Child psychology: development in a changing society, 5th edition 5th edition, (ebook pdf) all chapte

Page 1


Child Psychology: Development in a Changing Society, 5th Edition 5th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

Visit to download the full and correct content document: https://ebookmass.com/product/child-psychology-development-in-a-changing-society5th-edition-5th-edition-ebook-pdf/

More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant download maybe you interests ...

Coping with Stress in a Changing World, 5th Edition

https://ebookmass.com/product/coping-with-stress-in-a-changingworld-5th-edition/

Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World 10th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

https://ebookmass.com/product/abnormal-psychology-in-a-changingworld-10th-edition-ebook-pdf/

(Original PDF) Research Design in Clinical Psychology 5th

https://ebookmass.com/product/original-pdf-research-design-inclinical-psychology-5th/

Experience Psychology 5th Edition Laura A. King

https://ebookmass.com/product/experience-psychology-5th-editionlaura-a-king/

Psychology of Gender: Fifth Edition – Ebook PDF Version 5th

https://ebookmass.com/product/psychology-of-gender-fifth-editionebook-pdf-version-5th/

Child Development 9th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

https://ebookmass.com/product/child-development-9th-editionebook-pdf/

Your Health Today: Choices in a Changing Society 7th Edition – Ebook PDF Version

https://ebookmass.com/product/your-health-today-choices-in-achanging-society-7th-edition-ebook-pdf-version/

Abnormal Child Psychology 7th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

https://ebookmass.com/product/abnormal-child-psychology-7thedition-ebook-pdf/

Essentials of Life Span Development 5th Edition, (Ebook PDF)

https://ebookmass.com/product/essentials-of-life-spandevelopment-5th-edition-ebook-pdf/

the family system,the peer group,the school,and the cultural environment.

As in previous editions, Child Psychology integrates relevant contextual material throughout the text.Thus,in addition to discussing the effects of schools,families,and peers in separate chapters,we consider such influences for each of the topics for which they are relevant.For example, Chapter 11 examines the impact of adverse social circumstances on the development of attachment,Chapter 12 discusses the ways in which schools can affect self-esteem, and Chapter 14 considers the impact of both parents and peers on moral development.This approach allows the course to move from one area of development to another in a topical manner,while including the broad tapestry of variables that affect each area.

We have made three major changes to the present edition that we believe result in an even stronger presentation of contextual influences.First,we have made the contextual perspective a guiding model throughout the text,with structural reorganization and a conceptual map at the end of every chapter demonstrating key elements of the child’s ecosystem that influence development according to each chapter topic.Second,we have reworked the “Families and Peers”chapter into two separate chapters:Relationships with Peers,and Families and Society.Discussions of peer and family influences still occur throughout the book.The new organization,however,permits a fuller consideration of general issues in the study of peers and the family (e.g., parenting styles,the family as a system),and the expanded coverage in the final chapter on Families and Society allows for a deeper examination of the influence of the exosystem and macrosystem on child development.

Cultural Diversity

Each edition of this book has seen expanded coverage of research in diverse communities in North America and in cultures around the world.This remains true for the fifth edition.Discussions of development in different cultures are woven throughout the text.For example,we describe how different cultures foster different approaches to language learning (Chapter 10),we discuss different conceptions of the self and morality across different cultures (Chapters 12 and 14),and we consider cultural variations in childrearing practices (Chapter 16).

In addition,the inclusion of the contextual model as a guiding perspective has allowed us to provide a conceptual framework within which students can interpret such work. We believe that this change makes our treatment of development in cultural context exceptionally strong.

State-of-the-Art Coverage

Information is being generated in the field of child development at a staggering rate.To prepare a textbook of

manageable proportions,authors must make some tough decisions.We have chosen to balance seminal and classical studies in the field with up-to-date references of articles published in the last few years.

In addition to such general updating,every chapter includes a feature entitled Research and Society.These sections permit a fuller discussion of some especially interesting recent research developments that have high real-world relevance,such as the mapping of the genome or the latest brain imaging techniques.Although our focus is on current work,we recognize that some truly classic studies should be known by every student of human development.This material has been integrated into the text.

Topical Organization

We have chosen to organize the book topically.By considering each topic area in a single chapter,we believe we can most effectively present and critique the full body of research and theorizing relevant to that area.The 16 chapters can be grouped into five general parts,integrated thematically according to an ecological model:

• Understanding the Contexts of Child Development: Chapters 1,2,and 3 provide the foundation of the discipline,covering theoretical and historical frameworks for child development,studying child development in context, and the biological context of development.

• Contexts of Physical Development:Chapters 4-6 focus on aspects of physical development,such as prenatal development and birth;the early capacities of infancy,including motor,sensory,and perceptual development;and physical growth and health.

• Contexts of Cognitive Development:Chapters 7-10 cover Piagetian and Vygotskian approaches to cognitive development;information processing and the core knowledge approach;intelligence and schooling;and language and communciation.

• Contexts of Social and Emotional Development: Chapters 11-14 describe social and emotional development,including emotional development,attachment,the self-system,moral reasoning,prosocial and antisocial behavior,and gender role development.

• Peer,Family,and Community Contexts:Chapters 15-16 focus on peer relations,families,and influences of the larger society.

Although the overall organization is topical,the internal presentation of Chapters 4-16 is developmental.The topic area—be it language,gender roles,or whatever—begins with the newborn and describes development through adolescence. This approach helps the student to appreciate the continuity of growth within each area and also to understand the ongoing interactions between biological processes and contextual influences.In addition,a new feature highlights content links between chapters in the margins of the text.

Readability and Accessibility

We have worked hard to make our text above all interesting and accessible to the student reader.We believe that the text’s comfortable writing style and the clarity with which concepts are introduced,discussed,and interrelated will enable students to read and understand a rigorous treatment of the issues.Users of previous editions have consistently praised the text’s accessibility.

In addition,we have focused throughout the text on real-world relevance and application.This is particularly evident in our use of the Applications and Conversations features in every chapter.

PEDAGOGICAL FEATURES

In our effort to be complete and up to date,we have not forgotten that this is a textbook whose audience includes college sophomores.We have designed into the book a number of features to maximize the likelihood that students will learn the material.

