Description
Book SynopsisWhy Youth is Not Wasted on the Young examines the nature of childhood through an evolutionary lens and argues that childhood is an essential stage of development with its own unique purposes, separate from those of adulthood; a time of growth and discovery that should not be rushed.
Trade Review"What is childhood? What is it for? The usual answer is that the purpose of childhood is to set the stage for bigger things to come.
Why Youth is Not Wasted on the Young turns this view on its head. In this clear and beautifully written account of the role of immaturity in human development and evolution, Bjorklund argues that children’s minds are qualitatively different from those of adults. Indeed, children have special ways of learning and knowing that enable unique mastery of skills and invention of knowledge. This book should be required reading for anyone who is struggling with the question of how best to structure their children’s lives in today’s frantic world."
Bruce J. Ellis, University of Arizona "Dave Bjorklund's book is a must read for parents and others who have an interest in kids, families, and schools. Based on current and sound scientific research, Bjorklund explains in very clear and readable, though not simplistic, language the long term importance of childhood qualities, such as play time and being "immature"- qualities that are under siege in many quarters of contemporary society."
Anthony D Pellegrini, University of Minnesota
"In this accessible and provocative work, David Bjorklund argues that childhood is not just a training for adulthood. Rather, it serves important adaptive functions that we need to acknowledge and value."
Michael Rutter, author of "Genes and Behavior"
“A lively, insightful analysis of human behavior from a novel, evolutionary standpoint; this is essential reading for anyone seeking to truly understand childhood and today's children.”
Glenn Weisfeld, Wayne State University
"David Bjorklund, one of the world’s leading developmental psychologists, has provided us with an intriguing and accessible treatment of some of the most important questions in the behavioral sciences today. Why does it take so long for humans to grow up? And, what is the evolutionary function of children’s activities while they are growing up? The book will be of interest to development scientists and to parents and educators wishing to better understand their children"
David C. Geary, University of Missouri
"In short, the answer to the question of who should read this book is a simple one: anyone who has an interest—personal, professional, or both—in how children develop." PsycCRITIQUES
“Bjorklund is a major contributor to the literature on evolutionary approaches to understanding child development. His connections … are original and well supported. Highly recommended.”
Choice Reviews
“That rare sort of science book that will be interesting to researchers as well as to laypeople … . Bjorklund is a beautifully smooth writer.”
American Scientist
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Acknowledgments xi
1 The Benefits of Youth 1
Rushing through Childhood 3
Views of Development 5
A Darwinian Perspective 14
I Come Not to Praise Immaturity 20
2 The Youngest Species 21
A Brief Look at Human Evolution 23
The Evolution of Childhood 36
Timing is Everything 44
The Youngest Species 52
3 The Slow Rate of Growing Up 55
The Gamble of Delayed Development 56
Big Brains, Social Complexity, and Slow Development 58
Cooperating and Competing 62
Family Matters 63
Slow Growth and Brain Plasticity 65
Developmental Plasticity and Evolution 83
When Slow is Fast Enough 84
4 Adapting to the Niche of Childhood 87
The Benefits of Limitations 89
See Things My Way 93
Learning Language 101
How Do Adults View Children’s Immature Thinking? 106
Adapting to Childhood 109
5 The Advantages of Thinking You’re Better than You Are 111
The Development of Metacognition – Knowing What We Know 113
Some Benefits of Less-Than-Perfect Metacognition 128
When We Deal with Children 135
Know Thyself, But Not Too Well 136
6 Play: The Royal Road through Childhood 139
What is Play? 142
The Adaptive Value of Play 144
Children Playing, Children Learning 147
Play it Again, Kid 161
7 The Most Educable of Animals 163
The Myth of “Earlier is Better” 169
Prenatal Learning 172
Early (Postnatal) Learning 176
Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Education 182
Stress in the Schoolhouse 189
Old Brain, New Curriculum 197
8 The Changing Face of Childhood 199
Pushing Children through Childhood 201
A Brief History of Childhood 204
The Costs of Ignoring Immaturity: The Well-being of America’s Children 211
The Independent Human Juvenile: A New View of Childhood? 216
Racing to Adulthood, Prolonging Adolescence 218
Epilogue: Homo Juvenalis 221
Revisiting Childhood 222
Visiting Adulthood 223
Notes 227
References 239
Index 267
