Behavior across the Life Span

Abstract

The Home Environments of Children in the United States was a recent study that examined the home environments of children in the U.S. and how particular conditions related to the child's well-being. The following pages will provide additional commentary on this study while utilizing Piaget's Theory of Development.

The study was twofold; while the first part focused on the differences that age, ethnicity, and economic status had on children with respect to development, in the second part, however, the relationship between the major aspects of the home environment and developmental outcomes were investigated. It was primarily concerned with how particular conditions within the home affected the child's cognitive and behavioral development. Specifically, the study observed the effect of various parental actions, materials, events, and conditions as part of their home environments on the child's well-being.

The results specifically observed were early motor and social development, vocabulary development, achievement, and behavior problems. These relationships were examined in poor and affluent European American, African American and Hispanic American families. The results found that the strongest relations were those between learning stimulation and children's developmental status, with relations for parental responsiveness and spanking varying contingent on age, ethnicity, and poverty status. These relationships were found most consistently for younger children than older ones.