Chapter-Opening Vignettes

Each of the chapters begins with a brief story designed to capture the student’s interest and to introduce the topic under consideration.In Chapter 3,for example,we open with the story of Carbon Copy,the cloned kitten,and we consider some of the intriguing ethical questions posed by the research.In Chapter 8 we preview the discussion of information processing with the true story of Josh Waitzkin, child chess champion,and ask students to consider what types of thinking might distinguish a novice from an expert in a given domain.

The Research and Society Feature,which appears in every chapter,is designed to make students aware of recent and exciting research findings that have high real-world relevance and application.Among the topics singled out for such coverage are the Human Genome Project (Chapter 3),Technology and Gender Selection (Chapter 4),Imaging the Brain (Chapter 6),Bilingual Education (Chapter 10),and Bullying and Victimization (Chapter 15).

ment,who talk about the families and children they serve. In Conversations,these professionals explain,for example, how knowledge of child development helps them in the challenges and rewards of working with infants and children.Examples include conversations with an adoption social worker (Chapter 3),a pediatric physical therapist (Chapter 5),a speech-language pathologist (Chapter 10), and men in nontraditional roles (Chapter 13).

This feature appears in every chapter and presents examples of research programs and findings that have been applied to the solution of practical problems in schools, homes,hospitals,and other real-world settings.Examples include Society,Teens and Sexuality (Chapter 6),Brains in a Box:Do New Age Toys Deliver on the Promise? (Chapter 8),and Reducing Stereotype Threat in Minority Populations (Chapter 9).

Test Your Mastery Sections

At the end of each major section in a chapter,questions are presented that link to the learning objective for that section.This organization encourages students to pause and reflect on what they have just read and helps set the stage for the sections that follow.Learning is reinforced when the answers to the Test Your Mastery sections are provided in the Chapter Summary.

Chapter Summaries

Each chapter ends with a summary of the major points and issues to help students organize and review the chapter’s material.These summaries are designed to facilitate learning by linking clearly to the learning objectives and Test Your Mastery sections for each chapter.

Running Glossary

Boldfaced glossary items in the text highlight terms of continuing importance to students.These items are defined in the margin on the same page,as well as at the end of the book,providing a convenient guide for reviewing the material.

For Discussion Questions

• This feature,appearing in every chapter,showcases actual professionals in diverse fields related to child develop-

Included in each chapter are a set of questions designed to foster critical thinking.Each question notes a finding or principle from the chapter and asks the student to apply it to an issue of real-world or personal relevance.

Margin Links to Related Content

Each chapter features links to related content in other chapters,provided in the margins.This gives students a greater appreciation for the ways in which development in one domain relates to development in other domains.

Illustration Program

We reworked many of the figures and drawings from the previous edition to create new,effective illustrations in a full-color format.We also carefully selected many new color photos that depict situations and events described inthe text,along with some that illustrate laboratory techniques and other research methods.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Accompanying the text is a full package of materials to support student learning and classroom teaching.The package includes the following.

Student Study Guide

The study guide for students contains chapter outlines, learning objectives,key terms,application exercises,critical thinking exercises,self-test questions,and practice exams. This guide was prepared by Claire Novosad of Southern Connecticut State University.

Instructor’s Resource Manual

The Instructor’s Resource Manual contains guidelines for the first-time instructor,chapter outlines,learning objectives,key terms,lecture topics,discussion questions,inclass and out-of-class activities,supplemental readings,

video guide,and media materials.The guide was prepared by Joyce Hemphill of the University of Wisconsin, Madison,and is available on-line at www.wiley.com/ college/harwood

Test Bank

The test bank provides approximately 120 questions for each chapter,keyed to the text in multiple-choice and essay formats.Each question notes the text page on which the answer can be found and whether the question is factual or conceptual.The test bank was prepared by Susan Siaw of the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and is available on-line at www.wiley.com/ college/harwood

POWERPOINT FILES

A set of files with accompanying lecture notes is available on-line at www.wiley.com/college/harwood for instructor use.The PowerPoint slides were prepared by Jennifer Lindner.

Video Library

Instructors can choose from a variety of videos and clips for class presentation from the Child Psychology Video Library.Please contact your local Wiley representative for more details about the different video options.

Web Site

Using the Vasta Web site,located at http://www.wiley.com/ college/harwood,students can take practice quizzes for each chapter,and instructors can download the text supplements directly to their computers.

Acknowledgments

A project of this size requires the participation of many people. We thank Lisa Comparini for her work on Chapter 7; Gretchen Van de Walle for her work on Chapters 7 and 8; Stephen Burgess for his work on Chapters 9, 10, and 12; and Kathryn Jtineant and Gozde Demir for their work on the reference list. We are grateful to Alastair Younger for his contributions to the third and current editions of the text, especially Chapter 2, and to Marshall Haith and Shari Ellis, who were coauthors of earlier editions of the book. Finally, we are grateful to our colleagues who supplied material for the Culture and Society, Conversations, and Applications features: Frances Waksler, Lisa Comparini, Vivian Carlson, Jeannine Pinto, Patricia Greenfield, Caroline Johnston, Gail Rollins, Amy Miller, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Chloe Bland, Joan Miller, Ronald Rohner, and Abdul Khaleque.

This book is about children, and we never would have entered the field of child psychology—let alone have pursued its study with such pleasure—without the inspiration of our own wonderful children. They always have our deepest gratitude.

We owe special thanks to our Developmental Editor, Mary Ellen Lepionka. This book couldnot have been completed without her assistance and dedication.

We would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the many colleagues who have provided reviews or suggestions that have helped to strengthen the various editions of this text. The following individuals served as reviewers or provided other forms of input for the current edition.

