Cover -- Front Matter -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- I Setting the Stage -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Rethinking Nature and Nurture -- 3 The Challenge of Studying Culture -- 4 Making Causal Connections -- II The Nature and Tasks of Early Development -- 5 Acquiring Self-Regulation -- 6 Communicating and Learning -- 7 Making Friends and Getting Along with Peers -- 8 The Developing Brain -- III The Context for Early Development -- 9 Nurturing Relationships -- 10 Family Resources -- 11 Growing Up in Child Care -- 12 Neighborhood and Community -- 13 Promoting Healthy Development Through Intervention -- IV Knowledge into Action -- 14 Conclusions and Recommendations -- References -- A Related Reports from the National Academies -- B Defining and Estimating Causal Effects -- C Technologies for Studying the Developing Human Brain -- D Biographical Sketches -- Index.