Two transitional phases in the child's early language development are described; the first occurs between prelinguistic vocalization and one-word speech and the second between one-word and patterned speech. Cognitive, linguistic and affective inputs to the acquisition of reference and syntax are discussed in the light of the transitional phenomena that were found. We claim that each major linguistic stage is preceded by a transitional phase which serves as a bridging device for the next major acquisition; that sound and meaning develop partly independently in language development; and that the child's earliest patterned speech is not organized in terms of knowledge of grammatical categories, but in terms of more fundamental coordinations of conceptual meanings with phonetic outputs. A theoretical framework is proposed which provides a more systematic treatment of transitional phenomena than has previously been provided. The framework allows for interpretations of transitional phenomena and of their relations to the milestone periods of early language development.
We identify three categories of baby diaries prevalent from the late 18th to the late 19th century in Western Europe and the USA – scientific, educational, and domestic. By the end of the 19th century, a canon of ‘scientific’ baby diary literature had been established. The diarists were professionals and almost always parents – among them philosophers, psychologists, evolutionists, educators. Recurring themes, such as the nature of instinctive behaviors, recapitulationism, and assumptions about the generalizability of data from a single case, are discussed. In conclusion, contemporary uses of the diary method are explored.
Heinz Werner, a comparative‐developmental psychologist who had emigrated from Europe in 1933, came to Clark in 1947 when the once‐renowned psychology department was at a low ebb. Under Werner's leadership, the department reestablished its reputation as a center of research and graduate training. It is suggested that Werner's vision of psychology and graduate education led him to form a department that had a unique perspective and was, in many respects, ahead of its time. The question of Werner's position in relation to the mainstream is considered.
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