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Infants and Children in Context
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Infants and Children in Context

Second Edition
July 2026 | 592 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Infants and Children in Context by award-winning author Tara L. Kuther offers a comprehensive, research-based exploration of child development through middle childhood. Organized chronologically, this book examines key developmental themes—context, research, and applied science—through real-life examples, cross-cultural stories, and case studies. Topics include gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, providing a diverse and inclusive perspective. The Second Edition equips readers with practical insights they can apply to their lives and future careers.

Sage Vantage Learning Platform
This text is offered in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.

Highlights
  • Assignable video with assessment tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text brings concepts to life. Watch a sample video now.
  • NEW! An AI Literacy module prepares students to engage confidently with today's AI tools through an interactive, outcomes-focused experience—with minimal instructor lift and no course redesign required. Available exclusively in Sage Vantage and written by professors who teach and publish about AI, the AI Information Literacy, Academic Integrity, and Responsible AI Use integrates video, data driven examples, applied activities, Knowledge Checks, and built-in assessments that help instructors track student understanding. Focused on strengthening critical thinking, the module teaches students how to evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and bias while developing responsible prompting strategies that support academic success without compromising students' intellectual growth.
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Chapter 1 Introduction to Child Development: Themes, Theories, and Research
Understanding Development

 
Core Concepts in Developmental Science

 
Classic Theories: Psychoanalytic and Behaviorist Theories

 
Cognitive Theories

 
Biological and Systems Theories: Evolutionary Developmental, Bioecological, and Dynamic Systems Theories

 
Methods of Collecting Data About Children

 
Research Designs

 
Applied Developmental Science, Ethics, and Intersectionality

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 2 Biological and Environmental Foundations of Development
Genetic Foundations of Development

 
Chromosomal and Genetic Abnormalities

 
Reproductive Technology and Genetic Counseling

 
Prenatal Diagnosis

 
Heredity and Environment Interactions

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 3 The Prenatal Period, Birth, and the Newborn
Prenatal Development

 
Environmental Influences of Prenatal Development

 
The Prenatal Environment and Prenatal Care

 
Childbirth

 
The Newborn

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 4 Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Body Growth and Health in Infancy and Toddlerhood

 
Threats to Infant and Toddler Health

 
Brain Development During Infancy and Toddlerhood

 
Sensory and Perceptual Development

 
Motor Development

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 5 Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory: Sensorimotor Reasoning

 
Information Processing Theory

 
Language Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

 
Biological and Contextual Influences on Language Development

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 6 Socioemotional Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Emotional Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

 
Temperament

 
Attachment

 
The Self in Infancy and Toddlerhood

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 7 Physical Development in Early Childhood
Growth and Motor Development

 
Brain Development

 
Promoting Health in Early Childhood

 
Threats to Health and Well-Being

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 8 Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory: Preoperational Reasoning

 
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

 
Information Processing in Early Childhood

 
Language Development in Early Childhood

 
Moral Development and Behavior in Early Childhood

 
Early Childhood Education

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 9 Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
Emerging Sense of Self

 
Emotional Development in Early Childhood

 
Families

 
Gender Typing and Gender Development

 
Play and Peer Relationships in Early Childhood

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 10 Physical Development in Middle Childhood
Growth and Motor Development

 
Brain Development

 
Health in Middle Childhood

 
Threats to Health in Middle Childhood

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 11 Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood
Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory: Concrete Operational Reasoning

 
Information Processing Theory

 
Intelligence

 
Moral Reasoning in Middle Childhood

 
Language Development in Middle Childhood

 
Learning and Schooling in Middle Childhood

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
 
Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Middle Childhood
The Self in Middle Childhood

 
Gender in Middle Childhood

 
Peer Relationships in Middle Childhood

 
Families in Middle Childhood

 
Risk and Resilience in Middle Childhood

 
Apply Your Knowledge

 
Chapter Summary

 
Key Terms

 
Glossary

 
References

 

Infants and Children in Context is an introductory text for child development that focuses on application of the information, an emphasis on context including culture, and also incorporates updated research on how the brain develops and influences development.

Professor Cassendra M. R. Bergstrom
University of Northern Colorado

Tara L. Kuther has written a textbook that captures the most current aspects of developmental science with its emphasis on context and both current and classic studies of human development, while also managing to include opportunities for students to apply this new knowledge to their own lives. The textbook is visually engaging and will also help students learn the material with several helpful meta-cognitive features, such as Thinking in Context and Apply Your Knowledge.

Professor Dawn K. Kriebel
Immaculata University

An easily understandable text that engages students in active learning.

Professor Debra L. Schwiesow
Creighton University

She [Tara Kuther] is very thoughtful in how she presents the materials in her books and PowerPoints, and it makes the job of the instructor that much easier.

Professor Heather Jaffe, Ph.D.
California State University, San Marcos & San Diego State University

This book takes foundational knowledge and applies it to real world situations that I think students would enjoy learning about. The book is easy to read for students and will likely maintain their attention and focus.

