A renowned psychologist unravels the universal from the individual in human development to answer the question: what are we born with and what do we learn? In 1984, Basic published Harvard developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan's The Nature of the Child, a book that challenged many of psychology's most deeply held assumptions about human development-arguing, for example, that early experience does not inexorably shape our lives and that the influence of the family is more subtle than had been supposed-and which went on to become a classic in its field. In The Human Spark, Kagan offers a sweeping narrative of development that solidifies his place as one of the most influential thinkers in the field of psychology. Taking into account how far the science of child development has advanced in the last 28 years - with the ascendancy of cognitive psychology, neurobiology, and molecular biology, as well as much deeper research into development on the broader human scale - Kagan explores the tension between influences of biology and environmental factors in development. This book will incorporate new research on the neurobiology and cognition of infants and children through the framework of the child's experience, the role of the local setting, the influence of social class, and the biological biases that each individual brings to her circumstances. Kagan also considers such issues as the degree to which early events affect later outcomes, whether children can actually have some understanding of math and physics in the crib, and the rise of the diagnosis of mental illness in children. A profound exploration of what is universal and what is individual in human development, The Human Spark is the result of a scientist's lifelong quest to discover how we become who we are.

杰罗姆•凯根

哈佛大学荣誉退休教授，发展心理学领域伟大先驱。他撰写了包括《儿童的天性》在内的诸多著作。他曾获得威廉•詹姆斯奖，以及美国心理学会颁发的杰出科学家奖。

杰罗姆•凯根的著作还包括：

《心理学的幽灵》（Psychology’s Ghosts）

《气质的天性》（The Temperamental Thread）

《三种文化》（The Three Cultures）

《情绪是什么？》（What Is Emotion?）

《三种有诱惑力的想法》（Three Seductive Ideas）

《第二年》（The Second Year）

《支持心灵的争论》（An Argument for Mind）

《气质的长影子》（The Long Shadow of Temperament）

《盖伦的预言》（Galen’s Prophecy）

《儿童的天性》（The Nature of the Child）

《从出生到成熟》（Birth to Maturity）

译者简介

何子静

本科毕业于北京大学，随后于美国著名高校——伊利诺伊大学攻读心理学硕士和博士。中山大学“百人计划”引进人才，现为中山大学心理系副教授。

已获国家自然科学基金、教育部人文社会科学研究基金、广东省育苗工程基金、中大桐山基金等多项科研资助。精通英语，已在国际顶级刊物发表多篇论文，多次参加在美国、加拿大、日本、匈牙利等地举办的专业会议，进行口头研究报告。