Full Download pdf of (eBook PDF) Children and Their Development 3rd Canadian Edition all chapter

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 43

(eBook PDF) Children and Their

Development 3rd Canadian Edition


Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-children-and-their-development-3rd-cana
dian-edition/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

(eBook PDF) Children and Their Development, Fourth


Canadian Edition 4th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-children-and-their-
development-fourth-canadian-edition-4th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Children and Their Development 7th Global


Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-children-and-their-
development-7th-global-edition/

(eBook PDF) Translational Medicine in CNS Drug


Development, Volume 29

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-translational-medicine-
in-cns-drug-development-volume-29/

(eBook PDF) How Children Develop 5th Canadian Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-how-children-
develop-5th-canadian-edition/
(eBook PDF) How Children Develop 4th Canadian Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-how-children-
develop-4th-canadian-edition/

(eBook PDF) How Children Develop 6th Canadian Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-how-children-
develop-6th-canadian-edition/

(eBook PDF) How Children Develop 6th Canadian Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-how-children-
develop-6th-canadian-edition-2/

(eBook PDF) Families and Their Social Worlds 3rd


Edition by Karen T. Seccombe

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-families-and-their-
social-worlds-3rd-edition-by-karen-t-seccombe/

(eBook PDF) Literacy Development in the Early Years:


Helping Children Read and Write 9th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-literacy-development-in-
the-early-years-helping-children-read-and-write-9th-edition/
Content

Preface xiv
2 Genetic Bases of Child
Development 48

1 The Science of Child 2.1 MECHANISMS OF HEREDITY 49


Development 2 The Biology of Heredity 49
Single Gene Inheritance 53
1.1 SETTING THE STAGE 3 Genetic Disorders 54
Historical Views of Children and CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Childhood 4 Why Do African Canadians Inherit Sickle-Cell
Origins of a New Science 5 Disease? 54
1.2 FOUNDATIONAL THEORIES OF CHILD IMPROVING CHILDREN’S LIVES
DEVELOPMENT 7 Genetic Counselling 57
The Biological Perspective 8
The Psychodynamic Perspective 9 2.2 HEREDITY, ENVIRONMENT, AND
The Learning Perspective 11 DEVELOPMENT 59
The Cognitive-Developmental Behavioural Genetics 59
Perspective 14 FOCUS ON RESEARCH
The Contextual Perspective 15 Hereditary and Environmental Bases of
1.3 THEMES IN CHILD-DEVELOPMENT Aggressive Behaviour 64
RESEARCH 19 Paths From Genes to Behaviour 65
Early Development Is Related to Unifying Themes 69 See for Yourself 69
Later Development, But Not Resources 70 Key Terms 70
Perfectly 20 Summary 70 Test Yourself 71
Development Is Always Jointly Influenced by
Heredity and Environment 20
Children Influence Their Own
Development 21
3 Prenatal Development, Birth,
and the Newborn 72
Development in Different Domains is
Connected 22 3.1 FROM CONCEPTION TO BIRTH 73
1.4 DOING CHILD-DEVELOPMENT Period of the Zygote (Weeks 1–2) 73
RESEARCH 23 Period of the Embryo (Weeks 3–8) 75
Measurement in Child-Development Period of the Fetus (Weeks 9–38) 76
Research 24 IMPROVING CHILDREN’S LIVES
General Designs for Research 29 Five Steps Toward a Healthy Baby 80
Designs for Studying Age-Related
Change 33 3.2 INFLUENCES ON PRENATAL
Ethical Responsibilities 38 DEVELOPMENT 81
Communicating Research Results 40 General Risk Factors 81
Child-Development Research and Family
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
Policy 41 A Theory of the Risks Associated with Teenage
Unifying Themes 44 See for Yourself 44 Motherhood 84
Resources 44 Key Terms 44 Teratogens: Diseases, Drugs, and Environmental
Summary 45 Test Yourself 47 Hazards 87
vii
viii Contents

FOCUS ON RESEARCH 4.3 THE DEVELOPING NERVOUS


Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Environmental SYSTEM 144
Toxins on Sex Ratios 91
Organization of the Mature Brain 144
How Teratogens Influence Prenatal The Developing Brain 145
Development 93
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Prenatal Diagnosis and Treatment 95
Brain Specialization for Face Processing 148
3.3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 99
Unifying Themes 152 See for Yourself 152
Labour and Delivery 100
Resources 152 Key Terms 153
Approaches to Childbirth 101
Summary 153 Test Yourself 154
Adjusting to Parenthood 103
Birth Complications 104
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Infant Mortality 107

3.4 THE NEWBORN 109


5 Perceptual and Motor
Development 156
Assessing the Newborn 110
The Newborn’s Reflexes 111 5.1 BASIC SENSORY AND PERCEPTUAL
Newborn States 112 PROCESSES 157
CHILDREN’S LIVES Smell, Taste, and Touch 158
Back to Sleep! 115 Hearing 159
Perception and Learning in the Newborn 115 CHILDREN’S LIVES
Hearing Impairment in Infancy 160
Unifying Themes 116 See for Yourself 116
Resources 116 Key Terms 117 Seeing 161
Summary 117 Test Yourself 119 Integrating Sensory Information 162
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
The Theory of Intersensory Redundancy 163

4 Growth and Health 120 5.2 COMPLEX PERCEPTUAL AND


ATTENTIONAL PROCESSES 165
4.1 PHYSICAL GROWTH 121 Perceiving Objects 165
Features of Human Growth 122
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Mechanisms of Physical Growth 124
Early Visual Experiencing and Face
The Adolescent Growth Spurt and Puberty 128 Processing 170
CHILDREN’S LIVES Attention 172
Preventing Osteoporosis 129 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Disorder 173
Adolescent Rites of Passage 131 5.3 MOTOR DEVELOPMENT 175
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES Locomotion 176
A Paternal Investment Theory of Girls’ Pubertal CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Timing 133 Cultural Practices that Influence Motor
Development 179
4.2 CHALLENGES TO HEALTHY GROWTH 135
Fine-Motor Skills 181
Malnutrition 136
Physical Fitness 183
Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia 137
Obesity 138 Unifying Themes 186 See for Yourself 186
Disease 141 Resources 186 Key Terms 187
Accidents 142 Summary 187 Test Yourself 188
Contents ix

7.2 PROBLEM SOLVING 243


6 Theories of Cognitive Developmental Trends in Solving
Development 190 Problems 244
Features of Children’s and Adolescents’ Problem
6.1 SETTING THE STAGE: PIAGET’S
Solving 245
THEORY 191
Scientific Problem Solving 249
Basic Principles of Piaget’s Theory 192
Stages of Cognitive Development 193 7.3 ACADEMIC SKILLS 251
Piaget’s Contributions to Child Reading 251
Development 199 CHILDREN’S LIVES
6.2 MODERN THEORIES OF COGNITIVE Rhyme Is Sublime Because Sounds Abound 253
DEVELOPMENT 202 Writing 256
The Sociocultural Perspective: Vygotsky’s Knowing and Using Numbers 258
Theory 202 CULTURAL INFLUENCES
CULTURAL INFLUENCES Grade 5 in Taiwan 264
How Do Parents in Different Cultures Scaffold
7.4 ELECTRONIC MEDIA 266
Their Children’s Learning? 204
Television 267
Information-Processing Theories 206
Computers 269
Core Knowledge Theories 211
6.3 UNDERSTANDING IN CORE Unifying Themes 271 See for Yourself 271
DOMAINS 214 Resources 271 Key Terms 271
Summary 272 Test Yourself 273
Understanding Objects and Their Properties 215
Understanding Living Things 216
Understanding People 219
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Understanding Others’ Intentions 220
8 Intelligence and Individual
Differences in Cognition 274
CHILDREN’S LIVES
Theory of Mind in Autism 222 8.1 WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE? 275
Psychometric Theories 276
Unifying Themes 225 See for Yourself 225
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences 277
Resources 225 Key Terms 225
Sternberg’s Theory of Successful Intelligence 279
Summary 226 Test Yourself 227
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
The Theory of Successful Intelligence 279

7 Cognitive Processes and CULTURAL INFLUENCES


How Culture Defines What Is Intelligent 281
Academic Skills 228
8.2 MEASURING INTELLIGENCE 282
7.1 MEMORY 229
Binet and the Development of Intelligence
Origins of Memory 229 Testing 283
Strategies for Remembering 231 What Do IQ Scores Predict? 286
Knowledge and Memory 233 Hereditary and Environmental Factors 287
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
CHILDREN’S LIVES
Fuzzy Trace Theory 235
Providing Children with a Head Start for
School 289
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Do Stereotypes and Suggestions Influence Impact of Ethnicity and Socioeconomic
Preschoolers’ Reports? 238 Status 291
x Contents

8.3 SPECIAL CHILDREN, SPECIAL NEEDS 295 9.5 SIGNED LANGUAGE AND GESTURAL
Gifted and Creative Children 296 COMMUNICATION 343
Children with Disability 297 Using Gestures to Communicate 343
Children with Learning Disability 298 Signed Language 344
Evidence for Language Development 344
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Phonological Representations in Children with Unifying Themes 346 See for Yourself 346
Reading Disability 299 Resources 346 Key Terms 346
Summary 347 Test Yourself 348
Unifying Themes 302 See for Yourself 302
Resources 302 Key Terms 303
Summary 303 Test Yourself 304

10 Emotional Development 350


9 Language and
Communication 306 10.1 EMERGING EMOTIONS 351
The Function of Emotions 351
9.1 THE ROAD TO SPEECH 307 Experiencing and Expressing
Elements of Language 307 Emotions 352
Perceiving Speech 308 Recognizing and Using Others’
Emotions 356
CHILDREN’S LIVES
Regulating Emotions 358
Are Cochlear Implants Effective for Young
Children? 312 10.2 TEMPERAMENT? 360
First Steps to Speech 314 What Is Temperament? 360
9.2 LEARNING THE MEANINGS OF WORDS 315 SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
Understanding Words as Symbols 316 A Theory of the Structure of Temperament
Fast Mapping Meanings to Words 316 in Infancy 361

SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
Hereditary and Environmental Contributions to
A Shape-Bias Theory of Word Learning 319 Temperament 363
Individual Differences in Word Learning 321 CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Encouraging Word Learning 322 Why is Yoshimi’s Son so Tough? 363

FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Stability of Temperament 364
Do Infants Learn Words from Watching Temperament and Other Aspects of
Infant-Oriented Media? 323 Development 365

CULTURAL INFLUENCES 10.3 ATTACHMENT 367


Growing Up Bilingual 325 The Growth of Attachment 367
Beyond Words: Other Symbols 328 The Quality of Attachment 370
9.3 SPEAKING IN SENTENCES 330 FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting
From Two-Word Speech to Complex Style 375
Sentences 330
How Do Children Acquire Grammar? 332 CHILDREN’S LIVES
Determining Guidelines for Childcare for Infants
9.4 USING LANGUAGE TO
and Toddlers 377
COMMUNICATE 338
Taking Turns 338 Unifying Themes 378 See for Yourself 378
Speaking Effectively 339 Resources 379 Key Terms 379
Listening Well 341 Summary 379 Test Yourself 380
Contents xi

CULTURAL INFLUENCES
11 Understanding Self and Similarity in Structure of Domains of Social
Others 382 Judgment but Differences in Content 426
Promoting Moral Reasoning 428
11.1 WHO AM I? SELF-CONCEPT 383
12.3 HELPING OTHERS 431
Origins of Self-Recognition 384
Development of Prosocial Behaviour 431
The Evolving Self-Concept 385
Skills Underlying Prosocial Behaviour 432
The Search for Identity 387
Situational Influences 433
CULTURAL INFLUENCES The Contribution of Heredity 434
Dea’s Ethnic Identity 389 Socializing Prosocial Behaviour 434
FOCUS ON RESEARCH 12.4 AGGRESSION 436
Identity and Acculturation of Immigrant Change and Stability 437
Youth 391
Roots of Aggressive Behaviour 438
11.2 SELF-ESTEEM 395 SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
Developmental Change in Self-Esteem 396 Social-Information-Processing Theory and
Variations in Self-Esteem Associated with Children’s Aggressive Behaviour 442
Ethnicity and Culture 398 FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Sources of Self-Esteem 398 Benefits of Martial Arts Participation for
CHILDREN’S LIVES Children 446
Self-Esteem in Gifted Classes 399 Victims of Aggression 447
Low Self-Esteem: Cause or Consequence? 400 Unifying Themes 450 See for Yourself 450
11.3 UNDERSTANDING OTHERS 402 Resources 451 Key Terms 451
Describing Others 403 Summary 451 Test Yourself 453
Understanding What Others Think 404
Prejudice 406
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES 13 Gender and Development 454
Developmental Intergroup Theory 407
13.1 GENDER STEREOTYPES 455
Unifying Themes 410 See for Yourself 411
How Do We View Men and Women? 455
Resources 411 Key Terms 411
Learning Gender Stereotypes 457
Summary 411 Test Yourself 413
13.2 DIFFERENCES RELATED TO GENDER 459
Differences in Physical Development and
Behaviour 460
12 Moral Understanding and Differences in Intellectual Abilities and
Behaviour 414 Achievement 461
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
12.1 SELF-CONTROL 415 Development of Sex Differences in Spatial
Beginnings of Self-Control 415 Ability 463
Influences on Self-Control 417
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Improving Children’s Self-Control 418
A Cross-Cultural Look at Gender Differences in
12.2 REASONING ABOUT MORAL ISSUES 420 Math 466
Piaget’s Views 420 Differences in Personality and Social
Kohlberg’s Theory 422 Behaviour 467
Beyond Kohlberg’s Theory 425 Frank Talk about Gender Differences 470
xii Contents

13.3 GENDER IDENTITY 472 Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents 505
The Socializing Influences of People and the Firstborn, Laterborn, and Only Children 505
Media 472 CHILDREN’S LIVES
Cognitive Theories of Gender Identity 476 Assessing the Consequences of China’s One-
Child Policy 506
SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
Gender Schema Theory 477 Qualities of Sibling Relationships 508
Biological Influences 479 Maltreatment and Its Consequences 510
Causes of Maltreatment 512
13.4 GENDER ROLES IN TRANSITION 480 Preventing Maltreatment 514
Emerging Gender Roles 481
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Beyond Traditional Gender Education of Parents to Prevent Child
Roles 481 Abuse 515
CHILDREN’S LIVES
14.2 PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND
Encouraging Valuable Traits, Not Gender
Traits 483
INFLUENCES 517
Development of Peer Interactions 518
Unifying Themes 484 See for Yourself 484 Friendship 522
Resources 484 Key Terms 485 Groups 529
Summary 485 Test Yourself 486 Popularity and Rejection 531
14.3 INFLUENCES OF SOCIETY 533
Childcare and After School Activities 533
14 Social Influences 488 Part-Time Employment 536
Neighbourhoods 538
14.1 PARENTING AND FAMILY SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
RELATIONSHIPS 489 The Family Economic Stress Model 539
The Family as a System 490 School 542
Styles of Parenting 490
Unifying Themes 545 See for Yourself 545
Parental Behaviour 492
Resources 545 Key Terms 546
Influences of the Marital System 495
Summary 546 Test Yourself 548
Children’s Contributions 497
The Impact of Divorce 498 Glossary 550
Blended Families 501 References 559
The Role of Grandparents 502 Name Index 597
CULTURAL INFLUENCES Subject Index 611
Grandmothers in First Nations Families 503
List of Boxes

FOCUS ON RESEARCH CHILDREN’S LIVES


Hereditary and Environmental Bases of Five Steps Toward a Healthy Baby 80
Aggressive Behaviour 64 Genetic Counselling 57
Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Toxins on Back to Sleep! 115
Sex Ratios 91 Preventing Osteoporosis 129
Brain Specialization for Face Processing 148 Hearing Impairment in Infancy 160
Early Visual Experiencing and Face Processing 170 Theory of Mind in Autism 222
Understanding Others’ Intentions 220 Rhyme Is Sublime Because Sounds Abound 253
Do Stereotypes and Suggestions Influence Preschoolers’ Providing Children with a Head Start for School 289
Reports? 238 Are Cochlear Implants Effective for Young
Phonological Representations in Children with Reading Children? 312
Disability 299 Determining Guidelines for Childcare for Infants and
Do Infants Learn Words from Watching Infant-Oriented Toddlers 377
Media? 323 Self-Esteem in Gifted Classes 399
Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting Style 375 Encouraging Valuable Traits, Not Gender Traits 483
Identity and Acculturation of Immigrant Youth 391 Assessing the Consequences of China’s One-Child
Benefits of Martial Arts Participation for Children 446 Policy 506
Development of Sex Differences in Spatial Ability 463
Education of Parents to Prevent Child Abuse 515

SPOTLIGHT ON THEORIES
A Theory of the Risks Associated with Teenage
CULTURAL INFLUENCES
Motherhood 84
Why Do African Canadians Inherit Sickle-Cell
A Paternal Investment Theory of Girls’
Disease? 54
Pubertal Timing 133
Infant Mortality 107
The Theory of Intersensory Redundancy 163
Adolescent Rites of Passage 131
Fuzzy Trace Theory 235
Cultural Practices that Influence Motor Development 179
The Theory of Successful Intelligence 279
How Do Parents in Different Cultures Scaffold Their
A Shape-Bias Theory of Word Learning 319
Children’s Learning? 204
A Theory of the Structure of Temperament
Grade 5 in Taiwan 264
in Infancy 361
How Culture Defines What Is Intelligent 281
Developmental Intergroup Theory 407
Growing Up Bilingual 325
Social-Information-Processing Theory and Children’s
Why is Yoshimi’s Son so Tough? 363
Aggressive Behaviour 442
Dea’s Ethnic Identity 389
Gender Schema Theory 477
Similarity in Structure of Domains of Social Judgment but
The Family Economic Stress Model 539
Differences in Content 426
A Cross-Cultural Look at Gender Differences in Math 466
Grandmothers in First Nations Families 503
Preface

