Powerweb Child Psychology

UNIT 1. Early Development 1.Brave New Babies, Claudia Kalb, Newsweek , January 26, 2004 Advances in fertility technology are giving couples the power to choose the sex of their baby. Claudia Kalb discusses the technology and ethics of " sex selection ." 2.The Mystery of Fetal Life: Secrets of the Womb, John Pekkanen, Current , September 2001 John Pekkanen describes the many potential threats of the fetus's well-being, including the mother's diet, drug use, caffeine, and environmental hazards . The fetus's ability to learn and remember is impressive, but the author argues that parents can risk overstimulating the fetus. 3.Treating the Tiniest Patients, Claudia Kalb, Newsweek , June 9, 2003 Medical advances in surgical procedures for in utero patients are changing the way people view the earliest stages of life. Due to such improvements in science and medicine, unborn babies are now considered treatable patients, though there are ethical complications as to whether the benefits outweigh the costs. 4.Grade A: The Market for a Yale Woman's Eggs, Jessica Cohen, The Atlantic Monthly , December 2002 Jessica Cohen, a college undergraduate, describes a first-hand account of her unsettling experience in the egg donation process. The secret behind this solution to infertility is the highly competitive industry of donor selection. Cohen learned that not only is the physical process grueling, but the selection process can be just as painful. 5.Effects of Maltreatment and Ways to Promote Children's Resiliency, Barbara Lowenthal, Childhood Education , Summer 1999 Barbara Lowenthal describes evidence on the effects of abuse on the child's brain development. Long-term effects on the child's attachment and intellectual development are also discussed. 6.How Old Is Too Old to Have a Baby?, Judith Newman, Discover , April 2000 Advances in fertility technology are giving couples the chance to have children in middle age, even into their 60s. Judith Newman discusses the personal, medical, and ethical risks for the parents and children of these late-in-life babies. 7.Parental Engagement That Makes a Difference, Jeremy D. Finn, Educational Leadership , May 1998 Jeremy Finn describes the importance of parental involvement in children's success in school, drawing from research to explain which parental behaviors make for effective parental engagement and which make for disengagement. UNIT 2. Emotional and Cognitive Development 8.Babies, Bonds, and Brains, Karen Wright, Discover , October 1997 How does early experience shape our temperaments and personalities? Karen Wright reviews research on monkeys and humans that helps us understand the complex links between behavior and early environment, biology, and personality. 9.Categories in Young Children's Thinking, Susan A. Gelman, Young Children , January 1998 Susan Gelman's review of research by several prominent developmentalists describes how children's thinking about the world is strongly influenced by the categories that they are able to create and use. Children's thinking is also discussed in terms of the children's ability to distinguish appearance from reality, to understand thHetherington, E. Mavis is the author of 'Powerweb Child Psychology', published 2002 under ISBN 9780072839319 and ISBN 0072839317.