Human Development from Early Childhood to Early Adulthood: Findings from a 20 Year Longitudinal Study - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805861084 ISBN 13: 9780805861082

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

Synopsis

Data generated from longitudinal studies allow researchers to better understand how context and experience interact with stable characteristics of the developing person over time. This book summarizes a landmark longitudinal study of 200 children, from the ages of 3 to 23. The Munich Longitudinal Study on the Ontogenesis of Individual Competencies (LOGIC) examined the development of individual differences over time and whether it is possible to predict later competencies from earlier ones. Offering a snapshot of theory and data on personality, social, motor, moral, and cognitive development, the contributors help us understand which individual differences can and cannot be altered through schooling and other experiences and how differences seen in the earliest stages are later reflected in adulthood. The results provide valuable insight into the strengths and limitations of early prediction of individual differences.

This is the second volume to review the wealth of data generated by the study. The first volume (Weinert and Schneider, 1999) traced development from ages 3 to 12. This volume continues the story, integrating these early findings with the results from adolescence and young adulthood.

Each of the chapters provides an overview of current research and addresses how the data help us understand the presence and developmental effects of individual differences. Among the findings are results on:

• The relative stability of cognitive competencies
• The long term effects of shyness and aggression
• The relation between moral understanding and action, and
• The role of education in the development or maintenance of performance differences.

Intended for researchers and advanced students in developmental, educational, personality, social, and cognitive psychology, this book will also appeal to educators, especially the chapters that focus on literacy development, educational context, scientific reasoning and mathematical reasoning. 

About this title

Review:

"One has to be thankful and tremendously grateful for the time, energy, and thought that went into this longitudinal study ... for completing this enormous task, as well as for doing it so well." - David Elkind, in PsycCRITIQUES

"This book will be of great interest to many scholars, educators and research scientists. ... The editors provide a very general and accessible ‘map’ for the reader. ... [It’s] an important resource about longitudinal studies. ... The contributors are ... top-notch." - Melanie Killen, University of Maryland

Synopsis:

Data generated from longitudinal studies paint a rich and varied picture of development and allow researchers to understand more deeply how context and experience interact with stable characteristics of the developing person over time. This book represents an overview, description, and summary of a landmark longitudinal study of approximately 200 children, from the ages 3 to 23. The Munich Longitudinal study on the Ontogenesis of Individual Competencies (LOGIC) traced developmental pathways in cognitive, social, and motor domains from preschool to young adulthood in a sample of children who grew up during the 1980s and 1990s in and around Munich, Germany. This valuable study has generated a tremendous amount of data that have been reported in more than 150 empirical articles.This book is the second volume to provide a comprehensive look at the developmental issues in these domains examined in the study. The first volume traced development from ages 3 to 12. This volume continues the story, integrating these early findings with results from the next two developmental phases - adolescence (measurements at ages 13 and 18) and young adulthood (measurements at age 23).

Each of the chapters provides a summary of the literature and answers the questions was development stable and was it possible to predict later variables from earlier ones.The topics covered include core variables reflecting basic cognitive and motor skills (intelligence, memory, motor skills), social-cognitive competencies (moral thinking, personality, self-concept), and school-related competencies (scientific reasoning, spelling, mathematics). Each author summarizes developmental trends within their specific domain, and addresses issues of individual development - its stability over time, and the extent to which earlier performance predicts later competencies. The size of the LOGIC sample allows comparison of subgroups and subgroup analyses, defined by early personality characteristics or educational track or adult socio-cognitive variables. This book will appeal to advanced students and researchers in developmental, educational, personality, and cognitive psychology as well as researchers in education since several chapters focus on topics relevant for these scholars (i.e., literacy development, educational context, mathematical reasoning).

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0805861084
• ISBN 13: 9780805861082
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 290
• Editor: Schneider Wolfgang