L ike many professors-turned-textbook-authors, Robert


Kail wrote this book because none of the texts avail-
able met the aims of the child-development classes that
fundamental developmental issues, such as the continu-
ity of development and the roles of nature and nurture
in development. In Children and Their Development, four
he taught. Children and Their Development, first pub- of these foundational issues are introduced in Chapter 1,
lished in 1998, was Kail’s effort to meet those aims. This, then reappear in subsequent chapters to scaffold students’
the third Canadian edition, does so from a Canadian per- understanding. As we mentioned already, the end of the
spective. In the next few paragraphs, we want to describe chapter includes the Unifying Themes feature, in which
those aims and how this book is designed to achieve the ideas from the chapter are used to illustrate one of the
them. foundational themes. By reappearing throughout the text,
the themes remind students of the core issues that drive
Goal 1: Use effective pedagogy to promote students’
child-development science.
learning. The focus on a student-friendly book begins
with the structure of the chapters. Each chapter consists Goal 3: Teach students that child-development sci-
of three or four modules that provide a clear and well- ence draws on many complementary research meth-
defined organization to the chapter. Each module begins ods, each of which contributes uniquely to scientific
with a set of learning objectives and a vignette that in- progress. In Module 1.4, we portray child-development
troduces the topic to be covered. Special topics that are research as a dynamic process in which scientists
set off in other textbooks as feature boxes are fully inte- make a series of decisions as they plan their work. In
grated with the main text and identified by a distinctive the process, they create a study that has both strengths
icon. Every feature ends with at least one critical thinking and weaknesses. Each of the remaining chapters of
question to encourage students’ engagement with the ma- the book contains a Focus on Research feature that
terial presented. Each module ends with several questions illustrates this process by showing—in an easy-to-read,
intended to help students check their understanding of question-and-answer format—the different decisions
the major ideas in the module. that investigators made in designing a particular study.
The end of each chapter includes several additional The results are shown, usually with an annotated fig-
study aids. Unifying Themes links the ideas in the chapter ure, so that students can learn how to interpret graphs.
to a major developmental theme. See for Yourself suggests The investigators’ conclusions are described, and we
activities that allow students to observe firsthand topics in then conclude each Focus on Research feature by men-
child development. Resources includes books and websites tioning the kind of converging evidence that would
where students can learn more about child development. strengthen the authors’ conclusions. Thus, the research
Key Terms is a list of all of the important boldfaced terms methods introduced in Chapter 1 reappear in every
appearing in the chapter. The Summary is a concise, one- chapter, depicting research as a collaborative enterprise
page review of the chapter. The Test Yourself questions that depends on the contributions of many scientists
further confirm and cement students’ understanding of the using different methods.
chapter material.
Goal 4: Show students how findings from child-
These different pedagogical elements do work; stu-
development research can improve children’s lives.
dents using previous editions frequently comment that
Child-development scientists and students alike want to
the book is easy to read and presents complex topics in an
know how the findings of research can be used to pro-
understandable way.
mote children’s development. In Chapter 1 of Children
Goal 2: Use fundamental developmental issues as a and Their Development, we describe the different means
foundation for students’ learning of research and theory by which researchers can use their work to improve chil-
in child development. Child-development courses some- dren’s lives. In the chapters that follow, these ideas come
times overwhelm students because of the sheer number of alive in the Children’s Lives feature, which provides ex-
topics and studies. Of course, today’s child-development amples of research-based solutions to common problems
science is really propelled by a concern with a handful of in children’s lives. From these features, students realize
Preface xv

that child-development research really matters—that par- Disabilities and organizations such as the Canadian
ents, teachers, and policymakers can use research to fos- Association for Research and Education in Intellectual
ter children’s development. Disabilities (CARD-ID) and the Canadian Association for
Why do you need this new edition? Here are six good Community Living (CACL).
reasons:
6. MyPsychLab has been updated and now includes a more
robust study plan organized and structured around
1. Brand new to this edition are Critical Thinking questions
Bloom’s taxonomy, and new videos have been added
at the end of every feature within a chapter, and a test
along with a complete eText that students can access any-
at the end of every chapter to help students assess their
time, anywhere—even offline with an iPad.
understanding of the material presented in the chapter.
2. Many of the Focus on Research, Cultural Influences,
Spotlight on Theories, Children’s Lives, and Improving New to the Third Canadian
Children’s Lives features have been replaced and updated Edition
throughout the text, covering such topics as brain special-
ization for face processing, scientific reasoning, autism, The third Canadian edition of Children and Their
intelligence, children’s testimony, and school phobia/ Development has several improvements designed to
school refusal behaviour. make the book more useful to students and instructors
in Canada. As mentioned above, a Canadian perspec-
3. New cutting-edge research has been added, such as the tive has been taken throughout, and work by Canadian
impact of a pregnant woman’s cell-phone usage on pre- researchers highlighted. More international research
natal development, the influence of emotions on moral and information is also included. In updating the cov-
development, the impact of motor skill development on erage of research, we have added hundreds of new
perception, cross-cultural variations in attachment, the citations to research published since 2000. We have
impact of the exposure to a culture of violence on the also added significant new content to every chapter. Of
development of aggression, and the role of multiple cas- particular note:
cading risks in the development of aggression.
Chapter 1 now includes information on Bronfenbrenner’s
4. Also expanded and updated are the topics of fetal alco- Ecological Systems theory, moved from the end chapters
hol spectrum disorder, theory of mind, children’s tes- to this chapter’s section on the Contextual Perspective to
timony, learning disabilities, the impact of video on be part of the discussion on the foundational theories in
children’s language learning, consequences of attach- child development.
ment quality, the influences on identity formation,
adolescent storm and stress, and self-esteem. As well, Chapter 2 includes a reorganized section on Paths
new material has been included on cultural differences from Genes to Behaviour, with expanded coverage of
in self esteem, the benefits of grandparent-grandchild epigenesis.
relationships, and programs for the prevention of Chapter 3 has additional information on sensory experi-
child maltreatment. ences of the fetus, expanded coverage of fetal alcohol spec-
5. Entire sections have been reorganized. The greatest trum disorder, and new material on the impact of cell-
change has been a reorganization of information from phone usage on prenatal development.
the second edition Chapter 15, with movement of some Chapter 4 has a much-reorganized section on brain devel-
information to other chapters and an amalgamation of opment, including a new Focus on Research feature, with
the remaining information with Chapter 14 to form a updates and improved explanations of brain specializa-
single chapter covering Social Influences. Other chap- tion, especially of experience-dependent and experience-
ter-level reorganizations have been made, including the expectant growth.
section on Paths from Genes to Behaviour (which now
includes expanded coverage of epigenesis) and the sec- Chapter 5 has a new section on the impact of motor-skill
tions on brain specialization and children with intel- development on perception.
lectual disability (formerly mental retardation), which Chapter 6 has been reorganized, its content on theory of
reflects the changes to terminology implemented by the mind updated, and it now includes a new Children’s Lives
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental feature devoted to autism.
xvi Preface

Chapter 7 now has information on electronic media (TV, MEDIA SUPPLEMENTS


video games, computers), moved here from later chap-
ters, as well as a revised section on children’s eyewitness
testimony and updated information on word and num-
MyPsychLab
ber recognition. MyPsychLab. MyPsychLab combines proven learning ap-
Chapter 8 contains an updated Spotlight on Theory fea- plications with powerful assessment to engage students,
ture on intelligence; a completely rewritten section on assess their learning, and help them succeed. With assess-
children with intellectual disability, with updated ter- ment tied to every video, application, and chapter, stu-
minology and information; and significantly revised dents receive immediate feedback and instructors can see
coverage of learning disabilities. what their students know with just a few clicks. Instructors
can personalize MyPsychLab to meet the needs of their
Chapter 9 updates information on infant language learning students.
and describes work on the impact of video on children’s
language learning, including a new Focus on Research fea-
ture on the influence of “baby media.” MyPsychLab includes:

Chapter 10 has new material on the origins of disgust, a • MyVirtualChild. MyVirtualChild is an interactive
completely revised section on school phobia (now called simulation that allows students to play the role of
school refusal behaviour), and much-revised coverage on parent and raise their own virtual child. By making
the consequences of attachment quality. decisions about specific scenarios, students can raise
Chapter 11 has been substantially re-organized and their child from birth to age 18 and learn firsthand
updated, including revised and expanded coverage of how their own decisions and other parenting actions
influences on identity formation, adolescent storm and affect their children over time.
stress, and self-esteem, as well as new material on the cul- • An individualized study plan for each student,
tural differences in self-esteem. based on performance results from chapter pre-
tests, helps students focus on the specific topics
Chapter 12 has a new Cultural Influences feature, new
where they need the most support. The personal-
material on the influences of emotions on moral devel-
ized study plan arranges content from less complex
opment, coverage of the role of a culture of violence
thinking (like remembering and understanding) to
on the development of aggression, new material on the
more complex critical thinking skill (like applying
role of multiple cascading risks in the development of
and analyzing) and is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.
aggression, and updates on cyberbullying and ridicule
Every level of the study plan provides a formative
as a form of bullying.
assessment quiz
Chapter 13 includes completely revised coverage of gender- • The MyPsychLab Video Series for Developmental
related differences in math (with a new Cultural Influences Psychology engages students in the study of hu-
feature), and an updated Spotlight on Theories feature. man development. Hundreds of observational
Chapter 14 is a reorganization of the second edition’s chap- videos and interviews from prenatal development
ters 14 and 15, to give one, coherent chapter on Social through to the end of the lifespan bring to life a
Influences. This chapter also has new material on the effects wide range of topics typically covered in child, ado-
of punishment and an alternative called “time in,” as well as lescent, and lifespan development courses. New
revised information regarding family structure, including cross-cultural videos shot on location in several
the role of grandparents, and updates on peer relationships countries allow students to observe similarities and
and programs designed to prevent child maltreatment. differences in human development across cultures
throughout the lifespan. These videos can be ac-
cessed online via MyPsychLab and are also avail-
Support Materials able on DVD.
Children and Their Development, Third Canadian Edition, • The Pearson eText lets students access their text-
is accompanied by a superb set of ancillary materials. They book anytime, anywhere, and any way they want—
include the following: including on an iPad.
Preface xvii

