First published in 1980, this classic work has now been completely revised, enlarged and updated. The first chapter examines the child as a biological organism, his genetic endowment, the processes of growth and maturation which underlie his physical, motory and perceptive development. The second and third chapters show how the child gradually becomes a member of the family, improving the instruments which allow him to perceive the reality, to act in this context and to classify it through concepts and mental schemes. The fourth chapter illustrates the development of a particularly complex and typically human ability: the language.

Luigia Camaioni is a Professor of Developmental Psychology at La Sapienza University in Rome.