Krisztina V. Jakobsen, Ph.D. and Paige Fischer, M.A.
This work was supported by the James Madison University Program of Grants for Faculty Educational Leaves to KVJ and a VIVA Content Creation grant to KVJ and PF.
Contributors
This course, based on Lifespan Development: A Topical Approach by Nicole Arduini-VanHoose.
Chapter 1 was developed as part of an independent study at James Madison University and was edited and adapted by the following students:
- Mackenzie DeSouza
- Kharis Hozknecht
- Abegail Lee
- Vivan Lindsay
- Dakota Mitchell
- Anoushka Verma
Updates to the 2nd edition:
We made extensive updates to the 2nd edition of the book to enhance content, clarity, usability, and accessibility. We used feedback from students and from peer reviews from experts in the field. This book is a work in progress and was last updated in June 2026.
Content and Structure Updates:
- We added additional content throughout the book.
- We reorganized chapters to create a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
- We added and updated sections and headings for better flow and readability.
- We updated the learning objectives based on new content and reorganization.
- We added multiple-choice questions at the end of each section. Some multiple-choice questions were generated by AI (ChatGPT and Copilot) and edited and adapted by KVJ and PF.
Accessibility improvements
- We included alt text for all figures and tables to support screen readers and improve accessibility.
References and licensing
- We added a new References section, with updated sources to reflect the current literature.
- We ensured that all videos, figures, and tables are properly licensed. You can find these details in the new Attributions section.
Contribution Acknowledgements
- Chapter 8, the gender identity and sexuality sections of Chapter 11, and Chapter 12 were edited and adapted by James Madison University student Sara Buie.
- Chapter 13 was edited and adapted by James Madison University student Maitland Smola.
Contact
If you have comments or suggestions about this book, please email jakobskv@jmu.edu.
