Child and Adolescent Development in Cultural Context

Human development doesn't occur in a vacuum. Rather, it is deeply rooted in, and affected by, culture.

This textbook examines how culture affects several domains of development, including cognition, emotion, sociolinguistics, peer relationships, family relationships, and more.

The chapters highlight differences between "WEIRD" cultures (Western, educated, and from industrialized, rich, and democratic countries) and non-WEIRD cultures, as well as differences with respect to gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other identity markers.

Each chapter draws upon a large research base and highlights specific studies to engage students, illustrate key points, and convey the role of empirical research in psychology. As a result, students will learn that the development of behavior, values, social relationships, ways of seeing the world, language, and thought processes cannot be understood separate from culture.

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As leaders in the field, Lansford, French, and Gauvain have produced an exemplary textbook for students and an important resource for scholars interested in the role of culture and context in child and adolescent development. Each chapter focuses on a key aspect of development, and the authors adeptly summarize a wide breadth of information in an accessible manner while remaining true to the science. -- Charissa S. L. Cheah, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Published On: 2021-01-31 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer E. Lansford is a Research Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy and Faculty Fellow of the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. She earned her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Lansford leads the Parenting Across Cultures Project, a longitudinal study of mothers, fathers, and children from China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States. She has consulted for UNICEF on the evaluation of parenting programs in several low- and middle-income countries and on the development of a set of international standards for parenting programs.

Doran C. French is a Professor at the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University. He earned his PhD in child psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on child and adolescent social competence with an emphasis on peer relationships (social status, popularity, friendship, social networks) , conflict, developmental psychology (substance use, aggression, and loneliness) , and Islam and child development. His work for the past 20 years has addressed the cultural context of social competence with continuing research in Indonesia and China.

Mary Gauvain is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She received her PhD in developmental psychology from the University of Utah. Dr. Gauvain is a developmental psychologist and her research investigates social and cultural contributions to cognitive development. She has studied children's learning inside and outside of school, children's knowledge of water and food contamination in the United States and Africa, and child development during cultural change. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science.
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