CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Child Development –
Yesterday and Today
Historical Accounts of Children –
once treated as miniature adults – many
views on how they should be reared.
Tabula rasa – Locke – Children are born as blank
slates – childhood experiences are therefore
important.
Original sin – Children are basically bad – rearing
must provide salvation.
Innate goodness – Rousseau – Children are
inherently good – should grow naturally.
Improving the Lives of Today’s
Children
– Many factors converge to
improve the lives of children
Health and Well-Being – Lifestyles and psychological states
promote health and well-being and the impetus of caring for the
child is not in the hands of physician, but those of the caregivers.
Families and Parenting – Changing family patterns, more
working parents, increased use of day care facilities all contribute
to impacting the development of the child.
Education – Parents are taking a greater role in the formal
education of their children, asking questions about curriculum,
testing, safety in schools, and qualifications of teachers.
Culture and Ethnicity – The Tapestry of our society has
become more diverse, but minorities are still more likely to live in
poverty, and their children are more likely to be dropouts. The
diversity of ethnic groups within themselves has also increased.
Context – the setting influenced by historical, economic, social, and cultural
factors.
Culture – behavior patterns and beliefs passed on to succeeding generations.
Cross-cultural studies – comparing one culture with another to determine the
degree of development in all children.
Ethnicity – cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, and language – ethnic
identity is a sense of membership in that cultural heritage.
Gender – The sociocultural dimension that surrounds gender stimulates
interesting questions of what is or is not appropriate.
Social Policy and Children’s
Development
The ideology, background, values,
and political needs of legislators often
shapes the social policy related to
child development. Interest groups
such as Children’s Defense Fund
constantly strive to push for a social
policy that benefits children.
THE NATURE OF
DEVELOPMENT
Biological, Cognitive, and
Socioemotional Processes:
These processes focus on the nature
of physical, intellectual, linguistic,
social, and emotional development in
the child.
Periods of Development
Prenatal – conception to birth
Infancy – birth to 18/24 months
Early childhood – end of infancy to 5/6
years
Middle and late childhood – 6 to 11 years
Adolescence – 10/12 years to 18/22 years
Developmental Issues
Nature vs. nurture – from biological to
environmental influence
Continuity and discontinuity – the degree of
gradual, cumulative change to distinct change in
development
Early and late experience – the degree that early
and later experiences influence the child’s
development. Culture plays an important role in
these determinants.