What is the most important influence on child development | Tom Weisner | TEDxUCLA
Summary
TLDRThe transcript emphasizes the importance of context in child development, asserting that the environment and cultural background significantly influence a child's life. It challenges the Western-centric view that focuses on individual child characteristics, urging a global perspective to understand diverse child-rearing practices. The speaker, an anthropologist, highlights social responsibility, collaborative learning, and the collective care of children as key aspects of child development in many cultures, contrasting with the individualistic approach of 'WEIRD' societies.
Takeaways
- π The context in which a child grows up is crucial and influences all aspects of their development.
- πͺ Western audiences often prioritize individual aspects of child development, such as attachment, nutrition, and playmates, but these are not the most important factor.
- π‘ The family, neighborhood, community, and nation-state are integral to a child's life pathways and well-being.
- π The child's environment and cultural context shape what is considered important for their development.
- π Understanding the global context of child development can help improve the way we care for children everywhere.
- π Over 90% of psychological research is conducted in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies, which may not represent the majority of the world's experiences.
- π± The importance of social responsibility, collaborative learning, and social intelligence is emphasized in many non-WEIRD cultures.
- π₯ Multiple caretaking is common globally, with children often raised by a network of people within their community.
- π Children in different societies may face harsh environments, oppression, and inequality, which significantly impact their development.
- π§π¦ Gender roles and expectations diverge as children grow older, with girls' lives often taking different paths than boys'.
- π The structure of the family and societal institutions greatly affect a child's upbringing and future prospects.
- π€ Active participation in societally valued activities is key to a child's sense of well-being and development.
Q & A
What is the central theme of the transcript discussing child development?
-The central theme of the transcript is the importance of considering the context and environment in which a child is growing up, as it significantly influences their development and well-being.
What does the speaker suggest is the most important factor in child development?
-The speaker suggests that the most important factor in child development is the context in which the child is growing up, including the family, neighborhood, community, nation, and state.
Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of context in child development?
-The speaker emphasizes the importance of context because it determines the life pathways and opportunities available to the child, and it influences how various aspects of child development, such as nutrition, security, and religious upbringing, are understood and implemented.
What is the acronym WEIRD and how does it relate to the discussion on child development?
-WEIRD stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies. The speaker uses it to highlight that most research and expert opinions on child development come from these societies, potentially overlooking the experiences and needs of children in other cultural contexts.
What is the significance of the speaker's experience as an anthropologist in Kenya?
-The speaker's experience in Kenya as an anthropologist exposed them to the effects of urban migration on children and the power of contextual and cultural differences on children's lives, which informs their perspective on the importance of context in child development.
What are some of the cultural differences the speaker mentions that can impact child development?
-The speaker mentions the importance of social responsibility, collaborative learning, and social intelligence in many cultures, the practice of multiple caretaking of children, and the differences in institutions and social structures that children grow into, such as marriage and inheritance practices.
Why is it important to consider the child's community and cultural context when discussing child development?
-Considering the child's community and cultural context is important because it helps to understand the values, norms, and expectations that shape the child's experiences and opportunities, which in turn influence their development and well-being.
What is the role of 'social responsibility' in child development according to the transcript?
-According to the transcript, social responsibility plays a significant role in child development as it is a common value in many cultures, influencing how children learn to interact with others and contribute to their community.
How does the concept of 'multiple caretaking' differ from the Western approach to child rearing?
-The concept of 'multiple caretaking' involves children being raised by various people within a community, as opposed to the Western approach where primary care is typically provided by the child's parents or immediate family.
What does the speaker suggest is a common oversight in Western societies' approach to child development?
-The speaker suggests that a common oversight in Western societies' approach to child development is the tendency to focus on the individual child without considering the broader social, cultural, and environmental context that shapes their experiences and opportunities.
How can understanding child development in non-WEIRD societies benefit our approach to child rearing and education?
