Few questions in developmental psychology have received as much international debate as those concerning the impact of childhood trauma on memory. A lack of scientific research to constrain theory has fueled debates about questions such as whether childhood trauma leads to deficits in memory, including a greater propensity for errors of commission (e.g., 'false memory') or errors of omission (e.g., 'lost memory'), and whether increases in cortisol subsequent to childhood trauma are associated with changes in memory, given the potential of cortisol to enhance consolidation, or, in higher quantities, to produce hippocampal damage. Moreover, scientists have struggled with how to conceptualize and measure distress and other negative emotions, for instance, in terms of discrete emotions (fear, anger, sadness), physiological responsivity (e.g., cortisol), and observer ratings. In order to most effectively answer these kinds of questions, Howe, Goodman, and Cicchetti have brought together the most recent and innovative research by scientists such as Teicher, Gould, Bremner, Quas, Bauer, Ornstein, Dalgleish, Lamb, Brainerd, and Reyna. This book goes beyond simply examining the effects of stressful and traumatic experiences on a child's memory to examine the long-term impact of such experiences on the course of 'normal' memory development. It also highlights the consequences of early traumatic experiences for subsequent memory functioning, the longevity of trauma memories formed early in life, and their relationship to other cognitive and clinical measures of childhood performance. It is an invaluable resource for student and professional researchers in developmental, cognitive, and clinical psychology.

Mark L. Howe is a Professor of Psychology and a Research Chair in Developmental Psychology at Lancaster University, Lancaster UK. Dr. Howe is also Co-director of the Centre for Research in Human Development at Lancaster University. His research concerns children's memory development including children's false memories, autobiographical memory, and long-term retention of information. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as the Association for Psychological Science.
Gail S. Goodman is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Public Policy Research at the University of California, Davis, and Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her research concerns children's memory development and forensic developmental psychology. Dr. Goodman has received many awards for her research, including two Distinguished Contributions awards in 2005 from the American Psychological Association (the Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy Award, as well as the Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research Award). Dr. Goodman obtained her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UCLA and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Denver and the Universite Rene Descartes in Paris, France.
Dante Cicchetti is McKnight Presidential Chair of Child Psychology in the Institute of Child Development and in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota. He also is Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. From 1985 to 2005, he directed the Mt. Hope Family Center at the University of Rochester. Dr. Cicchetti has published 30 books including volumes on developmental psychopathology, child development, emotional development, Down syndrome, attachment beyond infancy, self development, risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology, neurodevelopment and psychopathology, and stress and development.