The Application of Empirical Data to Practical Problems in Human Development

Reviews the books, Early Parenting and Later Child Achievement edited by Alice Sterling Honig (1990); and Optimizing Early Child Care and Education edited by Alice Sterling Honig (1990). First book brings together a variety of articles on the impact of the early home environment and parentchild interaction on later developmental outcome. Several of these articles focus on fairly specific neonatal events, such as preterm birth and early mother-infant contact. Second book provides a collection of research articles investigating the impact of a variety of preschool and early childhood educational programs on later development. These articles investigate shortand long-term effects of specific early education programs. Throughout both these volumes one is struck repeatedly with the intense need for high quality research in these applied areas to aid in the creation of programs that can facilitate the development of our children. The urgency of these needs is best reflected in the findings of several studies that indicate that programs once believed to enhance development may, in fact, interfere with optimal growth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)