Some of the best current work on the development of motivation is presented in this fortieth volume of the Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. The diverse approaches for conceptualizing and studying motivational development psychology that extends the traditional area of achievement motivation. Some major themes emerge: the conceptualization of the self, the internal and external factors that affect development of motivations, and the choices that result from one's motivations.øRichard Ryan's opening chapter places the entire work in context by describing historical and theoretical perspectives on developmental and psychosocial models used to understand motivation. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly and Kevin Rathunde also focus on intrinsic motivation, but with a greater focus on "flow," the experience of full involvement with an activity. Susan Harter discusses the roles of the I-self and the me-self research models.øJacquelynne S. Eccles stresses the link between the social contexts of family and school and the motivational constructs related to achievement and choice of activity. Laura L. Carstensen maintains Eccles's focus on the importance of choice of activity, but concentrates on the later stages in life when social contact declines as a result of changing social and emotional motivations.øThe volume concludes with a summary analyzing the contributors' descriptions of the diverse but complementary aspects of developmental processes and theory.

Part of the authoritative four-volume reference that spans the entire field of child development and has set the standard against which all other scholarly references are compared. Updated and revised to reflect the new developments in the field, the Handbook of Child Psychology, Sixth Edition contains new chapters on such topics as spirituality, social understanding, and non-verbal communication. Volume 1: Theoretical Models of Human Development, edited by Richard M. Lerner, Tufts University, explores a variety of theoretical approaches, including life-span/life-course theories, socio-culture theories, structural theories, object-relations theories, and diversity and development theories. New chapters cover phenomenology and ecological systems theory, positive youth development, and religious and spiritual development.

Designed for professionals and graduate students in the personality/social, military, and educational psychology, and assessment/evaluation communities, this volume explores the state of the art in motivational research for individuals and teams from multiple theoretical viewpoints as well as their effects in both schools and training environments. The great majority of education and training R&D is focused on the cognitive dimensions of learning, for instance, the acquisition and retention of knowledge and skills. Less attention has been given in the literature and in the design of education and training itself to motivational variables and their influence on performance. As such, this book is unique in the following montage of factors: * a focus on motivation of teams or groups as well as individuals; * an examination of the impact of motivation on performance (and, thus, also on cognition) rather than only on motivation itself; * research in training as well as educational settings. The data reported were collected in various venues including schools, laboratories and field settings. The chapter authors are the researchers that, in many cases, have defined the state of the art in motivation.

Research on the development on written language and literacy is inherently multidisciplinary. In this book, leading researchers studying brain, cognition and behavior, come together in revealing how children develop written language and literacy, why they may experience difficulties, and which interventions may help those who struggle. Each chapter provides an overview of a specific area of expertise, focusing on typical and atypical development, providing steps for future research, and discussing practical implications of the work. The book covers areas of bilingualism, dyslexia, reading comprehension, learning to read, atypical populations, intervention, and new media. Thus, the book presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of affairs in this field of research. The various book chapters have been written by researchers who all have collaborated at some point in their careers with Ludo Verhoeven, whose research sets the example for the importance of crossing disciplinary borders to research to take the next, important steps. The combination of the research in this book sets the stage for future research that connects various fields, and hopes to inspire anyone interested in the development of written language and literacy.

This book discusses research and theory on how motivation changes as children progress through school, gender differences in motivation, and motivational differences as an aspect of ethnicity. Motivation is discussed within the context of school achievement as well as athletic and musical performance.Key Features* Coverage of the major theories and constructs in the motivation field* Focus on developmental issues across the elementary and secondary school period* Discussion of instructional and theoretical issues regarding motivation* Consideration of gender and ethnic differences in motivation

The field of human motivation has been undergoing a revolutionary shift in the 21st century. What new philosophical assumptions, motivational models, and empirical evidence have emerged? What does this look like in theory and in application? The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, Second Edition addresses these key advances made in the field since the previous edition, offering the latest insights from the top theorists and researchers of human motivation. The volume includes chapters on social learning theory, control theory, self-determination theory, terror management theory, and regulatory focus theory, while also presenting articles from leading scholars on phenomena such as ego-depletion, choice, curiosity, flow, implicit motives, and personal interests. A special section dedicated to goal research highlights achievement goals, goal attainment, goal pursuit and unconscious goals, and the goal orientation process across adulthood. This Handbook also provides practical research and guidance with sections on relationships and applications in areas such as psychotherapy, education, physical activity, sport, and work. By providing reviews of the most advanced work by the very best scholars in this field, The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation, Second Edition represents an invaluable resource for both researchers and practitioners, as well as any student of human nature.

