Development Across the Life Span (8th Edition)

As an introductory text for developmental psychology, this is one of the better ones I've read. It takes the approach of dividing its coverage of material into several broad age groupings (prenatal, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood), which allows the author to prevent the narrative of development roughly as we experience it as a linear progression through time.This approach, however, is not without downsides. Because the topics are divided by age, someone looking to understand a particular topic within developmental psychology must trace that idea throughout the book's entire text rather than conveniently referencing a single discussion of the issue. This also makes the book somewhat repetitive as certain topics are introduced and reintroduced in each section rather than covered only once.That format, then, is neither good nor bad but rather a matter of personal preference. However, it does introduce an actual flaw, which is that this book doesn't achieve the depth a book of its size really ought to. Perhaps partly because some of the material is repetitive, valuable page space that could have been spent tracking detailed descriptions of cutting edge literature is instead "wasted" on redundant content. That makes the book a mile wide, as the saying goes, but not particularly deep. The reader will come away from this book with a very strong understanding of the normal course of human development, but no particular expertise that would lend itself either to the practice of developmental psychology in the clinical or experimental settings.In fact, if the student reading this book has taken even an introductory course in psychology (not even necessarily developmental psychology), much of the book's content will already be familiar. As a course text for an undergraduate developmental psych course, the more detailed treatments probably make this a suitable selection. However, for the reader trying to develop a more sophisticated understanding, a lot of information seems missing.A particularly good point, though, is that the book treats potentially controversial issues with the appropriate scholarly detachment. Issues of race, gender, etc. are covered within the book's pages to the extent that the literature is resolved on the matters, and issues open to interpretation are largely left to the reader's own interpretation or for further research. In an educational climate in which we have seen far too many political influences over curricula, this is a welcome reprieve from many inferior books I've read in recent years. That reason alone ought to justify this book for serious consideration either for those choosing a book to assign their students or for curious readers seeking to develop a deeper understanding of developmental processes.

I really enjoyed the concepts in this book and appreciated the order and format. I loved learning about the human life span and feel it's a subject anyone would benefit from, especially those who intend to work with many populations in their careers. It's also very interesting on a personal level, as it covers everything from birth to death, and has many relatable examples. However, I think the book needs a serious update. Specifically, this text book needs a more advanced and nuanced treatment of race and gender, as to a beginning student I think the content inadvertently reinforces a lot of negative stereotypes instead of unpacking them. For example, the author often sites more negative outcomes in a number of areas (health, education, wealth, etc.) for African Americans, without explaining why. This should include the United States' history of systematically and deliberately keeping black people down and advantaging white people. The author usually states that poorer outcomes for African Americans correlates to lower socioeconomic levels, but this doesn't explain the root of the socioeconomic differences, and it is also not the complete picture. (For example, often times the outcomes are not the same across class).Several things that I was surprised by was the use of the terms AIDS and HIV interchangeably, some incorrect answers to the online quizzes (including one that infers that HPV is a deadly disease (79 million Americans have it), and talking about race as simply a biological difference instead of giving the more historically accurate explanation that race is a social construct created to dehumanize black people.The online quizzes seem to have been put together by someone without the educational or academic experience needed to create meaningful test questions that reflect the right sort of information retention. It is very difficult to get an A on the quizzes simply from reading the text; many of the questions are worded in such a way that one must look up the answers in the text because the questions are not asking about the main take-aways, but rather focus on irrelevant details.I think the author and publisher would be well served to hire a consultant with expertise in race, gender and class studies to update this material with a more nuanced lens. Additionally, I would recommend the quiz questions be re-written by someone more seasoned in academics and also double checked to make sure the answer keys are correct. I had written to the author with an offer to provide some feedback for the book but haven't yet received a response.

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great condition, I rented the book for a class. It was affordable and the book was in top shape

I've used Feldman's textbook extensively throughout my studies. The only thing I am disappointed with Amazon about is having it in one device. I travel and do use my cell phone to read but when I am back home I prefer my tablet. I could buy another copy but it is too expensive at this time. Why only one device anyways?

i am really glad i had bought this for the semester because it did come in handy. would recommend this product and will be buying from this seller in the future again.

I decided to rent this book because I only need it for one of my prerequisite classes no need to keep it. I have rented from amazon many times before and the books always looked brand new. This book however looks like it has been put through the ringer. It is a hardback book and the front corners of the book look as though they have been chewed on my someone’s dog. The pages are all stuck together and crinkled as if someone spilled water on them. I can barely turn a page without them sticking together or almost ripping. I hope they throw this book away after I return it because this is not acceptable.

I am studying school counseling and this book was a requirement. I rented it, but am considering looking into purchasing it. I'm sure it will be a great resource throughout my career.