Abstract
Argument From 1924 to 1948, developmental psychologist Arnold Gesell regularly used photographic and motion picture technologies to collect data on infant behavior. The film camera, he said, records behavior "in such coherent, authentic and measurable detail that... the reaction patterns of infant and child become almost as tangible as tissue." This essay places his faith in the fidelity and tangibility of film, as well as his use of film as evidence, in the context of developmental psychology's professed need for legitimately scientific observational techniques. It also examines his use of these same films as educational material to promote his brand of scientific child rearing. But his analytic techniques - his methods of extracting data from the film frames - are the key to understanding the complex relationship between his theories of development and his chosen research technology.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 417-442 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Science in Context |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sep 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- History and Philosophy of Science
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"Tangible as tissue" : Arnold gesell, infant behavior, and film analysis. / Curtis, Scott.
In: Science in Context, Vol. 24, No. 3, 09.2011, p. 417-442.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - "Tangible as tissue"
T2 - Arnold gesell, infant behavior, and film analysis
AU - Curtis, Scott
PY - 2011/9
Y1 - 2011/9
N2 - Argument From 1924 to 1948, developmental psychologist Arnold Gesell regularly used photographic and motion picture technologies to collect data on infant behavior. The film camera, he said, records behavior "in such coherent, authentic and measurable detail that... the reaction patterns of infant and child become almost as tangible as tissue." This essay places his faith in the fidelity and tangibility of film, as well as his use of film as evidence, in the context of developmental psychology's professed need for legitimately scientific observational techniques. It also examines his use of these same films as educational material to promote his brand of scientific child rearing. But his analytic techniques - his methods of extracting data from the film frames - are the key to understanding the complex relationship between his theories of development and his chosen research technology.
AB - Argument From 1924 to 1948, developmental psychologist Arnold Gesell regularly used photographic and motion picture technologies to collect data on infant behavior. The film camera, he said, records behavior "in such coherent, authentic and measurable detail that... the reaction patterns of infant and child become almost as tangible as tissue." This essay places his faith in the fidelity and tangibility of film, as well as his use of film as evidence, in the context of developmental psychology's professed need for legitimately scientific observational techniques. It also examines his use of these same films as educational material to promote his brand of scientific child rearing. But his analytic techniques - his methods of extracting data from the film frames - are the key to understanding the complex relationship between his theories of development and his chosen research technology.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80054926348&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0269889711000172
DO - 10.1017/S0269889711000172
M3 - Article
VL - 24
SP - 417
EP - 442
JO - Science in Context
JF - Science in Context
SN - 0269-8897
IS - 3
ER -