Individual Differences and Development – serie

Are there certain periods in a child's development when he or she may be more sensitive to specific environmental influences than at earlier or later times? Are preschool teachers equally nurturant to securely attached versus insecurely attached children? Are girls more sensitive than boys to parental maltreatment? Designed to synthesize what we know about the nature of environmental influences (nurture) upon development, Wachs artfully explores whether development depends upon a sole factor--the rearing environment, genetics, nutrition, or individual characteristics-- or, whether the degree of directional consistency combined with the extent of covariance among these factors may have the most developmental impact. Issues such as how individuals respond differently to stress, medical treatment, parenting styles, teaching approaches and daycare centers are all discussed through careful analysis of research and theories from a variety of fields. Researchers, teachers, and intervention specialists of developmental psychology, family studies, social psychology, education, and nursing will find The Nature of Nurture an inspiration to further examine how environmental systems determine variability in developmental outcomes and what can be done to promote optimal outcomes for individual children. USE IN NEXT AD (2/1/94): "In The Nature of Nurture Wachs does precisely what he intends to do. He lays out clearly and thoroughly what we know and do not know about environmental influences on human development, and he builds on the conceptual and empirical work of others to move research on environmental effects forward in productive and exciting ways. . . . [It] should serve as a bible for future research on the environment and development. As such, it is a must read for developmental psychologists from all specialty areas, to graduate students, and to upper level undergraduates. This is an eminently readable and important book." --Contemporary Psychology "The Nature of Nurture provides a thorough and thoughtful review and analysis of state-of-the-art theory, concepts, and evidence pertaining to the effect of the environment on human development. Especially important is the attention the author pays to the multidimensional nature of the environment, to individual differences among children, and to the need to consider both of these domains of complexity for understanding the development of specific aspects of psychological and behavioral functioning." --Jay Belsky, The Pennsylvania State University "The Nature of Nurture provides extended treatments of issues rarely dealt with in detail, including organism-environment covariance and organism-environment interaction. All in all, this is an excellent choice for those interested in studying complex, dynamic interplay of organism and environment. It deals with a number of critical design and theory issues; and it ends with a hybrid ecological developmental model designed to integrate studies of experience and offers a useful discussion of future trends in an emerging area of developmental studies." --Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography

Are there certain periods in a child's development when he or she may be more sensitive to specific environmental influences than at earlier or later times? Are preschool teachers equally nurturant to securely attached versus insecurely attached children? Are girls more sensitive than boys to parental maltreatment? Designed to synthesize what we know about the nature of environmental influences (nurture) upon development, Wachs artfully explores whether development depends upon a sole factor--the rearing environment, genetics, nutrition, or individual characteristics-- or, whether the degree of directional consistency combined with the extent of covariance among these factors may have the most developmental impact. Issues such as how individuals respond differently to stress, medical treatment, parenting styles, teaching approaches and daycare centers are all discussed through careful analysis of research and theories from a variety of fields. Researchers, teachers, and intervention specialists of developmental psychology, family studies, social psychology, education, and nursing will find The Nature of Nurture an inspiration to further examine how environmental systems determine variability in developmental outcomes and what can be done to promote optimal outcomes for individual children. USE IN NEXT AD (2/1/94): "In The Nature of Nurture Wachs does precisely what he intends to do. He lays out clearly and thoroughly what we know and do not know about environmental influences on human development, and he builds on the conceptual and empirical work of others to move research on environmental effects forward in productive and exciting ways. . . . [It] should serve as a bible for future research on the environment and development. As such, it is a must read for developmental psychologists from all specialty areas, to graduate students, and to upper level undergraduates. This is an eminently readable and important book." --Contemporary Psychology "The Nature of Nurture provides a thorough and thoughtful review and analysis of state-of-the-art theory, concepts, and evidence pertaining to the effect of the environment on human development. Especially important is the attention the author pays to the multidimensional nature of the environment, to individual differences among children, and to the need to consider both of these domains of complexity for understanding the development of specific aspects of psychological and behavioral functioning." --Jay Belsky, The Pennsylvania State University "The Nature of Nurture provides extended treatments of issues rarely dealt with in detail, including organism-environment covariance and organism-environment interaction. All in all, this is an excellent choice for those interested in studying complex, dynamic interplay of organism and environment. It deals with a number of critical design and theory issues; and it ends with a hybrid ecological developmental model designed to integrate studies of experience and offers a useful discussion of future trends in an emerging area of developmental studies." --Child Development Abstracts & Bibliography

Through a careful examination of current research work including three on-going longitudinal studies, Dunn explores children's relationships with parents, siblings, friends, and the connections between these relationships. "This book presents a meticulous and perceptive account of the nature of young children's relationships with others. Judy Dunn confronts this task in its full complexity by skillfully blending objective, systematic research findings with observational reports that are both sensitive and insightful. In so doing, she has written an immensely readable, coherent state-of-the-art account of children's relationships, simultaneously forging an argument that challenges the paradigm with which much current research takes place." --Jennifer Castle, review in Personality & Individual Differences "Another gem from Judy Dunn! . . . This very readable and interesting book asks some searching questions about how relationships change with age, how one sort of relationship influences others, and how thought processes shape or control our interactions with other people. The answers are based on a judicious interweaving of qualitative observation and hard-headed quantitative analyses. The result is a challenging (and sometimes provocative) account of what we know today, together with a look forward to likely developments in the years to come." --Michael Rutter, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Bethlem Royal Hospital and Maudsley Hospital, London "This book presents a meticulous and perceptive account of the nature of young children's relationships with others. . . . Judy Dunn skilfully blends objective, systematic research findings with observational reports that are both sensitive and insightful. In so doing, she has written an immensely readable, coherent state-of-the-art account of children's relationships, simultaneously forging an argument that challenges the paradigm within which much current research takes place. . . . The breadth and scope of this book give it obvious appeal to all those interested in social and developmental psychology. . . . The style and presentation of the book will probably ensure it a readership beyond its intended audience: As usual, Judy Dunn presents complex material in a deceptively simple, uncluttered, commonsensical manner." --Behaviour Research & Therapy

