| Summary: | "It would seem that Child Psychology at the present time has a dual personality. One of these personalities is found in the camp of the experimentalists, and the tent of the other is pitched with that of the philosophers. This is most unfortunate, because Child Psychology will never develop as it should unless it is definitely and unequivocally practical--unless it is interpretative. At the same time, it can never be practical in the sense of being a trustworthy guide unless it is based on the very best and most complete experimental and research data available. This means that in trying to prepare a text for those who are just beginning work in this field, one is faced with the necessity of correlating the interpretative, or philosophical, approach with the experimental, or research, approach. This, of course, is really quite difficult, if at the same time one hopes to be consistent or uniform in his presentations. Nevertheless, it is from this point of view that the present text has been prepared. Every possible attempt has been made to base the discussions on the best of pertinent researches, and yet make each discussion of such a nature that the student will be able to carry from it some facts and points of view which will enable him to have a more adequate understanding of children when he comes in actual contact with them. To those whose interest in Child Psychology is purely experimental, or purely from an investigative point of view, this book will seem quite inadequate. No attempt has been made to make the book an encyclopedia of research. Many excellent studies in the field have been omitted purposely in order to prevent the student from being engulfed in such facts. Wherever possible, however, sufficient objectively derived data has been presented to enable the student to see that the field has a solid foundation in scientific fact"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)
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