Discovering the Life Span

Robert S. Feldman is Professor of Psychology and Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  A recipient of the College Distinguished Teacher Award, he teaches psychology classes ranging in size from 15 to nearly 500 students.  During the course of more than two decades as a college instructor, he has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses at Mount Holyoke College, Wesleyan University, Virginia Commonwealth University, in addition to the University of Massachusetts.

Feldman, who initiated the Minority Mentoring Program at the University of Massachusetts, also has served as a Hewlett Teaching Fellow and Senior Online Teaching Fellow.  He initiated distance learning courses in psychology at the University of Massachusetts.

A Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science, Professor Feldman received a B.A. with High Honors from Wesleyan University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Feldman is a winner of a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer award, and he has written more than 150 books, book chapters, and scientific articles. He has edited Development of Nonverbal Behavior in Children (Springer-Verlag), Applications of Nonverbal Behavioral Theory and Research (Erlbaum), and co-edited Fundamentals of Nonverbal Behavior (Cambridge University Press). He is also author of Child Development, Understanding Psychology, and P.O.W.E.R. Learning: Strategies for Success in College and Life.  His books have been translated into a number of languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese. 

His research interests include honesty and deception in everyday life and the use of nonverbal behavior in impression management, and his research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research.

Feldman loves music, is an enthusiastic, if not-exactly-expert, pianist, and he enjoys cooking and traveling. He has three children, and he and his wife, a psychologist, live in western Massachusetts, in a home overlooking the Holyoke mountain range.

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Start of Life

Chapter 3: Infancy

Chapter 4: The Preschool Years

Chapter 5: Middle Childhood

Chapter 6: Adolescence

Chapter 7: Early Adulthood

Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood

Chapter 9: Late Adulthood

Chapter 10: Death and Dying

COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Module 1.1 Beginnings

An Orientation to Lifespan Development

Key Issues and Questions: Determining the Nature—and Nurture—of Lifespan Development

Module 1.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Lifespan Development

The Psychodynamic, Behavioral, and Cognitive Perspectives

The Humanistic, Contextual, and Evolutionary Perspectives

Module 1.3 Research Methods

Theories, Hypotheses, and Correlational Studies

Experiments: Determining Cause and Effect

Chapter 2: The Start of Life

Module 2.1 Prenatal Development

Earliest Development

The Interaction of Heredity and Environment

Module 2.2 Prenatal Growth and Change

The Prenatal Period

The Prenatal Environment: Threats to Development

Module 2.3 Birth and the Newborn Infant

Birth

Birth Complications

The Competent Newborn

Chapter 3: Infancy

Module 3.1 Physical Development in Infancy

Growth and Stability

Motor Development

The Development of the Senses

Module 3.2 Cognitive Development in Infancy

Piaget’s Approach to Cognitive Development

Information Processing Approaches to Cognitive Development

The Roots of Language

What Can You Do to Promote Infants’ CognitiveDevelopment?

Module 3.3 Social and Personality Development in Infancy

The Velcro Chronicles

Developing the Roots of Sociability

Forming Relationships

Differences among Infants

Chapter 4: The Preschool Years

Module 4.1 Physical Development in the Preschool Years

The Growing Body

The Growing Brain

Motor Development

Module 4.2 Cognitive Development in the Preschool Years

Piaget’s Approach to Cognitive Development

Information Processing and Vygotsky’s Approach to Cognitive Development

The Growth of Language and Learning

Module 4.3 Social and Personality Development in the Preschool Years

Forming a Sense of Self

Friends and Family: Preschoolers’ Social Lives

Moral Development and Aggression

Chapter 5: Middle Childhood

Module 5.1 Physical Development in Middle Childhood

The Growing Body

Motor Development and Safety

Children with Special Needs

Keeping Children Fit

Module 5.2 Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

Intellectual and Language Development

Schooling: The Three Rs (and More) of Middle Childhood

Cultural Dimensions: Multicultural Education

Intelligence: Determining Individual Strengths

Module 5.3 Social and Personality Development in Middle Childhood

The Developing Self

Family Life in Middle Childhood

Chapter 6: Adolescence

Module 6.1 Physical Development in Adolescence

Physical Maturation

Threats to Adolescents’ Well-Being

Module 6.2 Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Cognitive Development

School Performance

Module 6.3 Social and Personality Development in Adolescence

Identity: Asking “Who Am I?”

Relationships: Family and Friends

Dating, Sexual Behavior, and Teenage Pregnancy

Chapter 7: Early Adulthood

Module 7.1 Physical Development in Early Adulthood

Physical Development 310

Physical Limitations and Challenges

Stress and Coping: Dealing With Life’s Challenges

Module 7.2 Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood

Cognitive Development

Intelligence: What Matters in Early Adulthood?

College: Pursuing Higher Education

Module 7.3 Social and Personality Development in Early Adulthood

Forging Relationships: Intimacy, Liking, and Loving During Early Adulthood 

The Course of Relationships 

Work: Choosing and Embarking on a Career 

Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood

Module 8.1 Physical Development in Middle Adulthood

Physical Development

Sexuality in Middle Adulthood

Health

Module 8.2 Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

Cognitive Development

Memory

Module 8.3 Social and Personality Development in Middle Adulthood

Personality Development

Relationships: Family in Middle Age

Work and Leisure

Cultural Dimensions: Immigrants on the Job:

Chapter 9: Late Adulthood

Module 9.1 Physical Development in Late Adulthood

Physical Development in Late Adulthood

Health and Wellness in Late Adulthood

Module 9.2 Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood

Intelligence

Memory

Module 9.3 Social and Personality Development in Late Adulthood

Personality Development and Successful Aging

The Daily Life of Late Adulthood

Relationships: Old and New

Chapter 10: Death and Dying

Module 10.1 Dying and Death Across the Life Span

Defining Death: Determining the Point at Which Life Ends

Death Across the Life Span: Causes and Reactions

Death Education: Preparing for the Inevitable?

Module 10.2 Confronting Death

Understanding the Process of Dying: Taking Steps Toward Death

Choosing the Nature of Death: Is DNR the Way to Go?

Caring for the Terminally Ill: The Place of Death

Module 10.3 Grief and Bereavement

Mourning and Funerals: Final Rites

Bereavement and Grief: Adjusting to the Death of a Loved One

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