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The Development of Children
Through four editions, The Development of Children has provided students and instructors with a rigorous textbook that encompasses both scientific research and the authors' years of practical experience. For the Fifth Edition , Michael and Shelia Cole are joined by Cynthia Lightfoot, whose expertise and engaging style further enhances this well-respected book. Throughout the text, all three authors encourage students to better understand their own lives, as well as the process of development.
816 pages, Hardcover
Published June 28, 2004
8 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Michael Cole
55 booksMICHAEL COLE is university professor of communication and psychology at the University of California, San Diego.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 1, 2008
This review is based on the (3rd?) edition that I read in 2001.
My main problem with this text is "Who was the intended audience?" For the general pubic? At 800+ pages of dense, technical writing this could hardly be considered something for casual reading. For the average undergraduate student? If it is meant for an intro to "child development" or "developmental psychology" (as it was in my case), then it is far too long and contains way too much information to be properly treated and explored in a semester, or even in an entire year. For the graduate student? The material is too broad (and remedial?) for a given course, and the tone too pedantic. As a reference for the professional? I hardly think so; it is not designed to work as a reference book, and definitely feels like mass education.
In sum, the book tries to cover every topic in the history of developmental psychology, giving each adequate space and description, and painstakingly documenting every single reference. Sometimes less is more. This book easily could have been five separate books and done a better job with each. In the end, this ambitious work serves no one. If other students have an experience anything like mine, the triumph here is just making it to the end, regardless of what you got out of it.
My main problem with this text is "Who was the intended audience?" For the general pubic? At 800+ pages of dense, technical writing this could hardly be considered something for casual reading. For the average undergraduate student? If it is meant for an intro to "child development" or "developmental psychology" (as it was in my case), then it is far too long and contains way too much information to be properly treated and explored in a semester, or even in an entire year. For the graduate student? The material is too broad (and remedial?) for a given course, and the tone too pedantic. As a reference for the professional? I hardly think so; it is not designed to work as a reference book, and definitely feels like mass education.
In sum, the book tries to cover every topic in the history of developmental psychology, giving each adequate space and description, and painstakingly documenting every single reference. Sometimes less is more. This book easily could have been five separate books and done a better job with each. In the end, this ambitious work serves no one. If other students have an experience anything like mine, the triumph here is just making it to the end, regardless of what you got out of it.
February 15, 2017
great book, you want to learn about developmental psychology read this book .
September 18, 2008
one of my favorite developmental textbooks. i liked it so much, i kept it as a reference and it's one that i've used in undergrad AND grad school. plus the authors are/were professors at UCSD! :)
April 5, 2011
great book i read during my social science period. standard and thorough work on the development of human beings.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews