Niche construction is the modification of components of the environment through an organism's activities. Humans modify their environments mainly through ontogenetic and cultural processes, and it is this reliance on learning, plasticity and culture that lends human niche construction a special potency. In this paper we aim to facilitate…

This paper analyses the contribution to creativity, culture and community of disabled children provided by the work of the theatre company Oily Cart and their production "Something in the Air?" In the paper, we present a radical humanist conception of disability and creativity. In order to explore disability and creativity we focus on a…

How do people reason about issues related to child and youth development? Are the patterns of reasoning in the lay public significantly different from the way experts reason about the issue? What can the anthropological theory of cultural models bring to efforts to improve the public's understanding of child and youth development? In this article,…

Notes that Nelson, Plesa, and Henseler's (1998) article addresses the issues of where social cognitive knowledge comes from, what form it takes, and whether "theory of mind" is an appropriate description of the social cognitive enterprise. Argues that researchers ought to get beyond the "theory" issue, and focus on the sources…

Presents second in a four-part series on the universal needs for belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity in all children and youth. Focuses on an important concern shared in all cultures: the development of mastery and competence in children. Presents information on tribal concepts of achievement that are now being validated by…

Critiques studies of moral development and culture in light of key assumptions of cultural psychology with regard to culturally mediated contexts, the coherence and complexity of cultures, and agency in a culturally grounded self. Argues that the challenge remains to retain concern with agency and context sensitivity, while giving weight to the…

Clarifies a reconceptualization of constructs of individualism, collectivism, independence, and interdependence which represents a departure from traditional conceptualization and a move away from understanding these constructs in dichotomous, stereotypical, and unidimensional terms. Discusses implications of this perspective for stereotyping…

Frames a developmental psychology of art by contrasting the structural orientation of the study of drawing and the functional orientation of the study of artistry. This model maintains that graphic symbolization emerges with early mark-making, children's representative art is guided by perceptions of affordances, and children continue to engage in…

Through the longitudinal study of families over two decades in Chiapas, Mexico, this chapter relates historical changes on the macro level to changes in human development and socialization on the micro level. (Author)