• Media Assignments for each chapter (including including art and figures from our leading texts, videos,
videos with assignable questions) feed directly into lecture activities, classroom activities, demonstrations, and
the gradebook, enabling instructors to track student much more. Instructors are able to search through this ex-
progress automatically. tensive database by content topic (arranged by standard
topics within the introductory psychology curriculum) or by
content type (video, audio, simulation, Word documents).
INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS ClassPrep allows instructors to select resources appropriate
for lecture, many of which can be downloaded directly. Or
instructors can build their own folder of resources and pres-
MyTest: Pearson MyTest is a powerful assessment- ent from within the ClassPrep program. ClassPrep can also
generation program that helps instructors easily create be accessed through MyPsychLab.
and print quizzes, tests, exams, as well as homework or CourseSmart: CourseSmart goes beyond traditional
practice handouts. Questions and tests can all be au- expectations—providing instant online access to the text-
thored online, allowing instructors ultimate flexibility books and course materials you need at a lower cost for
and the ability to efficiently manage assessments at any students. And even as students save money, you can save
time, from anywhere. MyTest for Children and Their time and hassle with a digital eTextbook that allows you to
Development contains over 2000 multiple-choice, true/ search for the most relevant content at the very moment
false, and short-answer essay questions, which are also you need it. Whether it’s evaluating textbooks or creat-
available in Microsoft Word format (see below). MyTest ing lecture notes to help students with difficult concepts,
can be accessed through MyPsychLab as well. CourseSmart can make life a little easier. See how when
The following supplements can be downloaded from you visit www.coursesmart.com/instructors.
a password-protected section of Pearson Education Can- Technology Specialists: Pearson Learning Solutions
ada’s online catalogue (www.pearsoncanada.ca/highered). Managers work with faculty and campus course designers
Navigate to your book’s catalogue page to view a list of to ensure that Pearson technology products, assessment
those supplements that are available. See your local sales tools, and online course materials are tailored to meet
representative for details and access. your specific needs. This highly qualified team is dedicated
Instructor’s Resource Manual: Each chapter in the to helping schools take full advantage of a wide range of
manual includes the following resources: Chapter Learn- educational resources by assisting in the integration of a
ing Objectives; Lecture Suggestions and Discussion Top- variety of instructional materials and media formats. Your
ics; Classroom Activities, Demonstrations, and Exercises; local Pearson Education sales representative can provide
Out-of-Class Assignments and Projects; Lecture Notes; you with more details on this service program.
Multimedia Resources; Video Resources; and Handouts. Pearson Custom Library For enrollments of at least 25
Designed to make your lectures more effective and to students, you can create your own textbook by choosing
save you preparation time, this extensive resource gath- the chapters that best suit your own course needs. To be-
ers together the most effective activities and strategies for gin building your custom text, visit www.pearsoncustom-
teaching your developmental psychology course. The In- library.com. You may also work with a dedicated Pearson
structor’s Manual is in PDF format. Custom editor to create your ideal text—publishing your
PowerPoint Presentations: Each chapter’s PowerPoint own original content or mixing and matching Pearson
presentation highlights the key points covered in the text. content. Contact your local Pearson Representative to get
Image Library: This set of images, illustrations, fig- started.
ures, and charts from the text is provided in electronic
format for instructor use.
Test Item File: The test bank in Microsoft Word To the Student
format contains over 2000 multiple-choice, true/false, and
short-answer essay questions. The test bank is also avail- In this book, we’ll trace children’s development from
able in MyTest format (see above). conception through adolescence. Given this goal, you
ClassPrep: This new offering from Pearson may expect to find chapters devoted to early childhood,
makes lecture preparation simpler and less time-consuming! middle childhood, and the like. But this book is orga-
Pearson has collected the very “best of” instructor resources, nized differently—around topics. Chapters 2 through 5
xviii Preface

are devoted to the genetic and biological bases of human Cultural Influences shows how culture influ-
development, and the growth of perceptual and mo- ences children and illustrates that developmen-
tor skills. Chapters 6 through 9 cover intellectual devel- tal journeys are diverse. All children share the biologi-
opment—how children learn, think, reason, and solve cal aspects of development, but their cultural contexts
problems. Chapters 10 through 14 concern social and differ. This feature celebrates the developmental expe-
emotional development—how children acquire the cus- riences of children from different backgrounds.
toms of their society and learn to play the social roles
Children’s Lives shows how research and theo-
expected of them.
ry can be applied to improve children’s devel-
This organization reflects the fact that when scientists
opment. These practical solutions to everyday prob-
conduct research on children’s development, they usu-
lems show the relevance of research and theory to real
ally study how some specific aspect of how a child devel-
life, and show how results from research are used to
ops. For example, a researcher might study how memory
create social policy that is designed to improve the
changes as children grow or how friendship in childhood
lives of children and their families.
differs from that in adolescence. Thus, the organization of
this book reflects the way researchers actually study child Spotlight on Theories examines an influential
development. theory of development and shows how it has
been tested in research.

ORGANIZATION OF CHAPTERS AND Two other elements are designed to help you focus on
LEARNING AIDS the main points of the text. First, whenever a key term is
introduced in the text, it appears in Blue bold italic like
Each of the chapters (except Chapter 1) includes several
this and the definition appears in black boldface type.
modules that are listed at the beginning of each chap-
This format should make key terms easier for you to find
ter. Each module begins with a set of learning objectives
and learn. Second, summary tables appear periodically
phrased as questions, a mini-outline listing the major
throughout the book, reviewing key ideas and providing
subheadings of the module, and a brief vignette that in-
a capsule account of each. For example, the following
troduces the topics to be covered in the module. The
Summary Table shows the many study aids that we’ve
learning objectives, mini-outline, and vignette tell you
included in the book.
what to expect in the module.

5.1
SUMMARY TABLE
Basic Sensory and Perceptual Processes
OUTLINE LEARNING OBJECTIVES STUDY AIDS USED IN CHILDREN AND THEIR
Smell, Taste, and Touch • Are newborn babies able to smell and taste? Do they respond to touch
Hearing and experience pain? DEVELOPMENT, THIRD CANADIAN EDITION
Seeing • How well do infants hear? How do they use sounds to understand
their world?
Integrating Sensory
Information • How accurate is infants’ vision? Do infants perceive colour?
• How do infants integrate information from different senses? Study Aid Key Features
Darla adores her three-day-old daughter, Olivia. She loves holding her, talking to her, and simply watch- Module-opening Learning objectives,
ing her. Darla is certain that Olivia is already getting to know her, coming to recognize her face and the
sound of her voice. Darla’s husband, Steve, thinks she is crazy. He tells her, “Everyone knows that babies material vignette, mini-outline
are born blind. And they probably can’t hear much either.” Darla doubts that Steve is right, but she wishes
someone would tell her about babies’ vision and hearing. Special features Focus on Research, Children’s
Lives, Cultural Influences,
Spotlight on Theories,
each with Critical Thinking
Each module in Chapters 2 through 14 includes at
questions
least one special feature that expands or highlights a topic.
Design elements that Boldface key terms defined
There are four different kinds of features; you can recog- promote learning in text, summary tables
nize each one by its distinctive icon: (like this one)
Check Your Learning Recall, interpret, and apply
Focus on Research provides details on the de-
questions
sign and methods used in a particular research
End-of-chapter material Unifying Themes, See for
study. Closely examining specific studies demystifies
M05_KAIL7890_03_CH05.indd 157 12/2/13 5:21 PM
Yourself, Resources, Key
research and shows that scientific work is a series of Terms, Summary, Self-test
logical steps conducted by real people.
Preface xix

Each module concludes with Check Your Learning ques- Several icons also appear throughout the margins to
tions to help you review the major ideas in that module. As direct you to interactive study resources on MyPsychLab
you can see in the inset, there are three kinds of questions: that illustrate key concepts discussed in the text:
recall, interpret, and apply. Watch directs you to videos.
Explore directs you to animations.
Check Your Learning Simulate directs you to simulations.
RECALL List the major parts of a nerve cell and the major regions of the cerebral
cortex.
Finally, a MyPsychLab banner has been placed at the end
Describe evidence that shows the brain’s plasticity.
of every chapter to remind you to visit MyPsychLab to help
INTERPRET Compare growth of the brain before birth with growth of the brain after
you master the material you’ve just learned.
birth.
APPLY How does the development of the brain, as described in this module, com-
pare to the general pattern of physical growth described in Module 4.1?
TERMINOLOGY
Every field has its own terminology, and child develop-
If you can answer the questions in Check Your Learning
ment is no exception. We will be using several terms to
correctly, you are on your way to mastering the material
refer to different periods of infancy, childhood, and ado-
in the module. However, do not rely exclusively on Check
lescence. Although these terms are familiar, we will use
Your Learning as you study for exams. The questions are
each to refer to a specific range of ages:
designed to give you a quick check of your understanding,
not a comprehensive assessment of your knowledge of the Newborn Birth to 1 month
entire module. Infant 1 month to 1 year
At the very end of each chapter are several additional Toddler 1 to 2 years
study aids. Unifying Themes links the contents of the chap- Preschooler 2 to 6 years
ter to the developmental themes that we introduce in Mod- School-age child 6 to 12 years
ule 1.3. The feature, See for Yourself, suggests some simple Adolescent 12 to 18 years
activities for exploring issues in child development on your Adult 18 years and older
own. Resources includes books and websites where you
Sometimes for the sake of variety we will use other
can learn more about children and their development. Key
terms that are less tied to specific ages, such as babies,
Terms is a list of all the important terms that appear in the
youngsters, and elementary-school children. When we do,
chapter, along with the page where each term is defined. The
you will be able to tell from the context what groups are
Summary provides a concise review of the entire chapter,
being described.
organized by module and the primary headings within the
We will also use very specific terminology in describ-
module. Finally, the Test Yourself questions further confirm
ing research findings from different cultural and ethnic
and cement your understanding of the chapter material.
groups. The appropriate terms to describe different cultural,
racial, and ethnic groups change over time. For example,
INTEGRATION OF MyPsychLab the terms coloured people, Negroes, Black Canadians, and
MyPsychLab is a dynamic, interactive online resource that African Canadians have all been used to describe Canadi-
gives you access to a variety of valuable media resources—all ans who trace their ancestry to Africa. In this book, we will
in one easy-to-use website. Several features have been added use the term African Canadian because it emphasizes the
to this text to help you take advantage of those resources: unique cultural heritage of this group of people. Following
this same line of reasoning, we will use the terms European
MyPsychLab Visit www.mydevelopmentlab.com to help you get the best grade!
Test your knowledge and grasp difficult concepts through:
Canadian (instead of Caucasian or white), First Nations or
Aboriginal (instead of Indian or American Indian), Asian
■ Custom study plans: See where you are strong and where you ■ Video and audio clips
d 152

went wrong
Interactive simulations
■ Raise your own Virtual Child
—and much more!
Canadian, and Hispanic Canadian.
12/2/13 5:21 PM

