Laura E. Berk is a distinguished professor of psychology at
Illinois State University, where she has taught child, adolescent,
and lifespan development for more than three decades. She received
her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of
California, Berkeley, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in
child development and educational psychology from the University of
Chicago. She has been a visiting scholar at Cornell University,
UCLA, Stanford University, and the University of South
Australia.
Berk has published widely on the effects of school environments on
children’s development, the development of private speech, and the
role of make-believe play in development. Her empirical studies
have attracted the attention of the general public, leading to
contributions to Psychology Today and Scientific American. She has
also been featured on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and
in Parents Magazine, Wondertime, and Reader’s Digest.
Berk has served as a research editor of Young Children, a
consulting editor for Early Childhood Research Quarterly, and an
associate editor of the Journal of Cognitive Education and
Psychology. She is a frequent contributor to edited volumes, having
written the article on social development for The Child: An
Encyclopedic Companion and the article on Vygotsky for The
Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. She is coauthor of the chapter
on make-believe play and self-regulation in the Sage Handbook of
Play in Early Childhood and the chapter on psychologists writing
textbooks in Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take
You, published by the American Psychological Association.
Berk’s books include Private Speech: From Social Interaction to
Self-Regulation; Scaffolding Children’s Learning: Vygotsky and
Early Childhood Education; Landscapes of Development: An Anthology
of Readings; and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool:
Presenting the Evidence. In addition to Development Through the
Lifespan, she is author of the best-selling texts Child Development
and Infants, Children, and Adolescents, published by Pearson. Her
book for parents and teachers is Awakening Children’s Minds: How
Parents and Teachers Can Make a Difference.
Berk is active in work for children’s causes. She serves on the
governing boards of the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and
Referral Agencies and of Artolution, an organization devoted to
engaging children, youths, and their families in collaborative
public art projects around the world as a means of promoting
conflict-resolution, relief from trauma, and resilience. Berk has
been designated a YWCA Woman of Distinction for service in
education. She is a fellow of the American Psychological
Association, Division 7: Developmental Psychology.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |