The Foundations of Child Development

by John Oates (editor)

This is the first in a series of four books which form part of the Open University course Child Development. They provide a detailed and thorough undergraduate-level introduction to the central concepts, theories, current issues and research evidence in developmental psychology.
These books assume no previous knowledge of the field and encourage the reader's active involvement, especially through the use of activities. Examples drawn from case-studies, psychological research and practice stimulate critical appreciation of the issues covered. Selected short readings accompany the chapters to present ideas from a variety of sources.
The Foundations of Child Development is a broad and accessible introduction to theory and research, presenting integrated research-based accounts of development in key areas of early childhood, such as perceptual abilities, social relationships, individuality and object knowledge. A focus on modern developmental theories is complemented by detailed consideration of models of developmental processes. A theme that runs through the book is a concern with the ways in which biological, social and cultural influences interact in development.

328 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 1995

About the author

John Oates is Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at the Open University.


Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm 90% this is the edition I've read. Back in 2007 I read a book on child development from Open University as preparatory work for a course I was going to take during the year (and didn't know my textbook for that yet as it was the summer). What can I say, I liked reading ahead :). This book helped me ease my anxieties about the subject matter and made future material for that course much easier to be aborbed. Got an easy A thanks partly to this book!