Mary Beth Ahlum Nebraska Wesleyan University

Daisuke Akiba Queens College ofthe City University ofNew York

Dana Albright Clovis Community College

Maria Bravo Central Texas College

Nancy Budwig Clark University

Bruce Carter Syracuse University

Juan F.Casas University ofNebraska,Omaha

Dionne Clabaugh Gavilon College

Robert Cohen University ofMemphis

Donna Couchenour Shippensburg University ofPennsylvania

Bill Curry Wesleyan College

Shawn E.Davis University ofHoustonDowntown

Melanie Deckert-Pelton University ofWest Florida

John Dilworth Kellogg Community College

Janet DiPietro Johns Hopkins University

Rosanne K.Dlugosz Scottsdale Community College

Ken Dobush Bridgewater State College

Gina Annunziato Dow Denisen University

Jerome B.Dusek Syracuse University

Anne O.Eisbach Quinnipiac University

Khaya Novick Eisenberg University ofDetroitMercy

David Estell Indiana University

S.A.Fenwick Augustana College

Donna Fisher-Thompson Niagara University

William Franklin California State University

Harvey J.Ginsburg Southwest Texas State University

Dennis M.Goff Randolph-Macon Woman’s College

Allen Gottfried California State University

Elizabeth K.Gray North Park University

Joelle K.Greene Pomona College

Jiansheng Guo California State University

Rob Guttentag University ofNorth CarolinaGreensboro

Dorathea Halpert Brooklyn College,City University ofNew York

Steven J.Hayduk Southern Wesleyan University

Beth Hentges University ofHouston-Clear Lake

Jennifer M.Hill City University ofNew York Graduate Center

Jeffrey A.Howard Eckerd College

Margaret Hellie Huyck Illinois Institute of Technology

Marsha Ironsmith East Carolina University

Elaine M.Justice Old Dominion University

Kathleen N.Kannass University ofKansas

Kevin Keating Broward Community CollegeNorth Campus

Cheri L.Kittrell University ofTampa

Paul Klaczynski Pennsylvania State University

Kathy F.Kufskie Florissant Valley Community College

Lloyd Lorin La Rouge The University of Wisconsin,Whitewater

Lana Larsen University ofMaryland,University College

Cynthia Legin-Bucell Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Angeline Lillard University ofVirginia

Wendy M.Little Westmont College

Glenn Lowery Springfield College

Arlene R.Lundquist Utica College

Saramma T.Mathew Troy State University

Jessica Miller Mesa State College

Terry C.Miller Wilmington College ofOhio

Mary Mindess Lesley University

Elizabeth A.Mosco University ofNevada, Reno

Ron Mulson Hudson Valley Community College

Robin Musselman Lehigh Carbon Community College

Jeffrey Nagelbush Ferris State University

Dawn Niedner Purdue University Calumet

Sonia Nieves Broward Community College

Claire Novosad Southern Connecticut State University

Alan Y.Oda Azusa Pacific University

Rose R.Oliver Amherst College

Leanne Olson Wisconsin Lutheran College

Robert Pasternak George Mason University

Margarita Pérez Worcester State College

Wayne J.Robinson Monroe Community College

Stephanie Rowley University ofMichigan

Claire Rubman Suffolk County Community College

Larissa Samuelson University ofIowa

Nicholas R.Santilli John Carroll University

Pamela Braverman Schmidt Salem State College

Billy M.Seay Louisiana State University

Tam Spitzer St.John Fisher College

Richard A.Sprott California State UniversityHayward

Ric Steele University ofKansas

Mary Steir University ofHartford

Margaret Szweczyk University ofIllinois, Urbana-Champaign

Francis Terrell University ofNorth Texas

David G.Thomas Oklahoma State University

Lesa Rae Vartanian Indiana University— Purdue University Fort Wayne

Amy Wagenfeld Lasell College

Alida Westman Eastern Michigan University

Matthew Westra Longview Community College

Colin William Columbus State Community College

Herkie Lee Williams Compton Community College

Laurie A.Wolfe Raritan Valley Community College

Gretchen Miller Wrobel Bethel College

We are also grateful to colleagues who provided reviews of the earlier editions of the book.

Brian P.Ackerman University ofDelaware

Linda Baker University ofMaryland,Baltimore County

Marie T.Balaban Eastern Oregon University

Byron Barrington University ofWisconsinMarathon County

Karen Bauer University ofDelaware

Dan Bellack College ofCharleston

Sarah Bengston Augustana College

Cynthia Berg University ofUtah

Rebecca Bigler University ofTexas,Austin

Dana Birnbaum University ofMaine

Fredda Blanchard-Fields Georgia Institute of Technology

Cathryn L.Booth University ofWashington

Theodore Bosack Providence College

Michelle Boyer-Pennington Middle Tennessee State University

Kristine Brady Rider University

Gordon F.Brown Pasadena City College

Harriet Budd Roger V.Burton SUNY at Buffalo

Bruce D.Carter Syracuse University

Stephen J.Ceci Cornell University

Xinyin Chen University ofWestern Ontario

Stewart Cohen University ofRhode Island

Jodi Compton Framingham State University

Ed Cornell University ofAlberta

James Dannemiller University ofWisconsinMadison

K.Laurie Dickson Northern Arizona University

Janet DiPietro Johns Hopkins University

Shelly Drazen SUNY Albany

Beverly D.Eckhardt Albuquerque VocationalTechnical Institute

Melissa Faber University ofToledo

Beverly I.Fagot University ofOregon

Shirlee Fenwick Augustana College

Mary Ann Fischer Indiana UniversityNorthwest

William Franklin California State University, Los Angeles

Barry Ghoulson University ofMemphis

Katherine W.Gibbs University ofCalifornia, Riverside

Gail S.Goodman University ofCalifornia, Davis

Allen Gottfried California State University, Fullerton

Terry R.Greene Franklin & Marshall College

Vernon Hall Syracuse University

William S.Hall University ofMaryland at College Park

Yolanda Harper University ofTulsa

Yvette R.Harris Miami University

Vernon Haynes Youngstown University

Melissa Heston University ofNorthern Iowa

Erika Hoff Florida Atlantic University

Kenneth I.Hoving University ofOklahoma

Marsha Ironsmith East Carolina University

Jane Jakoubek Luther College

Boaz Kahana Cleveland State University

Kenneth Kallio SUNY Geneseo

Christine Kenitzer Texas Tech University

Janice Kennedy Georgia Southern University

Wallace Kennedy Florida State University

Marguerite D.Kermis Canisius College

Katherine Kipp University ofGeorgia

Paul Klaczynski Pennsylvania State University

Gerald Larson Kent State University

Elizabeth Lemerise Western Kentucky University

Gary Levy University ofUtah

Angeline Lillard University ofVirginia

Pamela Ludeman Framingham State University

Kevin MacDonald California State University, Long Beach

Barbara Manning University ofNebraskaOmaha

Tammy A.Marche St.Thomas More College

John C.Masters Vanderbilt University

Robert G.McGinnis Ancilla College

Patricia McKane Augustana College

Margie McMahan Cameron University

Carolyn Mebert University ofNew Hampshire

Morton J.Mendelson McGill University

Richard Metzger University ofTennessee at Chattanooga

Barbara Moely Tulane University

Ernst L.Moerk California State University, Fresno

Derek Montgomery Bradley University

Lisa Oakes University ofIowa

Cynthia O’Dell Indiana University-Northwest

Lynn Okagaki Purdue University

Jeff Parker Pennsylvania State University

Vicky Phares University ofSouth Florida

Harvey A.Pines Canisius College

Catherine Raeff Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Dina Raval Towson State University

