The new edition of this original Australian text continues to offer the most balanced coverage of theory and research for Australian students and educators and appeals to students from many backgrounds. It covers the domains of development including neurological, cognitive, social, physical and personality. The text is organised chronologically by chapter. Within each chapter, content is organised topically. This structure allows for a degree of flexibility and lecturers can choose the way they wish to approach the content, whether it is topically or chronologically. The interactive simulation My Virtual Child! offers students the opportunity to act as a parent and raise a virtual child. By making decisions about specific scenarios, students raise their child from birth to age 18 and see how their own decisions and parenting actions affect their child over time. At each age, students are given feedback about the various milestones their child has attained.