Child Development

Long considered the gold standard, the Seventh Edition of this best-selling topical approach to child development continues its tradition of being the most current and comprehensive text available.

Laura Berk, renowned professor and researcher in the field of child development, has revised her Child Development text, adding new pedagogy, a heightened emphasis on the interplay between biology and environment, expanded coverage of culture, and an enhanced focus on education, health, and social issues, including many social policy topics addressed throughout the text. Berk’s revision provides contemporary and cohesive coverage on contexts for development, including but also extending beyond the family to peers, schooling, media, neighborhoods, communities, and societal values and priorities.

In the Seventh Edition, Berk consulted with Canadian contributor Stuart Shanker, accomplished professor of developmental psychology at York University, to expand the text's coverage of Canadian content and to offer an integrated North American representation of the field. This balanced North American perspective provides students with a greatly enriched opportunity to learn about social and cultural contexts for development. Berk presents both classic and emerging theories in an especially clear, engaging writing style, with a multitude of research-based and real-world examples. Strengthening the connections between theory and applications, this edition's extensive revision highlights the most recent scholarship in the field, giving students an especially clear and coherent understanding of the sequence and underlying processes of child development. The effective topical organization consistently emphasizes the interrelatedness of all development – physical, cognitive, emotional, and social – throughout the text narrative and in special features.

Chlld Development

“Writing Style: fabulous! Information in these chapters is consistently presented in a clear, concise style. The reader is very much ‘involved’ in the material.”
―DEBORAH GURAL, RED RIVER COLLEGE

“Berk’s emphasis on culture is excellent and I think superior to most other development books. She includes a wide variety of interesting, relevant, and thorough cultural examples in boxes and throughout the chapters.”
―BARBARA SIMON, MIDLANDS TECH

“This is an extremely comprehensive and well written chapter on emotional development. I found the presentation clear and concise, and an appropriate blend of theoretical background and detailed descriptions of research results.”
―ROBERT COPLAN, CARLETON UNIVERSITY

“I think that Berk Child Development is an excellent text. It is up-to-date and comprehensive. At the same time, it is highly readable and very attractive.”
―REBECCA BIGLER, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN

“Laura Berk’s texts are distinctive because they are research-focused and extraordinarily well-written. I also deeply appreciate the integrity of her thinking and presentation of issues: she does not dodge or unduly simplify difficult developmental problems or scientific questions.”
―ROSS THOMPSON, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS

“We (Psychology Faculty at Brigham Young University) have consistently concluded that Dr. Berk’s child development text is the most accurate, coherent, comprehensive, and insightful offering on the market. Her careful, systematic approach to organizing the knowledge base in the field serves our students well.”
―CRAIG HART, BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

“I particularly appreciate Berk’s inclusion of multicultural perspectives. It is important to help students, particularly those who are just beginning their professional preparation, to put what we know about young children and their development into a cultural context. This text does that masterfully with words AND with pictures.”
―NANCY FREEMAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

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