Vygotsky's seminal text on play was originally given as a lecture at the Herzen Pedagogical Institute in Leningrad in 1933, and is consequently a relatively late work. It is thanks to a stenographic record of the lecture that this text, a key influence on psychological research on play, has survived. This was Vygotsky's major work on play and…

As individuals and adult educators we consistently face an array of what seem to be increasingly complex challenges. These run the gamut from battling poverty and illness with their deleterious and deadly effects, to acquiring literacy and workplace competencies and to building expertise in communication, collaboration and innovation. And we live…

Most developmental psychologists have encountered some version of the hermeneutic critique. Hermeneuticists assert that the traditional conception of social science research is fundamentally flawed in methodology, in its conception of the human person and human action, and in epistemology. Hermeneuticists maintain that hermeneutics should…

Piaget's emphasis on the invariant logic of growth and Vygotsky's emphasis on the centrality of culturally patterned dialog in enabling growth are possibly incommensurate. This incommensurability highlights two ways human beings make sense of the world, by means of logical necessity and of interpretive reconstruction of circumstances. (BC)

Neither Freud's original theories nor modern revisions of psychoanalytic theory serve women well. Because assumptions about the inherent inferiority of women are embedded at the core of the structure of psychoanalytic theory, the theory cannot be adequately revised for women. A new theory is needed which would serve women's interests better.…

The history of developmental psychology in Canada prior to 1960 is concisely recounted. Discussion begins with an account of the scholarly interests and activities of James Mark Baldwin, who brought modern psychology to Canada, and Frederic Tracy, who objected to child-centered approaches to child rearing. The remainder of the paper focuses on the…

This paper examines the biophilia hypothesis put forth by E. O. Wilson, which asserts the existence of a fundamental, genetically-based human need and propensity to affiliate with other living organisms and lifelike processes. It reviews research by Wilson and others that supports the biophilia hypothesis, and examines some of the issues and…

Addressed are issues and problems of definition that arose in establishing a new scientific journal. Specifically, the problems considered are those confronting the "Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology" (JADP) in its first 5 years of existence. The first matter of definition discussed is the editor's role. Ways in which editorial…

There is a vast body of literature devoted to an examination of life-span development. Several authors have described the characteristics of the life-span approach and have distinguished it from more traditional forms of psychology. Emphasis has been placed on the multidirectional and multidimensional nature of development and change, as well as…

Argues that learning is an invariant process best understood from a dialectical perspective which demands that learning be viewed as an interaction between the organism and the environment. This view is contrasted with traditional operant approaches and with a Piagetian approach. (Author/DB)

Childhood psychopathology can be viewed as normal development gone awry. The key to the mysteries of masked depression and of depression in the infant/toddler period and in middle childhood lies in the concept of loss. Children who experience the loss of a loved parent or caretaker through that person's death may evidence a variety of behaviors…

Traditional philosophy and psychology have given greater attention to the cognitive than to the affective side of the human person. A more holistic approach shifts the emphasis to feeling as a guide to value objectivity. Values are apprehended and symbolized before a judgment is made as to their worthwhileness. The symbolizing process, that is,…

There are a number of views of the relationship between language and thinking. Two prominent figures in developmental psychology, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, proposed theories of language and thinking which also involve the notion of "communication." For Piaget, thinking develops first, and language comes along as an expression of…

This paper elucidates the implications of life-span developmental psychology for theory and method in the field of child development. Emphasis is given to three theoretical issues: (1) historical-evolutionary versus ontogenetic components of change, (2) the role of chronological age, and (3) continuity versus discontinuity in the description and…

This document describes the Conceptual Learning and Development (CLD) model of concept formation. According to the CLD analysis, a single concept is learned in the following successive levels of attainment: concrete, identity, classification, and formal. The four levels are considered applicable to concepts that are defined (or could be defined)…