Related Experiment Videos
Individuality, context, and the search for meaning
1University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver.
Child Development
|June 1, 1994
Summary
This study explores fostering child development using a systems approach, emphasizing individuality, context, and meaning-making. It highlights research needs for understanding the developing person within a diverse society.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Systems Theory
- Sociocultural Studies
Background:
- A developmental systems approach integrates clinical insights for research methodology.
- Recent advancements offer opportunities and identify needs in fostering child development within a pluralistic society.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address key topics in child development research: individuality, classification, experiencing development, and values.
- To explore the interplay of individual differences, contextual factors, and the search for meaning.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of abstract thinking and quantitative individual differences methods.
- Examination of systematizing efforts and classification methods in developmental research.
- Exploration of conscious and nonconscious (procedural, practicing) activities in development.
Main Results:
- Identified an urgent need to study the developing person holistically.
- Highlighted the necessity of understanding the interplay among classified features and underlying methods.
- Revealed new perspectives on conscious and nonconscious developmental activities.
- Emphasized the role of values in both conducting and studying child development.
Conclusions:
- A developmental systems approach provides a framework for understanding child development research.
- Appreciating context, multiple observation points, and researcher "centeredness" are crucial crosscutting themes.