Arnold Gesell

Arnold Lucius Gesell ( born June 21, 1880 in Alma, Wisconsin, † May 29, 1961 ) was a psychologist, pediatrician and co-founder of developmental psychology. Gesell was in Alma, Wisconsin, born whose dysgenic qualities in his work The Village of a Thousand Souls later ( German: " The City of a Thousand Souls" ) analyzed. He was one of five children and the son of a photographer and teacher. Growing up with his siblings to see promoted his later interest in children.

Life

From its plan to become a teacher, driven, studied companies from 1896 at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Here he took part in a course under the direction of Edgar James Swift, who was in turn formed at Clark University and the Gesell aroused interest in psychology. For a short time he worked as a teacher at the high school, but then returned again to the University of Wisconsin -Madison back. There he attended lectures in history at Frederick Jackson Turner and in psychology with Joseph Jastrow, who founded the psychology laboratory at the University of Wisconsin. Company was awarded the title "Bachelor of Philosophy " degree of Wisconsin in 1903. He took his profession as a teacher and as a high- school principal on again before he continued his education at Clark University, at that time one of the leading universities for psychology. The university was strongly under the influence of its President G. Stanley Hall, the founder of pedology movement. Company was awarded the title Doctor (Ph. D. ) at Clark University in 1906. He worked at several schools in New York and Wisconsin before his fellow student Lewis Terman helped him to a teaching position at the Los Angeles State Normal School. There he made ​​the acquaintance of his nunmehrigen teacher colleague Beatrice Chandler, whom he married; with her he had two children, a son and a daughter. Because he worked in special schools for the mentally handicapped at times, including on the run by Henry H. Goddard Vineland Training School in New Jersey, he developed an interest in studying children with intellectual disabilities.

In order to graduate, he spent some time as a student at Wisconsin Medical School. Later he worked as an assistant at Yale University while he continued his medical studies. There he developed the Clinic of Child Development ( " Department of Child Development" ) and completed his studies with the title "MD" ( Doctor of Medicine ) in 1915. Later, a full professor at Yale University was granted. He also worked as a school psychologist at the Connecticut State Board of Education and helped in the development of cooperative teaching of healthy and mentally handicapped children, which should improve the learning success of the mentally retarded.

Works (selection)

• The Preschool Child from the Standpoint of Public Hygiene and Education ( " The Preschool Child from the standpoint of public health and education" ) 1923
• The Mental Growth of the Preschool Child ( " The mental growth of the preschool child " ) 1925 ( filmed )
• An Atlas of Infant Behavior ( " An atlas of infant behavior " ) 1934
• Infant and Child in the Culture of Today ( " The (small) child in the culture of today " ) ( with Frances Ilg ) 1943
• The Child from Five to Ten ( "The child from five to ten " ) ( with Frances Ilg ) 1946

Research

Gesell used for his research, the latest technology, such as latest video and still cameras. He also used, for example, one-way mirror to children in his attempts to observe it even invented the companies Dome, a one-way mirror in the form of a dome, under which you could observe children without disturbing them. In his research, he studied numerous children, including the wolf child Kamala. He also explored young animals, in particular monkeys.

As a psychologist Gsell realized the importance of the interplay between genes and environmental influences. As Maturationalist he believed that mental growth, much like the physical, is predetermined mainly by genes and environmental factors play only a minor influence. He understood that children imitate the behavior of their parents and peers. Company continued standards or typical behaviors of people laid during childhood. These typical behaviors he divided into 10 groups, the " Gradients of growth" ( German: types of growth) a. With these he laid, referring to his statistical surveys, determine how a child with a certain age behaves normally. He also thought that the U.S. would benefit from a nationwide nursery system.

Trivia

Named after him Gesell Institute of Human Development was founded by his colleagues from the Clinic of Child Development, Dr. Frances Ilg and Louise Bates Ames Dr. 1950, after company resigned his position at the University in 1948.