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Social Development in Early Childhood

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Psychology and Medicine

Part of the book series: Psychology for Professional Groups

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Abstract

The relevance of Rudolph Schaffer’s chapter to doctors is implied in his introductory discussion of the reasons for psychologists’ interest in children; for psychologists and doctors are interested in development for similar reasons. The first of these is an uncomplicated interest and curiosity in understanding the process and determinants of development. To quote Schaffer, ‘they want to find out how a helpless, naive and totally dependent baby manages in due course to become a competent, knowledgeable adult’.

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Annotated reading

  • Booth, T. (1975) Growing up in Society. London: Methuen (Essential Psychology Series). A general account of the influences that determine the way in which people grow up together. It takes into account not only the contribution of psychology but of such other social sciences as sociology, anthropology and social history. Its main value lies in the way child development is seen as occurring within the social context of each particular culture.

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  • Bowlby, J. (1965) Child Care and the Growth of Love. Harmondsworth: Penguin. A more widely available version of Bowlby’s classic report, first published in 1951, concerning the link between maternal deprivation and mental pathology. It should be read in conjunction with Rutter’s book (see below).

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  • Clarke, A.M. and Clarke, A.D.B. (1976) Early Experience: Myth and evidence. London: Open Books. A collection of contributions by different authors, all concerned with the question whether early experience exerts a disproportionate influence on later development. A wide range of research studies is reviewed, and the consensus is against seeing the early years as in some sense more important than later stages of development.

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  • Dunn, J. (1977) Distress and Comfort. London: Fontana/Open Books. Discusses some of the issues that concern parents during the early stages of the child’s life, with particular reference to the causes and alleviation of distress, but places these issues in the wider context of the parent-child relationship and its cultural significance.

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  • Kempe, R.S. and Kempe, H. (1978) Child Abuse. London: Fontana/Open Books. An account by the foremost experts on child abuse of the state of knowledge regarding all aspects of this vexed area: causation, treatment and prevention.

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  • Lewin, R. (1975) Child Alive. London: Temple-Smith. Various researchers summarize in brief and popularized form what we have learned about child development in recent years. Most contributions deal with young children, and the book as a whole emphasizes how psychologically sophisticated even babies already are.

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  • Rutter, M. (1972) Maternal Deprivation Reassessed. Harmondsworth: Penguin. A systematic review of the evidence on this controversial topic that has accumulated since Bowlby highlighted its importance. Discusses the various studies that have been carried out on the effects, both short- and long-term, of early deprivation of maternal care.

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  • Schaffer, H.R. (1971) The Growth of Sociability. Harmondsworth: Penguin. A description of work on the earliest stages of social development. It shows how sociability in the early years has been studied, and reviews what we have learned about the way in which a child’s first social relationships are formed.

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  • Schaffer, H.R. (1977) Mothering. London: Fontana/Open Books. An account of what is involved in being a parent. Brings together the evidence from recent studies of the mother-child relationship, and examines different conceptions of the parent’s task. Gives special emphasis to the theme of mutuality in the relationship.

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  • Tizard, B. (1977) Adoption: A second chance. London: Open Books. An account of an important research study on children in residential care who were subsequently adopted. Raises some crucial issues regarding the effects of early experience and the public care of young children.

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© 1981 The British Psychological Society

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Schaffer, H.R. (1981). Social Development in Early Childhood. In: Psychology and Medicine. Psychology for Professional Groups. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16594-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16594-0_5

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-333-31877-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-16594-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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