Customer Rating: 
Summary: it's a textbook
Comment: Okay, this is a textbook for a lower-level course in psychology of human development. It is pretty simplistic, I think. I wouldn't buy it unless it was assigned to me in a class or I was writing TV screen play and need some names and vocabulary to stick in a character's mouth.
Customer Rating:
Summary: interesting book
Comment: I bought this at Amazon.com from an Awesome Deal I found on DailyTool.com. I enjoyed reading the book and it helped me get through the summer class.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Life Span Development
Comment: I was very happy with this book. It's nice and has a wealth of information. It's also a great buy for the price compared to buying it at the bookstore.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Succeeds in coverage, fails in objectivity
Comment: I enjoyed the readings for most chapters in this text. The information is generally well-presented and nicely segmented for quick reading. The author incorporates the little asides (mini research articles) to break things up and add some flavor and interest at different points in the book, which I also appreciated. Unfortunately, the chapter on Intelligence is a train wreck. It's fine and expected to mention Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, but the author couches that theory as the intelligence theory of choice for psychologists. His fawning over Gardner's theory is irresponsible given the total lack of empirical support. Then the author proceeds to rake Jensen over the coals, despite the fact that Jensen's research is extensive and well-supported. The author, at times without citations, directs the student to ridiculous conclusions about intelligence research. For example, he downplays the importance of heritability in intelligence and states a hyperbolic case for the effects of environment. Being very familiar with the intelligence research, I was surprised, but shouldn't have been, that someone could selectively choose to ignore what the vast body of data shows. I can only hope that most grad students will look beyond this treatment of the subject of intelligence for something more substantial and less partisan.