Do all children learn language in the same way? Is the apparent "fast" vs. "slow" language learning rate among children a reflection of the individual child's approach to language acquisition? This volume explores the importance that individual differences have in acquiring language and challenges some of the widely held theories of linguistic development. Focusing on children ages one to three, the author describes characteristic differences in terms of vocabulary, grammatical, and phonological development, and considers whether distinctive "styles" of language development can be defined. In addition, the social and cognitive influences that can explain these differences are examined. The book concludes with a look at new language theories such as ecological, chaos, and connectionist approaches and considers what individual differences in development can tell us about the mechanisms of language development. Individual Differences in Language Development is invaluable for professionals and researchers in developmental psychology, family studies, education, psychology, and communication. "Cecilia M. Shore puts forward an alternative theory on differences in language development and offers an important message on the significance of context in children's early language acquisition. The principal theme has significant implications for further research as well as practical implications for teacher trainers, teachers and parents." --Durante's "Cecilia M. Shore writes in a warm and engaging style. . . . It serves her purpose well: to put across complex ideas in a clear and unforgettable form. . . . The content is right on target. Shore covers all the relevant issues in this complex area, and her review is right up to date." --Elizabeth Bates, Professor of Psychology and Professor of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego

Do all children learn language in the same way? Is the apparent "fast" vs. "slow" language learning rate among children a reflection of the individual child's approach to language acquisition? This volume explores the importance that individual differences have in acquiring language and challenges some of the widely held theories of linguistic development. Focusing on children ages one to three, the author describes characteristic differences in terms of vocabulary, grammatical, and phonological development, and considers whether distinctive "styles" of language development can be defined. In addition, the social and cognitive influences that can explain these differences are examined. The book concludes with a look at new language theories such as ecological, chaos, and connectionist approaches and considers what individual differences in development can tell us about the mechanisms of language development. Individual Differences in Language Development is invaluable for professionals and researchers in developmental psychology, family studies, education, psychology, and communication. "Cecilia M. Shore puts forward an alternative theory on differences in language development and offers an important message on the significance of context in children's early language acquisition. The principal theme has significant implications for further research as well as practical implications for teacher trainers, teachers and parents." --Durante's "Cecilia M. Shore writes in a warm and engaging style. . . . It serves her purpose well: to put across complex ideas in a clear and unforgettable form. . . . The content is right on target. Shore covers all the relevant issues in this complex area, and her review is right up to date." --Elizabeth Bates, Professor of Psychology and Professor of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego

At every point in the life span, individual differences in a sense of control are strong predictors of motivation, coping, success, and failure in a wide range of life domains. What are the origins of these individual differences, how do they develop, and what are the mechanisms by which they exert such influence on psychological functioning? This book draws on theories and research covering key control constructs, including self-efficacy, learned helplessness, locus of control, and attribution theory. Ellen A. Skinner discusses such issues as the origins of control in social interactions; environmental features that promote or undermine control; developmental change in the mechanisms by which experiences of control have their effects on action; and the implications for intervening into the competence system, including interventions for people in uncontrollable circumstances. Written at a level appropriate for upper-division undergraduates, the book can serve as a supplement to the social and personality development course as well as a core text for motivation, educational psychology, or clinical courses at the graduate level. This book won't be the first one on the topic, but it will be the first one that professionals and graduate students turn to whenever they want a definitive opinion on complex questions of control or an idea for cutting-edge research on the topic of motivation, coping, and control.

At every point in the life span, individual differences in a sense of control are strong predictors of motivation, coping, success, and failure in a wide range of life domains. What are the origins of these individual differences, how do they develop, and what are the mechanisms by which they exert such influence on psychological functioning? This book draws on theories and research covering key control constructs, including self-efficacy, learned helplessness, locus of control, and attribution theory. Ellen A. Skinner discusses such issues as the origins of control in social interactions; environmental features that promote or undermine control; developmental change in the mechanisms by which experiences of control have their effects on action; and the implications for intervening into the competence system, including interventions for people in uncontrollable circumstances. Written at a level appropriate for upper-division undergraduates, the book can serve as a supplement to the social and personality development course as well as a core text for motivation, educational psychology, or clinical courses at the graduate level. This book won't be the first one on the topic, but it will be the first one that professionals and graduate students turn to whenever they want a definitive opinion on complex questions of control or an idea for cutting-edge research on the topic of motivation, coping, and control.

Why do people age differently? Research in the field of gerontology has indicated that there are large individual differences in personality, cognitive functioning, physical health, and psychological well-being, as well as in the quality of life in the later years. It is this variability and the reasons why people age differently that this book explores. Thoughtfully written, Aging presents an overview of what is known about genetic and environmental influences on aging. Beginning with an overview of family, adoption, and twin designs, author Cindy S. Bergeman examines such topics as the research in the area of longevity and health, cognitive functioning, personality, and psychopathology; and social support, life events, and measures of the family environment. The book concludes with a summary of the field of gerontological behavioral genetics. This book will stimulate discussion and future work about the origins of individual differences in later life and will be invaluable to professionals and practitioners in the fields of developmental psychology, psychology, aging, family studies, and nursing.