Cover: The Developing Person Through the Life Span, 13th Edition by Kathleen Stassen Berger; Kendra Thomas

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The Developing Person Through the Life Span

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Thirteenth  Edition©2026  Kathleen Stassen Berger; Kendra Thomas

ISBN:9781319586485

ISBN:9781319586447

ISBN:9781319586423

About

Teaching students to think like developmentalists

What does it mean to think like a developmentalist? It means moving away from simple assumptions and quick conclusions and instead seeing human development in a rich context that goes way beyond nature vs. nurture. It means thinking critically: Five principles of developmental science are introduced in Chapter 1, repeated throughout the text, and connected to chapter content in a way that helps you remember and transfer your learning to other courses and professional settings.

Whether you are studying social work, early childhood education, nursing, or something else, you’ll enjoy the engaging  narrative style of The Developing Person Through the Life Span. Personal anecdotes and case studies sit alongside findings from scientific studies and datasets – combining humor, wonder, and rigor in a text that’s easy to read.

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Table of Contents

Discover What's Inside! Click here to review a sample chapter, Chapter 1: The Science of Human Development, from The Developing Person Through the Life Span, Thirteenth Edition.

PART 1 The Beginnings


Chapter 1 The Science of Human Development

1.1 Thinking Like a Developmentalist

1.2 Doing Science

Chapter 2 Theories

2.1 Theories of Development

2.2 What Theories Contribute

Chapter 3 The New Genetics

3.1 The Genetic Code

3.2 New Cells, New People

3.3 From Genotype to Phenotype

3.4 Chromosomal and Genetic Conditions

Chapter 4 Prenatal Development and Birth

4.1 Prenatal Development

4.2 Birth

4.3 Risks and Protections

4.4 The New Family


PART 2 The First Two Years


Chapter 5 The First Two Years: Biosocial Development

5.1 Body Changes

5.2 Perceiving and Moving

5.3 Surviving in Good Health

Chapter 6 The First Two Years: Cognitive Development

6.1 Quick Learners

6.2 Active Learners

6.3 Social Learners

Chapter 7 The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development

7.1 Emotional Development in Context

7.2 Social Bonds

7.3 Who Cares for Baby?


PART 3 Early Childhood


Chapter 8 Early Childhood: Biosocial Development

8.1 Body Changes

8.2 Brain Growth

8.3 Avoidable Injury

8.4 Child Maltreatment

Chapter 9 Early Childhood: Cognitive Development

9.1 Thinking During Early Childhood

9.2 Constructed Cognition

9.3 Language Learning

9.4 Early-Childhood Schooling

Chapter 10 Early Childhood: Psychosocial Development

10.1 Emotional Development

10.2 Play

10.3 Challenges for Caregivers

10.4 Becoming Boys and Girls: Sex and Gender


PART 4 Middle Childhood


Chapter 11 Middle Childhood: Biosocial Development

11.1 A Healthy Time

11.2 Brain Development

11.3 Children with Distinct Educational Needs

Chapter 12 Middle Childhood: Cognitive Development

12.1 Thinking

12.2 Language

12.3 Teaching and Learning

Chapter 13 Middle Childhood: Psychosocial Development

13.1 The Nature of the Child

13.2 Families During Middle Childhood

13.3 Other Children


PART 5 Adolescence


Chapter 14 Adolescence: Biosocial Development

14.1 Puberty and Hormones

14.2 Growth and Nutrition

14.3 Sexual Maturation

Chapter 15 Adolescence: Cognitive Development

15.1 Cognition and the Brain

15.2 The Brain and Mental Health

15.3 Secondary Education

Chapter 16 Adolescence: Psychosocial Development

16.1 Identity

16.2 Close Relationships

16.3 Anxiety, Depression, and Aggression


PART 6 Emerging Adulthood


Chapter 17 Emerging Adulthood: Biosocial Development

17.1 Biological Universals

17.2 Health and Sickness

17.3 Risk-Taking

Chapter 18 Emerging Adulthood: Cognitive Development

18.1 Stages and Ages

18.2 Ethics and Religion

18.3 Higher Education

Chapter 19 Emerging Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

19.1 Identity Ongoing

19.2 Social Connections

19.3 Romantic Partnership


PART 7 Adulthood


Chapter 20 Adulthood: Biosocial Development

20.1 Growing Older

20.2 Body Systems

20.3 Habits: Good and Bad

Chapter 21 Adulthood: Cognitive Development

21.1 Adult Intelligence

21.2 Cognitive Hazards

21.3 Choices in Thinking

Chapter 22 Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

22.1 Personality Development in Adulthood

22.2 Intimacy: Connecting with Others

22.3 Generativity: The Work of Adulthood


PART 8 Late Adulthood


Chapter 23 Late Adulthood: Biosocial Development

23.1 Demography and Prejudice

23.2 Systems and Choices

23.3 Theories of Aging

Chapter 24 Late Adulthood: Cognitive Development

24.1 Cognitive Processing in Adulthood

24.2 Neurocognitive Disorders

24.3 Cognitive Gains

Chapter 25 Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

25.1 Theories of Late Adulthood

25.2 Activity in Late Adulthood

25.3 Home and Care


Epilogue: Death, Dying, and Affirmation of Life

EP.1 Living with Death

EP.2 A Good Death

EP.3 Grief and Hope


Appendix: More About Research Methods

Glossary

References

Kathleen Berger

Kathleen Stassen Berger transferred from Stanford University to Radcliffe, earning a B.A. and M.A.T. from Harvard University, and then an M.S. and Ph.D. from Yeshiva University, all while teaching adolescents. Her broad experience as a learner and educator includes directing a preschool, chairing philosophy at the United Nations International School, and teaching human development to graduate students at Fordham University, undergraduates at Montclair State University, aspiring professionals at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, and incarcerated individuals at Sing Sing Prison. For most of her professional career, Berger has been a professor at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York.

Berger is also the author of  Invitation to the Life Span, The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence, and  A Topical Approach to the Developing Person Through the Life Span, as well as Grandmothering: Building Strong Ties with Every Generation. Berger’s research interests include adolescent identity, immigration, bullying, and grandparents, and she has published articles in the Wiley Encyclopedia of Psychology, Developmental Review , and Human Development, and in publications of the American Association for Higher Education and the National Education Association for Higher Education. She continues teaching and learning, not only from students and friends but also from four daughters and three grandsons.

Kendra Thomas

Kendra Thomas is an associate professor of psychology at Hope College, earning a Ph.D. from Ball State University. She has taught both undergraduate- and graduate-level human development to future nurses, teachers, and mental health professionals for 10 years. Originally from Londrina, Brazil, Thomas has long-standing research collaborations with the University of São Paulo and the Federal University of Paraná as well as a South African community development organization. Through a research-practice partnership, she and colleagues have expanded the research of hope, especially in contexts of adverse family circumstances and home-visitation interventions. She is passionate about using research as a tool for building sustainable community development initiatives.

Thomas is an active researcher who has published in journals including Journal of Adolescence, Human Development, Applied Developmental Science, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and International Journal of Behavior Development. She has also written about human development for TIME, Newsweek, Templeton Ideas, and Scientific American magazine.

She lives in Michigan with her husband, two children, and their old dog. Her hobbies include picking up random socks around the house and reading picture books at night.