Child Development at the Intersection of Emotion and Cognition

In this extensively revised edition, Martha Ann Bell and her contributors synthesize the newest research on how cognitive and emotional processes influence each other in child development.

Historically, research in child development has treated cognitive processes as separate and distinct from social-emotional processes. However, many of the factors that influence self-regulation are also closely linked to cognitive development. For example, genetics, prenatal environment, relationships, language, and physiological processes are all links between emotion and cognition in child development.

The first edition of this volume greatly increased our understanding of emotion-cognition integration. This second edition incorporates new longitudinal research demonstrating this integration during infancy and throughout childhood. Chapters incorporate new research methods based on technological advances that have greatly enhanced our ability to examine early human brain development. The resulting volume is a critical read for those interested in understanding how brain development influences our behavior and social interactions.

Martha Ann Bell, PhD, is University Distinguished Professor, College of Science faculty fellow, and professor of psychology at Virginia Tech University, where she has been on faculty since 1996. Her research examines individual differences in in the development of executive function and emotion regulation across infancy and childhood, with this work funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Bell has received major research awards and mentoring awards from both Virginia Tech University and the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.