The electric utility industry and its stakeholders in the.United States appear to be at a critical juncture in time. Powerful forces of global proportions are propelling the industry instinctively and in a secular fashion towards restructuring. That the industry will change is a fait accomplii. The nature and timing of the change is still a matter of intense debate, however. Because of the evolution of the industry into its present-day form, i.e. regulated local monopolies in their designated franchise service territories, the relative roles and expectations of various institutions would have to change to conform to the new state in the future. In either encouraging, or allowing this change to happen, society is essentially saying that future societal welfare would be better served by the changed structure contemplated. What that assumption translates into in more direct terms is that creation of future wealth would be better accomplished through redistribution of wealth today. Thoughtful individuals recognize the enormous responsibility placed upon the various entities empowered with jurisdiction over the timing and nature of the structural change. They are trying hard to bring analytical rigor to bear on the debate. One very critical element of this debate on restructuring is the issue of the treatment of transmission. The issue has been variously labeled transmission access, or pricing. Volumes have been written and spoken on this topic.

This volume contains a number of contributions, which concern basic issues in the field of brain-behavioural development in the human, especially with regard to the young child. They have been written by distinguished scientists, active in this field, who have all been participating in an Erasmus teachers exchange program, entitled 'Biopsychology of Development' (ICP-NL-3026/14). This volume is the product of this cooperation. The book is intended for scientists in this and related fields as well as for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, as a means of updating their knowledge about human brain-behaviour development. It offers a contemporary review, methodologically and theoretically, of some basic issues in early human brain-behaviour development. Attention is paid to normal development and also to deviance as exemplified by discussions on child abuse and on early development of preterms and children of deaf mothers. For the title of the book we have choosen for the term 'Developmental Psychology' with as a subtitle 'biopsychological perspectives' in order to express our interest in the basic requirements in the organism for an optimal adaptation during ontogeny as well as in the mechanisms underlying maladaptive behaviour. The term may indicate that we are not just focusing on 'higher brain functions' which would be suggested by the term 'Developmental Neuropsychology' . Further, it is meant to express our interest in the integrated study of normal and deviant development, without a particular focus on abnormality, which would be suggested by the term 'Developmental Psychopathology'.

The electric utility industry and its stakeholders in the.United States appear to be at a critical juncture in time. Powerful forces of global proportions are propelling the industry instinctively and in a secular fashion towards restructuring. That the industry will change is a fait accomplii. The nature and timing of the change is still a matter of intense debate, however. Because of the evolution of the industry into its present-day form, i.e. regulated local monopolies in their designated franchise service territories, the relative roles and expectations of various institutions would have to change to conform to the new state in the future. In either encouraging, or allowing this change to happen, society is essentially saying that future societal welfare would be better served by the changed structure contemplated. What that assumption translates into in more direct terms is that creation of future wealth would be better accomplished through redistribution of wealth today. Thoughtful individuals recognize the enormous responsibility placed upon the various entities empowered with jurisdiction over the timing and nature of the structural change. They are trying hard to bring analytical rigor to bear on the debate. One very critical element of this debate on restructuring is the issue of the treatment of transmission. The issue has been variously labeled transmission access, or pricing. Volumes have been written and spoken on this topic.

This volume contains a number of contributions, which concern basic issues in the field of brain-behavioural development in the human, especially with regard to the young child. They have been written by distinguished scientists, active in this field, who have all been participating in an Erasmus teachers exchange program, entitled 'Biopsychology of Development' (ICP-NL-3026/14). This volume is the product of this cooperation. The book is intended for scientists in this and related fields as well as for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, as a means of updating their knowledge about human brain-behaviour development. It offers a contemporary review, methodologically and theoretically, of some basic issues in early human brain-behaviour development. Attention is paid to normal development and also to deviance as exemplified by discussions on child abuse and on early development of preterms and children of deaf mothers. For the title of the book we have choosen for the term 'Developmental Psychology' with as a subtitle 'biopsychological perspectives' in order to express our interest in the basic requirements in the organism for an optimal adaptation during ontogeny as well as in the mechanisms underlying maladaptive behaviour. The term may indicate that we are not just focusing on 'higher brain functions' which would be suggested by the term 'Developmental Neuropsychology' . Further, it is meant to express our interest in the integrated study of normal and deviant development, without a particular focus on abnormality, which would be suggested by the term 'Developmental Psychopathology'.