The seminal reference for the latest research in developmental psychopathology Developmental Psychopathology is a four-volume compendium of the most complete and current research on every aspect of the field. Volume One: Theory and Method focuses on the theoretical and empirical work that has contributed to dramatic advancements in understanding of child and adult development, including findings in the areas of genetics and neurobiology, as well as social and contextual factors. Now in its third edition, this comprehensive reference has been fully updated to reflect the current state of the field and its increasingly multilevel and interdisciplinary nature and the increasing importance of translational research. Contributions from expert researchers and clinicians provide insight into how multiple levels of analysis may influence individual differences, the continuity or discontinuity of patterns, and the pathways by which the same developmental outcomes may be achieved. Advances in developmental psychopathology have burgeoned since the 2006 publication of the second edition ten years ago, and keeping up on the latest findings in multiple avenues of investigation can be burdensome to the busy professional and researcher from psychology and related fields. This reference solves the problem by collecting the best of the best, as edited by Dante Cicchetti, a recognized leader in the field, into one place, with a logical organization designed for easy reference. Get up to date on the latest research from the field Explore new models, emerging theory, and innovative approaches Learn new technical analysis and research design methods Understand the impact of life stage on mental health The complexity of a field as diverse as developmental psychopathology deepens with each emerging theory and new area of study, as made obvious by the exciting findings coming out of institutions and clinics around the world. Developmental Psychopathology Volume One: Theory and Method brings these findings together into a cohesive, broad-reaching reference.

Based on research from the National Reading Research Center (NRRC) at the Universities of Georgia and Maryland, this issue presents the contributors' sythesized work on reading motivation and engagement. Articles are devoted to the following topics: * the general motivation constructs related to reading; * home influences on reading motivation; * readers' responses to different types of text; * influences of classroom contexts; and * types of assessment on children's motivation.

This volume presents the reader with a stimulating rich tapestry of essays exploring the nature of action and intentionality, and discussing their role in human development. As the contributions make clear, action is an integrative concept that forms the bridge between our psychological, biological, and sociocultural worlds. Action is also integrative in the sense of entailing motivational, emotional, and cognitive systems, and this integration too is well represented in the chapters. Action is defined, and distinguished from behavior, according to its intentional quality. Thus, a constantly recurring theme in the volume involves the dialectic of action-intentionality, and specifically the questions of how and when these concepts are to be distinguished. For action theorists, action—as distinguished from behavior—constitutes the fundamental mechanism of human development. This commitment is detailed in several essays that explore the life-span implications of action. This timely volume will be must reading for all who want to learn about, or stay current with, contemporary action theoretical approaches to human development. – Willis F. Overton, Temple University The present volume advances the view that we cannot go far in understanding development over the life span without paying heed to self-reflective processes. In a reciprocal way, self-reflection links developmental change in the ways in which the person constructs his or her own development over the life span. Development, action, and intentionality exist, then, in an intimate relationship: As development forms the social and historical settings within which intentional activity is embedded, thus become indispensable categories for developmental theory and research. Due to their potential to integrate culture, history, and personality, action-theoretical concepts have made strong inroads in many areas of social and behavioral research. Within the field of developmental psychology, researchers have come to recognize that developmental patterns, and their variation across historical and social contexts, cannot easily be reduced to invariant laws. Instead, they reflect the agency of both the culture and the person. Issues of intentional self-development gain particular importance within the developmental settings of modernity. Under conditions of cultural acceleration, globalization, and pluralization of life forms, normative "scripts" and timetables of development have become blurred, and people are increasingly forced to take a planful, self-monitoring, and optimizing stance toward their own behavior and development. As will become evident throughout this ground-breaking book, an action perspective on development covers a broad spectrum of theoretical approaches. Concepts such as "personal goals," "personal projects," "life themes," "meaning," "life planning," "compensation," or "intentional self-development" have become the nuclei of innovative research programs. The chapters collected in this volume, by scholars on the forefront of action theory and research, provide an indication of the promise that these notions hold for life-span developmental psychology, motivation research, and research on aging.

K. Warner Schaie I am pleased to write a foreword for this interesting volume, particularly as over many years, I have had the privilege of interacting with the editors and a majority of the con tributors in various professional roles as a colleague, mentor, or research collaborator. The editors begin their introduction by asking why one would want to read yet another book on human development. They immediately answer their question by pointing out that many developmentally oriented texts and other treatises neglect the theoretical foundations of human development and fail to embed psychological constructs within the multidisciplinary context so essential to understanding development. This volume provides a positive remedy to past deficiencies in volumes on hu man development with a well-organized structure that leads the reader from a general introduction through the basic processes to methodological issues and the relation of developmental constructs to social context and biological infrastructure. This approach does not surprise. After all, the editors and most of the contributors at one time or an other had a connection to the Max Planck Institute of Human Development in Berlin, whether as students, junior scientists, or senior visitors. That institute, under the leader ship of Paul Baltes, has been instrumental in pursuing a systematic lifespan approach to the study of cognition and personality. Over the past two decades, it has influenced the careers of a generation of scientists who have advocated long-term studies of human development in an interdisciplinary context.