-Understanding child development in non-WEIRD societies can benefit our approach by providing a more holistic and diverse perspective, highlighting the importance of context, social responsibility, and collaborative learning, and encouraging the consideration of different cultural values and practices in child rearing and education.
Outlines
π Contextual Importance in Child Development
The speaker emphasizes the significance of considering the context in which a child grows up when discussing child development. They highlight that while Western audiences often focus on individual aspects like attachment, security, and nutrition, the most crucial factor is the environment the child is in. This includes family, neighborhood, community, and nation-state, which all influence the child's life pathways. The speaker's experience as an anthropologist in Kenya and other global research projects underscores the power of cultural differences on children's lives. They argue that understanding these differences can help improve child well-being worldwide and criticize the focus on 'WEIRD' societies (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) in most research, which may not be representative of the global population.
π« Social Responsibility and Cultural Differences in Child Rearing
This paragraph delves into the diverse cultural practices of child rearing around the world, contrasting them with 'WEIRD' societies. The speaker mentions the importance of social responsibility, collaborative learning, and social intelligence, exemplified by children in Kenya who participate in communal activities like funeral preparations. The concept of multiple caretaking is introduced, where children are raised with the involvement of various community members, fostering a sense of security and social attachment. The speaker also addresses the harsh realities many children face, such as poverty, inequality, and oppressive environments, and how these factors can lead to divergent paths for boys and girls. The paragraph concludes by stressing the importance of understanding the child's context and the community's values to effectively improve global child well-being.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Child Development
π‘Context
π‘WEIRD Societies
π‘Social Responsibility
π‘Collaborative Learning
π‘Multiple Caretaking
π‘Cultural Differences
π‘Harsh Environments
π‘Extended Families
π‘Autonomous Individuals
Highlights
The importance of considering context in child development is emphasized, as it influences the child's life pathways.
Western audiences often prioritize attachment, security, nutrition, and stimulation in child development.
The speaker argues that none of the commonly mentioned aspects are the most important; context is key.
The concept of a child as an autonomous individual is challenged, advocating for a contextual understanding of children.
The impact of urban migration on children in Kenya was studied by the speaker, highlighting the power of context.
Cultural differences significantly affect children's lives, and understanding them can improve child well-being globally.
The term 'WEIRD' societies is introduced to describe the narrow focus of much child development research.
Over 90% of psychological research is conducted in WEIRD societies, limiting its global applicability.
The importance of social responsibility and collaborative learning in many non-WEIRD cultures is noted.
Multiple caretaking is common in various cultures, where children are raised by a community.
Children's lives diverge based on gender, with different expectations and opportunities for boys and girls.
In many societies, children are expected to actively participate in activities valued by their community.
The speaker calls for a broader perspective on child development that includes the child's environment and societal expectations.
The desirability of a child's characteristics is culturally determined and crucial for their well-being.
The importance of understanding the rest of the world to better care for children in one's own society.
A call to action for improving the lives of children by considering the global context and cultural diversity.
