Publisher's Synopsis
Different investigators mean different things when they refer to their respective developmental approaches as "ecological". As a consequence, the term has begun to carry uncertain meanings. This volume brings together three different ecological approaches to the study of behavioural development - ecological realism, dynamic systems and epigenetic systems - in a single source so that commonalities and differences may emerge.;Eschewing the mechanistic model of development theory characteristic of behaviouralism, psycho-dynamic or cognitive theories, researchers from within these three approaches are testing new theories on how behaviour develops. Each of the chapter authors presents their respective empirical programmes of research and comments more broadly on the advantages and disadvantages of their approach. The research programmes presented include such traditional areas as speech perception and locomotion but also include new topics of investigation, such as verbal meaning, remembering, infant-caregiver interactions, tool use and language emergence. Each chapter is followed by a commentary that fosters the dialogue across these varying perspectives. The volume begins with an essay by Eleanor Gibson which provides a map for future research.