ISBN0716795272

I teach child psychology with this book, at a college. The book is topically arranged (not chronologically arranged), and, overall, the writing is excellent. Two chapters (Ch 12: The Family) and Ch. 13 (Peers) are not taught in my course; instead, students do chapter tests on those two for extra credit. The Instructor's Test Bank by Jill Saxon is mediocre, but was greatly improved for the Second Edition. The Second Edition is 98% identical to the First Edition, so I continue to teach with the First Edition. The three authors' coordination of topics was moderately successful, but the topic of "social referencing" is freshly described in at least three separate chapters, suggesting that authors did not realize that this term was presented elsewhere in the book, in addition to their own presentation. I continue to buy these books to give to students in the class as prizes for high test performance, or for most-improved test performance. SB