These labels are not perfect. Sometimes they blur


Throughout the chapters in the text, you’ll find de- distinctions within ethnic groups. For example, the term
scriptions of MyPsychLab video clips. These descriptions Hispanic Canadian ignores differences between individu-
appear in the margin beside topics that are further ex- als who came to Canada from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and
plored in the video clips. Guatemala; the term Asian Canadian blurs variations
xx Preface

among people whose heritage is East Indian, Japanese, I am particularly grateful to three people for their
Chinese, or Korean. Whenever researchers identified the special contributions to Children and Their Development.
subgroups in their research sample, we will use the more Jeff Marshall supported the book enthusiastically and
specific terms in describing results. When you see the guided its revision. Over the years, Harriett Prentiss and
more general terms, remember that conclusions may not Susan Moss labored long to make my writing clear and
apply to all subgroups within the group. inviting. To all these individuals, many, many thanks.
—Robert V. Kail
COURSESMART FOR STUDENTS
For the Canadian editions of the book, I, too, would like
CourseSmart goes beyond traditional expectations— to thank those mentioned above who helped with the
providing instant, online access to the textbooks and original work. In addition, I would like to thank the fol-
course materials you need at an average savings of 60 lowing reviewers for their many helpful comments and
percent. With instant access from any computer and the suggestions:
ability to search your text, you’ll find the content you
need quickly, no matter where you are. And with on- Jan Blaxall, Fanshawe College
line tools like highlighting and note-taking, you can save Tina Bonnett, Fanshawe College
time and study efficiently. See all the benefits at www. Tanya Broesch, Simon Fraser University
coursesmart.com/students. Tina Daniels, Carleton University
Sandra Hessels, Huron University College at UWO
Anick Legault, Dawson College
A Final Word Kim O’Neil, Carleton University
Robert Kail wrote the first American edition of this book Lorna Reid, University of Guelph
to make child development come alive for his students Theresa Steger, Humber College ITAL
at Purdue. Although we can’t teach you directly, we Tara Vongpaisal, Grant MacEwan University
hope this book sparks your interest in children and their I must also thank Ky Pruesse for the initial concept of the
development. Please let us know what you like and Canadian edition; Matthew Christian, Acquisitions Editor;
dislike about the book so that it can be improved in Joel Gladstone and Carolin Sweig, Sponsoring Editors, and
later editions. You can email me, Anne Barnfield, at editors Heather Parker, who started the editing process,
abarnfie@uwo.ca—I’d love to hear from you. Joanne Sutherland, who continued the process and, for the
third edition, Christine Langone, who worked hard to get
Acknowledgments help me to turn in coherent, updated chapters. Elizabeth
Lewis and Harleen Chopra brought the book through pro-
Textbook authors do not produce books on their own. I duction. I would also like to thank Annamarie Chalikakis
want to thank the many reviewers who generously gave for her invaluable assistance when this whole process be-
their time and effort to help sharpen my thinking about gan and Brescia students Kasha McEwen (with the first
child development and shape the development of this text. edition) and Sileny Chamorro (for the second edition) for
I also owe a debt of thanks to many people who helped their assistance in retrieving information and performing
take this project from a first draft to a bound book. Wanda literature searches. My husband, Richard Van de Weter-
España designed a book that is both beautiful and func- ing, as ever, deserves special thanks for his patience and
tional. LeeAnn Doherty skillfully orchestrated the many understanding.
activities that were involved in actually producing the book. —Anne M. C. Barnfield
About the Authors

Robert V. Kail is a Distinguished Professor of


Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. His undergradu-
ate degree is from Ohio Wesleyan University, and his PhD is
from the University of Michigan. Kail is editor of Psychological
Science and the incoming editor of Child Development
Perspectives. He received the McCandless Young Scientist Award
from the American Psychological Association, was named the
Distinguished Sesquicentennial Alumnus in Psychology by
Ohio Wesleyan University, and is a fellow of the Association for
Psychological Science. His research focuses on cognitive develop-
ment during childhood and adolescence. Away from the office,
he enjoys photography and working out. His website is http://
www2.psych.purdue.edu/~rk/home.html

Anne M. C. Barnfield is an Associate Professor of


Psychology at Brescia University College. Her undergraduate
degree is from the University of London, U.K. and her Ph.D. is
from the University of Sussex, U.K. Barnfield is an occasional
manuscript reviewer for the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills
and a book reviewer for The Journal of Asian Martial Arts.
She is a member of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology
and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive
Science. Her research focuses on the development of spatial
memory and on the beneficial influences of sport participation—
particularly for children. Away from the office, she enjoys karate
and horseback riding. The Brescia University College website is:
http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/
1 The Science
of Child Development

Marzanna Syncerz/Fotolia.

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

Setting the Stage Foundational Themes in Doing


Theories of Child Child-Development Child-Development
Development Research Research
Beginning as a microscopic cell, every person takes a fascinating journey designed to lead to adult-
hood. This trip is filled with remarkably interesting and challenging events. In this book, we’ll trace this
journey as we learn about the science of child development, a multidisciplinary study of all aspects of
human growth from conception to young adulthood. As an adult, you’ve already lived the years that
are at the heart of this book. We hope you enjoy reviewing your own developmental path from the
perspective of child-development research and that this perspective leads you to new insights into the
developmental forces that have made you the person you are today.
Chapter 1 sets the stage for our study of child development. We begin, in Module 1.1, by look-
ing at philosophical foundations for child development and the events that led to the creation of child
development as a new science. In Module 1.2, we examine theories that are central to the science of
child development. In Module 1.3, we explore themes that guide much of the research in child de-
velopment. Finally, in Module 1.4, we learn about the methods scientists use to study children and
their development.

1.1 Setting the Stage


OUTLINE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Historical Views of Children 1. What ideas did philosophers have about children and childhood?
and Childhood 2. How did the modern science of child development emerge?
Origins of a New Science 3. How do child-development scientists use research findings to improve
children’s lives?

Kendra loves her 12-month-old son, Joshua, but she is eager to return to her job as a loan officer at a local
bank. Kendra knows a woman in her neighbourhood who has cared for some of her friends’ children, and
they all think she is wonderful. But deep down, Kendra wishes she knew more about whether this type of
care is really best for Joshua. She also wishes that her neighbour’s daycare centre had a “stamp of approval”
from someone who knows how to evaluate such facilities.

K endra’s question about the best way to care for her infant son is just the most
recent in a long line that she has had about Joshua since he was born. When
Joshua was just a few days old, Kendra wondered if he could recognize her face and
her voice. As her son grows, she’ll continue to have questions: Why is he so shy at
preschool? Should he take classes for gifted children or would he be better off in
regular classes? What can she do to be sure that he doesn’t use drugs?
These questions—and hundreds more like them—touch issues and concerns
that parents such as Kendra confront regularly as they do their best to rear their
children. And parents are not the only ones asking these questions. Many profes-
sionals who deal with children—teachers, healthcare providers, and social workers,
for example—often wonder what is best for children’s development. Does children’s
self-esteem affect their success in school? Should we believe young children when
they claim they have been abused? As well, government officials must decide what
programs and laws provide the greatest benefit for children and their families. How
does welfare reform affect families? Are teenagers less likely to have sex when they
participate in abstinence-only programs?

3
4 Chapter 1 • The Science of Child Development

So many questions, and all of them important! Fortunately, the field of child
development, which traces physical, mental, social, and emotional development
from conception to maturity, provides answers to many of them. To begin, let’s look
at the origins of child development as a science.

Historical Views of Children and Childhood


For thousands of years, philosophers have speculated on the fundamental nature
of childhood and the conditions that foster a child’s well-being. The famous Greek
philosophers Plato (428–347 bce) and Aristotle (384–322 bce) believed that schools
and parents had responsibility for teaching children the self-control that would make
them effective citizens. But both philosophers, particularly Aristotle, also worried
that too much self-discipline would stifle children’s initiative and individuality, mak-
ing them unfit to be leaders.
Plato and Aristotle also had ideas about knowledge and how it is acquired.
Plato believed that experience could not be the source of knowledge because human
senses are too fallible. He argued instead that children are born with innate knowl-
edge of many concrete objects (such as animals and people), as well as with knowl-
edge of abstractions (such as courage, love, and goodness). In Plato’s view, children’s
sensory experiences simply trigger knowledge that they’ve had since birth. The first
time a child sees a dog, her innate knowledge allows her to recognize it as such; no
learning is necessary.
In contrast, Aristotle denied the existence of innate knowledge, believing in-
stead that knowledge is rooted in perceptual experience. Children acquire knowledge
piece by piece, based on the information provided by their senses. Aristotle likened a
child’s mind to a tablet that is blank, ready for experience to do the writing.
These contrasting views resurfaced during the Age of Enlightenment. The
English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) asserted that the human infant is a
tabula rasa, or “blank slate,” and claimed that experience molds the infant, child,
adolescent, and adult into a unique individual. According to Locke, parents should
instruct, reward, and discipline young children, gradually relaxing their authority
as children grow. In our opening vignette, Locke would have advised Kendra that
childcare experiences will undoubtedly affect Joshua’s development (though Locke
would not specify how).
A century after Locke made his assertions, his view was challenged by the
French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), who believed that new-
borns are endowed with an innate sense of justice and morality that unfolds natu-
rally as the child grows. During this unfolding, children move through the same
developmental stages that we recognize today—infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
Rather than emphasizing parental discipline, Rousseau argued that parents should
be responsive, and he encouraged them to be receptive to their children’s needs, as
he explained in his book Émile, written in 1762. Rousseau would have downplayed
the impact of childcare experiences per se on Joshua’s development, insisting instead
that the key would be having caregivers who are responsive to his needs.
Rousseau shared Plato’s view that children begin their developmental journey
well prepared with a stockpile of knowledge. Locke, like Aristotle two thousand
years before, believed that children begin their journey lightly packed, picking up
necessary knowledge along the way, through experience. These debates might have
continued to be solely philosophical for millennia except for a landmark event: the
emergence of child development as a science.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
was determined to be upsides with them, for the way she had jilted
me.
In the meanwhile my mother, that never, when she had a turn in
hand, alloo’t the grass to grow in her path, invited Miss Betty Græme
to stay a week with us; the which, as her father’s family were in a
straitened circumstance, she was glad to accept; and being come, and
her mother with her, I could discern a confabbing atween the twa
auld leddies—Mrs Græme shaking the head of scrupulosity, and my
mother laying down the law and the gospel;—all denoting a matter-
o’-money plot for me and Miss Betty.
At last it came to pass, on the morning of the third day, that Miss
Betty did not rise to take her breakfast with us, but was indisposed;
and when she came to her dinner, her een were bleared and
begrutten. After dinner, however, my mother that day put down,
what wasna common with her housewifery, a bottle o’ port in a
decanter, instead o’ the gardevin for toddy, and made Miss Betty
drink a glass to mak her better, and me to drink three, saying, “Faint
heart never won fair leddy.” Upon the whilk hint I took another
myself, and drank a toast for better acquaintance with Miss Betty.
Then the twa matrons raise to leave the room, and Miss Betty was
rising too; but her mother laid her hand upon her shouther, and said

