Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Development as Action in Context pp 287–309Cite as

Recent Advances in Research on the Ecology of Human Development

  • Chapter

Abstract

It is now more than a decade ago that, being somewhat younger, I presumed to challenge the then-prevailing conventions of my field by describing the developmental research of the day as “the study of the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible period of time” (Bronfenbrenner, 1974). Instead, I argued (as if it were simply a matter of choice), we should be studying development in its ecological context; that is, in the actual environments in which human beings lived their lives. I then proceeded to outline, in a series of publications, a conceptual framework for analyzing development in context, and to offer concrete examples of how various elements of the schema might be applied both to past studies and to studies yet to come. I also emphasized the scientific and practical benefits of a closer linkage, in both directions, between developmental research and public policy (Bronfenbrenner, 1975, 1977a, 1977b, 1979a, 1979b, 1981).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aug, R. & Bright, T. (1970) A study of wed and unwed motherhood in adolescents and young adults. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 9, 577–594

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, A. L. (1947) Changes in parent behavior during pregnancy. Child Development, 18, 29–39

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baltes, P. B. (1979) Life-span developmental psychology: Some convening observations on history and theory. In P. B. Baltes & O. G. Brim (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (Vol. 2). New York: Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltes, P. B. & Schaie, K. W. (1973) Life-span developmental psychology: Personality and socialization. New York: Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker, R. G. & Schoggen, P. (1973) Qualities of community life: Methods of measuring environment and behavior applied to an American and an English town. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1980) New directions in socialization research. American Psychologist, 35, 639–652

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. J. & Epstein, J. L. (1981) Parent involvement: Teacher practices and judgments. Baltimore, MD: Center for the Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. J. & Epstein, J. L. (1982) Influences on teacher’s use of parent involvement at home (Report No 324). Baltimore, MD: Center for the Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, R. Q. (1968) A reinterpretation of the direction of effects in studies of socialization. Psychological Review, 75, 81–95

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belle, D. E. (1981, April) The social network as a source of both stress and support to low-income mothers. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, Massachusetts

    Google Scholar 

  • Boehnke, K., Eyferth, K., Kastner, P., Noack, P., Reitzle, M., Silbereisen, R. K., Walper, S., & Zank, S. (1983) Youth development and substance use. Paper presented at the Seventh Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Munich, West Germany

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974) Developmental research, public policy, and the ecology of childhood. Child Development, 45, 1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1975) Reality and research in the ecology of human development. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 119, 439–469

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977a) Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32, 513–531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977b) Lewian space and ecological substance. Journal of Social Issues, 33, 199–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979 a) The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979b) Contexts of child rearing. American Psychologist, 34, 844–858

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1981) Die ökologie der menschlichen Entwicklung. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1984) The ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Position paper prepared at the request of the Human Learning and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as a contribution to the preparation of its Five Year Plan

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U., Alvarez, W. F., & Henderson, C. R. (1984) Working and watching: Maternal employment status, and parents’ perceptions of their three-year old children. Child Development, 55, 1362–1378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. & Crouter, A. C. (1982) Work and family through time and space. In S. B. Kamerman & C. D. Hayes (Eds.), Families that work: Children in a changing world. Washington, DC: National Academy

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. & Crouter, A. C. (1983) The evolution of environmental models in developmental research. In W. Kessen (Ed.) Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 1. History, theories, and methods (4th ed). New York: Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. W., Bhrolchin, M., & Harris, T. (1975) Social class and psychiatric disturbance among women in urban populations. Sociology, 9, 225–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burns, J. (1982) The study of parental involvement in four federal education programs: Executive summary. Washington, DC: Department of Education, Office of Planning Budget and Evaluation

    Google Scholar 

  • Chombart de Lauwe, P. H. (1959–1960) Famille et Habitation (2 volumes). Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

    Google Scholar 

  • Colletta, N. (1981) Social support and the risk of maternal rejection by adolescent mothers. The Journal of Psychology, 109, 191–197

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Colletta, N. (1983) At risk for depression: A study of young mothers. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 142, 301–310

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Colletta, N. D. & Gregg, C. H. (1981) Adolescent mothers’ vulnerability to stress. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 169, 50–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colletta, N. D. & Lee, D. (1983) The impact of support for Black adolescent mothers. Journal of Family Issues, 4, 127–143

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C., Moles, O., & Cross, M. (1982) The home-school connection: Selected partnership programs in large cities. Boston, MA: Institute for Responsive Education

