Theories of Infant Development

Reviews / Votes

"With so much contemporary research activity in developmentalpsychology concentrating on infants, this book is timely andwelcome. It should be most helpful to those instructors who arelooking for a text to use in teaching an upper-level undergraduatecourse focusing on infant development or a first-yeargraduate-level survey course that provides broad coverage of themajor topical areas including perceptual, motor, cognitive, andsocial development. A strong and balanced group of contributorsdoes a first rate job of introducing students to the major issues,theoretical approaches, and empirical findings that students new tothe study of infant development need to know." Paul C. Quinn,Professor of Psychology, University of Delaware "This book consists of a nice collection of chapters thatpresent introductions to theoretical frameworks spanning across thewhole range of infant research activities. As a tribute to GeorgeButterworth, it works exceptionally well. All the invited authorshave worked with George Butterworth. The breadth of topics coveredbears testimony to the intellectual range and importance of GeorgeButterworth for the field of infant development. But this book ismore than a eulogy. It is also a lucid and up-to-date presentationof some of the most influential theoretical frameworks for studyinginfant development. As such, it is an invaluable tool for seniorundergraduates, postgraduates, or even faculty who wish to brush upon the latest thinking. I strongly recommend it." Dr DenisMareschal, Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, BirkbeckCollege, University of London "For a long time we have needed a comprehensive book thatpresents and evaluates theories of infant development. It hasfinally arrived, in the form of an edited volume by Gavin Bremnerand Alan Slater, fittingly dedicated to George Butterworth whocontributed so much to our understandig of theories of development.A great strength of the book is that its chapters are written bythe experts in each area rather than one author attempting to coverall facets of the theoretical landscape. The result is an in-depthlook at theories of perceptual-motor development (e.g., dynamicalsystems, updated Gibsonian theory, and the impact ofneuroscientific evidence on our theories), cognitive development(object concept, memory, developmental cognitive science), andsocial development (attachment, mother-infant interaction, jointvisual attention). The book is up-to-date and provocative; Ipredict it will become the standard that researchers and graduatestudents turn to for a comprehensive treatment of current theoriesof infant development." Professor Rachel Keen Clifton,University of Massachusetts "The study of infant development is foundational to many of thetheoretical and applied issues that psychologists address. Thisexcellent volume will be of interest not just to infancyresearchers and their students, but to all scientists who adopt adevelopmental perspective to understand human psychologicalfunctioning." Jeffrey J. Lockman, Professor of Psychology,Tulane University "A collection of excellent studies of early infantdevelopment." United States Association for Body PsychotherapyNewsletter