THE CHILD MIND

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 145, 22 June 1938, Page 6

THE CHILD MIND

NATURE & NURTURE

POSSIBLE CONTROL

"The importance of hereditary patterns of behaviour in children cannot be under-estimated," said Mr. Max Riske at his second lecture on child psychology at Petone on Monday night. "The function of the environment, over which we have much greater control, is to stimulate and-mature the inborn tendencies of the child. A stable, sympathetic home-life founded on some knowledge of childish mental processes will give natural tendencies the opportunity of full fruition," he said. Any controversy as to the relative importance of heredity or environment was of little value. These concepts were being unified in the new concept of growth, by the dynamic outlook towards the child's behaviour. INBORN PATTERNS.

AH evidence showed that some patterns of behaviour were inborn; even traits of personality were detectable in the first month of life. Close study of the ability of children to grasp small objects had.shown,,amongst many experiments, that time rather than training was the chief developmental factor, at least in early life. Work with identical twins had strikingly demonstrated the time factor in acquiring skills. But one could not rely entirely on this natural maturing of the child. Sufficiently detailed study was establishing series of standards of child behaviour which acted as a guide at each stage of the infant's growth and which enable one to predict the; course and spee'd of growth. In addition a body of knowledge was gradually becoming available which was giving considerable control over many growth factors. '.

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT. "Growth is really a continuous process, but, for purposes of study and control, we call, distinguish stages Of development," continued the lecturer. "Infancy (to one year), early childhood (to- five years), later childhood, early and late adolescence are useful divisions for the practical purpose of understanding the best environment we can provide for the child. The four next lectures will 'deal in detail with these phases of development, their dominant characteristics and general methods of best serving the child's interests.

"At each stage of the child's life bur aim must be to secure optimal growth and development of his inborn nature. This means that we aim at the best rather than.the greatest possible development. To know what is best we must study the findings of the psychologist who can tell us the typical or normal growth and behaviour at each> stage. By;a-careful comparison of an individual child with the 'normal' child we can gauge the rate and trend of his development. If we know what to expect in a child at any age we are likely to be able to predict his future growth, and, above all, adjust the environment to suit him as an individual. The power to grow is inborn in each child and is a product of his ancestry. The conditions of his development are in the hands of the parent and the teacher, and, to a large extent, can make or mar the personality of the child."

The next lecture will deal in detail with the first year, of life.