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockenberg, S. B. (1981) Infant irritability, other responsiveness, and social support influences on the security of infant-mother attachment. Child Development, 52, 857–865

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crockenberg, S. B. (1984) Professional support and care of infants by adolescent mothers in England and the United States. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockenberg, S. B. (in press) English teenage mothers: Attitudes, behavior, and social support. In E. J. Anthony (Ed.), International year book series of the International Association for Child Psychiatry and Allied Professions

    Google Scholar 

  • Crockenberg, S. B. (in press) Support for adolescent mothers during the postnatal period: Theory and research. In Z. Boukydis (Ed.), Research on support for parents and infants in the postnatal period

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., Jr. (1974) Children of the Great Depression. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, A. (1980) Assessing the child development information needed by adolescent parents with very young children. Final report of Grant OCD-90-C-1341. Washington, DC: Office of Child Development, Department of Health, Education and Welfare (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 183286)

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L. (1983a) Effects on parents of teacher practices of parent involvement. (Report No 346). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Social Organization of Schools

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L. (1983b) Longitudinal effects of family-school-person interactions on student outcomes. Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization, 4, 101–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L. (1983c) Longitudinal study of school and family effects on student development. In S. A. Mednick & M. Harway (Eds.), Longitudinal research in the United States. Boston, MA: Nijhoff

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L. (1984) Single-parents and the schools: The effects of marital status on parent and teacher evaluations. (Report No 353). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Social Organization of Schools

    Google Scholar 

  • Furstenberg, F. & Crawford, A. (1978) Family support: Helping teenage mothers to cope. Family Planning Perspectives, 10, 322–333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garbarino, J. (1976) A preliminary study of some ecological correlates of child abuse: The impact of socioeconomic stresses on mothers. Child Development, 47, 178–185

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gold, M. & Petronio, R. J. (1980) Delinquent behavior in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology. New York: Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, A. (1981) Parent participation — student achievement: The evidence grows. Columbia, Missouri: National Committee for Citizen Education

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. W. (1980) The effects of maternal employment on the academic attitudes and performance of school-age children. School Psychology Review, 9, 319–335

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. W. (1983) Work, family, and the socialization of the child. In R. D. Parke (Ed.), Review of child development research: Volume 7: The family. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1949) Elmtown’s youth and Elmtown revisited. New York: Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamerman, S. B. & Hayes, C. D. (Eds.) (1982) Families that work. Washington, DC: National Academy

    Google Scholar 

  • Klineberg, O. (1935) Negro intelligence in selective migration. New York: Columbia University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Klineberg, O. (1938) The intelligence of migrants. American Sociological Review, 3, 218–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koel, A. (1984) Women in the context of remarriage. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, M. L. (1969) Class and conformity: A study in values. Homewood, Illinois: Dorsey

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, M. L. & Schooler, C. (1973) Occupational experience and psychological functioning: An assessment of reciprocal effects. American Sociological Review, 38, 97–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, M. L. & Schooler, C. (1978) The reciprocal effects of substantive complexity of work and intellectual flexibility: A longitudinal assessment. American Journal of Sociology, 84, 24–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lightfoot, S. L. (1978) Worlds apart: Relationships between families and school. New York: Basic Books

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E. & Jacklin, C.N. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton, S., Glynn, T., Robinson, V., & Quinn, M. (1983) Producing independent reading at school using parents as home-based remedial reading tutors. Unpublished paper, The Department of Education, University of Auckland, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Medrich, E. A., Roizen, J., Rubin, V., & Buckley, S. (1982) The serious business of growing up: A study of children’s lives outside school. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Meili, R. & Steiner, H. (1965) Eine Untersuchung zum Intelligenzniveau Elfjähriger der deutschen Schweiz. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Psychologie und ihre Anwendungen, 24 (1), 23–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercer, R. T., Hackley, K. C., & Bostrom, A. (in press) Social support of teenage mothers. Birth Defects: Original Article Series

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, W. R., Alwin, D. F., & Griffin, L. J. (1979) Social origins, parental values, and the transmission of inequality. American Journal of Sociology, 85, 156–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer, J. T., Lorence, J., & Kumka, D. (1982) Work and family linkages in the transition to adulthood: A panel study of highly-educated men. Western Psychological Review, 13, 50–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Muchow, M. & Muchow, H. H. (1935) Der Lebensraum des Großstadtkindes. Hamburg: M. Riegel

