This clear and authoritative text provides a trenchant critique of dichotomous thinking and goes on to describe and exemplify an alternative view of development, showing the power of ecological and dynamic systems perspectives. Thematic chapters identify the classic assumptions of the nature-nurture debate and present the reader with new ways of thinking about these issues. The book begins with material that may be familiar to students, then leads them into areas of thought which may be less familiar but which are important and significant aspects of current research and debate in the field. The author shows how an alternative, ecological systems perspective can be used to form more coherent critiques of major theorists like Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Gibson.