This approach follows the systematic transformations that take place through childhood and adolescence, conveying the holistic character of human development. * Believing that different theories emphasize different aspects of development, the authors take an eclectic approach to the presentation of the theory of development. The psychoanalytic, behavioristic, cognitive-developmental, ecological, sociocultural, information-processing, ethological, and behavioral genetic viewpoints are all treated fairly.