Developmental Science aims to generate a new body of knowledge that encompasses and integrates findings from various well-defined academic disciplines concerned with developmental processes of human and non-human organisms. Although all development related research traditions surely have their own distinct history, certain theoretical ideas…

Modern research has suggested that imitation is a natural mechanism of learning and communication, yet the possibility of imitation in newborn humans has been controversial. This book looks at evidence for innate imitation in babies. The chapters in the first section of the book reassess the Piagetian tradition, especially concerning the relation…

Examination of the child development beliefs of 40 families reveals that Greek-Australians regard behaviors reflecting initiative and independence, personal maturity, and interpersonal sensitivity to be appropriate at a later age than do Anglo-Australians, but the converse holds true for respect, self-control, and unsupervised activities. Parents'…

In developing an ecological theory of teaching, the classroom is viewed as a sociological unit. The unit of interest was the teacher-student learning group. The basic question explored was: What is the relationship between human interactions and the physical and social context of the group. Teams of scholars met in seminars, each member bringing…

Approximately 1,500 published and unpublished books and articles are listed in this bibliography on the broad area of observational learning in children which includes modeling, imitation, and vicarious conditioning. The majority of sources listed are dated from the 1960's and 1970's although some date as far back as the 1930's. Research in such…

This position paper surveys recent study results on the variable effects of both socioeconomic status and parent-child relationships on the development of competence in young children. Research results imply that certain ways that parents interact with their children are more effective than others in aiding the development of a child's social,…

This book is a collection of six papers presented at a 1974 University of Minnesota symposium on child development. The six chapters deal with language acquisition, visual perception, effects of television viewing, the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), problem-solving strategies, and Piagetian concepts related to social development. The first…

Reviews the state of knowledge on adolescent sexual behavior in the following areas: (1) onset of sexual behavior as a function of cohort, gender, and ethnic differences; (2) biological, social, and cognitive processes underlying such behavior; (3) demographic trends in the use of contraceptives; (4) research problems; and (5) successful programs.…

The author's purpose in this article is to discuss the aspects of language (especially the development of language in children) to which biological concepts are most appropriately applied. While results of past studies would seem to show that language development is contingent on specific language training, it is important to distinguish between…