Summary

"The most comprehensive, one-stop source for the latest in applied developmental science."
--Don Floyd, President and CEO, National 4-H Council

The Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science is an important and timely contribution to this burgeoning field. This four-volume set is the authoritative source that encompasses the entire range of concepts and topics involved in the study of applied developmental science. Its contents and levels have broad appeal for those interested in how the application of knowledge about human development can be used to enhance the lives of individuals, families, and communities.

The breadth of activity in applied developmental science makes adequate representation of its concepts and topics a daunting challenge. To this end, the encyclopedia seeks to answer the following questions:

The Encyclopedia of Applied Developmental Science provides the most effective way to address these questions. It includes entries written in an authoritative but not overly technical manner by the broad range of scholars and practitioners involved in applied developmental science. In addition to an alphabetical table of contents, there is a readers′ guide that organizes the entries into 30 content categories to help the reader locate similarly themed entries with ease.

The encyclopedia is ideal for libraries serving those with interests in psychology, human development/human ecology, education, sociology, family and consumer sciences, and nursing, as well as social work and other human services disciplines. The entries are written to be accessible to not only professionals, but also to policy makers and other potential consumers of applied developmental science scholarship. This includes young people and their parents, teachers, and counselors.

Topics Covered

Advisory Board

Peter Benson, President, Search Institute
Joan Bergstrom, Wheelock College
Nancy A. Busch-Rossnagel, Fordham University
Roger A. Dixon, University of Alberta
Felton "Tony" Earls, Harvard University
Robert C. Granger, William T. Grant Foundation
Daniel P. Keating, University of Toronto
Kim Choo Khoo, National University of Singapore
Kaveh Khoshnood, Yale University
Bonnie Leadbeater, University of Victoria
Rick Little, President & CEO, The ImagineNations Group
Gary B. Melton, Clemson University
Jari-Erik Nurmi, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Ellen Pinderhughes, Vanderbilt University
Avi Sagi-Schwartz, University of Haifa, Israel
T.S. Saraswathi, University of Baroda, India
Rainer K. Silbereisen, University of Jena, Germany
Merrill Singer, Chief of Research, Hispanic Health Council, Inc.
Margaret Beale Spencer, University of Pennsylvania
Linda Thompson, University of Maryland
Richard A. Weinberg, University of Minnesota
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, New York University
Luis H. Zayas, Washington University, St. Louis
Edward Zigler, Yale University

Choice Review

Sage's authoritative set, edited by two highly respected ADS scholar-practitioners, represents an important contribution to the literature of applied developmental science. For those unfamiliar with this relatively new discipline, editors Fisher and Lerner, founding coeditors of the journal Applied Developmental Science, explain that ADS "has its roots in numerous fields concerned with human development." This encyclopedia's range of topics (e.g., "Developmental Assessment," "Religiosity and Spirituality," "Ecology of Human Development") is therefore extensive and indicates the scope of ADS. Although the format of articles varies from topic to topic, each illustrates the dynamic connection between individual and context, a perspective unique to ADS. Hence, the article "Cigarette Smoking in Adolescents" discusses personal and peer factors as well as parental and media influences, and because ADS seeks not only to study but also to rectify developmental problems, the article includes an overview of prevention efforts. The set is well organized, including a reader's guide to subjects, extensive references and further readings, and author and subject indexes. Each one- to three-page article is written in accessible style appropriate for intermediate to advanced university students. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All academic libraries. B. Quarton California State University--San Bernardino

Library Journal Review

A noteworthy contribution to a growing field, covering a wide range of relevant topics, among them research methodology, civic engagement, social issues, developmental assessment, ethics, religiosity and spirituality, and much more. The four-volume set is intended for libraries serving students and scholars of sociology, psychology, human ecology, social work, and other related disciplines. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.