“It’s our lot, my dear, and we maun bear with it.”
Thus it came to pass that I and Miss Betty were left by ourselves in
a very comical situation.
There was silence for a space of time between us; at last she drew a
deep sigh, and I responded, to the best o’ my ability, with another.
Then she took out her pocket-napkin, and began to wipe her eyes.
This is something like serious courting, thocht I to myself, for sighs
and tears are the food of love; but I wasna yet just ready to greet;
hoosever, I likewise took up my pocket-napkin, and made a sign of
sympathy by blowing my nose, and then I said—
“Miss Betty Græme, how would ye like to be Leddy of Auldbiggins,
under my mother?”
“Oh, heavens!” cried she, in a voice that gart me a’ dinnle; and she
burst into a passion of tears—the whilk to see so affectit me that I
couldna help greeting too; the sight whereof made her rise and walk
the room like a dementit bedlamite.
I was terrified, for her agitation wasna like the raptures I expectit;
but I rose from my seat, and going round to the other side of the
table where she was pacing the floor, I followed her, and pulling her
by the skirt, said, in a gallant way, to raise her spirits—
“Miss Betty Græme, will ye sit doon on my knee?”
I’ll ne’er forget the look she gied for answer; but it raised my
courage, and I said, “E’en’s ye like, Meg Dorts”—and with a flourish
o’ my heel, I left her to tune her pipes alane. This did the business, as
I thocht; for though I saw her no more that night, yet the next
morning she came to breakfast a subdued woman, and my mother,
before the week was out, began to make preparations for the
wedding.
But, lo and behold! one afternoon, as Miss Betty and me were
taking a walk, at her own request, on the high road, by came a whisky
with a young man in it, that had been a penny-clerk to her father,
and before you could say, hey cockolorum! she was up in the gig, and
doon at his side, and aff and away like the dust in a whirlwind.
I was very angry to be sae jiltit a second time, but it wasna with an
anger like the anger I suffered for what I met with at the hands of
Annie Daisie. It was a real passion. I ran hame like a clap o’ thunder,
and raged and rampaged till Mrs Græme was out of the house, bag
and baggage. My mother thought I was gane wud, and stood and
lookit at me, and didna daur to say nay to my commands. Whereas,
the thocht o’ the usage I had gotten frae Annie Daisie bred a heart-
sickness of humiliation, and I surely think that if she had not carried
her scorn o’ me sae far as to prefer a bare farmer lad like John
Lounlans, I had hae sank into a decline, and sought the grave with a
broken heart. But her marrying him roused my corruption, and was
as souring to the milk of my nature. I could hae forgiven her the
watering; and had she gotten a gentleman of family, I would not have
been overly miscontented; but to think, after the offer she had from a
man of my degree, that she should take up with a tiller of the ground,
a hewer of wood and a drawer of water, was gall and wormwood.
Truly, it was nothing less than a kithing of the evil spirit of the
democraws that sae withered the green bay-trees of the world, when
I was made a captain in the volunteers, by order of the Lord
Lieutenant, ’cause, as his lordship said, of my stake in the country.
—“The Last of the Lairds.”
THOMAS THE RHYMER:
AN ANCIENT FAIRY LEGEND.

By Sir Walter Scott.

Thomas of Erceldoune, in Lauderdale, called the Rhymer on


account of his producing a poetical romance on the subject of
Tristrem and Yseult, which is curious as the earliest specimen of
English verse known to exist, flourished in the reign of Alexander III.
of Scotland. Like other men of talent of the period, Thomas was
suspected of magic. He was also said to have the gift of prophecy,
which was accounted for in the following peculiar manner, referring
entirely to the Elfin superstition. As Thomas lay on Huntly Bank (a
place on the descent of the Eildon hills, which raise their triple crest
above the celebrated monastery of Melrose), he saw a lady so
extremely beautiful that he imagined it must be the Virgin Mary
herself. Her appointments, however, were those rather of an amazon,
or goddess of the woods. Her steed was of the highest beauty, and at
his mane hung thirty silver bells and nine, which were music to the
wind as she paced along. Her saddle was of “royal bone” (ivory), laid
over with “orfeverie” (goldsmith’s work). Her stirrups—her dress—all
corresponded with her extreme beauty and the magnificence of her
array. The fair huntress had her bow in hand, and her arrows at her
belt. She led three greyhounds in a leash, and three raches, or
hounds of scent, followed her closely.
She rejected and disclaimed the homage which Thomas desired to
pay to her; so that, passing from one extremity to the other, Thomas
became as bold as he had at first been humble. The lady warns him
that he must become her slave, if he should prosecute his suit
towards her in the manner he proposes. Before their interview
terminates, the appearance of the beautiful lady is changed into that
of the most hideous hag in existence. A witch from the spital or
almshouse would have been a goddess in comparison to the late
beautiful huntress. Hideous as she was, Thomas’s irregular desires
had placed him under the control of this hag, and when she bade him
take leave of the sun, and of the leaf that grew on the tree, he felt
himself under the necessity of obeying her. A cavern received them,
in which, following his frightful guide, he for three days travelled in
darkness, sometimes hearing the booming of a distant ocean,
sometimes walking through rivers of blood, which crossed their
subterranean path. At length they emerged into daylight, in a most
beautiful orchard. Thomas, almost fainting for want of food,
stretches out his hand towards the goodly fruit which hangs around
him, but is forbidden by his conductress, who informs him that these
are the fatal apples which were the cause of the fall of man. He
perceives also that his guide had no sooner entered this mysterious
ground, and breathed its magic air, than she was revived in beauty,
equipage, and splendour, as fair or fairer than he had first seen her
on the mountain. She then proceeds to explain to him the character
of the country.
“Yonder right hand path,” she says, “conveys the spirits of the blest
to paradise. Yon downward and well-worn way leads sinful souls to
the place of everlasting punishment. The third road, by yonder dark
brake, conducts to the milder place of pain, from which prayer and
mass may release offenders. But see you yet a fourth road, sweeping
along the plain to yonder splendid castle? Yonder is the road to
Elfland, to which we are now bound. The lord of the castle is king of
the country, and I am his queen. And when we enter yonder castle,
you must observe strict silence, and answer no question that is asked
at you, and I will account for your silence by saying I took your
speech when I brought you from middle earth.”
Having thus instructed her lover, they journeyed on to the castle,
and entering by the kitchen, found themselves in the midst of such a
festive scene as might become the mansion of a great feudal lord or
prince.
Thirty carcases of deer were lying on the massive kitchen board,
under the hands of numerous cooks, who toiled to cut them up and
dress them, while the gigantic greyhounds which had taken the spoil
lay lapping the blood, and enjoying the sight of the slain game. They
came next to the royal hall, where the king received his loving
consort without censure or suspicion. Knights and ladies, dancing by
threes, occupied the floor of the hall, and Thomas, the fatigues of his
journey from the Eildon hills forgotten, went forward and joined in
the revelry. After a period, however, which seemed to him a very
short one, the queen spoke with him apart, and bade him prepare to
return to his own country.
“Now,” said the queen, “how long think you that you have been
here?”
“Certes, fair lady,” answered Thomas, “not above these seven
days.”
“You are deceived,” answered the queen; “you have been seven
years in this castle; and it is full time you were gone. Know, Thomas,
that the archfiend will come to this castle to-morrow to demand his
tribute, and so handsome a man as you will attract his eye. For all the
world would I not suffer you to be betrayed to such a fate; therefore
up, and let us be going.”
This terrible news reconciled Thomas to his departure from Elfin
land, and the queen was not long in placing him upon Huntly Bank,
where the birds were singing. She took a tender leave of him, and to
ensure his reputation bestowed on him the tongue which could not
lie. Thomas in vain objected to this inconvenient and involuntary
adhesion to veracity, which would make him, as he thought, unfit for
church or for market, for king’s court or for lady’s bower. But all his
remonstrances were disregarded by the lady, and Thomas the
Rhymer, whenever the discourse turned on the future, gained the
credit of a prophet whether he would or not; for he could say nothing
but what was sure to come to pass.
Thomas remained several years in his own tower near Erceldoune,
and enjoyed the fame of his predictions, several of which are current
among the country people to this day. At length, as the prophet was
entertaining the Earl of March in his dwelling, a cry of astonishment
arose in the village, on the appearance of a hart and hind, which left
the forest, and, contrary to their shy nature, came quietly onward,
traversing the village towards the dwelling of Thomas. The prophet
instantly rose from the board; and acknowledging the prodigy as the
summons of his fate, he accompanied the hart and hind into the
forest, and though occasionally seen by individuals to whom he has
chosen to show himself, he has never again mixed familiarly with
mankind.
Thomas of Erceldoune, during his retirement, has been supposed,
from time to time, to be levying forces to take the field in some crisis
of his country’s fate. The story has often been told, of a daring horse-
jockey having sold a black horse to a man of venerable and antique
appearance, who appointed the remarkable hillock upon Eildon hills,
called the Lucken-hare, as the place where, at twelve o’clock at night,
he should receive the price. He came, and his money was paid in
ancient coin, and he was invited by his customer to view his
residence. The trader in horses followed his guide in the deepest
astonishment through several ranges of stalls, in each of which a
horse stood motionless, while an armed warrior lay equally still at
the charger’s feet.
“All these men,” said the wizard in a whisper, “will awaken at the
battle of Sheriffmuir.”
At the extremity of this extraordinary depôt hung a sword and a
horn, which the prophet pointed out to the horse-dealer as
containing the means of dissolving the spell. The man in confusion
took the horn, and attempted to wind it. The horses instantly started
in their stalls, stamped, and shook their bridles; the men arose and
clashed their armour, and the mortal, terrified at the tumult he had
excited, dropped the horn from his hand. A voice like that of a giant,
louder even than the tumult around, pronounced these words:—
Woe to the coward that ever he was born,
That did not draw the sword before he blew the horn!

