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The chapters in this volume reflect the work and thoughts of a group of researchers interested in studying families as learning environments for children. As we proceed in our quest to identify and understand with some specificity the familial factors associated with the intellectual and social development of children, the time is ripe for the reintroduction of families as units of study in psychological and educational research. With the increasing focus on the changing organization of the modern family, it is of more than academic interest to identify those variables that play a significant role in the child's development. Such knowledge certainly should help in the planning and design of appropriate and credible applications. These chapters, representing a broad spectrum of research, derive from papers presented and discussed at a working conference on families as learning environments sponsored by Educational Testing Service in Prince ton, New Jersey. Following the conference, the papers were revised and edited for inclusion in this volume. We are indebted to a number of people whose contributions helped make the conference a success: Samuel J. Messick and Winton H. Manning for their support; Jan Flaugher, Jessie Cryer, Linda Kozelski, and Betty Clausen for assistance with local arrangements; and William Nemceff, Kathleen Lingle, and Kalina Gonska for help with the audio-recording of the proceedings. LUIS M. LAOSA IRVING E. SIGEL vii Contents Introduction ..................................... Xl Luis M. Laosa Chapter 1. Families as Facilitators of Children's Intellectual Development at 3 Years of Age: A Causal Analysis ........................................ .
List of contents
1. Families as Facilitators of Children's Intellectual Development at 3 Years of Age: A Causal Analysis.- 2. The Relationship between Parental Distancing Strategies and the Child's Cognitive Behavior.- 3. Family Environments and the Acquisition of Reading Skills: Toward a More Precise Analysis.- 4. Some American Families at Dinner.- 5. Play as a Context for Early Learning: Lab and Home Analyses.- 6. On the Familial Origins of Personality and Social Style.- 7. Variation in Infant Experience Associated with Alternative Family Roles.- 8. Family Day Care: The Role of the Surrogate Mother.- 9. The Relationship between Parents' Beliefs about Development and Family Constellation, Socioeconomic Status, and Parents' Teaching Strategies.- 10. The Role of Categorization in the Socialization Process: How Parents and Older Siblings Cognitively Organize Child Behavior.- 11. Learning to Do Things without Help.- Author Index.
