Lifespan Development, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (March 23, 2018) © 2019
  • Denise Boyd
  • Helen Bee

Title overview

For courses in Lifespan Development.

An introduction to developmental science that focuses on applications and research

Lifespan Development provides a thorough overview of the discipline, geared around helping students apply their understanding of development to their own lives. Authors Denise Boyd and Helen Bee emphasize how concepts connect to research. Combined with their down-to-earth writing style, this approach helps make abstract theoretical material understandable.

The 8th Edition offers the latest research plus updated coverage of topics such as the connections between prenatal exposure to maternal stress and children's social reasoning skills, and cross-ethnic friendships.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Themed essays offer opportunities for students to explore a range of key topics in depth.
    • No Easy Answers essays reinforce the idea that there are many questions for which developmental psychologists cannot provide definitive answers. Accompanying Journal Prompts encourage students to explore these complex issues further.
    • Research Report essays provide detailed accounts of specific research studies. Accompanying Journaling Prompts help students evaluate the research presented and make connections between research and everyday developmental issues.
    • Developmental Science essays explore practical applications of developmental theory and research. Each concludes with a Journaling Prompt that encourages students to reflect on the ideas presented.

New and updated features of this title

  • UPDATED: In order to present the most up-to-date information in the field of developmental science, key topics throughout the text have been thoroughly updated. Highlights include the following topics:
    • Prenatal exposure to maternal stress and children's social reasoning skills in Chapter 3
    • Executive control development and the transition to school in Chapter 9
    • Cross-ethnic friendships in Chapter 12
    • Unemployment and depression in Chapter 16
  • UPDATED: The authors have revised all of the instructional objectives of the text to increase the focus on assessment. Clear, assessment-driven learning objectives ensure that students are learning what they should from a course in human development, and that they're capable of applying what they're learning to practical questions about human development.

Table of contents

1. Basic Concepts and Methods
2. Theories of Development
3. Prenatal Development and Birth
4. Physical, Sensory, and Perceptual Development in Infancy
5. Cognitive Development in Infancy
6. Social and Personality Development in Infancy
7. Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
8. Social and Personality Development in Early Childhood
9. Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
10. Social and Personality Development in Middle Childhood
11. Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence
12. Social and Personality Development in Adolescence
13. Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood
14. Social and Personality Development in Early Adulthood
15. Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood
16. Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood
17. Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood
18. Social and Personality Development in Late Adulthood
19. Death, Dying, and Bereavement

Author bios

About our authors

Denise Boyd received her Ed.D. in educational psychology from the University of Houston and has been a psychology instructor in the Houston Community College System since 1988. From 1995 until 1998, she chaired the psychology, sociology and anthropology department at Houston Community College, Central. She has coauthored 5 other Pearson texts: with Samuel Wood and Ellen Green Wood, Mastering the World of Psychology (6th Edition) and The World of Psychology (7th Edition); with Helen Bee, The Developing Child (13th Edition) and The Growing Child; and with Genevieve Stevens, Current Readings in Lifespan Development. A licensed psychologist, she has presented a number of papers at professional meetings, reporting research in child, adolescent and adult development. She has also presented workshops for teachers whose students range from preschool to college.

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