Includes bibliographical references and index

"This book presents a clearly organized and, for a single volume, a surprisingly comprehensive and yet lucidly written survey of the psychology of the young developing human individual. Child psychology is important for at least three reasons: first, it deals with the period of mental life that is scientifically interesting and significant in its own right; second, it provides an indispensable body of fact which alone makes possible the real understanding of many adult psychological characteristics that otherwise seem to be outside the deterministic bounds of science; and third, it forms one important foundation for many fields of application, including education, social work, mental hygiene, and parenthood.