Peers and Social Development QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Learning to negotiate peer relationships is central to social development in childhood and for later in life. Children’s concept of…

Language Development QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Critical components of language include acquiring vocabulary and acquiring grammar, that is, the content and the structure of language. Vocabulary acquisition begins…

Moral Development QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Universal moral standards condemn actions such as lying, cheating, and murder. Conventional moral standards belong to a particular culture, religion, or other…

Problem Solving QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Central themes of problem solving include task analysis, encoding, mental models, domain-general and domain-specific knowledge, and processes of change. Problem-solving processes are…

Intelligence QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD There are newer theories of intelligence that help us understand how people learn to think: Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences identifies eight kinds…

Physical Growth and Development QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Growth in height and weight is slower and steadier during middle childhood. Organ systems become more efficient and adult-like. There…

Cognitive Development QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD Concrete thinkers are able to: Consider two or more pieces of information at one time, for example, height and width (decreasing centration)….

Play Behavior QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD During early childhood, children engage their world symbolically. Pretend play is a major characteristic of this developmental period. Play is an activity…

Gender Development II QUICK LOOK AT THE CHAPTER AHEAD In Freud’s Oedipus complex, boys must separate from their mothers to achieve a satisfactory gender identity. Among the important influences on…