In the five years since the third edition of this book was published, research in the

field of child development has expanded at an impressive and accelerating rate.

New areas of inquiry have emerged, and knowledge in established areas has

broadened and deepened. Comparison of the status of child psychology as a scien-

tific discipline at present with its status only a decade ago clearly demonstrates

that there have been enormous strides in the direction of scientific maturity.

This advance is particularly apparent in such areas as perception, memory,

language, temperamental characteristics, and attachment. Recent developments

in basic knowledge and improved techniques of investigation have also enhanced

our ability to contribute substantially to Ibe solution of urgent social problems

that inevitably involve children and adolescents. Thus the present edition presents

new information about the role that poverty and racial or ethnic discrimination

play in development; the effects of programs of cultural enrichment for socio-

economically disadvantaged children; the influence of early stimulation on

cognitive development and personality; and the consequences of differences in

rearing among children from nuclear or extended families, day-care centers,

kibbutzim, or Russian nurseries. The text also considers the kinds of parent-child

relationships that promote self-realization, independence, and emotional security.