A Mosaic of New Perspectives
Edited by Elena L. Grigorenko, Elisa Mambrino, David D. Preiss
Psychology Press – 2012 – 505 pages
This book captures the diversity and richness of writing as it relates to different forms of abilities, skills, competencies, and expertise. Psychologists, educators, researchers, and practitioners in neighboring areas are interested in exploring how writing develops and in what manner this development can be fostered, but they lack a handy, unified, and comprehensive source of information to satisfy their interest. The goal of this book is to fill this void by reflecting on the phenomenon of writing from a developmental perspective. It contains an integrated set of chapters devoted to issues of writing: how writing develops, how it is and should be taught and how writing paths of development differ across writing genres. Specifically, the book addresses typologies of writing; pathways of the development of writing skills; stages of the development of writing; individual differences in the acquisition of writing skills; writing ability and disability; teaching writing; and the development and demonstration of expertise in writing.
"This volume about writing is different from any book on writing I am aware about in three ways. First, most books on writing are somewhat narrowly focused on writing, as if it is a phenomenon that exists in a vacuum. The chapters in this book embed writing in the larger context of development, and in doing so, enhance the importance of the aspects of writing that are considered. Second, the breadth of the topics covered is remarkable. Third, and most important, this if the first book about writing I have had a hard time putting down. This is a must have book for writing researchers and will be useful in the classroom." - Richard Wagner, The Florida State University, USA
D.D. Preiss, E. Mambrino, E.L. Grigorenko, Preface. Part 1. The Origins of Writing. D. Schmandt-Besserat, Tokens as Precursors of Writing. A. Lock, M. Gers, The Cultural Evolution of Written Language and Its Effects: A Darwinian Process from Prehistory to The Modern Day. D. Olson, Language, Literacy and Mind: The Literacy Hypothesis. Part 2. Writing and Human Development. J. Zins, S.R. Hooper, The Inter-Relationship of Child Development and Written Language Development. V.W. Berninger, L. Chanqouy, What Writing Is and How It Changes Across Early and Middle Childhood Development: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective. T.L. Richards, V.W. Berninger, M. Fayol, The Writing Brain of Normal Child Writers and Children with Writing Disabilities: Generating Ideas and Transcribing Them through the Orthographic Loop. Part 3. Working Memory and Expertise in Writing. R.T. Kellogg, A.P. Whiteford, The Development of Writing Expertise. T. Olive, Writing and Working Memory: A Summary of Theories and Findings. M. Fayol, J.N. Foulin, S. Maggio, B. Lété, Towards a Dynamic Approach of How Children and Adults Manage Text Production. D.L. Coker, Jr., Descriptive Writing. Part 4. The Teaching of Writing. M. Chuy, M. Scardamalia, C. Bereiter, Development of Writing through Knowledge Building: Theoretical and Empirical Bases. J. Randi, T. Newman, L. Jarvin, Creative Writing as Assessment of Content. C.R. Fallahi, Improving the Writing Skills of College Students. J.S. Hedgcock, Second Language Writing Processes Among Adolescent and Adult Learners. Part 5. Creativity and Emotions in Writing. J. Piirto, Themes in the Lives of Creative Writers. J.C. Kaufman, J.D. Sexton, A.E. White, The Creative Writer and Mental Health: The Importance of Domains and Style. M. Tan, J. Randi, B. Barbot, C. Levenson, L. Friedlaender, E.L. Grigorenko, Seeing, Connecting, Writing: Developing Creativity and Narrative Writing in Children. P. Smagorinsky, E.A. Daigle, The Role of Affect in Students’ Writing for School. Part 6. Disorder of Written Language: Diagnostic Criteria, Prevalence, and Biological Bases. A. Ardila, Neuropsychology of Writing. E. Mambrino, Written Expression’s Neuropsychological Nexus (WENN): A Working Clinical Theory. J. Reich, E.L. Grigorenko, The Effect of Language and Orthography On Writing Disabilities and the Necessity for Cross-Linguistic Research. M. Leung, S. Law. R. Fung, H. Lui, B.S. Weekes, A Model of Writing Chinese Characters: Data From Acquired Dysgraphia and Writing Development. Part 7. The Diagnosis and Assessment of Writing as a Skill and a Competence. J. Lee, L. Stankov, Large-Scale Writing Assessment: New Approaches Adopted In the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). J. Manzi, P. Flotts, D.D. Preiss, Design of a College-Level Test of Written Communication: Theoretical and Methodological Challenges. Part 8. Testimonials. R. Couch, Burning Down the House: Ethics and Reception in Poetry Translation. J. Felstiner, Bringing Redemption to the World: A Translation Sampler. A. Jeftanovic, A Narrator’s Testimony Between Reading, Writing, and Displacements. G.J. Rose, The Story Behind My Being A Writer. R.J. Sternberg, Twelve Hundred Publications Later: Reflections on a Career of Writing in Psychology.
Dr. Elena L. Grigorenko received her Ph.D. in general psychology from Moscow State University, Russia, and her Ph.D. in developmental psychology and genetics from Yale University, USA. Currently, Dr. Grigorenko is an Associate Professor of Child Studies, Psychology, and Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale, and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and Moscow State University (Russia). Dr. Grigorenko has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books. She has received multiple professional awards for her work and received funding for her research from the NIH, NSF, DOE, USAID, Cure Autism Now, the Foundation for Child Development, the American Psychological Foundation, and other federal and private sponsoring organizations.
Dr. Elisa Mambrino is a licensed psychologist who received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Columbia University Teachers College. In the course of this doctoral program, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), Dr. Mambrino completed an APA-accredited Pre-doctoral Internship in Clinical Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She then completed both the Marie Kessel Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center. Dr. Mambrino also has a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Dr. David D. Preiss is an Associate Professor at the Escuela de Psicologia of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. At the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he is affiliated with the Measurement Center MIDE UC and the Center for Research on Educational Policy and Practice. His research includes topics such as culture and instruction, creativity and writing processes, and the cognitive consequences of technology. He co-edited with Robert J. Sternberg Intelligence and Technology: The Impact of Tools on the Nature and Development of Human Abilities (Erlbaum, 2005) and Innovations in Educational Psychology: Perspectives in Teaching, Learning and Human Development (Springer Publishing Company, 2010). David Preiss’ research initiatives have been funded by diverse grants from agencies and programs such as FONDECYT, FONDAP, FONDEF, FONIDE and Fundación Andes.