Applied Developmental Systems Science: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Theories, Meta-Theories, Methods, and Interventions but Didn't Realize You Needed to Ask. An Advanced Textbook

Reviewed by Amber Raley, Instructor, University of Texas at Arlington on 4/11/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text covers the application of systems methodologies to the study of life span developmental psychology in a robust and comprehensive manner. However the inclusion of an index or glossary would assist the student.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

No noticeable errors or accuracy issues were observed.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text is specifically oriented to a systems approach of life span developmental psychology and thus somewhat narrow in scope. However with some moderate adaptation the methodologies could be more broadly applied to a systems approach for other areas in the social sciences.

Clarity rating: 4

Terminology is explained and used in appropriate context. At times the question and answer format is helpful in clarifying information, but at other times it reads in a somewhat disjointed manner.

Consistency rating: 5

The responses to students Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs) provides a consistent framework for the text. Theories and subject matter are used consistently throughout.

Modularity rating: 4

The sections and exercises have some modularity for utilization as stand-alone elements. However as a whole the text builds from a foundation in theory and proceeds through increasingly complex methodological approaches making a reorganization challenging.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The organization of information as responses to student FAQs provides the structural framework. This mostly works, but at times was difficult to follow or presented other questions which were not addressed.

Interface rating: 3

There were no major issues in navigating the text. However, the presentation as an APA-style report could benefit from a greater design aesthetic to improve readability and display.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were no major grammatical errors observed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is considerate of individual differences and does not have any questionable or insensitive content.

Comments

With some adaptation I intend to use some elements of this text to supplement the research project for a course in urban planning and public policy.