Brain Maturation & Cognitive Development: Comparative and Cross-Cultural Perspectives

In this reprint from 1991, Gibson (neurobiology and anatomy, U. of Texas at Houston) and Petersen, former dean of health and human development at Pennsylvania State U., take a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the development of the brain and early behavior, as they assemble 14 chapters by US researchers in biology, anthropology, neuroscience, history, linguistics, sociology, psychology, and animal behavior whose work addresses aspects of brain-behavioral interactions in development. They consider neurological and cognitive maturation from a perspective that suggests that social and physical environments can influence biological development, which influences behavior. They examine humans from cross-cultural, historical, and cross-species perspectives, along with discussion of language and an example of brain functioning and alcoholism. The volume is part of a series prepared by the Committee on Biosocial Perspectives on Parent and Offspring Development of the Social Science Research Council. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)