Social dynamics of early human development

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Publication Type Journal Article
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Psychology
Creator Fogel, Alan Dale
Title Social dynamics of early human development
Date 1990
Description I present the outlines of theory of social dynamics that combines a dynamic systems perspective and a Gibsonian ecological perspective to an understanding of the development of action (Fogel, in press). Different physical and social environments afford different opportunities for action. A rattle affords noise making, for example. To activate this affordance, the individual has to identify the specific microscopic movements necessary to evoke sound from the rattle: the arm and wrist movements related to shaking. How does a baby come to acquire this action? Partly by exploratory play, but at first this play is embedded in social interaction. A social dynamic perspective suggests that during adult-infant interaction, adults identify action affordances that the infant is potentially capable of doing. Then, development occurs by two processes. In the first, the adult engages a child in a joint construction of the action afforded by the situation, helping the child perform the action via a co-regulation of the relevant movement parameters (e. g., demonstrating rattle shaking then placing the object in the infant's hand, or moving the infant's hand. In the second process, the adult transmits or receives information that highlights the relevant parameters of movement related to action affordances.
Type Text
Publisher Hokkaido University - Research and Clinical Center for Child Development, Graduate School of Education
Journal Title Bulletin of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development
Volume 13
First Page 1
Last Page 11
Subject Social dynamics; Early human development
Subject LCSH Child development
Language eng
Bibliographic Citation Fogel, A. D. (1990). Social dynamics of early human development. Bulletin of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development, 13, 1-11 Hokkaido University, Japan.
Rights Management ©Graduate School of Education, Hokkaido University
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 745,621 bytes
Identifier ir-main,14407
ARK ark:/87278/s6sx6xnx
Setname ir_uspace
ID 705586
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6sx6xnx
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