D.Dean Richards University ofCalifornia, LosAngeles

William L.Roberts York University

MariteRodriguez-Haynes Clarion University

Karl Rosengren University ofIllinois

Jane Rysberg California State University,Chico

Nicholas R.Santilli John Carroll University

Ellin Scholnick University ofMaryland

Frederick M.Schwantes Northern Illinois University

Gayle Scroggs Cayuga Community College

Kathleen Sexton-Radek Elmhurst College

Harriet Shaklee University ofIowa

Cecilia Shore Miami University

Susan Siaw California Polytechnic State University

Robert S.Siegler Carnegie Mellon University

Gregory Simpson University ofKansas

Frank J.Sinkavich York College ofPennsylvania

Rita Smith Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Thomas R.Sommerkamp Central Missouri

State University

Kathy Stansbury Mount Holyoke College

Debra Cowart Steckler Mary Washington University

Ric G.Steele University ofKansas

Margaret Szewczyk University ofIllinois at Urbana-Champaign

Francis Terrell University ofNorth Texas

David G.Thomas Oklahoma State University

Laura Thompson New Mexico State University

Katherin Van Giffen California State University,Long Beach

Lesa Rae Vartanian Indiana Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Diane N.Villwock Moorehead State University

Leonard Volenski Seton Hall University

Amye Warren University ofTennessee at Chattanooga

Beth Wildman Kent State University

Nanci Stewart Woods Austin Peay State University

Alastair Younger University ofOttawa

Martha Zlokovich Southeast Missouri State University

About the Authors

Robin Harwood is a Research Scientist at the University of Connecticut, Department of Anthropology, and a Visiting Professor at the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Yale University in 1991. She has previously authored (with Joan Miller and Nydia Lucca Irizarry) Culture and Attachment: Perceptions of the Child in Context. Her research has focused on cultural influences on parenting and early socioemotional development.

Scott A. Miller

Scott Miller is Professor of Psychology at the University of Florida. After completing his undergraduate work at Stanford University in 1966, he entered the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1971. His initial appointment was at the University of Michigan. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association (Division 7). He has previously authored Developmental Research Methods, second edition, and coauthored (with John Flavell and Patricia Miller) Cognitive Development, fourth edition. His research has been in the cognitive area, focusing on Piaget’s work, children’s understanding of logical necessity, theory of mind, and parents’ beliefs about children.

Ross Vasta

Before his death in 2000, Ross Vasta was Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York at Brockport. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1969 and his Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1974. He was a Fellow in the American Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association (Division 7). In 1987 he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. His previous books include Studying Children: An Introduction to Research Methods, Strategies and Techniques of Child Study, and Six Theories of Child Development. He also edited the annual series Annals of Child Development.

This page intentionally left blank

This page intentionally left blank

PART I UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXTS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT

1 Frameworks for Development

Child Development in Space and Time 4

Contexts of Child Development 5

An Ecological Model 5

The Developmental Niche of Childhood 8

Perceptions of Children Across Time 10

Key Issues In Child Development 12

Nature and Nurture as Sources of Influence 12

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY The Social Construction of Childhood 13

Stability and Change in Developmental Pathways 14

Typical Development and Individual Variation 15

Cultural Differences and Similarities in Development 15

Child Development Research in Applied Contexts 17

Parenting 17

Schools and Child Care 17

Social Policy 17

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with an Outreach Liaison 18

Theoretical Perspectives—An Overview 19

Psychoanalytic Approaches 20

Evolutionary and Biological Approaches 22

Ethology 22

John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory 24

Evolutionary Developmental Psychology 24

Behavioral and Social Learning Approaches 24

Classical Conditioning 25

B. F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning 25

Social Learning Theory 26

Cognitive-Developmental Approaches 28

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development 29

Information Processing Model 31

Sociocultural Approach: The Work of Vygotsky 31

■ APPLICATIONS Theories as Everyday Explanations for Behavior 33

2 Studying Child Developmentand and Its Contexts

Studying Children 40

From Observation and Theory to Hypothesis 40

Ensuring Objectivity 40

Methods Used to Study Children 42

Descriptive Methods 42

Continued

Observation 42

Interview Methods 44

Case Studies 45

Correlational Research 45

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Cross-Cultural Psychologist 48

Experimental Research 48

Studying Development 52

Longitudinal Research 53

■ APPLICATIONS Wise Consumers of Research on Development 54

Cross-Sectional Research 54

Cross-Sequential Design 55

Microgenetic Method 56

Issues in the Study of Children 56

Ethical Considerations in Child Development Research 57

Cultural Considerations in Child Development Research 58

■ CONVERSATIONS Studying AIDS Orphans in Africa 60

3 The Biological Context of Development

Mechanisms of Inheritance 68

Cell Division 68

Inside the Chromosome 70

Mendel’s Studies 70

Principles of Genetic Transmission 72

Principles of Inheritance Since Mendel 72

Genes and Behavior 73

Family Studies 73

Adoption Studies 74

Twin Studies 75

Interaction of Genes and Environment 77

Reaction Range 77

Gene–Environment Correlations 79

Nonshared Environment 80

Genetic Disorders 81

Hereditary Autosomal Disorders 82

Dominant Traits 82

Recessive Traits 82

X-Linked Disorders 84

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY The Human Genome Project 86

Structural Defects in the Chromosome 87

Autosomal Defects 88

Disorders of the Sex Chromosomes 88

Genetic Counseling 89

A Counseling Session 90

Population Screening 90

Pathways to Parenthood 91

Assisted Reproduction 91

Effects of ART on Child Development 93

Adoption 93

■ APPLICATIONS Journey to Parenthood 94

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with an Adoption Social Worker 96

PART II CONTEXTS OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

4 Prenatal Development, Birth, and the Newborn

Pregnancy 106

Factors that Influence Conception 107

Impacts of Parental Age 108

Prenatal Screening 109

Ultrasound 109

Amniocentesis 109

Chorionic Villus Sampling 110

Endoscopic Fetoscopy 110

Test-tube Screening 110

Prenatal Treatment 110

Medical Therapy 110

Surgery 111

Genetic Engineering 111

Ethical Considerations 111

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Technology and Gender Selection 112

