Implications of three basic facts about very young infants are delineated in this summary. Normally, human infants are capable of a wide range of functions, such as "appetitive responses" (e.g., the rooting reflex) and defensive maneuvers. They experience pleasure and feel pain. Additionally, they undergo a transition from subcortical to…

When assessing the influence of empathy on prosocial motivation, analyzing empathy alone would lead to a misunderstanding. We must also assess other elements of the situation, such as the altruist's coping skills and situational constraints. In a similar manner empathy itself should be conceptualized as a process with many elements. One way to…

The value of infant stimulation is stressed in a report on the characteristics of infant development. The following five areas of development are discussed: sensorimotor, language, mental, emotional, and social. Stages of development during the first year in each of the areas are surveyed, and traditions in different countries are highlighted to…

This paper discusses the impact of emerging developmental skills on preschoolers' test performance in reference to preoperational thinking, behavioral controls, and language skills. It is emphasized that some behaviors that occur during the preschool period may suggest pathology when observed in older children but are normal for preschoolers. A…

PARENTS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY IN REARING THEIR CHILDREN TO BECOME MATURE, RESPONSIBLE, AND USEFUL CITIZENS. CHILDREN SHOULD SEE AND UNDERSTAND HOW GROUPS BECOME DIFFERENTIATED. PARENTS CAN ALSO HELP CHILDREN BECOME SECURE WITHIN THEIR OWN GROUP, THEREBY LESSENING THE THREAT OF CONTACT WITH PEOPLE OF OTHER GROUPS. MAKING THE CHILDREN LOVED, WANTED,…

The purpose of this Child Development Associate (CDA) training module is to help the CDA intern develop the knowledge and skills necessary to encourage the open expression of feelings among children in the classroom. Objectives are stipulated, activities for achieving each objective are suggested, and an assessment checklist is provided. A study…

An art therapist describes her work with sixty residents (6-35 years old) in a treatment center for mentally handicapped and emotionally disturbed persons. The author discusses definitions, translations, and therapeutic approaches of art therapy. Goals are listed for each approach, and the planning of art activities to meet these goals is…

The author believes that an aspect of human behavior being glossed over in psychological studies is the superb, beautiful person. He defines this individual as being: (1) free of abnormalities, (2) basically normal, well balanced, and mentally healthy, and (3) possessed of a unique group of characteristics which establish his being out of the…

Two papers in this report deal with early childhood. "Developmental Factors--Early Cognitive Growth" discusses the experimental-analytical and existential-experimental approaches to religious cognitive growth. The second paper, "Developmental Factors--Early Emotional-Social Growth" asserts that emotional and social integrity has to be achieved…

To determine whether teachers' dominative and integrative contacts with children are related to their assessments of children, four kindergarten teachers were observed for 300 minutes each. The Clifton form of the Anderson observational system was used to measure teacher contacts with individual children in their classes. Teachers were then asked…

This selective bibliography cites ERIC documents describing research on infants. Entires are taken from "Research in Education (RIE)" and "Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE)," 1972 through 1974. Descriptor (index) terms used to search the ERIC system include: Infants, Infancy, and Infant Behavior. (Author/CS)

This handbook, written in a conversational tone, is to help the teacher of very young children work effectively with the child who evidences a high risk for a learning disability. Based upon the theories of child development of Gesell, Piaget, and Kephart, this manual attempts to provide prescriptive activities for specific learning problems in…

As a part of a series of books written by physicians for their patients, this publication explains heredity, birth, and growth patterns to pre-teen children. The chapters are written in language appropriate for children moving from childhood into their teens and deal with topics like: cells, conception, prenatal development, puberty, and changing…