Dr Kairen Cullen is a chartered psychologist who trained as an educational psychologist and achieved a PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has worked independently and in Local Education Authority contexts for over 30 years and has provided applied psychology services to schools and the community in a range of fields including education, health, sport and the media. She was chair of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology, British Psychological Society (BPS) in 2002 and continues to contribute actively to the work of the Society through media and consultation work. She has written for a number of academic and educational publications including the Times Educational Supplement and 5 to 7 and Childcare magazines.

About the author iii Author's note iv INTRODUCTION 1. The reasons behind this book 1 2. What is a child? 4 3. What is psychology? 10 4. Applied psychology practice 22 COGNITIVE THEORY 5. Piaget 26 6. Vygotsky 37 7. Cognitivist Theory 46 8. Information-Processing Theory 57 9. Neuropsychology 63 PSYCHOANALYTICAL THEORY 10. Freud 67 11. Theories of child and parent relationship, including Attachment Theory 77 12. Lifespan Psychology 90 13. Personal Construct (Kellyian) Theory 99 BEHAVIOURISM 14. Pavlov's Classical Conditioning Theory 111 15. Skinner's Instrumental/Operant Conditioning Theory 116 16. Social Learning Theory 125 HUMANISM 17. Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs 133 18. Rogerian Theory 138 19. Adlerian Theory 144 OTHER IMPORTANT THEORIES 20. Social Psychology 148 21. Ecological Systems Theory 159 APPLICATIONS OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 22. Assessment 167 23. Therapeutic work 181 FINAL POINTS 24. Parenting and caring 200 25. Summary 207 References 209 Index 211