Developmental psychology.pdf

Human Development 65
The two little girls at the orphanage, when first observed by Skeels, could not
even sit up in bed. With normal development the younger one, at 13 months, would
be climbing stairs. The older girl, at 16 months, would be standing and walking alone.
Both of them appeared retarded.
Finger and thumb dexterity also show maturational influences, for here again
there is a steady unfolding. The young infant uses the hands only as a whole, for "palming"
things. Later, the child can employ the fingers separately, and finally he or she
can use the thumb and forefinger in opposition to each other, as in picking up beads
or a piece of string. The older orphan girl certainly would be expected to show this
capacity, but instead neither child had developed beyond the normal six- or sevenmonth
level. Such cases are often due to a defective inheritance, but maturation, a
factor of heredity, also can be influenced by environmental conditions, as we shall see.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
As fortune dictated, Harold Skeels's responsibilities soon were expanded to include two
state institutions for the mentally retarded, and one day, when visiting the wards, he
suddenly noticed "two outstanding little girls." They were smiling, playful children,
running about like most others of their age. Hardly recognizable as the "hopelessly
retarded" youngsters of six months earlier, Skeels, in disbelief, tested them again. These
results suggested that the children were approaching normal development. Skeptical
of the tests and of the permanence of this improvement, he suggested no change in the
children's lives.
Twelve months later they were reexamined, and again after another seven
months. In each instance the children showed unmistakable signs of development within
the normal range for their ages. There was little doubt that the original evaluations,
two years earlier, had given an accurate assessment of the girls' functioning at that
time, yet each successive examination showed more and more normal development.
What had happened?
As we answer this question, let us turn to social development, which refers to
a person's growing capacity for successful relations with others. Physical, social, and
mental development of course are interrelated and proceed simultaneously, but for purposes
of discussion they must be considered separately. However, the factor responsible
for the unexpected physical changes in these girls also seems to underlie the increased
social development.
Caretaker-Child Interaction
Human beings are fundamentally social beings, a characteristic that evolves from our
earliest days. The baby can only cry for help; the preschool child cooperates in limited
ways; and the adolescent shows a broad responsiveness to others, giving and receiving
assistance, playing and working in groups, and so forth. This development usually takes
place in the family, which forms the first context for social learning.
Amount of Caretaker Contact The family serves two basic functions in social
learning. It teaches the basic dimensions of social behavior for that particular culture,
and it provides a springboard for environmental exploration. This exploration brings
the child into wider social contacts, including other children, that lead to further
exploration, still greater socialization, and so forth. Through these interactions, the
child's competencies in communication and role taking are extended (Hartup, 1979).