Developmental Psychology and Social Change: Research, History and Policy

by Edited by David B. Pillemer , Sheldon H. White

• ISBN13: 9780521826181
• ISBN10: 0521826187
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-14
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

What is the unique mission of developmental psychology? How has it evolved historically? What are its current challenges? The chapters in this collection present the view that research, history and policy are essential and interlocking components of a mature developmental psychology. Patterns of human development differ markedly across historical epochs, cultures and social circumstances. Major societal changes examined by contributing authors - the advent of universal compulsory schooling, the adoption of a one-child policy in China, US policy shifts in healthcare, welfare and childcare - present 'natural experiments' in social design. Authors challenge the idea of a clear distinction between basic and applied developmental research. In sharp contrast with the view that science is value-neutral, developmental psychologists have from the outset pursued the betterment of children and families through educational, childcare and health initiatives. An historical perspective reveals the beneficial, if sometimes contentious, interplay between empirical research and social programs and policies.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
List of Contributors	xi
Introduction: What Kind of Science Is Developmental Psychology?	1	(10)
Sheldon H. White and David B. Pillemer
Part One The Developing Child: Global and Historical Perspectives
1 The Globalization of Developmental Psychology	11	(23)
Charles M. Super
2 A Socio-historical Perspective on Autobiographical Memory Development	34	(25)
Michelle D. Leichtman and Qi Wang
3 Toward a Better Story of Psychology: Sheldon White's Contributions to the History of Psychology, A Personal Perspective	59	(24)
William McKinley Runyan
Part Two Designing Child and Family Policies
4 The Effects of Welfare Reform and Poverty Policies on Children and Families	83	(21)
Aletha C. Huston
5 The Disconnect between Research and Policy on Child Care	104	(36)
Deborah Phillips and Kathleen McCartney
6 Child Development and Child-Care Policy: Modest Impacts	140	(33)
Ron Haskins
Part Three Designing Child Health Policies
7 Developmental Epidemiology: The Role of Developmental Psychology for Public Health in the 21st Century	173	(30)
Stephen L. Buka
8 Ignoring Behavioral Science: Practices and Perils	203	(22)
Lewis P. Lipsitt
Part Four Designing Effective Learning Environments for Children and Adolescents
9 A Cultural/Historical View of Schooling in Human Development	225	(39)
Barbara Rogoff, Maricela Correa-Chávez, and Marta Navichoc Cotuc
10 The Rise of the American Nursery School: Laboratory for a Science of Child Development	264	(24)
Barbara Beatty
11 Actualizing Potentials: Learning through Psychology's Recurrent Crises	288	(26)
Michael Cole and Jaan Valsiner
12 The Rise of a Right-Wing Culture among German Youth: The Effects of Social Transformation, Identity Construction, and Context	314	(38)
Wolfgang Edelstein
13 Learning Potential Assessment: Where Is the Paradigm Shift?	352	(16)
Alex Kozulin
14 Teaching as a Natural Cognitive Ability: Implications for Classroom Practice and Teacher Education	368	(21)
Sidney Strauss
Index	389