Child and Adolescent Development

Only when we fully appreciate the origins and foundations of child and adolescent behaviors will we succeed in uncovering why they do what they do. By emphasizing evolutionary viewpoints of human psychological development, this textbook explains the fundamental underpinnings of young minds and how they grow. New chapters on the biological basis and cultural context of development introduce students to dynamic new debates in the field. The integrative, topical approach incorporates the perspectives that guide today's practitioners and gives students a holistic and up-to-date understanding of development. Box features highlight key debates, Section Reviews reinforce essential points, and “Ask Yourself” questions and end-of-chapter exercises encourage engagement and extend learning, supporting and enhancing student understanding. Revised and updated throughout, this comprehensive, topical textbook uniquely integrates the central themes of modern developmental theory – developmental contextualism, sociocultural perspective, and evolutionary theory – in a strong, theoretical introduction to child and adolescent development.

David F. Bjorklund is Professor of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University, USA. He has served as Associate Editor of Child Development (1997-2001) and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology (2007-2024) and currently serves as Series Editor for Cambridge Elements in Applied Evolutionary Science. Carlos Hernández Blasi is Professor of Psychology at the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, Spain. He has enjoyed an international career, serving as a visiting professor and invited lecturer at several institutions, including the Max-Planck Institute for Psychological Research, Florida Atlantic University, the University of Oxford, and Aalborg University.