Stages of Prenatal Development 113

Period of the Zygote (First Two Weeks) 113

Period of the Embryo (3rd to 8th Week) 114

Period of the Fetus (9th to 38th Week) 115

Prenatal Environmental Influences 118

Teratogens 118

Illegal and Harmful Drugs 120

Tobacco 123

Alcohol 123

Therapeutic Drugs 124

Environmental Hazards 124

Infectious Diseases 125

Herpes 125

HIV 126

Syphilis and Gonorrhea 126

Maternal Health 126

Nutrition 127

Stress 128

Prenatal Care 128

Continued

Birth 130

Labor and Delivery 130

Childbirth and Society 131

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Certified Professional Midwife 132

The Newborn 135

Assessing the Newborn’s Health 135

Birth Complications 136

Birthweight and Gestational Age 137

■ APPLICATIONS Caring for Preterm and Low-Birthweight Infants in the NICU 138

5 Early Capacities in Infancy

The Organized Infant 150

States of Arousal 150

Changing Sleep Patterns 151

■ APPLICATIONS Sleep in Cultural Perspective 152 Reflexes 153

Congenitally Organized Behaviors 155

Looking 155

Sucking 155

Crying 156

Motor Development 157

Development of Motor Skills in Infancy 157

Motor Development in Cultural Context 159

Dynamic Systems Approach to Motor Development 160

Motor Development in Childhood 161

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversation with an Infant Physical Therapist 162

Perceptual Development 163

Studying Perceptual Development 164

Touch, Smell, Taste, and Vestibular Sensitivity 165

Touch 165

Smell and Taste 166

Vestibular Sensitivity 166

Hearing 166

Prenatal Hearing 167

Sound Localization 168

Vision 168

Visual Acuity 169

Color Vision 170

Visual Pattern and Contrast 170

Visual Organization 170

Face Perception 171

Can Newborns Recognize Their Mothers’ Faces? 172

Perception of Objects and Their Properties 173

Size Constancy 173

Seeing Objects as Continuous 173

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Infants’ Perception of Motion 174

Perception of Depth 174

The Integrated Senses 176

Exploration 177

Representation 177

Attention and Action 178

Development of Attention 178

Helping Children with Attentional Problems 181

6 The Brain, Physical Growth, and Health

The Brain 192

Structure of the Brain 193

Development of the Brain 193

Hemispheric Specialization 195

The Developing Brain and Early Experience 196

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Imaging the Brain 198

Physical Growth 200

Changes in Physical Growth Across Time and Place 200

Individual Differences in Growth Rates 201

Gender 201

Genetic Factors 202

Malnutrition and Illness 203

Changes in Body Proportion and Composition 203

Puberty Changes and Timing 204

Cultural and Social Attitudes toward Puberty 205

Physical Health in Infancy 205

Infant Mortality 206

Nutrition 207

Breastfeeding 207

Cultural Perspectives on Weaning and Feeding 209

Malnutrition 209

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Family Nutritionist 210

Sleep 210

Immunization and Child Health Care 212

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 214

Physical Health in Childhood and Adolescence 215

Physical Activity and Sports Participation 216

Obesity 216

Eating Disorders 217

Substance Use and Abuse 218

■ APPLICATIONS Just Say No? Teens, Sexuality, and Society 220

PART III CONTEXTS OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

7

Piaget and Vygotsky

Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory 231 Mechanisms of Cognitive Change 231

The Concept of Stages 232

Cognition During Infancy: The Sensorimotor Period 233

Six Substages of Sensorimotor Thought 234 Object Permanence 237

Testing Piaget: Recent Work on Infant Cognition 238 Violation of Expectancy Method 239 Representing Hidden Objects 239 Deferred Imitation 240

Thought in the Preschooler: The Preoperational Period 241 Symbolic Function 241

Emergence of Symbolic Play 242

Symbolic Advances of Early Childhood 242

■ APPLICATIONS Selecting Developmentally Appropriate Play Materials 244 Strengths of Preoperational Thought 244 Limitations of Preoperational Thought 245

Egocentrism 245

Perspective-Taking Abilities 245 Centration 245

Focus on Appearances 247

Middle-Childhood Intelligence: The Concrete Operational Period 248

The Concept of Operations 248

Conservation 248

Relational Reasoning: Class Inclusion and Seriation 249

Testing Piaget: Operational vs. Preoperational Differences 250

Preoperational Perspective Taking 250

Preoperational Conservation 251

Adolescent and Adult: The Formal Operational Period 251

Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning 251

Reasoning about Pendulums 252

Testing Piaget: Formal Operations vs. Concrete Operations 253 Evaluating Piaget’s Theory 254

The Issue of Stages 254

The Issue of Universality 254

Vygotsky and the Sociocultural Approach 255

The Temporal Contexts of Development 256

The Social Origins of Thought 256

The Use of Cultural Tools and Artifacts 257

Interacting with Toys and Objects 257

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Weaving Generations Together: Evolving Creativity in the Maya of Chiapas 258 Implications of Object Play for Development 260

The Role of Pretend Play 260

Piaget and Vygotsky on Language and Thought 262

Impacts of Piaget and Vygotsky on Education 264

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with an Early Childhood Educator 267

Comparing the Cognitive-Developmental and Sociocultural Approaches 267

8

Information Processing and Core Knowledge Approaches

The Information Processing Approach to Cognition 282

Computer Simulations and Neural Networks 283

Microgenetic Studies 284

Memory 286

Basic Memory Processes in Infancy 287

Recognition Memory 287

Recall Memory 288

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Children’s Eyewitness Testimony 289

