Uses theory and research to examine children's understanding of biology and health.

1. Introduction Michael Siegal and Candida Peterson; Part I. Development of Biological Understanding: 2. Young children's understanding of mind-body relationships Kayako Inagaki and Giyoo Hatano; 3. How a naive theory of biology is acquired Ken Springer; 4. Constructing a coherent theory; children's biological understanding of life and death Virginia Slaughter, Raquel Jaakkola and Susan Carey; Part II. Health Issues: 5. What young children's understanding of contamination and contagion tells us about their concepts of illness Charles W. Kalish; 6. Children and pain John E. Taplin, Belinda Goodenough, Joan R. Webb and Laura Vogl; 7. Children and food Leann Birch, Jennifer Fischer and Karen Grimm-Thomas; 8. The ethics of emaciation: moral connotations of body, self and diet Carol J. Nemeroff and Carolyn J. Cavanaugh; Part III. Applications: 9. Considering children's folkbiology in health education Terry Kit-fong Au, Laura F. Romo and Jennifer E. Dewitt; 10. Young children's understanding of the physician's role and the medical hearsay exception Melody R. Herbst, Margaret S. Steward, Robin L. Hansen and John E. B. Myers; 11. Cognitive development and the competence to consent to medical and psychotherapeutic treatment Candida C. Peterson and Michael Siegal.