Chapter 24 - The Cultural Organization of Children’s Environments

Summary

This chapter offers an overview of theories and methods related to understanding the culturally structured environment of the child, with particular attention to integrative approaches. The concept of culture has been a continuing focus of discussion within the field of anthropology since its earliest days. The anthropological study of childhood gained new importance in the culture and personality school of thought that reached its zenith in the 1950s and 1960s. The concept of culture is a relatively new focus of interest in psychology. In contrast to the core consensus among anthropologists about what culture is and how it can be studied, psychological theories about culture tend to involve more distinctive constructs that may not overlap in either history or measurement. The developmental niche is a theoretical framework for the integration of concepts and findings from multiple disciplines concerned with the development of children in cultural context.