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Child Therapist 290

Developmental Changes in Memory 290

Cognitive Tools 290

The Role of Strategies 292

Developmental Changes in Strategy Use 292

Variability in Strategy Use 293

The Role of Knowledge: Experts and Novices 293

The Role of Metacognition 295

Developmental Changes in Metacognition 296

Effects of Metacognition on Memory Performance 296

Problem Solving 297

Rule-Based Problem Solving 297

Preschoolers’ Rule-Based Reasoning 297

Developments in Rule-Based Reasoning 298

Reasoning by Analogy 300

Contributions of Memory to Problem Solving 301

Mechanisms of Cognitive Change 303

Information Processing and Academic Learning 304

Strategy Construction and Selection in Arithmetic 304

Development of a Conceptual Knowledge Base in Physics 305

Metacognitive Awareness in Comprehension 306

The Core Knowledge Approach to Cognition 307

Knowledge of the Physical World 308

Understanding Solidity and Continuity 308

Understanding Physical Causality 309

Understanding the Social World 310

Understanding Human Behavior 310

Understanding Psychological States 311

Evaluating the Core Knowledge Approach 312

Theory of Mind 313

■ APPLICATIONS Brains in a Box: Do New Age Toys Deliver on the Promise? 314 Impacts of Cognitive Skills on Theory of Mind 314

Learning in Social Contexts 315

Representational Skills 315

Metacognitive Skills 317

Evaluating Theory of Mind 317

9 Intelligence and Schooling

Intelligence: IQ Testing and the Psychometric Approach 328

Measuring Intelligence 329

Stanford-Binet 329

The Wechsler Scales 329

Other Tests of Childhood Intelligence 330

Evaluating Intelligence Tests 330

Individual and Group Differences in IQ 331

Genetic versus Environmental Influences on Individual IQ Scores 332 The Concept of Heritability 333

Factors that Influence Performance on IQ Tests 334

Genetics 334

Cultural Bias in the Tests 335

■ APPLICATIONS Reducing Stereotype Threat in Minority Populations 336 Influence of the Environment 336

Alternative Conceptions of Intelligence 338

Evolutionary Approaches 338

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence 340

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences 341 Giftedness and Creativity 342

Schooling: Variations and Effects 343

Culture and the Cognitive Effects of Schooling 343

Social Organization of Classroom Instruction 345

Teacher Expectations 345

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Culture, Schooling, and the Mind 346

Class and School Size 347

School Transitions 347

School Effectiveness 349

Schooling as a Mesosystem 349

Ability Grouping 351

Tracking 351

Single-Gender Classrooms 352

Mainstreaming and Inclusion: Teaching Students with Special Needs 353

Motivation to Learn 354

Motivation to Achieve 354

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Special Educator 355

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation 356

Other Factors Associated with Motivation 357

Culture, Diversity, and Schooling 358

Ethnicity 358

Socioeconomic Status 359

An Ounce of Prevention: Compensatory Education 360

The Abecedarian Project 360

Head Start 360

Culture, Classrooms, and Academic Performance 362

10

Language and Communication

Components of Language 376

Sounds and Words 377

Sentences and Communication 377

Theories of Language Development 378

Learning Approach 378

Nativist Approach 379

Cognitive-Developmental Approach 380

Sociocultural Approach 380

Preverbal Communication in Infancy 383

Speech Perception 383

Early Sounds and Gestures 384

Semantics: First Words and Vocabulary 385

Early Vocabulary Development 385

Individual and Cultural Differences 386

Children’s First Words and Word Combinations 387

Learning the Meaning of Words 389

Roles of Parents and Children in Semantic Learning 391

Grammar: Communicating in Sentences 392

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Speech-Language Pathologist 393

Development of Grammar 394

Mechanisms of Grammar Acquisition 395

Environmental Contributions to Mastery of Grammar 397

Development of Pragmatics: Socially Appropriate Use of Language 399

Speech Acts 399 Discourse 400

Social Referential Communication 401

Contexts That Influence Language Development 402

Learning Language in Diverse Family Contexts 402

Early Experiences with Books and Oral Language 403

Early Experiences with Television and Computers 405

■ APPLICATIONS Teaching Children to Read 406

Language Development in Multilingual Settings 408

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Bilingual Education 410

Language Development Across Cultures 411

PART IV CONTEXTS OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

11 Social and Emotional Worlds of Infants and Young Children

Temperament 428

How Is Infant Temperament Measured? 429

Dimensions of Temperament 429

Understanding Different Temperament Profiles 430

Goodness of Fit: Parenting and Temperament 431

Stability of Temperament and Later Personality 431

Emotions and Early Communication 432

Understanding Emotions 432 Development of Emotional Expression 433 Emotions and Responding to Others 434

Stranger Anxiety 435

Social Referencing 435

Emotions and Parent-Infant Interactions 436

Parent-Infant Interaction Cycles 436

Parent-Infant Interaction Patterns 437

Problems in Parent-Infant Interaction 437

Emotions in Cross-Cultural Perspective 438

Socialization of Emotions 438

Emotional Display Rules 439

Attachment to Others 440

Why Do Infants Become Attached? 441

Drive Reduction Theories 441

Other Psychoanalytic Perspectives 442

Ethological Approaches 442

Bowlby’s Ethological Theory of Attachment 442

Individual Differences in Attachment 443

■ APPLICATIONS Promoting Healthy Parent-Infant Relationships 445 Causes and Consequences of Individual Differences in Attachment 446

Temperament and Attachment 446

Consequences of Attachment 446

Attachment Across Generations 446

Culture and Attachment 447

Attachment Relationships in a Changing World 448 Nonparental Care and Attachment 449

The Changing Role of Fathers 450

Attachment and the Family Courts 450

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY In the Child’s Best Interest? 451

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a CASA Volunteer Supervisor 452

Social and Emotional Development in Contexts of Risk 453

Trauma 454

Abuse and Neglect 454

Childhood Hospitalization 455

Severe Emotional Deprivation 455

Risk and Resilience 456

12

Self and Identity

Theories of the Self 467

Psychoanalytic Approaches to the Self 467

Cognitive-Developmental Approaches to the Self 467

Environmental/Learning Approaches to the Self 467

Evolutionary and Biological Approaches to the Self 468

Sociocultural Approaches to the Self 468

Self-Knowledge 469

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Culture and the Self 470

Discovery of the Self in Infancy 470

Self-Recognition 471

Self-Recognition over Time 472

Individual Differences in Self-Recognition 473

Awareness of Self and Others 473

Developmental Changes in Self-Descriptions 474

Self-Control 475

Compliance 477

Delay of Gratification 479

Internalization and Development of Conscience 481

Self-Evaluation and Self-Esteem 482

Understanding and Measuring of Self-Esteem 483

Methods of Measurement 483

Harter’s Self-Perception Profile for Children 483

Marsh’s Self-Description Questionnaire 485

The Developmental Progression of Self-Esteem 486

Gender Differences in Self-Esteem 487

Academic Self-Concept 487

Dweck’s Motivational Model of Achievement 487

The Development of Motivation:

