James Mark Baldwin is one of the most important and least known early American scientific psychologists. Drawing inspiration from Charles Darwin and other evolutionists of the period, Baldwin developed a biosocial theory of psychological development that influenced both Jean Piaget and Lev S. Vygotsky; and he proposed a mechanism relating learned…

Research with young Caucasian children found that, in response to unfamiliar situations, about 15 percent were consistently shy or inhibited, while another 15 percent were consistently sociable or uninhibited, and that these traits persisted through age eight. Both physiological and environmental factors were found to influence these temperamental…

Argues the importance of context to the description, theory, and understanding of human behavior because it influences children's primary group relations with family members, teachers, and peers. The article explains that, to be useful for children, social policies must inform the public on how its projected changes will influence socialization…