Urie Bronfenbrenner

Urie Bronfenbrenner (April 29, 1917 – September 25, 2005) was a Russian-born
Urie Bronfenbrenner
American developmental psychologistwho is most known for hisecological systems
theory of child development.[1] His scientific work and his assistance to the United Born April 29, 1917
States government helped in the formation of the Head Start program in 1965.[2] Moscow, Russian
Bronfenbrenner's research and his theory was key in changing the perspective of Republic
developmental psychology by calling attention to the large number of environmental Died September 25, 2005
and societal influences on child development.[2] (aged 88)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
Nationality Russian (formerly)
Contents American
Alma mater Cornell University
Biography
Harvard University
Views on human development and ecological systems theory
University of Michigan
Head Start
Known for Ecological systems
Legacy and influence
theory, co-founder of
Awards
the Head Start
Publications program
References
Scientific career
External links
Fields Developmental
psychology

Biography
Bronfenbrenner was born in Moscow on April 29, 1917.[3] When he was six, his family moved to the United States, first to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then a year later to a rural part of New York state.[4] His father worked as a neuropathologist at a
hospital for the developmentally disabled calledLetchworth Village, located in Rockland County, N.Y.

Bronfenbrenner received a bachelor's in psychology and music from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1938.[3] He earned a
master's in education from Harvard in 1940, and a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Michigan in
1942.[2] He entered the U.S. military the day after receiving his doctorate, going on to serve as a psychologist in various military
bodies during World War II.[5] After the war, he briefly obtained a job as an assistant chief clinical psychologist for the newly
founded VA Clinical Psychology Training Program in Washington D.C.[5] After that, he served as an assistant professor at the
University of Michigan for two years, and then moved to Cornell University as an assistant professor in 1948.[5] At Cornell, his
.[6]
research focused on child development and the impact of social forces in this development for the rest of his career

He was appointed to a federal panel about development in impoverished children around 1964 and 1965, with this panel helping in
the creation of Head Start in 1965.[3]

Bronfenbrenner wrote over 300 research papers and 14 books,[2] and achieved the title of Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus
of Human Development at Cornell University.[5] He was married to Liese Price and had six children.[3] He died at his home in
Ithaca, New York, on September 25, 2005 at the age of 88, due to complications with diabetes.[3]

Views on human development and ecological systems theory

Bronfenbrenner saw the process of human development as being shaped by the interaction between an individual and his or her
environment.[1] The specific path of development was a result of the influences of a person's surroundings, such as their parents,
friends, school, work, culture, and so on.[1] During his time, he saw developmental psychology as only studying individual influences
on development in unnatural settings; in his own words, developmental psychology was, "...the science of strange behavior of
[1]:19
children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible periods of time."

It is from this vantage point that Bronfenbrenner conceives his theory of human development, the ecological systems theory. His
theory states that there are many different levels of environmental influences that can affect a child's development, starting from
people and institutions immediately surrounding the individual to nationwide cultural forces.[1] He later accounted for the influence
of time, such as specific events and changes in culture over time, by adding the chronosystem to the theory.[7] Furthermore, he
eventually renamed his theory the bioecological model in order to recognize the importance of biological processes in
development.[8] However, he only recognized biology as producing a person's potential, with this potential being realized or not via
environmental and social forces.[8]

Head Start
In 1964 Bronfenbrenner testified before a congressional hearing about an antipoverty bill, stating that measures should be directed
towards children in order to reduce the effects of poverty of developing persons.[3] This perspective was contrary to the predominant
view at the time that child development was purely biological, with no influence of experience or environment on its course.[9]
Because of his testimony, he was invited to the White House to discuss the issue with Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson, with whom
[2] Furthermore, he was invited to a federal panel that was tasked with developing
he discussed child-care programs of other countries.
a method to counteract the effects of child poverty and to get them on an equal educational footing with wealthier students.[9] He
worked with 12 other professionals from various fields such as mental and physical health, education, social work, and
developmental psychology.[9] Bronfenbrenner convinced the panel to focus efforts on involving a child's family and community in
the intervention effort, so as to expand the program to also focus on the creation of a better environment for development.[9] The
panel's recommendations led to the formation of the Head Start in 1965.[2] Bronfenbrenner's input may have helped Head Start
develop some of its environmental intervention methods, such as family support services, home visits, and education for
parenthood.[9]

Legacy and influence

According to Melvin L. Kohn, a sociologist from Johns Hopkins University, Bronfenbrenner was critical in making social scientists
realize that, "...interpersonal relationships, even [at] the smallest level of the parent-child relationship, did not exist in a social
vacuum but were embedded in the larger social structures of community, society, economics and politics."[2] His theory also helped
to push developmental research into conducting observations and experiments to discern the impact of certain environmental
variables on human development.[6] His research and ideas were also influential in the formation and direction of Head Start (see
above).[2] Bronfenbrenner's teaching at Cornell University produced a large number of developmental researchers who are now, as
Cornell University claims, "leaders in the field."[6]

Awards
The James McKeen Catell Award from the American Psychological Society[10]
The American Psychological Associationrenamed its "Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the
ward."[5]
Service of Science and Society" as "The Bronfenbrenner A
Chair, 1970 White House Conference on Children[11]

Publications
Two Worlds of Childhood: US and USSR. Simon & Schuster, 1970. ISBN 0-671-21238-9
Influencing Human Development. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1973.ISBN 0-03-089176-0
Influences on Human Development. Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1975.ISBN 0-03-089413-1
 The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1979. ISBN 0-674-22457-4
The State of Americans: This Generation and the Next
. New York: Free Press, 1996.ISBN 0-684-82336-5
Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development . Sage, 2005. ISBN 0761927115

References
1. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979).The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
2. "Urie Bronfenbrenner, 88; Co-founder of Head Start Urged Closer Family Ties" (http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/
27/local/me-bronfen27). Retrieved 2013-10-06.
3. "Urie Bronfenbrenner, 88, an Authority on Child Development" (https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0
6E5D81530F934A1575AC0A9639C8B63). Retrieved 2013-10-01.
4. American Psychologist. (1988). Urie Bronfenbrenner
. American Psychologist.
5. "In Appreciation: Urie Bronfenbrenner"(http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/uncategorized/in-appreciation
-urie-bronfenbrenner.html). Retrieved 2013-10-20.
6. "Urie Bronfenbrenner" (http://www.bctr.cornell.edu/about-us/urie-bronfenbrenner/). Retrieved 2013-10-20.
7. Berger, K.S. (2012). The developing person hrough
t childhood (6th edition). New Y
ork, NY: Worth Publishers
8. Ceci, S.J. (2006). Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917–2005).American Psychologist, 61(2), 173-174.
9. "Early Intervention Can Improve Low-Income Children's Cognitive Skills and Academic Achievement"
(https://www.a
pa.org/research/action/early.aspx). Retrieved 2013-10-23.
10. 1993 James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award (http://www.psychologicalscience.org/awards/cattell/citations/bronfenbren
ner.cfm)
11. "The American Family: Future Uncertain"(http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944265-1,00.html).
Time. December 28, 1970. Retrieved 2009-09-17.

External links
Guide to the Urie Bronfenbrenner Papers
Obituary: "Urie Bronfenbrenner; theories altered approach to child development; at 88" by Elaine oo,
W Los Angeles
Times. September 29, 2005.
Cornell News Release on Bronfenbrenner's Death

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Urie_Bronfenbrenner&oldid=824295762

"

This page was last edited on 6 February 2018, at 14:24(UTC).

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.