Infancy: The Basics offers an introduction to the developmental science behind the fascinating world of infant development. This book takes the reader from before birth through the moment infants come into the world seemingly unable to do much but eat, eliminate, and sleep, and across the few short, incredible years, to when infants are walking, talking, thinking humans with clear preferences, wishes, and dreams, having already forged strong long-lasting relationships.

Dispelling common myths and misconceptions about how infants’ perception, cognition, language, and personalities develop, this accessible evidence-based book takes a novel whole-child approach and provides insight into the joint roles of nature (biology) and nurture (experiences) in infant development, how to care for babies to give them the best start in life, and what it means for infants to become thinking communicating social partners. Topics in this book are covered with an eye firmly fixed on how infants’ first years set the stage for the rest of their lives. By helping us understand infants, experts Marc H. Bornstein and Martha E. Arterberry give us the opportunity to learn about the resiliency of our species and the many different contexts in which families rear infants. They cover key topics, including how babies are studied scientifically, prenatal development and the newborn period, how infants explore and understand the world around them, how infants begin to communicate, how infants develop an emotional life, personality, and temperament, how infants build relationships, and how parents succeed in bringing up babies in challenging circumstances.

This concise clear guide to the years from before birth to 3 is for students of developmental psychology, pediatric medicine and nursing, education, and social work. It also for all parents and professionals caring for infants, who want to understand the secret world of infancy.

This topically-organized text provides a comprehensive overview of infant development with a strong theoretical and research base. Readers gain a clear understanding of infant development and issues that will be the focus of significant advances in infancy studies in the future. The new fifth edition reflects the enormous changes in the field that have occurred over the past decade. The thoroughly revised chapters emphasize work from the 21st century, although classic references are retained, and explore contextual, methodological, neurological, physical, perceptual, cognitive, communicative, emotional, and social facets of infant development. The fifth edition features a more accessible style and enhanced pedagogical and teaching resource program.

This extensively revised edition features a number of changes:
• The fifth edition adds a new co-author, Martha Arterberry, who brings additional teaching and research skills to the existing author team.
• An enhanced pedagogical program features orienting questions at the beginning of each chapter and boldfaced key terms listed at the end of the chapter and defined in the glossary to help facilitate understanding and learning.
• Two new boxes in each chapter – Science in Translation illustrate applied issues and Set for Life highlight the significance of infancy for later development.
• Increased emphasis on practical applications and social policy.
• More graphs, tables, and photos that explain important concepts and findings.
• Literature reviews are thoroughly updated and reflect contemporary research.
• All new teaching web resources -- Instructors will find Power Points, electronic versions of the text figures, and a test bank, and students will find hyperlinked references and electronic versions of the key concepts and the definitions.

Intended for beginning graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on infant (and toddler) development or infancy or early child development taught in departments of psychology, human development & family studies, education, nursing, social work, and anthropology, this book also appeals to social service providers, policy makers, and clergy who work with community institutions. Prerequisites include introductory courses on child development and general psychology.