Within each chapter of this innovative topical text, the authors engage students by demonstrating the wide range of real-world applications of psychological research connected to child development. In particular, the distinctive Active Learning features incorporated throughout the book foster a dynamic and personal learning process for students. The authors cover the latest topics shaping the field of child development--including a focus on neuroscience, diversity, and culture--without losing the interest of undergraduate students. The pedagogical features in this text and the accompanying ancillaries' package help students discover the excitement of studying child development, enhance their learning, and equip them with tools they can use long after the class ends. Contents of this book are: Part I: Understanding Development: Why and How We Study Children and Adolescents: (1) Introduction: Issues in Child Development; (2) Theories of Development; (3) How We Study Children and Adolescents; Part II: Beginnings: (4) How Children Develop: Nature Through Nurture; (5) Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn; Part III: Building Blocks of Development: How Children Grow: (6) Physical Development: The Body and the Brain; (7) Cognitive Development; (8) Intelligence and Academic Achievement; (9) Language Development; (10) Emotional Development and Attachment; (11) Identity: The Self, Gender, and Moral Development; (12) Social Development: Parents, Peers, and Beyond; and Part IV: Contexts for Development: (13) Play, Extracurricular Activities, and Media Use; (14) Families; and (15) Health, Well-Being, and Resilience. This book also contains: About the Authors; Preface; Glossary; Credits; References; Author Index; and Subject Index.