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulkkinen, L. (1982) Self-control and continuity from childhood to late adolescence. In P. Baltes and O. Brim (Eds.), Life-span development and behavior (Volume IV, pp 64–102). New York: Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulkkinen, L. (1983a) Finland: Search of alternatives to aggression. In A. Goldstein and M. Segall (Eds.), Aggression in global perspective. New York: Pergamon

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulkkinen, L. (1983b) Youthful smoking and drinking in a longitudinal perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12 (4), 253–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quinton, D. (1980) Family life in the inner city: Myth and reality. In M. Marland (Ed.), Education for the inner city. London: Heinemann

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodick, J. D. & Hennggeler, S. W. (1980) The short-term and long-term amelioration of academic and motivational deficiencies among low-achieving inner-city adolescents. Child Development, 51, 1126–1132

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1980) Changing youth in a changing society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1981) The city and the child. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 51 (4), 610–625

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Cox, A., Tupling, C., Berger, M., & Youle, W. (1975) Attainment and adjustment in two geographical areas. I. The prevalence of psychiatric disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 126, 493–509

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. & Madge, N. (1976) Cycles of disadvantage. London: Heinemann

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. & Quinton, D. (1977) Psychiatric disorder — ecological factors and concepts of causation. In H. McGurk (Ed.), Ecological factors in human development. Amsterdam: North-Holland

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaffer, D. R. & Brody, G. H. (1981) Parental and peer influences on moral development. In R. W. Henderson (Ed.), Parent-child interaction. New York: Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneewind, K. A., Beckman, M., & Engfer, A. (1983) Eltern und Kinder. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwabe, H. & Bartholomani, F. (1870) Der Vorstellungskreis der Berliner Kinder beim Eintritt in die Schule. In Berlin und seine Entwicklung: Städtisches Jahrbuch für Volkswirtschaft und Statistik: Vierter Jahrgang. Berlin: Guttentag

    Google Scholar 

  • Seaver, W. B. (1973) Effects of naturally induced teacher expectancies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28, 333–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slomezynski, K. M., Miller, J., & Kohn, M. (1981) Stratification, work, and values: A Polish-United States Comparison. American Sociological Review, 46, 720–744

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, A. J., Sokol, M., & Healy, J. M., Jr. (1981) The role of the family in mediating the impact of school transitions. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Symonds, P. M. (1939) The psychology of parent-child relationships. New York: Appleton-Century

    Google Scholar 

  • Tangri, S. S. & Leitch, M. L. (1982) Barriers to home-school collaboration: Two case studies in junior high school. Final Report submitted to the National Institute of Education. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute

    Google Scholar 

  • Terman, I. M. (1925) Genetic studies of genius. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Tietjen, A. M. & Bradley, C. F. (1982) Social networks, social support and transition to parenthood. Unpublished paper. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Division of Family Studies

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinbergen, N. (1951) The study of instinct. London: Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Tulkin, S. R. (1977) Social class differences in maternal and infant behavior. In P. H. Leiderman, A. Rosenfeld, & S. R. Tulkin (Eds.), Culture and infancy (pp. 495–537). New York: Academic

    Google Scholar 

  • Vatter, M. (1981) Intelligenz und regionale Herkunft. Eine Längsschnittstudie im Kanton Bern. In H. Walter (Ed.), Region und Sozialisation (Vol. I). Stuttgart: Frommann-Holzboog

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter, H. (Ed.) (1981) Region und Sozialisation (Vol. I) Stuttgart: Frommann-Holzboog

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter, H. (Ed.) (1982) Region und Sozialisation (Vol. II). Stuttgart: Frommann-Holzboog

    Google Scholar 

  • Wandersman, L. P. & Unger, D. G. (1983) Interaction of infant difficulty and social support in adolescent mothers. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Detroit, Michigan

    Google Scholar 

  • West, D. J. (1982) Delinquency: Its roots, careers, and prospects. London: Heinemann Educational

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, L. R. (1942) A comparative study of the intelligence of East Tennessee mountain children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 33, 321–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, S. (1934) The method of path coefficients. Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 5, 161–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Cornell University, Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    U. Bronfenbrenner

Authors
  1. U. Bronfenbrenner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Technical University of Berlin, Dovestrasse 1-5, D-1000, Berlin 10, West Germany

    Rainer K. Silbereisen  & Klaus Eyferth  & 

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, An der Schlosskirche 1, D-5300, Bonn, Germany

    Georg Rudinger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Recent Advances in Research on the Ecology of Human Development. In: Silbereisen, R.K., Eyferth, K., Rudinger, G. (eds) Development as Action in Context. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02475-1_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-02475-1_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-02477-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-02475-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation