IST 605: Early Childhood Development

This is a foundational text from Laura Berk, a distinguished professor of psychology at Illinois State University. Chapters include "Theory and research in child development," "Foundations of development," "Language development," and "Personality and social development."

Child Development: Context, Culture, and Cascades is split up into parts by age: Infancy and Toddlerhood, Early childhood, Middle childhood, and Adolescence

Per the library description: "scientists from a range of disciplines theorize that the increase in conditions such as depression and obesity can be partially attributed to a disparity between the environments and conditions under which our mammalian brains currently develop and our evolutionary heritage." Chapters include: "How Primary-Process Emotional Systems Guide Child Development," " Developmental Optimization," "The Value of a Play-Filled Childhood in Development of the Hunter-Gatherer Individual," and "Early Experience, Neurobiology, Plasticity, Vulnerability, and Resilience." This is an e-book available online.

This book is adapted from a Ph.D. thesis. It includes readings about the theoretical background of child development alongside a number of empirical studies in the discipline. This is an e-book available online.