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Topic 13

Ecology of Development

Ecology - Bronfrenbrenner

Individual-family-social groups-culture form a system in which all parts interrelate and adapt

microsystem (family, daycare, school) direct experience
exosystem (parents workplace, government, laws)
macrosystem (wider culture, ethnicity )

Family (Microsystem)

Emotional Tone (warmth/hostility, loving, caring, stability/predictive)
Responsiveness (attending to appropriate needs)
Control (rule consistency, expectations, restrictiveness, punishment)
Communication
Child Rearing Practice

Child Rearing Practice

	Accepting Responsive	Rejecting, unresponsive
Demanding controlling	Authoritative, reciprocal	Authoritarian, power assertive
Undemanding low control	Indulgent, permissive	Neglecting, Uninvolved

Family

Child's characteristics (temperament, age, gender, wellness)
Adult characteristics (temperament, age, gender, wellness, expectations, experience)
Family structure (natural parents, nuclear, dislocation, divorce, economic base )

Outside Family - Microsystem

Day care

Family daycare, centre based care, long care, occasional care, number in care in Aust,
economics of care
effects (cognitive, personality, attachment)
quality (ratio, group size, stability, programme, setting, child development, positive not custodial)

School

Pupil qualities
Goals (academic, high expectations, shared by parents & staff, clear)
Organisation (Structured, instructional)
Homework
Discipline
Praise
Teacher experience
Size
Buildings & resources
School leadership
Child responsibilities

Exosystem - work/welfare

Mother

positive after infancy/toddlerhood
related to quality of care
positive model for female children
esteem of mother is higher
power for mother
routine changes (sharing)

Father

negative to loss of work
job type

Support

extended family
welfare

Exosystem - media

Television/video

preschool positive verbal growth
primary negative cognitive effect
social dev. (aggression, stereotypes of roles & relationships)
physical dev

Computer games

social dev (aggression, stereotypes)
some positive cognitive dev
physical dev

Macro system - culture

Ethnicity (values, child rearing)
Social class (poverty, resources, values)
Region (urban, suburban, rural, isolated)