Work with Preschool Children 488

Children’s Implicit Theories of Intelligence 488

Effects of Praise and Criticism 489

Role of Social Comparisons 490

Role of Parenting Styles 491

Effects of Academic Self-Concept 492

Cultural Perspectives on Understanding the Self 492

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a School Guidance Counselor 493

Identity and Society 493

Erikson and Marcia on Identity Crisis 494

Social and Cultural Influences on Identity 495

Ethnic Identity 496

■ APPLICATIONS Possible Selves and Academic Achievement 497

Identity Construction as an Ongoing Process 498

13

Sex Differences and Gender Role Development

Sex Differences: Perceived and Real 513

Physical Differences 514

Vulnerability 514

Activity Level 514

Motor Development 514

Cognitive Differences 514

Language and Verbal Abilities 514

Quantitative Abilities 515

Spatial Abilities 517

■ APPLICATIONS Should Schools Teach Visual-Spatial Skills? 518

Social and Personality Differences 518

Emotional Development 519

Self-Control 519

Aggression 520

Prosocial Behavior 520 Activities and Interests 520

Friends and Companions 521

Influences on Sex Differences and Gender Role Development 522

Biological Influences 522

Genes and Hormones 522

Hormonal Regulation and Abnormalities 523

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY When Genotype and Phenotype Don’t Match 524

Brain Lateralization 525

Social Influences 525

Society and the Media 526

Teachers 526

Parents 527

Siblings 530

Peers 530

The Child’s Active Participation in Gender Role Development 532

Self-Selecting Processes 532

Role of Cognition in Gender Identity 533

Kohlberg’s Cognitive-Developmental Approach 533

Schema Theory 534

Gender Role Development 535

Development of Gender Knowledge 535

Flexibility of Gender Stereotypes 535

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with Men in Nontraditional Roles 536

Influences of Gender Knowledge on Behavior 537

Toy Preferences 537

Motivation 538

Memory 538

Social Judgments 538

Development of Sexual Relationships and Behavior 539

Emergence of Romantic and Sexual Interest 540

Origins of Sexual Orientation 541

Biological Influences 541

Social Influences 542

Gender Identity and Transsexualism 542

14 Moral Development

Theories of Moral Development 552

Piaget’s Model of Moral Development 552

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development 555

Turiel’s Moral Domains 558

Cultural Construction Approach 560

Influences on Moral Development 560

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY When Are We Obligated to Help Others? Cultural Differences in Children’s Perceptions 561

Peer Influences on Moral Reasoning 562

Parent Influences on Moral Reasoning 562

Psychological Factors that Influence Moral Behavior 563

Prosocial Behavior 564

Empathy and Sympathy 564

Helping and Sharing 564

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Marriage and Family Therapist 565

Conflict Resolution 567

Individual Differences 567

Gender Differences 568

Social and Cultural Differences 568

Determinants of Prosocial Behavior 569

Kin Selection and Reciprocal Altruism 569

Moral Affect and Moral Reasoning 569

Social Participation and Socialization 570

Aggression 572

Age and Gender Differences in Aggression 572

Biological Determinants of Aggression 573

Cognitive and Affective Influences on Aggression 574

Sociocultural and Family Determinants of Aggression 575

Family Processes 575

Peer Relations 576

Television and Real-Life Violence 577

Controlling Childhood Aggression 578

Parent and Child Training 579

School-Based Programs 581

■ APPLICATIONS Intervening in the Lives of Aggressive Children 582

15 Relationships with Peers

Peer Sociability 596

Types of Play 597

Friendship 599

Determinants of Friendship 600

Behavior with Friends 602

Intimacy 603

Effects of Friendship 603

Peer Acceptance 604

Peer Status 605

Peer Status and Problem-Solving Skills 606

Stability of Peer Status 607

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Bullying and Victimization in School 608

Peer Relations in Cultural Perspective 608

■ APPLICATIONS Enhancing Peer Competence among Shy Children 610

The Social Contexts of Peer Relationships 612

Conformity to Peers 613

Family-Peer Connections 613

Siblings and Peers 614

Parents and Peers 614

Peer Relations as a Source of Resilience 616

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Community Mental Health Practitioner 618

16 Families and Society

Parenting Styles 626

Contextual Influences on Parenting Styles 628

Parenting Roles: Mothers and Fathers 629

■ RESEARCH & SOCIETY Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Parental Acceptance and Rejection 630

The Child’s Contribution 632

The Family as a Social System 633

Siblings 634

Sibling Relationships over Time 634

Effects of Siblings 635

Grandparents 636

Families in Cultural Perspective 636

Social Support and the Family System 637

Families in Social Context 638

Families and the Media 639

Families, Schools, and Communities 640

Socioeconomic Influences 641

Families Living in the Context of Poverty 642

Ethnicity and Race 643

Families and Immigration 645

■ APPLICATIONS Building Tolerance in a Diverse Society 646

Families in a Changing Society 648

Divorce and Blended Families 648

Effects of Divorce 648

Determinants of Effects 649

Remarriage 649

Single-Parent Families 650

Single-Parent Families Formed Through Divorce 650

Single-Parents Who Have Never Married 651

Adoptive and Foster Families 653

■ CONVERSATIONS Conversations with a Child Protective Services Administrator 654

Families Headed by Gay and Lesbian Parents 655

Glossary G1

References R1

Author Index I1

Subject Index I20

Frameworks for Development

In what ways does this child's cultural & historical contexts shape his development?

(John Warburton-Lee/Danita Delimont)

CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN SPACE AND TIME

Learning Objective 1.1

DESCRIBE WAYS THAT CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXTS HAVE INFLUENCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT.

Contexts of Child Development

• An Ecological Model • The Developmental Niche of Childhood

Perceptions of Children Across Time

RESEARCH & SOCIETY The Social Construction of Childhood

KEY ISSUES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Learning Objective 1.2

HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THE INFLUENCES OF NATURE AND NURTURE, STABILITY AND CHANGE, AND UNIFORMITY AND VARIATION ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT?

Nature and Nurture as Sources of Influence

Stability and Change in Developmental Pathways

Typical Development and Individual Variation

Cultural Differences and Similarities in Development

CHILD DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH IN APPLIED CONTEXTS

Learning Objective 1.3

DESCRIBE HOW RESEARCH-BASED KNOWLEDGE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT IS APPLIED IN REAL-LIFE CONTEXTS.

