The Infant's World (The Developing Child) by Philippe Rochat

by Philippe Rochat

What do infants know? What do they feel, and how do they come to understand what's happening around them? How do they begin to construe others as persons with feelings and intentions? These questions inspire this remarkable new look at the infant's world. The short answer? Infants are much more sophisticated perceivers, feelers, and thinkers of their world than we may think. In this lively book, Philippe Rochat makes a case for an ecological approach to human development. Looking at the ecological niche infants occupy, he describes how infants develop capabilities and conceptual understanding in relation to three interconnected the self, objects, and other people. Drawing on the great body of contemporary "competent infant" research, Rochat offers a thoughtful overview of many current, controversial topics, from neonatal imitation to early numeracy, to the development of self-awareness. In a provocative conclusion, he describes infancy as a series of key transitions--so dramatic that they are sometimes called "revolutions"--and maps out the processes that impel development. Offering a unifying theoretical vision of the vast research of recent years, The Infant's World is an inspiring introduction to the liveliest area of modern psychology.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was an interesting read about current theories on how infants develop. it talked a lot about the empirical evidence behind recent re-thinking of older theories. the book was a bit dry, but did have some interesting insights into how an infant's brain works. it was also interesting to hear about the "revolutions" that happen in the first year, at two months when the baby figures out the interconnectedness of itself, other people and objects ("you can see that block too?"), and then around 9 months when the baby starts to realize the concept of other people having thoughts - they call it developing a theory of mind - for example, I can imagine what Jessica is thinking when I walk around in my underwear. this is the first appearance of symbolic thought - which eventually leads to language/symbols. don't quote me on all that though...