Child Development and Education

About our authors Teresa M. McDevitt is a psychologist with specializations in child development and educational psychology. She received a Ph.D. and M.A. in child development from Stanford University’s Psychological Studies in Education program, an Ed.S. in educational evaluation from Stanford University, and a B.A. in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Now Professor Emerita of Psychological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, she served the University of Northern Colorado since 1985 in a variety of capacities—in teaching course in child psychology, human development, educational psychology, program evaluation and research methods; advisement of graduate students; administration and university governance and research and grant writing. Her research focuses on child development, families, and teacher education. She has published articles in Child Development, Learning and Individual Differences, Child Study Journal, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, Youth and Society, and Science Education, among others. She has gained practical experiences with children, including by raising two children with her husband and working as an early childhood teacher of toddlers and preschool children, early childhood special education teacher, and volunteer in school and community settings. Teresa enjoys spending time with her husband, their sons and their be-loved partners, and, when she has the chance, traveling internationally with her family. Jeanne Ellis Ormrod is an educational psychologist with specializations in learning, cognition, and child development. She received a Ph.D. and M.S. in educational psychology at The Pennsylvania State University and an A.B. in psychology from Brown University; she also earned licensure in school psychology through postdoctoral work at Temple University and the University of Colorado, Boulder. For many years she was a faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado, where she taught courses in learning and cognition, educational psychology, measurement and research methods; she is currently Professor Emerita of Psychological Sciences at UNC. Dr. Ormrod has published numerous research articles but is probably best known for this book and several others: Educational Psychology: Developing Learners (10th ed., 2020); Essentials of Educational Psychology (5th ed., 2018); Human Learning (8th ed., 2020); Our Minds, Our Memories: Enhancing Thinking and Learning at All Ages (2011) and Practical Research: Planning and Design (12th ed., 2019).

Part 1: Foundations in Child Development

Introduction to Child Development
Research and Assessment
Family, Culture, and Community

Part 2: Biological Development

Biological Beginnings
Physical Development

Part 3: Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky
Cognitive Development: Cognitive Processes
Intelligence
Language Development
Development in the Academic Domains

Part 4: Social and Emotional Development

Emotional Development
Development of Self and Social Understandings
Self-Regulation and Motivation
Moral Development
Peers, Schools, and Society