This best-selling, topically organized child and adolescent development text covers the major theories and research of the field. It is known to be a scholarly developmental text that is interesting, accurate, up-to-date, and written clearly and concisely. The author stresses the processes that underlie developmental change so that students come away from the course with a solid understanding of the causes and complexities of human development. Finally, the author connects the theory and research to a number of real-life settings to prepare students for their future roles as parents, teachers, nurses, or psychologists.