Tamis-LeMonda-Preface

Features

Scope and Organization Like many other texts, Child Development: Context, Cul- ture, and Cascades adopts a chronological organization, with 16 chapters discussing specific “domains of devel- opment” under each “period of development” (language development in infancy, emotional development in early childhood, physical development in adolescence, and so on). This organization facilitates student learning by pro- viding digestible, targeted information; ensures balance of coverage across age periods; facilitates coverage of key themes (context, culture, cascades); and introduces stu- dents to research methods specific to each domain and age (e.g., measures used to assess infant cognitive devel- opment versus adolescent cognitive development). As noted, however, Child Development: Context, Culture, and Cascades goes beyond the traditional chronological orga- nization by incorporating dedicated sections to recipro- cal effects of development across different domains and reverberating effects of development over time. Thus, Child Development: Context, Culture, and Cascades balances chronological and topical approaches. Learning Tools Child Development: Context, Culture, and Cascades takes a serious approach to its subject matter, at a level appro- priate for most undergraduates, even for those who have not taken introductory psychology. Topics and key terms are introduced and clearly defined, so students can build on solid foundations as they progress through the text. Consistency in terminology, topics, and sub- headings across chapters (such as repeated “context” sections of family, school, and neighborhood) reinforce take-home messages and allow students to draw con- nections among chapters. Beyond the strong focus on clarity, readability, and consistency, all chapters include an array of learning tools designed to support and extend student learning. Chapter-Opening Tools • Chapter outline: Shows main headings and first- level subheadings to give students an overview of the chapter organization before they start reading.

• Chapter introduction: Introduces a brief story, case study, or description of current research encapsulating some of the major themes of the chapter, segueing into an overview of the chapter. Midchapter Tools • Learning Objectives: Connect to the major subheadings of the chapter and cue students to what they should be able to know and/or do after reading. • Check Your Understanding questions: Test students’ understanding of content related to Learning Objective sections (answers are available to Instructors on Oxford Learning Link). • Key terms and marginal glossaries: Bolded terms denote important topics and subtopics, research methods, and a wide range of specialized concepts, with each term clearly and explicitly defined when introduced. • Figures and tables: Provide strong visual and organizational support in the form of graphs, diagrams, charts, illustrations, and photos, accompanied by informative captions reinforcing key points and ideas. End-of-Chapter Tools • The Developmentalist’s Toolbox: Recaps the research methods discussed in the chapter, briefly describing the method and its purpose, to reinforce students’ research understanding. • Bulleted chapter summary: Summarizes the contents of main sections. • Thinking Like a Developmentalist questions: Present students with hypothetical situations (e.g., design a study to address a research question) to engage students in the application of chapter information. The Oxford Digital Difference The Oxford Digital Difference is the flexibility to teach your course the way that you want to. At Oxford Uni- versity Press, content comes first. We create high-quality, engaging, and affordable digital material in a variety of