THE STUDY OF CHILDREN FROM CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY: A MEETING OF PERSPECTIVES

The cultural study of childhood assumes that culture and mind are closely related, in a relation of mutual constitution. This implies that the infant is an active being from birth (perhaps before) and that he constitutes his psychic character in interaction with others. The particular resulting form during development depends on the infant's contributions and on the contributions of the social surroundings. Thus, the researcher of childhood must take into account the contributions of children, as much as their context. In order to do this the investigator has to observe the interactions between child and context and what the caretakers make of those interactions. In the examples presented in the article, the autor attempts to make some implications on human diversity and the possibility for "learning from others".