Cover: Experiencing the Lifespan , 7th Edition by Janet Belsky; Vanessa Rainey

Accessibility Information

COMING SOON 15-March-2027

Experiencing the Lifespan

Seventh Edition

Publication Date: March 15, 2027

Paperback ISBN: 9781319647728

An award-winning text. An amazing journey. Now more engaging than ever.

Teach developmental psychology with a text that makes the science of human development relevant, relatable, and easier for students to understand.

Designed for a one-term developmental psychology course, Experiencing the Lifespan by Janet Belsky and Vanessa Rainey...

Achieve

Online course materials that will help you in this class. Includes access to e-book and iClicker Student. Learn more about Achieve

Access Length:

Achieve

ISBN: 9781319647551
Achieve for Experiencing the Lifespan (2-Term Online; International Edition)

COMING SOON - 15/03/2027

$127.95

E-book

Take notes, add highlights, and download our mobile-friendly e-books.

Access Length:

E-book

ISBN: 9781319647742
Experiencing the Lifespan

COMING SOON - 15/03/2027

$146.95

$88.17

Paperback

Read and study in the print textbook.

Paperback

ISBN: 9781319647728
Experiencing the Lifespan

COMING SOON - 15/03/2027

$192.95

Print + Achieve

Combine the printed textbook with the online course in Achieve for a blended learning experience. Includes access to e-book and iClicker Student.

Print + Achieve

ISBN: 9781319647735
Experiencing the Lifespan 7e & Achieve for Experiencing the Lifespan 7e (2-Term Access; International Edition)

COMING SOON - 15/03/2027

$207.95

PART I THE FOUNDATION

Chapter 1 The People and the Field

Chapter 2 Prenatal Development, Pregnancy, and Birth

PART II INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD

Chapter 3 Physical and Cognitive Development in Infants and Toddlers

Chapter 4 Emotional and Social Development in Infants and Toddlers

PART III CHILDHOOD

Chapter 5 Early Childhood

Chapter 6 Middle Childhood

Chapter 7 Settings for Development: Home, School, and Community

PART IV ADOLESCENCE

Chapter 8 Physical Development in Adolescents

Chapter 9 Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development in Adolescents

PART V EARLY AND MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

Chapter 10 Constructing an Adult Life

Chapter 11 Social Development: Relationships and Roles

Chapter 12 Midlife

PART VI LATER LIFE

Chapter 13 Later Life: Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development

Chapter 14 The Physical Challenges of Old Age

PART VII ENDINGS

Chapter 15 Death and Dying

Final Thoughts

Explore how culture shapes human development. Help students understand development across diverse populations through integrated coverage of collectivist and individualist cultures and perspectives from both developed and developing countries.
Connect students with current developmental science research. Introduce students to emerging areas of research and interest, from early displays of prejudice in infants and the ethics of prosocial acts to Instagram and teen body distress.
Spark discussion and critical thinking. Engage students with stories about real people and current events, cutting-edge research, and open-ended questions that encourage reflection, discussion, and critical thinking.

What’s New in This Edition

The new edition of Experiencing the Lifespan brings developmental psychology up to date with current research, global examples, and an expanded focus on wellness and life in the digital age. Designed for a one-term developmental psychology course, the text makes complex concepts approachable while helping students connect the science of human development to their own experiences.

Connect developmental science to student well-being. Help students apply developmental psychology to their own lives with Staying Well, which encourages them to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through practical, evidence-based strategies.
Bring current developmental research into your course. Engage students with updated research across the life span, including infant temperament, ADHD and ASD in childhood, adolescent anxiety, menopause in midlife, and major neurocognitive conditions in older adulthood.
Explore wellness across the life span. An integrated emphasis on wellness helps students understand how developmental psychology can inform the choices they make now and throughout their lives.
Examine development in a digital world. Timely coverage of social media and the digital revolution explores divided attention, technoference, and how students can make more intentional choices about their online and offline engagement.

Janet Belsky

Born in New York City, Janet Belsky always wanted to be a writer but was also very interested in people. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, she deferred to her more practical and people-loving side and earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Chicago. Janet spent her thirties in New York City teaching at Lehman College, CUNY, and doing clinical work in hospitals and nursing homes. During this time, she wrote one trade book, Here Tomorrow: Making the Most of Life After 50, got married, adopted a child, and, with the publication of the first undergraduate textbook in the psychology of aging, began what turned into a lifelong developmental science textbook writing career. In 1991, Janet moved to Tennessee with her family to write and teach undergraduate courses in psychology at Middle Tennessee State University. After her husband died in 2012, Janet moved to Chicago and developed new passions: enrolling in the Master’s Program in Liberal Arts at the University of Chicago, volunteering to teach older adults. Still, she remains committed to her enduring mission—exciting readers in the marvelous human lifespan through writing Experiencing the Lifespan.

Vanessa Rainey

Vanessa Rainey grew up in a small town in Illinois and was the first in her family to attend college. She has long been fascinated by what makes people “tick.” Why are some children shy while others are bold? Why do people raised in similar circumstances sometimes turn out so differently? These questions guided her journey, eventually leading her to earn a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Loyola University Chicago. While in graduate school, Vanessa discovered that her curiosity about human development was matched by an equally strong passion for teaching. She found joy in breaking down complex research into accessible messages for students and quickly realized that the classroom was where she felt most at home. In 2014, Vanessa joined the psychology department at the University of West Florida, where she teaches and continues to explore and research how students learn best. She regularly presents at teaching conferences and is always exploring new ways to get students excited about developmental psychology. Vanessa’s excitement about making developmental science engaging and relatable is what drew her to Janet and Experiencing the Lifespan! Through this seventh edition, she hopes to help readers develop an appreciation for and curiosity about the many paths human lives – both their own and others – can take.

Combining engaging content with AI-powered tools, our online learning platform, Achieve, reimagines how Psychology is taught and learned. You can rely on Achieve to keep your teaching current, with continuous updates that reflect the latest developments in Psychology and the evolving needs of your classroom.

Achieve for Experiencing the Lifespan, 7th edition offers:

Data Literacy Activities to help students build confidence in analysing research, interpreting statistics, and applying ethical data practices.
Short-Form Writing Creator enabling you to design psychology assignments linking core concepts to real-world applications, while encouraging deeper reflection and critical thinking.
Developing Lives 2.1, which immerses students in an interactive parenting simulation where they guide a virtual child from conception through adolescence, gaining hands-on insight into how decisions and environmental factors shape development.
Skills for Dev Psych Success Activities to support student preparedness and success, covering topics such as how to read a syllabus, time management, and responsible use of AI.
Developmental Psychology Video Collection, which includes hundreds of assignable videos to help students connect developmental concepts to real-world examples and support active learning.
Concept Practice Tutorials to empower students to master complex psychological concepts through a mix of practice and independent problem-solving.

Expand

About Achieve

Achieve is our online learning system backed by extensive development and research. Proven to increase student engagement and boost performance. Achieve offers:

Access to the ebook to download, read and virtually annotate for a completely flexible experience
Course and book-specific resources including adaptive quizzing (Learning Curve) to personalise the experience for students
A grade book, assignable assessments with targeted feedback, insights and reporting, instructor resources - all with seamless integration options.

Learn More Schedule Demo Sign into Achieve