The Handbook of Lifespan Communication is the foundational scholarly text that offers readers a state of the art view of the varied and rich areas of lifespan communication research. The fundamental assumptions of lifespan communication are that the very nature of human communication is developmental, and, to truly understand communication, change across time must be incorporated into existing theory and research. Beginning with chapters on lifespan communication theory and methodologies, chapters are then organized into the various phases of life: early childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, middle adulthood, and older adulthood. Top scholars across several disciplines have contributed to chapters within their domains of expertise, highlighting significant horizons that will guide researchers for years to come.

Jon F. Nussbaum (PhD, Purdue University) is Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences and Human Development & Family Studies at Penn State University. He is the past president of the International Communication Association and former editor of the Journal of Communication. He is co-author of Communication and Intimacy in Older Adulthood (2009) and co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Health Communication (2011).

Contents: Jake Harwood: Lifespan Communication Theory ¿ Margaret J. Pitts/Mary Lee Hummert: Lifespan Communication Methodology ¿ Carol A. Miller/Laura S. DeThorne: Communication Development: Distributed Across People, Resources, and Time ¿ Beth Bonniwell Haslett/Wendy Samter: Parent-Infant Communication ¿ Helen G. M. Vossen/Jessica Taylor Piotrowski/Patti M. Valkenburg: Media Use and Effects in Childhood ¿ Robert L. Duran/Diane T. Prusank: Children¿s Peer Relationships Outside the Family ¿ Jennifer H. Waldeck: Communication and Learning ¿ Piotr S. Bobkowski/Autumn Shafer: The Digital Bridge into Adulthood:Media Uses and Effects in Adolescence ¿ Michael L. Hecht: Adolescent Identity and Substance Use Prevention ¿ Kevin B. Wright/Shawn King: Adolescent Online Friendship and Peer Relationships ¿ Emerging Adulthood Communication ¿ Alyssa Ann Lucas: Emerging Adults in College: Communication, Friendships, and Risky Sexual Behaviors ¿ Tara G. McManus: Commitment and Marriage ¿ Michael W. Kramer/Karen K. Myers: Communication and Workplace Socialization: A Lifespan Examination of the Work-Life Interface ¿ Andrew C. High: Friend Me, Poke Me, Then Comfort Me: An Exploration of Supportive Communication in Online Social Networking Sites ¿ Jordan Soliz/Craig Fowler: Sandwich Relationships: Intergenerational Communication ¿ Dennis S. Gouran: Communicating in Professional Life The Nature and Evolution of Superior-Subordinate Interactions ¿ Diane T. Prusank: Spouse and Parent: Television Images of Major Roles of Adulthood ¿ Older Adulthood Communication ¿ James D. Robinson/Kathleen B. Watters: Media Use and Effects in Older Adulthood ¿ Fran C. Dickson/Patrick Hughes: The Socially and Sexually Active Later-Life Family Member ¿ Carla L. Fisher/Mollie Rose Canzona: Health Care Interactions in Older Adulthood ¿ Howard Giles/Chan L. Thai/Abby Prestin: End-of-Life Interactions.