History of Child Psychology

History

 The scientific study of children and adolescents began in the late nineteenth century and
blossomed in the early twentieth century as pioneering psychologists sought to uncover the
secrets of human behavior by studying its development.
 Three early scholars, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Darwin,
proposed theories of human behavior that are the “direct ancestors of the three major
theoretical traditions” of developmental psychology today” (Vasta et al., 1998, p. 10).
Cont..

 Locke, a British empiricist, adhered to a strict environmentalist position, that the mind of
the newborn as a tabula rasa (“blank slate”) on which knowledge is written through
experience and learning.
 Rousseau, a Swiss philosopher who spent much of his life in France, proposed
development occurs according to innate processes progressing through three stages:
infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
 The work of Darwin, the British biologist famous for his theory of evolution, led others to
suggest that development proceeds through evolutionary recapitulation, with many human
behaviors having their origins in successful adaptations in the past.
Historical Views of Childhood

Three philosophical views

 In the past century and a half, our view of children has changed dramatically.
 We now conceive of childhood as a highly eventful and unique period of life that lays an
important foundation for adults years and is highly differentiated from them
 We know have child labor laws, juvenile justice systyem
Modern study of Child Development

 Major shift take place from a strictly philosophical perspective on human psychology to a
perspective that includes dirent observation and experimentation
Alfred Binet

 French Psychologist
 Study attention and memory
 Develop first modern test of intelligence named Binet test
G. Stanley Hall

 Darwin’s theories greatly influenced G. Stanley Hall, who believed that children developed
over their lifetime much in the same way that a species evolved throughout time.
 His interests focused on childhood development, adolescence, and evolutionary theory.
Arnold Gesell

 Arnold Gesell, carried out the first large-scale detailed study of children’s behavior,
authoring several books on the topic in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
 His research revealed consistent patterns of development, supporting his view that human
development depends on biological “maturation,” with the environment providing only
minor variations in the age at which a skill might emerge but never affecting the sequence
or pattern.
 Gesell’s research produced norms, such as the order and the average age range in which a
variety of early behaviors such as sitting, crawling, and walking emerge.
 In conducting his studies, Gesell developed sophisticated observational techniques,
including one-way viewing screens and recording methods that did not disturb the child.
Sigmund Freud

 Another name who was influential in the study of development is Sigmund Freud.
 Sigmund Freud’s model of ‘psychosexual development’ grew out of his psychoanalytic
approach to human personality and psychopathology.
 Freud based his model of child development on his own and his patients’ recollections of
their childhood.
 Freud’s model is an “interactionist” one since he believed that although the sequence and
timing of the stages are biologically determined, successful personality development
depends on the experiences the child has during each stage.
 Although the details of Freud’s developmental theory have been widely criticized, his
emphasis on the importance of early childhood experiences, prior to five years of age, has
had a lasting impact.
John B. Watson

 The 20th century marked the formation of qualitative distinctions between children and
adults. When John Watson wrote the book Psychological Care Of Infant And Child, in
1928, he sought to add clarification surrounding behaviorists’ views on child care and
development.
 Watson was the founder of the field of behaviorism, which emphasized the role of nurture,
or the environment, in human development.
 He believed, based on Locke’s environmentalist position, that human behavior can be
understood in terms of experiences and learning.
 He believed that all behaviors are learned, or conditioned.
Cont..

 In Watson’s book on the care of the infant and child, Watson explained that children should
be treated as a young adult—with respect, but also without emotional attachment.
 In the book, he warned against the inevitable dangers of a mother providing too much love
and affection. Watson explained that love, along with all things observable behavior, is
conditioned. Watson supported his warnings by mentioning invalidism, saying that society
does not overly comfort children as they become young adults in the real world, so parents
should not set up these unrealistic expectations.
 His book was highly criticized but was still influential in promoting more research into
early childhood behavior and development.
James Mark Baldwin

 Another early contributor to the study of development was James Mark Baldwin (1861-
1934), a Princeton educated American philosopher and psychologist who did quantitative
and experimental research on infant development.
 He made important contributions to early psychology, psychiatry, and the theory of
evolution.
 Baldwin wrote essays such as “Mental Development in the Child and the Race: Methods
and Processes,” which made a vivid impression on Jean Piaget (who later developed the
most popular theory of cognitive development) and Lawrence Kohlberg (who developed a
theory about moral judgment and development).
Jean Piaget

 Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is considered one of the most influential psychologists of the
twentieth century, and his stage theory of cognitive development revolutionized our view
of children’s thinking and learning.
 His work inspired more research than any other theorist, and many of his concepts are still
foundational to developmental psychology.
 His interest lay in children’s knowledge, their thinking, and the qualitative differences in
their thinking as it develops.
 In his view, children “construct” their knowledge through processes of “assimilation,” in
which they evaluate and try to understand new information, based on their existing
knowledge of the world, and “accommodation,” in which they expand and modify their
cognitive structures based on new experiences.
Approaches of Human Development

 The traditional approach emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or
no change in adulthood, and decline in late old age.
 The life-span approach emphasizes developmental change during adulthood as well as
childhood.
 Lifespan Development refers to the full process of human development from conception to
death. It is a holistic approach to understanding all of the physiological, cognitive,
emotional, and social changes that people go through.
Characteristics of Development

German psychologist Paul Baltes, a leading expert on lifespan development and aging, developed one
of the approaches to studying development called the lifespan perspective. This approach is based on
several key principles:
1. Development occurs across one’s entire life or is lifelong.
2. Development is multidimensional, meaning it involves the dynamic interaction of factors like
physical, emotional, and psychosocial development
3. Development is multidirectional and results in gains and losses throughout life
4. Development is plastic, meaning that characteristics are malleable or changeable.
5. Development is influenced by contextual and socio-cultural influences.
6. Development is multidisciplinary. Many disciplines are able to contribute important concepts that
integrate knowledge, which may ultimately result in the formation of a new and enriched
understanding of development across the lifespan
 Developmental psychologists help us better understand how people grow, develop and
adapt at different life stages. They apply this knowledge to help people overcome
developmental challenges and reach their full potential.
 Developmental psychologist use the science-based knowledge for many practical
applications to promote healthy behavioral, social, cognitive, emotional, and biological
development in persons of all ages.
 The applications include
 developing and administering assessment procedures that measure important
developmental processes or important contextual influences on these processes (e.g.,
family environment, teaching strategies, cultural standards),
 designing and implementing interventions that promote optimal development with a
particular emphasis on the prevention of developmental disorders
 disseminating information that promotes healthy development to the public, to
professionals, and to policy makers.
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