Parenting

Schools and Child Care

Social Policy

CONVERSATIONS with an Outreach Liaison

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES—An Overview

Learning Objective 1.4

WHAT ARE FIVE MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE FIELD OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT?

Psychoanalytic Approaches

Evolutionary and Biological Approaches

• Ethology • John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory • Evolutionary Developmental Psychology

Behavioral and Social-Learning Approaches

• Classical Conditioning • B. F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning • Social-Learning Theory

Cognitive-Developmental Approaches

• Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development • Information-Processing Models

Sociocultural Approach: The Work of Vygotsky

APPLICATIONS Theories as Everyday Explanations for Behavior

The [Gusii of] Nyansongo [Kenya] had the largest number of children (50 percent) involved in the herding of animals. The young boys took the cattle, sheep, and goats to the homestead pastures or drove them along the sides of the road where there was grass. They were responsible for seeing that the animals did not get into the gardens and ruin their own or someone else’s food supply. They drove the cattle, sheep, and goats to the river to drink and took care that they returned home with the proper number of animals. (Whiting & Whiting, 1975, p. 90)

[In] Orchard Town [New England, USA] the tasks assigned to children are less clearly related to the economy and welfare of the child or the child’s family and probably seem more arbitrary to the child The need for having clothes hung up, bureau drawers tidy, or the bed smoothed out neatly is probably not immediately clear, nor are the consequences of negligence obviously serious. (Whiting & Whiting, 1975, p. 106)

These paragraphs describe children who are growing up in two very different contexts. The first context is a small village in Kenya populated by subsistence farmers. Children help with chores that are essential to survival. Through their daily involvement with these tasks, they learn the skills necessary to become productive farmers themselves someday. The second context is a small town in the northeastern United States. Children grow up in home settings and go to schools that are typically separated from adult work environments. School usually

Learning Objective 1.1

Describe ways that cultural and historical contexts have influenced our understanding of child development.

Developmental psychology

The branch of psychology devoted to the study of changes in behavior and abilities over the course of development.

focuses on acquiring skills that children may not easily associate with the adult roles they will someday assume. How might growing up in these two very different contexts affect a child’s development? For example, what skills and abilities are likely to be practiced and acquired by a child who is contributing to daily subsistence through herding animals or watching younger siblings while parents work in the fields, as compared to a child who spends a great deal of after-school time in leisure activities such as play and TV? ■

Child Development in Space and Time

The study of child development,also known as developmental psychology,is one of the largest of psychology’s many subfields.It is concerned with the changes in behavior and abilities that occur over time as development proceeds.Developmental researchers examine what the changes are and why they occur.

The field of child development consists of five major topics or dimensions of development that researchers focus on in their studies:physical,cognitive,linguistic,emotional, and social.In this book,we will discuss child development as it occurs within each of these broad domains.

• A researcher who studies the physical domain will examine topics such as development’s genetic foundations,physical growth,motor development,health,or sensory and perceptual development.

• Someone who studies cognitive development will focus on questions such as how children think,learn,remember,and solve problems.

• Linguistic development is concerned with how children acquire speech and learn to communicate using language.

• Studies of emotional development examine topics such as children’s temperament, or styles of responding to the environment,the quality of their attachments,and the development of emotions and self-concept.

• Researchers who are interested in children’s social development will study topics such as peer and family relationships,moral development,aggression,and prosocial behavior.

In addition,the field of child development is usually broken down into specific age periods. These are:

• Prenatal,or conception to birth

• Infancy/toddlerhood (birth to 36 months)

• Preschool or early childhood years (3–5 years)

• Middle childhood or school age (6–12 years)

• Adolescence (ages 13–18)

When we study children’s development over time,we are looking at how children change in their physical,cognitive,linguistic,emotional,and social development across these age periods.

Finally,child development researchers recognize that children are born into families— typically,families that hope the best for them.These families live within neighborhoods, which exist within communities,that in turn are part of larger societies and cultures.As children develop,their lives are influenced by each of these contexts:families and the love and types of resources they bring;neighborhoods and the educational settings they provide;communities and the peers and activities they offer for play and enrichment.Societies provide laws and institutions that guide childrearing,whereas cultures shape the beliefs and values that permeate the lives of children and their parents at all levels.In addition,societies and cultures change over time in some ways,while staying the same in other ways.These conditions and changes are the contexts of child development.

Many aspects of child development reflect our biological heritage as human beings and so are universal across cultures and societies.This textbook traces the growing child’s biological development from the embryo’s earliest beginnings to the child’s eventual adolescence.Many other aspects of development,however,are shaped by children’s families, neighborhoods,communities,and cultures.In addition to paying attention to the influence of biology on child development,this textbook focuses on the larger environmental context in which child development takes place.Thus,this textbook presents child development within a contextual framework.

Contexts of Child Development

Traditionally,scientific research on children’s development has taken place in laboratory settings,and for many good reasons.The most important reason is that scientific investigation demands careful experimental control,and the laboratory has traditionally afforded the only setting in which such control can be achieved.However,children’s development does not take place in laboratories.It takes place at home,with the family;at school,with classmates and teachers;in the park,with neighbors and peers;and within a larger social and cultural environment.In short, development always occurs in a context,and the context often influences the course ofdevelopment.

An Ecological Model The contexts of child development can be understood as a kind of ecological system.Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model is based on the idea that we can understand development completely by considering how the unique characteristics of a child interact with that child’s surroundings (1979,1992;Bronfenbrenner & Morris,1998;Pinquart & Silbereisen,2004).The child possesses a variety of personal characteristics,such as personality traits,physical appearance,and intellectual abilities. Bronfenbrenner described the most important characteristics as (1) developmentally generative—capable of influencing other people in ways that are important to the child;and (2) developmentally disruptive—capable of causing problems in the environment with corresponding negative effects on the child.

For example,suppose 2-year-old Avery has the developmentally generative characteristic of being highly verbal for her age.This affects her environment,for example,by

Questions for Thought and Discussion

In what ways has your development been shaped by your time and place?

Questions for Thought and Discussion

What behaviors or aspects of children’s development are you particularly interested in learning about in this course?

Ecological systems model Brofenbrenner’s model of development, which focuses on individuals and their relationships and interactions within their environmental contexts.

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.