How are we to understand the complex forces that shape human behavior? A variety of diverse perspectives, drawing upon studies of human behavioral ontogeny, as well as humanity's evolutionary herit age seem to provide the best likelihood of success. It is in the attempt to synthesize such potentially disparate approaches to human develop ment into an integrated whole that we undertake this series on the Genesis of Behavior. In many respects, the incredible burgeoning of research in child development the last or like a lines over decade two seems thousand of inquiry spreading outward in an incoherent starburst of effort. The need exists to provide, on an ongoing basis, an arena of discourse within which the threads of continuity between those diverse lines of research on human development can be woven into a fabric of meaning and understanding. Scientists, scholars, and those who attempt to translate their efforts into the practical realities of the care and guidance of infants and children are the audience that we seek to reach. Each requires the opportunity to see-to the degree that our knowledge in given areas permits-various aspects of development in a coherent, integrated fashion. It is hoped that this series-by bringing together research on infant biology; developing infant capacities; animal models, the impact of social, cultural, and familial forces on development, and the distorted products of such forces under certain circumstances-will serve these important social and scientific needs.

On infant development

This multidisciplinary volume features many of the world's leading experts of infant development, who synthesize their research on infant learning and behaviour, while integrating perspectives across neuroscience, socio-cultural context, and policy. It offers an unparalleled overview of infant development across foundational areas such as prenatal development, brain development, epigenetics, physical growth, nutrition, cognition, language, attachment, and risk. The chapters present theoretical and empirical depth and rigor across specific domains of development, while highlighting reciprocal connections among brain, behavior, and social-cultural context. The handbook simultaneously educates, enriches, and encourages. It educates through detailed reviews of innovative methods and empirical foundations and enriches by considering the contexts of brain, culture, and policy. This cutting-edge volume establishes an agenda for future research and policy, and highlights research findings and application for advanced students, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers with interests in understanding and promoting infant development.

Emotions in Early Development reviews important theoretical advances in the understanding of emotions in early development, paying particular attention to issues such as the extent to which infants are born with certain emotions; how one infers the existence of emotion in infants; and the relations between emotion and cognition. The connection between emotions and personality is also discussed, along with the role of parent-child interactions in the appearance and development of emotions. Comprised of 11 chapters, this volume begins with a summary of issues in the development of emotion in infancy, from the function of emotions to the problem of labeling affects in infants as well as the development of smile, stranger anxiety, and the sense of self. The next chapter examines the parent-infant communication system, with emphasis on the two-way, primarily nonverbal, interaction that takes place between mother and infant and the nature of the learning processes that occur in both the infant and the mother. The reader is then introduced to a concept known as social referencing, or the use of emotional information gained from another person to help evaluate situations. Subsequent chapters focus on individual differences in emotional expressions observed in one-year-old infants; Piaget's theory of cognitive development and its implications for a theory of emotions; emotional sequences and consequences; and the relationship between attachment and separation processes in infancy. The final chapter integrates an epigenetic view of emotions with psychoanalytic concepts. This book will be of interest to child psychologists.

This volume assembles the most recent thinking and empirical research from key theorists and researchers on how children, from preschool through early adolescence, make sense of their own and others' emotional experience. Contributors discuss the control of emotion, the role of culture, empathic experience, and the emerging theory of mind that is implicit in children's views of emotion. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

This book is a collection of papers by investigators who have been attempting to integrate emotion and interaction processes in early development. None profess to have all the answers, yet each paper challenges us to question some of our notions about the boundaries between the individual and society. -- Preface.