Transcripts
what is the most important thing in
cello development this is something we
should really care about because we all
want to improve the well-being in the
lives of kids so what are the most
important things in child development
I'd like you to help me to get started
so think of a child really do it like
bring up a child in your mind's eye
close your eyes think of that child you
got it
now if you could do something the most
important thing to influence the life of
that child what would you do when I've
asked this question the Western
audiences there's a whole litany of
important things provide attachment
security good nutrition provide it with
good playmates stimulation lots of
stimulation
perhaps a religious or spiritual pathway
which will be important to the child
provide a trust fund so that the child
will have resources as it grows older
some of the parents in the audience I
mention other things like it's the
toilet training just get me through the
toilet training or get my kid to sleep
or they bring the homework sheets home
and then they get lost so there are a
lot of things that we think of as
important things in child development
all all those things are important and
of course there's no one thing that
would be the only important thing none
of these in my view are the most
important thing the most important thing
you could do would be to decide or think
about where in the world is that child
growing up all the things that we think
of about the child depend on the context
in which the child and its family are
living what family what neighborhood
what community what nation state will
that child's life pathways be determined
in most of the things we think of
nutrition having a trust fund that
religious pathway is there one religious
pathway are there many what is that
religious pathway entail all of these
things depend on the child in some
particular
context most of us when we do this and
many of you probably brought up in your
mind a child sort of floating in space
now for analytic or research reasons it
might be useful to think of a childhood
is an autonomous person but that child
does not exist the only children that
exists are children in the world who
really live there and the importance of
keeping the context in mind needs to be
brought out more strongly in how we
think about kids and how we try to
improve their well-being I first saw
this one as a young anthropologist I
went to Kenya I was studying the effects
of urban migration on children there
I've subsequently done many research
projects to try to improve the lives of
kids or at least understand that in
different places around the world and in
the US and when you go to other parts of
the world or you know people from there
you see the power of contextual and
cultural differences on children's lives
by learning about the rest of the world
will understand better how to take care
of kids here and everywhere the way when
we think about kids is autonomous
individuals it's a way of thinking that
we learn and it's no accident that we've
learned that for one thing we live in a
weird society weird is an ironic but
useful Afrin ism acronym for Western
educated industrialized rich and
democratic societies now about 12% of
the world live in such a society and
most of the research that we hear about
and the experts that we hear about in
the context we're in come from other
weird societies so we have learned to
bracket the context out and just think
about the child as an individual in a
weird Society research is in the same
way mostly from weird societies in
psychology for example over 90% of the
research studies are done in weird
societies with samples from those parts
of the world
if you're an undergraduate in a college
or university in the West like some of
you here you are four thousand times
more likely to be in a research study
than a randomly selected person from the
rest of the world what if we take
account of the other 88% because by
doing that we'll see the importance of
context much more clearly fortunately
there's a wonderful rasayan TIFF ik
research literature to help us do that
they're also increasingly people that we
know who have grown up and lived in
those societies and we can go and visit
them to see the importance of this now
even where societies are diverse in
context and the rest of the world way
more so and so you can't possibly see or
understand all of the differences but
I'm going to mention a few that I have
seen myself and that offer an important
and useful contrast to weird societies
one is the importance of social
responsibility and collaborative
learning and social intelligence that
you see in so many cultures and so many
children around the world
unfortunately the parent of one of the
children you see in that slide from a
rural school in Kenya has died and after
lunch all of the children are going to
take those sticks of wood which each of
them have brought a few to school that
morning they're going to put the wood on
their heads they're going to walk to the
child's home pay their condolences and
bring the wood which is needed to
prepare for the funeral
that's coming in the next few days it's
phenomenal the amount of Prentice Shipp
adult child contextual learning that you
see around the world
another is multiple care taking of
children kids are raised by a lot of
different people care is socially
distributed children are very securely
attached but they're attached to a
social setting a family and other
members that help take care of them
they're likely to be part of a community
of care unfortunately large numbers of
children in the world live in very harsh
environments with oppression and
uncertainty and deep poverty and
inequality
and toxic environments and chaotic
family situations that often result
girls lives are likely to diverge from
boys as boys and girls get older say
after early childhood so the way girls
lives play out very in way boys lives
very but they're likely to be more
divergent than differentiated than we
find it here the institutions that
children are living in and will grow
into are different
marriage may be collectively a group
arranged inheritance may only go to boys
or may go to older children or that
trust fund may not be available if
you're a younger born child compared to
an older children are more likely to
grow up in large extended families when
are in single mother households that are
very isolated and where there's a very
harsh environment facing many children
so bring up the child again let's do it
again think of the child again where is
the child living what is the world in
which the child is living in and perhaps
the most important thing what kind of
child or person is desirable and
considered morally important in that
community that is one of the most
important things about child development
well-being is the ability of a child to
actively participate in the activities
that that society thinks is important
and desirable so to help children around
the world when we think about this topic
bring up in your mind the context the
whole world around the child and will do
much better at improving the lives of
children everywhere thanks very much
you
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