A whirlwind expelled the horse-dealer from the cavern, the entrance


to which he could never again find. A moral might, perhaps, be
extracted from the legend,—namely, that it is best to be armed
against danger before bidding it defiance. But it is a circumstance
worth notice, that although this edition of the tale is limited to the
year 1715, by the very mention of Sheriffmuir, yet a similar story
appears to have been current during the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
which is given by Reginald Scot. The narrative is edifying as
peculiarly illustrative of the mode of marring a curious tale in telling
it, which was one of the virtues professed by Caius when he hired
himself to King Lear. Reginald Scot, incredulous on the subject of
witchcraft, seems to have given some weight to the belief of those
who thought that the spirits of famous men do, after death, take up
some particular habitations near cities, towns, and countries, and act
as tutelary and guardian spirits to the places they loved while in the
flesh.
“But more particularly to illustrate this conjecture,” says he, “I
could name a person who hath lately appeared thrice since his
decease, at least some ghostly being or other that calls itself by the
name of such a person, who was dead a hundred years ago, and was
in his lifetime accounted as a prophet or predicter, by the assistance
of sublunary spirits; and now, at his appearance, did also give
strange predictions respecting famine and plenty, war and
bloodshed, and the end of the world. By the information of the
person that had communication with him, the last of his appearances
was in the following manner:—‘I had been,’ said he, ‘to sell a horse at
the next market town, but not attaining my price, as I returned
home, by the way I met this man, who began to be familiar with me,
asking what news, and how affairs moved through the country. I
answered as I thought fit; withal I told him of my horse, whom he
began to cheapen, and proceeded with me so far that the price was
agreed upon. So he turned back with me, and told me that if I would
go along with him, I should receive my money. On our way we went,
—I upon my horse, and he on another milk-white beast. After much
travel, I asked him where he dwelt, and what his name was. He told
me that his dwelling was a mile off, at a place called Farran, of which
place I had never heard,[20] though I knew all the country round
about. He also told me that he himself was the person of the family of
Learmonths,[21] so much spoken of as a prophet. At which I began to
be somewhat fearful, perceiving we were on a road which I had never
been on before, which increased my fear and amazement more. Well!
on we went till he brought me under ground, I knew not how, into
the presence of a beautiful woman, who paid me the money without
speaking a word. He conducted me out again through a large and
long entry, where I saw above six hundred men in armour laid
prostrate on the ground as if asleep. At last I found myself in the
open field, by the help of the moonlight, in the very place where I
first met him, and made a shift to get home by three in the morning.
But the money I received was just double of what I esteemed it when
the woman paid me, of which, at this instant, I have several pieces to
show, consisting of ninepennies, thirteenpence-halfpennies, &c.’”
20. In this Sir Walter confesses himself “in the same ignorance as his
namesake Reginald, though having at least as many opportunities of information.”
21. In popular tradition, the name of Thomas the Rhymer was always averred
to be Learmonth, though he neither uses it himself, nor is described by his son
other than Le Rymour. The Learmonths of Dairsie, in Fife, claimed descent from
the prophet.
It is a great pity that this horse-dealer, having specimens of the
fairy coin, of a quality more permanent than usual, had not favoured
us with an account of an impress so valuable to medallists. It is not
the less edifying, as we are deprived of the more picturesque parts of
the story, to learn that Thomas’s payment was as faithful as his
prophecies. The beautiful lady who bore the purse must have been
undoubtedly the Fairy Queen, whose affection, though, like that of
his own Yseult, we cannot term it altogether laudable, seems yet to
have borne a faithful and firm character.
LACHLAN MORE:
A TRADITIONARY TALE OF THE WESTERN
HIGHLANDS.

Lachlan More Maclean, of Duart, was one of the most remarkable


men connected with the Highlands of Scotland in his days. His father
having died early, King James the Fifth took a considerable interest
in this young man, and he was educated at his expense. Lachlan’s
grandfather had been at the fatal battle of Flodden, with a large body
of his clan, and he was killed in the immediate defence of his
unfortunate prince.
The son and successor of James the Fourth was not unmindful of
this, and he was desirous of forming a matrimonial connection
between the young chief and the heiress of Athole. Preliminaries
having been settled among the parties, the bridegroom was suddenly
called to his own country, and on his way he visited the Earl of
Glencairn, at his castle on the banks of the Clyde. Cards were
introduced in the evening, and Maclean’s partner was one of the
earl’s daughters. In the course of the evening the game happened to
be changed, and the company again cut for partners; on which
another of the daughters whispered in her sister’s ear, that if the
Highland chief had been her partner, she would not have hazarded
the loss of him by cutting anew. The chief heard the remark, and was
so pleased with the compliment, and so fascinated with the charm of
Lady Margaret Cunningham, that a match was made up between
them, and they were speedily married. Maclean thus gave great
offence to the king, and lost the richest heiress at that time in
Scotland.
Lachlan More’s sister was married to Angus Macdonald, of Islay
and Kintyre, then the most powerful of the branches which sprung
from the Lord of the Isles. These two chiefs appear to have been
much of the same disposition,—both were violent, ambitious, and
turbulent. Their bloody feuds were productive of much misery to
their people, and ended injuriously to all parties. Macdonald, on his
return from the Isle of Skye, was forced to take shelter in that portion
of the island of Jura which was the property of Maclean; and it
unfortunately happened that two villains of the clan Macdonald,
whose bad conduct had induced them to take refuge in Mull, to
escape punishment from their own chief, happened to be then in
Jura. It would seem that they delighted in mischief, and they adopted
an expedient which effectually answered their purpose.
Maclean had some cattle close to the place where the Macdonalds
lay; the two renegades slaughtered some of these, and carried away
many more of them. They left Jura before daylight, and contrived to
convey information to Lachlan More that Macdonald had done him
all this damage. Duart collected a considerable number of his men,
and arrived in Jura before the Macdonalds departed. Without
making proper inquiry into the circumstances, he rashly attacked the
other party, and many of them were slain, but their chief escaped. It
appears to be admitted on all hands that this was the beginning of
the sanguinary warfare which followed, and Maclean was certainly
culpable. Mutual friends interfered, and endeavoured to effect a
reconciliation between persons so nearly connected. The Earl of
Argyle was maternal uncle to Lachlan, and chiefly by his powerful
intercession the further effusion of blood was prevented for a time.
Macdonald had occasion to be again in Skye, and on his return he
was invited by Maclean to visit him in the castle of Duart. After
dinner, some unfortunate circumstance occurred which produced a
quarrel. Tradition varies in regard to what immediately followed. It
seems, however, that Maclean demanded that the other should yield
to him possession of the whole island of Islay, of which he then held
but the half. Some consideration was to have been given in return for
this concession; but Maclean chose to detain as hostages, to ensure
the fulfilment of the treaty, the eldest son of Macdonald, then a boy,
and also a brother, together with several other persons of some note.
Maclean soon after set out for Islay to take possession of that island.
His nephew accompanied him, but the other hostages were left in
Mull until the whole business should be arranged. What ensued was
no more than might have been expected: Macdonald pretended to be
disposed for an amicable adjustment of the terms formerly agreed
upon, and prevailed on Lachlan More to visit him at his house in
Islay, where nothing appeared to create alarm.
After supper, Maclean and his people retired to a barn for rest; but
Macdonald soon knocked at the door, and said he had forgot to give
his guests their reposing draught, and desired to be admitted for that
purpose. A large force had by this time been collected, and Lachlan
soon understood that he would be made to suffer for his former
conduct. He was determined, however, to make a resolute defence.
He stood in the door fully armed, and in his left hand he held his
nephew, who lay with him. He was a man of extraordinary size and
strength, as the appellation More indicates, and his situation
required all his prowess. Macdonald, desirous to save the life of his
son, agreed to permit Lachlan to quit the barn, which had by this
time been set on fire. The greater part of his attendants also followed
their chief; but the two Macdonalds, who had first fomented this
unhappy quarrel, were consumed in the flames.
Macdonald of Islay having now recovered possession of his son,
was determined to put Maclean and all his people to death; but
fortunately for them, he had a fall from his horse, by which one of his
legs was fractured. This retarded the execution of his fell purpose,
and enabled the Earl of Argyle to make a representation of the case
to the government. Maclean was permitted to return to Mull; but
several of the principal gentlemen of his clan, who had accompanied
them to Islay, were retained as hostages for the safety of those who
still remained in the same condition at Duart.
Very soon after Maclean’s departure from Islay, Macdonald of
Ardnamurchan, commonly distinguished by the patronimic of Mac-
vic-Ian, the son of John’s son, arrived there, and falsely informed
Macdonald that Lachlan More had destroyed all his hostages on his
return home. This was retaliated on Maclean’s hostages, who were all
put to death, and the next day the other hostages arrived safely from
Mull.
This is a specimen of the deplorable state of barbarism into which
Scotland sunk during the minority of James the Sixth. The whole
kingdom was full of blood and rapine, but the Highlands were in the
worst condition of all. For a century afterwards very little
amelioration seems to have taken place; but it is pleasing to reflect
that for the last fifty years there is not in Europe a country where the
law bears more absolute sway than in the Scottish Highlands.
Macdonald and Maclean were both committed to ward, one in the
Bass, and the other in the Castle of Edinburgh, where they were
detained for several years. They were liberated on strong assurances
of peaceable conduct, and on giving hostages. Maclean was
afterwards ordered to join the Earl of Argyle, who took the command
of the army appointed to oppose the Earls of Huntly and Errol, then
in open rebellion against the government of James the Sixth.
The two armies encountered at Glenlivat, and the rebels were
victorious. Argyle, though brave, was young and inexperienced, nor
were all his officers faithful to their trust. Innes, in his History of
Moray, asserts that some of the principal men of his own name were
in correspondence with the enemy; and other writers ascribe much
effect to the cannon used by the rebel earls. On this occasion Lachlan
More was greatly distinguished for bravery and for prudence, having
acted the part of an experienced commander, and gained the
applause of both armies.
It were well if he had always confined his warfare to such
honourable combats. Soon after we find him again engaged in Islay
against his nephew, James Macdonald, Angus, his former antagonist,
being dead. On this occasion, it would seem, however, that he was
disposed for peace. Lachlan had embraced the Protestant religion;
and it was a practice with his Catholic ancestors to walk thrice in
procession around the shores of a small island lying in Lochspelvie,
invoking success to the expedition on which they were about to be
engaged. With singular absurdity, Lachlan resolved to show his
contempt for Catholic superstition: he walked thrice around the
island, but his ancestors had always walked right about, or in the
same course with the sun; but this enlightened Protestant reversed it.
The day following he departed with his forces for Islay, and he never
returned. The weather became boisterous, and he was compelled to
bear away for Island Nare, in the mouth of Loch Gruinard. A day was
appointed for a conference between himself and his nephew; and
Lachlan, attended by a small portion of his men, was to be met by
Macdonald with an equal number. Macdonald had, however, placed
a large body in ambush at some distance. The conference
commenced under favourable appearances, but a misunderstanding
soon arose, and swords were drawn. A dreadful conflict ensued, and
Maclean fought with astonishing bravery. The reserve which had lain
concealed joined their friends; but both were on the eve of being
defeated, when a body of auxiliaries from the island of Arran arrived,
and Lachlan More was killed, with all those who had accompanied
him on this fatal expedition.[22]
22. Lachlan More was killed in the year 1598.
His son had remained on the island with a much larger force, but
the pacific appearances deceived him, and he neglected to keep the
boats afloat. When the fight commenced on shore, he and his men
were looking on, but could not launch their heavy boats, or render
assistance. The Macdonalds suffered severe loss, and James
(afterwards Sir James) was left for dead on the field.
A poor woman of his own clan, assisted by her son, conveyed
Lachlan’s body on a sledge to the church of Kilchomen, in Islay,
where she got him buried. By the jolting of the sledge, the features of
the body acquired a particular expression, at which the young man
smiled. His name was Macdonald, and his mother was so enraged at
his sneer, that she made a thrust at him with a dirk, and wounded
him severely.—Lit. Gazette.
ALEMOOR:
A TALE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

