This collection of essays by leading scholars in the field of childhood development focus on the critical issues and questions that need to be addressed at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Topics covered include the ecology of fetal development, birth and the newborn period, family ecology and infant development, infant care settings, gender influences on caregiving, culture, violence, poverty, substance abuse, social support, maternal age, risk and protective factors, the impact of legal and public policy, and historical, and future ecologies of infant development.

Preface: The Editors Chapter 1: Pathways to Developmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants, Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda and Joanne Roberts Chapter 2: Infant Attention and the Development of Cognition: Does the Environment Moderate Continuity?, John Colombo and Terrill F. Saxon Chapter 3: Nutrition: How Does it Affect Cognitive and Behavioral Development inYoung Children?, Mark Swanson Chapter 4: Ecological Influences on Mother/Infant Relationships, Amy R. Susman-Stillman and Martha Farrell Erikson Chapter 5: Understanding the Caregiving Practices of Adolescent Mothers, Tom Luster and Laura Bates Chapter 6: Daycare and Maternal Employment in the 21st Century: Conflicts and Consequences for Infant Development, Jacqueline V. Lerner and Domini R. Castellinio Chapter 7: Infants' Characteristics and Behaviors Help Shape Their Environments, Katherine Hildebrandt Karraker and Priscilla Coleman Chapter 8: Viewing Fathers in Infants' Lives: Widening the Lens, Lori A. Roggman, Lisa Boyce, and Jerry Cook Chapter 9: Origins of Addictive Behavior: Structuring Pathways to Alcoholism During Infancy and Early Childhood, Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Robert A. Zucker, Eun Young Mun, Leon I. Puttler, and Maria M. Wong Chapter 10: The Effects of Exposure to Violence on Infants: Current Perspectives and Directions for the Future, Joy D. Osofsky Chapter 11: Early Childhood Interventions: Now What?, Jon Korfmacher Chapter 12: Relationships at Risk: The Policy Environment as a Context for Infant Development, Emily Fenichel Subject Index Author Index