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buy now   Human Development in the Twenty-First Century
(2007) by Alan Fogel, Barbara J. King, and Stuart G. Shanker. (Cambridge University Press)

How do human beings develop and function in relation to the human and natural world? The science of dynamic systems focuses on connections and relationships between people rather than on individual actions alone. This collection of engaging, non-technical essays, written by dynamic systems scientists in psychology, biology, anthropology, education, and sociology, challenges us to consider novel ways to enhance human development worldwide in the face of poverty, violence, neglect, disease and crises in our families. Focusing specifically on how to think about interventions and policies that will benefit human development from a systems perspective, this book brings current research into the realm of application and policy. The authors use real-life examples to propose changes in clinical, educational and policy-making practices that will be of interest to professionals and practitioners alike.

Three Articles from this book can be found at - online publications

     
amazon.com buy now   Change Processes in relationships: A relational-historical approach
(2006), by Alan Fogel, Andrea Garvey, Hui-Chin Hsu, and Delisa West-Stromming. (Cambridge)

Just as each person develops from infancy to adulthood, all interpersonal relationships have a life history that encompasses the changes in how people communicate with each other. This book is about how a relationship transforms itself from one pattern of communication to another. The authors present a unique research method called 'relational-historical research', based on advances in dynamic systems theory in developmental psychology, and qualitative methods in life history research. It rests on three premises: that the developing relationship (not the individual) is the unit of analysis; that change emerges from, but is not entirely constrained by, the patterns of the past; and that the developmental process is best revealed by making frequent observations within a particular case before, during, and after a key developmental transition. Looking specifically at the mother-infant relationship, this is a compelling piece of research that will appeal to an international audience of intellectuals and practitioners.

     
amazon.com buy now   Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development
(2001), by J. Gavin Bremner & Alan Fogel (Editors). Blackwell Publishers

The Blackwell Handbook of Infant Development provides a state-of-the-art overview of research and theory about infant development. The volume is organized into four main sections - 1. Perception and Cognition, 2. Social, Emotional and Communicative Development, 3. Risk Factors in Development, 4. Contexts and Policy Issues. The chapter topics and authors have been selected so as to provide a comprehensive coverage of research areas that are currently of central importance in the field, in terms of basic research, applied research and policy. Integration and coherence is provided by editorial commentaries prefacing each chapter together with the final overview chapter by the editors. In addition to covering basic research topics, the Handbook will include chapters on infants at risk and on policy issues related to infancy. This will meet the demands of the North American psychology student readership and will also broaden the readership of the volume to practitioners who work with infants and families such as pediatricians, educationalists and social workers.

     
amazon.com buy now   Infancy: Infant, Family, and Society
5th edition (2008), by Alan Fogel

Infancy: Infant, Family, & Society is the fifth edition of Alan Fogel's classic text on development in infancy. This edition features a new publisher, a complete re-design for greater visual appeal, and a price that is 30% lower than the previous edition.

This text spans the four-year period in the human life course between conception and 36 months. The book's scientifically-based coverage is balanced by clear and accessible writing and the inclusion of both theoretical and applied topics.

Taking a systems perspective, this book places the infant in the context of interpersonal relationships with caregivers, other family members, hospitals, child care centers, and peers and with respect to the social policies and cultural practices that shape the course of these interpersonal relationships. A central theme of the book is the development of individual differences: the biological factors and environmental factors that combine to create unique developmental pathways for processes such as temperament, cognitive growth, and attachment.

Unique to Fogel's text is the extensive coverage of emerging forms of infant self-awareness that is at first grounded in the body and its senses (the emerging field of somatics) and gradually becomes more intersubjective to include an awareness of other people. Also covered is the failure to develop developmentally appropriate forms of self-awareness in relation to developmental disorders such as problems with attachment and autism. Many chapters contain simple experiential exercises that allow students to re-create for themselves the forms of self-awareness experienced by infants at different ages, as well as concrete suggestions for ways to connect with infants of different ages.

First published in 1986, Fogel's Infancy has been in print longer and for more editions than any other similar book. The Fifth Edition has been completely updated and the sections on brain development and on parent-infant mental health have been greatly expanded.  However, the basic organization of the previous edition has been preserved, making it easy for instructors currently using the book to adapt the new edition to their courses.

     
amazon.com buy now   Dynamics and Indeterminism in Developmental and Social Processes
(1997), by Alan Fogel, Maria C.D.P. Lyra, and Jaan Valsiner (Editors). Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers.

"With the growing interest in dynamic systems theories of development, little has been said about their perhaps most radical implication: that systems may be inherently indeterminate. This is the first set of essays to tackle the problem head on. (...) With chapters on theory and philosophy and sections on social interactions between peers and between parent and child, this volume is a worthwhile and welcome addition to an apparent paradigm shift in the field." Esther Thelen, Indiana University (back cover).

     
amazon.com buy now   Developing Through Relationships: Origins of Communication, Self, and Culture
(1993), by Alan Fogel. The University of Chicago Press.

"The purpose of this outstanding new book is to explain how individuals develop through their relationships with others. Alan Fogel demonstrates that creativity is at the heart of all human development, arising out of a social dynamic process called co-regulation. He focuses on the act of communication - between adults, between parents and children, among non-human animals, even among cells and genes- to create an original model of human development. Fogel weaves together theory and empirical findings from a variety of disciplines - linguistics, biology, literature, cognitive and neural science, ethology, anthropology, and psychology- to demonstrate the continuous process model of communication. He contends that the human mind and sense of self must be seen as developing out of the processes of communication and relationship-formation between the subject and other individuals. Rarely has a work of scholarship so elegantly and so persuasively presented a complex psychological theory and its practical application. Developing through Relationships not only makes a substantial contribution to developmental psychology but also to the fields of communication, cognitive science, linguistics, and biology." (back cover).

Review - Relationship Development Intervention
Review - The University of Chicago Press
   
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