Early twentieth century advice to parents: The transition to psychology in America

Abstract

In America, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, first formed in 1918, had resources totalling nearly 75 million dollars to fund large scale research programs in developmental psychology. Programs funded by the Memorial included Institutes at Iowa State University, Teachers College of Columbia University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of California at Berkeley. International programs were also supported including labs at the University of Toronto and Piaget's work in Switzerland. This led to an enormous increase in the number of researchers interested in studying children. These researchers often called for democratic approaches to parenting. This paper will look at a few of their recommendations.