The Psychological Basis for the Identification of Physical Environmental Parameters in the Development of Early Cognitive Competence1,2

Abstract:Ulvund, S. E. 1981. The Psychological Basis for the Identification of Physical Environmental Parameters in the Development of Early Cognitive Competence. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 25,125‐140. A theoretical analysis focussing on the identification of physical environmental parameters in the development of early cognitive competence is presented. Referring to cognitive competence as a collective term of cognitive behavior as considered by Piaget (1952) and Hunt (1965), a theoretical frame of reference based on Brunswik's (1955) unit and Wohlwill's (1973) conceptions of the environment as a source of stimulation versus the environment as a context for behavior, is discussed. It is further suggested that different variants of the optimal stimulation hypothesis, combined with a transactional model of development (Sameroff, 1975a), form a highly relevant psychological basis for the identification of physical environmental parameters. Some implications for coming research are suggested.