Professor Merranda Marin, Ph.D.
New Mexico State University
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition is available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support.
    • NEW! An AI Literacy module prepares students to engage confidently with today's AI tools through an interactive, outcomes-focused experience—with minimal instructor lift and no course redesign required. Available exclusively in Sage Vantage and written by professors who teach and publish about AI, the AI Information Literacy, Academic Integrity, and Responsible AI Use module integrates video, data driven examples, applied activities, Knowledge Checks, and built-in assessments that help instructors track student understanding. Focused on strengthening critical thinking, the module teaches students how to evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and bias while developing responsible prompting strategies that support academic success without compromising students’ intellectual growth.
  • Expanded Contextual and Intersectional Coverage: Enhanced coverage of intersectionality, with integrated discussions of ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and related dimensions.
  • New Student-Centered Features: Refreshed Lives in Context sections (two-thirds new topics), introduced Developmental Cascades feature, and updated content on diversity, media use, and the COVID-19 impacts
  • Updated Research: Integrates almost 1,500 new references (including over 300 from 2023) while maintaining the text's length and structure.
  • Chapter-Specific Highlights:
    • Chapter 1: Reorganizes theories/research sections; added content on intersectionality, ethics, and COVID-19 impacts.
    • Chapter 2: Introduces gene editing, prenatal sex selection, and simplified genetic terminology.
    • Chapter 3: Adds racial disparities in maternal care, cultural childbirth practices, and prenatal stress impacts.
    • Chapter 4: Expands on vaccination hesitancy, malnutrition, and race/socioeconomic differences in mortality; added new figures.
    • Chapter 5: Includes cultural speech patterns, screen media use, and careers in early childhood education.
    • Chapter 6: Adds emotional recognition, caregiver sensitivity, and father-infant attachment.
    • Chapter 7: Covers cultural sleep variations, COVID-19 impacts, and physical therapy careers.
    • Chapter 8: Dedicates sections to Vygotsky’s theory, Theory of Mind, and moral development; added SES-language development figures.
    • Chapter 9: Adds content on masks and emotion recognition, parental phubbing, and gender schema theory.
    • Chapter 10: Splits health topics into two sections; added nature exposure, rural health, and adrenarche.
    • Chapter 11: Focuses on gifted education, cultural bias in IQ tests, and special education careers.
    • Chapter 12: Expands on community violence, transracial adoption, foster care, and COVID-19’s racial disparities; updated gender identity content.
KEY FEATURES:
  • Lives in Context video cases build on the contextual examples that the author includes in the text, looking at the ways in which biological, cultural, community, family, racial / ethnic, and socioeconomic factors influence development. The videos include expert interviews, news clips, and observational studies that show children performing tasks at various stages of development.
  • A Lives in Context box program illustrates contexts drawn from the real world and their connections to one another, including international adoption and child outcomes, exposure to war and terrorism and children’s development, the effects of neighborhood on development, HIV infection in newborns, and the impact of family stress on health.
    • Lives in Context: Biological Influences boxes tied to each chapter’s learning objectives cover cutting-edge biological topics and prompt students to think critically about each concept.
    • Lives in Context: Community Context boxes raise issues related to the context of community and push students to consider real world implications of concepts connected to chapter learning objectives.
    • Lives in Context: Cultural Context boxes ask students to consider traditions from the cultural context and then to think critically about how culture affects development.
    • Lives in Context: Family and Peer Context boxes discuss the family context related to each chapter and challenge learners to apply chapter content to the real world.
    • Lives in Context: Media and Technology boxes address media and technology and their effects on development at each stage. Learners are prompted to synthesize chapter learning and apply knowledge to real world examples.
  • What do you think? questions appearing after Lives in Context boxes help students connect their own experiences to concepts as they read.
  • Intersectional Influences on Development examine the ways in which constructs of race, gender, socioeconomic level, and other variables interact and influence development.
  • Applying Developmental Science boxes illustrate current research in developmental science and how it may be applied. Examples include the effects of post-partum depression, infant sign language, autism and theory of mind, and children’s suggestibility.
  • Chapter-opening vignettes describe a child and his/her circumstances. Throughout the chapter, questions embedded in the Thinking in Context boxes ask students to consider how the material applies to the child’s circumstances and development.
  • Thinking in Context questions encourage readers to compare concepts, apply theoretical perspectives, and consider applications of research findings presented. In addition, each boxed feature concludes with critical thinking questions that challenge students to assess and evaluate the issues highlighted in that feature.
  • Chapter-opening learning objectives, end-of-chapter summaries, and end-of-chapter review questions that return to learning objectives recap the key concepts presented in the chapter.
  • Apply Your Knowledge sections ask students to apply their understanding to address a particular situation or problem.

Sample Materials & Chapters

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