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Readings, Psychology of Infancy

Spring 2012, Professor Joseph J. Campos

Psychology of Infancy

Professor J.J. Campos

Alea Holman

Justin Martin

Spring 2012

Readings and Course Topics, Weekly

PART 1 OF THIS COURSE

PLEASE NOTE: Lectures generally do NOT replicate the readings. The “Week” titles reflect the content of lectures. The readings concern topics that are designed to foster discussions in the recitation sections with the GSIs. When the readings are especially difficult, Professor Campos will hold special review sections for your benefit.

Week of January 17: Organizational Meeting and the Significance of Infancy

Ceci, S., & Williams, W. (eds)(1999). The Nature Nurture Debate: The Essential

Readings. Oxford, UK: Blackwell. THESE READINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON B-SPACE

  1. Huttunn, M. & Niskanen, P. Prenatal Laws of Father and Psychiatric Disorders (pp. 24-32)
  2. Davis, J., Felps, G. & Bracha, H. Prenatal Development of Monozygotic Twins and Concordance for Schizophrenia. (pp. 36-52)
  3. Diamond, M. & Sigmundson, H. Sex Reassignment at Birth. (pp.57-80).

These readings are brief and designed to generate student interest. They are assigned in order to give some background relevant to the discussion sections for the following week.

Week of January 24—Correct and Incorrect Reasoning in Psychology

Bruer, J. (1999). The Myth of the First Three Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain

Development and Life-**///Long Learning.New York: The Free Press.

  1. Through the Prism of the First Three Years (pp. 1-27)
  2. The Starting Points (pp. 28-64)
  3. Neural Connections—Some you gain, some you loose (SIC) (pp. 65-100)
  4. Be All That You can Be: Critical Periods (pp. 101-133)

Although these chapters seem very long, they represent very well-written and argued positions on a major topic of importance for this course. The book is a classic, and represents a counterattack to the view, propounded by President and Mrs. Clinton, that the first three years of life are the most important in ontogeny. The readings will not take you as long to cover as you might think. The topic will constitute a central issue for discussion sections.

Week of January 31—Piaget’s Theory of Sensorimotor Intelligence

Piaget, J. The role of imitation in the development of representational thought. In

Gruber, H. E. & Voneche J. (1977). The Essential Piaget: The interpretive reference guide (pp. 509-514). New York: Basic Books, Inc.

Campos, J., Anderson, D., Barbu-Roth M., Hubbard E., Hertenstein M., Witherington D.

(2000). Travel Broadens the Mind. Infancy (1),149-219.

These readings introduce an unusual viewpoint in infancy—the importance of motoric activity for psychological development. Piaget’s article is brief but moderately difficult to read. The “Travel” article is a widely-cited one that shows empirical research on how locomotor activity brings about enormous changes in the perceptual, cognitive, social, and emotional life of the child. It also illustrates some of the major principles on Correct and Incorrect Reasoning…in the earlier lectures.

Week of February 7: Piaget’s Theory of Sensorimotor Intelligence Continued

Piaget, J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child. New York: Ballantine Books.

Chapter 1. Object concept (pp. 1-107).

This chapter is famous—both for its impact on infancy research, and for the fact that most critics of Piaget have never read it. Beware. This chapter ranks with the most difficult material ever “written” (if one can call it that) in the history of psychology. It is full of important observations that you will see in your own children in the future.

Week of February 14: Piaget and the Infant’s Understanding of Space

Piaget , J. (1954). The construction of reality in the child. New York: Ballantine Books.

Chapter 2. Space (pp. 108-240).

This chapter is remarkable for its originality and its difficulty. It makes the previous one read like a primer in first grade. You may find that reading it is harmful to the health of your photocopied reader. Is it worth it? I think so, or I would not ask you to suffer through it.

Week of February 21: The Return of “Realism”: Gibson and Gibson

Gibson, Eleanor J., & Pick, Anne D. (2000). An Ecological Approach to Perceptual

Learning and Development. New York: Oxford University Press.

Chapter II. An Ecological Approach to Development (pp.14-25).

Chapter VII. What infants Learn About: Locomotion and the Spatial Layout (pp.103-133).

Bower, T.(1982). Development in Infancy. Second Edition. Distance Perception. (pp. 64-106)

ThIs set of readings represents a return to legible content. They deal with the foundations of the counter-reaction to Piaget, attributable to James and Eleanor Gibson, and relate to the so-called “Competent Infant” school of thought that is at present dominant in the study of the infant.

EXAM 1 FOLLOWS THIS SET OF READINGS ABOVE

Week of February 28—The Competent Infant: Imitation and Object Permanence

Spelke, E., Breinlinger, K., Macomber, J., & Jacobson, K. (1992). Origins of

knowledge. Psychological Review, 99, 605-632.

Meltzoff, A., & Moore, M. (1977). Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human

neonates. Science, 198, 75-78.

Field, T., Woodson, R., Greenberg, R., & Cohen, D. (1982). Discrimination and imitation

of facial expression in neonates. Science, 218, 179-181.

Baillargeon, R. (1994). How do infants learn about the physical world? Current Directions

in Psychological Science. 3. 195-212.

Campos, J., Witherington, D., Anderson, D., Frankel, C., Uchiyama, I., & Barbu-Roth, M. (2008). Rediscovering development in infancy. Child Development.79, 1625-1632.

These articles are classics, capped by a critical overview by researchers in our laboratory.