Developmental Tasks -

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Résumé :
Behavioral and cognitive development is considered here as an ordered change in an individual throughout his or her lifespan, and not as sets of individual differences between persons, nor as stage-like progressions. The concept of developmental task is introduced, stressing contexts within which individuals meet, eliciting transitions in their behavior and, by implication, in the self. The developmental task concept is compatible with the activity theory of Gal'perin, especially the concept of meaningful learning. The authors show how their concept may be applied to age-related crises, the acquisition of a moral status, the achievement of educational independence, the assessment of readiness for school, acquisition of peer status, acquisition of concepts of morality, and the task of ageing. For professional psychologists and educationalists, and advanced research students in the same subjects.

Sommaire:
Preface. Part One: The Explanation of Development: the Concept Developmental Task. 1. Developmental Tasks: a Cultural Analysis of Human Development; P.G. Heymans. 2. Bridging the Gap between Developmental and Learning Studies: the Concept of Developmental Tasks; A.I. Podol'skij. 3. The Theory of Vygotsky and his School and Developmental Tasks; L.F. Obuchova. 4. Assessment of Child Development: Vygotsky's Age-Related Approach; G.V. Burmenskaya. 5. Personal Age Development as the Object of Psychological Investigation; K.N. Polivanova. 6. Paradoxes in Learning and Development; J. Boom. Part Two: Developmental Tasks and Social Interaction. 7. Children's Acquisition of the Concept of Mind and the Assignment of a Moral Satus to Others: Learning from Social Interaction in Real and Artificial Cognitive Systems; T. Olthof. 8. The Role of Interaction in Mental Action Formation; O.B. Chesnokova. 9. The Influence of Folk Psychology on a Baby's Personality; A.A.N. Cruts. 10. The Child's Initiative in Building up Cooperation: the Key to Problems of Children's Independence; G.A. Zuckerman. 11. Adult Egocentrism and Adult--Child Interaction; S.V. Zaytsev. 12. Adolescent Sociometric Status in a Developmental Task Perspective; H.W. van Boxtel. Part Three: Developmental Tasks: Specific Competences. 13. Task Attitude of Preschoolers: Developmental Diagnosis; M. Timmermans. 14. Preschoolers' Acquirement of Competences in Factor Combining and Factor Interaction; A.N. Poddiakov. 15. Information Integration of 6 to 12 Year Olds in Distributive Justice; A.E. Aleva. 16. Acquirement of Illness Concepts: Perception and Evaluation of Physical Sensations; E. Hosli. 17. Development of Concepts of Truth and Lying: a Developmental Task; J.J.F. ter Laak. 18. The Self-Image as a Determinant of Moral Behavior in Children; S.G. Jacobson. 19. Moral Atmosphere as a Link between Morality and Moral Behavior in School and Accountants' Practice; D. Brugman. 20. Wisdom as High Level Epistemic Cognition and Aging: a Developmental Task Analysis; G.M. Brugman.