Week 1 – Cultural Diversity o Focus on development of - Every component interacts differently
multiple, separate domains with different characteristics in the bigger
Hoorcollege (Slot) (physical, biological, social, ecology
psychological, etc.) - Mutual adaptation: person and niche are
Types of Diversity: ‘Rural vs. Urban’, ‘Religious vs. - WEIRD-samples: white middleclass as adapted to each other. Child <->
Non-religious’, ‘Family composition: single parent, basis. This is risky, because applying this Development (=opvoeding)
nuclear, extended family, sexuality’ → Super logic on other groups may be dangerous,
diversity because over (over)generalization. The Homeostatic mechanisms → three subsystems are
situation of the child might be forgotten. in harmony and ensure that they fit according to
Most behavioral science based on WEIRD sample: child’s developmental level. Regularities within the
Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic - Developmental research outside of its
normal context may misshape systems lead to the child learning.
(Henrich, Heine & Norenzayan (2010); Rogoff, Dahl
& Callanan (2018)) perspectives. The general context a child
Changes: Developmental niche doesn’t remain
lives in might be forgotten.
constant. Formed by environmental
Cultural Theories - Dissection of cultural aspect may lead to
accommodation, but quality and timing of changes
other aspects being forgotten.
in the niche are changed by the culture.
- Bronfenbrenner (Vélez-Agosto et al, 2017) - Children observe, contribute to, discuss,
- Socio-Cultural Theory (Rogoff et al, 2018) and are instructed through everyday Velez-Agosto et al (2017) - Bronfenbrenner's
- Individualism vs. Relationism (IR) interactions. bioecological theory revision: Moving culture from
- Developmental Niche (Super & Harkness, the macro into the micro.
1986) → 1. Physical & Social Settings, 2. Super & Harkness (1986) – The developmental
Customs & Practices, 3. Parental niche: A conceptualization at the interface of child Reason of Research: Authors think it’s problematic
Ethnotheories and culture. to separate culture from everyday practices. They
believe culture is too close to the individual to be
Rogoff et al (2008) – The importance of Reason of Research: The developmental niche
considered a part of the macro system. They will
understanding children’s lived experience. serves as a framework for examining the cultural
defend their stance by arguing from other
structuring of child development. One should not
theoretical frameworks.
Reason of Research: Field of developmental research children placed outside of their usual
research needs a course-correction. Cultural context. Bronfenbrenner (main model): Individual and
paradigms (=analysis model) of children’s lived culture are separate. Culture is a part of the macro
experience is important for understanding child Important Side Notes: Authors argue that child
system and not an individual system. Doesn’t occur
development. They describe a sociocultural development is shaped by an interplay of biological,
in day-to-day life. Model misses an accurate
theoretical perspective that focuses on children’s environmental and cultural factors, and that these
description of the word ‘culture’.
participation in their everyday settings. Context of factors must be understood in their original
children’s lives is important. contexts. Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): Based on how
culture mediates experience and how it influences
Important Side Notes: It’s important to examine Shift 1970: Shift in the role of the environment in
activities. Culture provides resources, activities and
generalities instead of assuming them. child development: Abnormal situation with
meaning of every human activity within a certain
Interpretation of findings needs to be based on abnormal people leads to abnormal behavior
social source → culture as center microsystem.
knowledge of children’s lives instead of a (Bronfenbrenner)
Culture as a system starts external, but ends up
researcher’s intuition. Thus: Researchers need to
study children’s development in the ecologies in Three Components: ‘Physical and Social’, ‘Customs getting internalized.
which it occurs. Children everywhere need to learn of Child Care and Child Rearing’, and the ‘Psychology
Ecocultural Theory (Weisner): Cultural community
to navigate the distinct settings of their lives. of the Caretakers’.
provides children with
developmental paths within
Research Question: “How do children learn to ecocultural context. Culture is a
navigate across the practices common to the routine. Developmental paths lead
distinct settings of their lives?” to activities in which children wish
Findings: to engage themselves. Culture is
transactional and contextual →
- We need to take into account the kinds micro system.
of events that take place in a child’s life
and the way children develop according Sociocultural Theory (Rogoff):
to their involvement in these events. Culture envelops ways of life, ways
- Instead of approaching the issue like a of thinking, generations of people
process of internalization, one should sharing their input in which
look at children as a growth process, in children can engage and
contribute. Culture is formed by
ways of participating in the events of
their communities, in a process of individuals and culture forms the
lives of individuals (bidirectional).
transformation of participation. The
events aren’t external. Rather, people Conclusion (Vélez-Agosto et al):
transform their participation across their Subsystems: Systems interact with each other and aren’t as
involvement in events over the short and bordered and limited as Bronfenbrenner suggests.
long term. - Physical and Social Settings
Culture carries the role of operationalizing the micro
- Piaget’s theory: Dependent on culture and - Customs and Practices
systems and becomes a central process of human
context in which the child lives. - Parental Ethnotheories
development. Culture is ever-changing, consisting of
- Bidirectional process in developmental practices of social communities and the
Conclusions:
psychology: interpretation of those. And as such: Culture is a key
o Focus on development in the - Homeostasis within the framework component of all settings.
context of a child’s life
