Childhood Social Development: The Essential Readings provides students with a selection of some of the key articles by key researchers in this core area of developmental psychology.

Peter K. Smith is Professor of Psychology and Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies at Goldsmith's College, University of London. He is co-author of the leading textbook 'Understanding Children's Development' (Third Edition, Blackwell Publishers, 1998), among many other books and articles.

Craig H. Hart (Ph.D., Purdue University, 1987)is Professor and Chair of the Marriage, Family, and Human Development department at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. He has co-authored 50 scientific papers and three edited volumes on children's social development and early childhood education practices. He is associate editor of Early Childhood Research Quarterly.