Self-regulation in early childhood : nature and nurture /

Bronson (Boston College) surveys theories of self-regulation and provides tables listing age-appropriate behaviors and social interventions. The surveys of the theories appear adequate, but the occasional misrepresentations are disquieting. For example, Bronson describes behavioral theory as a theory of how internalized conversations with others are the basis for self-regulation. This is not the behavioral theory of B.F Skinner (whose work was based primarily on nonverbal behavior, as observed in rats and pigeons), but rather the cognitive-behavioral theory of Donald Meichenbaum. Moreover, Bronson never mentions Alexander Luria's seminal work on the development of the prefrontal lobe of the brain. The cumulative effect of these errors and omissions is to diminish the influence that Soviet psychology, specifically Lev Vygotsky's theory, has had on contemporary US psychology. The final chapter reveals the book's underlying political bias: Bronson claims that the concept of self-regulation is primarily part of the Western European cultural tradition of independent effort and achievement. The tables describing the age-appropriate behaviors and social interventions focus on prosocial behaviors. Problematic for undergraduates because of revisionist history and theoretical misrepresentations; for educators because no specific examples are given to put principles into practice. Not recommended for academic libraries. F. Smolucha; Moraine Valley Community College