ERIC Number: ED125763
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1976-Apr
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
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Socioemotional Development in the Opening Years of Life: Considerations for a New Curriculum.
Lewis, Michael
This paper discusses language development in relation to social development, emphasizing the importance of the question-answer format in the development of communicative abilities. A 5-year-old girl's dysfunctional speech behavior is presented as an example of social interaction difficulties resulting from a failure in "social cognition." The question-answer format is described as the basis of communication since questions are designed to elicit a response. Observations of the interaction between mothers and infants are described to show that the exaggerated question form (with its raised inflection) results in a raised arousal level for the infant, and that the termination of the arousal in a discharge such as cooing or smiling serves as an answer. It is suggested that these early interactions form the basis for the more complex answers which the child gives as he develops. Language, social and cognitive knowledge are seen as interrelated and interdependent, and development is viewed as a gradual differentiation between these domains. Because of the importance of social behavior to learning, it is suggested that the student-teacher interpersonal relationship should be a significant consideration in curriculum design. (SB)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
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Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Francisco, California, April 19-23, 1976)