Written primarily for courses in Early Childhood Development and Child Development, this text, unlike other child development texts on the market, is devoted specifically to development from pre-birth through age eight. This widely-used text discusses major development theories as they relate to physical, social and emotional, and cognitive domains, and contains extensive applications for those who teach and work with young children, making it particularly appropriate for early childhood education programs. The authors have written specifically to provide the student of child development with a sound knowledge-base of current theory and research in the field of early growth, development, and learning and its translation into practice in the daily lives of very young children. Time-honored theories of child development are discussed and applied to current knowledge about how children develop and learn. Contemporary theories, such as Cognitive (Core Systems and Neoconstructivism) and Contextual theories (Dynamic Systems and Relationship-Based Theories) are added to this edition to further aid pre-educators with a deeper understanding of the early childhood years, birth through eight. The authors apply theories and the supporting research based on these theories to Early Childhood Education practices in the classroom and with families.