Sad is the wail that floats o’er Alemoor’s lake,


And nightly bids her gulfs unbottomed quake,
While moonbeams, sailing o’er her waters blue,
Reveal the frequent tinge of blood-red hue.
The water-birds, with shrill discordant scream,
Oft rouse the peasant from his tranquil dream;
He dreads to raise his slow unclosing eye,
And thinks he hears an infant’s feeble cry.—Leyden.

Chapter I.
In one of those frequent incursions which the Scottish Borderers
used to make into the sister territory, it was the misfortune of Sir
John Douglas, a gallant and distinguished warrior, to be taken
prisoner by Richard de Mowbray, who, to a naturally proud and
vindictive temper, added a bitter and irreconcilable hatred to that
branch of the house of Douglas to which his prisoner belonged.
Instead of treating the brave and noble youth with that courtesy
which the law of arms and the manners of the times authorised, he
loaded his limbs with fetters, and threw him into one of the deepest
dungeons of his baronial castle of Holme Cultrum. Earl de Mowbray,
his father, was then at the English court, in attendance on his
sovereign, so that he had none to gainsay his authority, but yielded,
without hesitation or restraint, to every impulse of his passions. To
what lengths the savage cruelty of his temper might have led him in
practising against the life of his youthful prisoner is not known, for
he was also summoned to London to assist in the stormy councils of
that distracted period.
Meanwhile, Douglas lay on the floor of his dungeon, loaded with
fetters, and expecting every hour to be led out to die. No murmur
escaped his lips. He waited patiently till the fatal message arrived,
only regretting that it had not pleased Heaven to suffer him to die
sword in hand, like his brave ancestors. “Yes!” he exclaimed, as he
raised his stately and warlike form from the ground, and clashing his
fettered hands together, while his dark eye shot fire; “yes! let false
tyrannical Mowbray come with all his ruffian band—let them give me
death by sword or by cord—my cheek shall not blanch, nor my look
quail before them. As a Douglas I have lived, as a Douglas I shall
die!” But the expected summons came not. Day after day passed on
in sullen monotony, more trying to a brave mind than even the
prospect of suffering. No sound broke in on the silence around him,
but the daily visit of a veteran man-at-arms, who brought him his
scanty meal. No entreaties could induce this man to speak, so that
the unfortunate prisoner could only guess at his probable fate.
Sometimes despondency, in spite of his better reason, would steal
over his mind. “Shall I never again see my noble, my widowed
mother? my innocent, playful sister?—never again wander through
the green woods of Drumlanrig, or hunt the deer on its lordly
domain? Shall my sight never again be greeted by the green earth or
cheerful sun? Will these hateful walls enclose me till damp and
famine destroy me, and my withered limbs be left in this charnel-
house, a monument of the cruelty and unceasing hatred of De
Mowbray?”
Seven long weeks had rolled tediously along when the prisoner was
surprised by his allowance being brought by a stranger in the dress of
a Cumbrian peasant. Eagerly, rapidly he questioned the man
respecting Mowbray, his intentions, and why he had been so long left
without being allowed to name a ransom. The peasant told him of De
Mowbray’s absence, and added that, as there was to be a general
invasion of Scotland, all the men-at-arms had been marched away
that morning to join their companions, except the warders, by whom
he had been ordered to bring food to the prisoner. Joy now thrilled
through the heart and frame of the youthful warrior, but he had still
enough of caution left to make no further inquiries, but allow his new
jailer to depart without exciting his suspicions too early.
It is well known to those who are conversant with the history of
that period, that, however bitter the animosities of the two nations
were while engaged in actual warfare, yet in times of peace, or even
of truce, the commons lived on friendly terms, and carried on even a
sort of trade in cattle. All this was known to Sir John, who hoped,
through the means of his new attendant, to open a communication
with his retainers, if he could not engage him to let him free, and
become a follower of the Douglas, whose name was alike dreaded in
both nations. But events over which he had no control were even
then working for him, and his deliverance was to come from a
quarter he thought not of.
At the date of this tale, the ladies of rank had few amusements
when compared to those of modern times. Books, even if they could
have been procured, would sometimes not have been valued or
understood, from the very limited education which, in those days,
was allowed to females. Guarded in their inaccessible towers or
castles, their only amusement was listening to the tales of pilgrims,
or the songs of wandering minstrels, both of whom were always
made welcome to the halls of nobles, and whose persons, like those
of heralds, were deemed sacred even among contending parties. To
be present at a tournament was considered as an event of the first
importance, and looked forward to with the highest expectation, and
afterwards formed an era in their lives. When such amusements were
not to be had, a walk on the ramparts, attended by their trusty maid,
was the next resource against the tedium of time. It was during such
a walk as this that Emma, only daughter of Earl Mowbray, addressed
her attendant as follows:—
“Do you think it possible, Edith, that the prisoner, whom my
brother is so solicitous to conceal, can be that noble Douglas of
whom we have heard so much, and about whom Graham, the old
blind minstrel, sung such gallant verses?”
“Indeed, my sweet lady,” replied her attendant, “the prisoner in
yonder dungeon is certainly of the house of Douglas, and, as I think,
the very Sir John of whom we have heard so much.”
“How knowest thou that?” inquired her lady, eagerly.
“I had always my own thoughts of it,” whispered Edith cautiously,
and drawing nearer her mistress; “but since Ralph of Teesdale
succeeded grim old Norman as his keeper, I am almost certain of it.
He knows every Douglas of them, and, from his account, though the
dungeon was dark, he believes it was Sir John who performed such
prodigies of valour at the taking of Alnwick.”
“May Heaven, then, preserve and succour him!” sighed the Lady
Emma, as she clasped her hands together.
Emma De Mowbray, the only daughter of the most powerful and
warlike of the northern earls, was dazzlingly fair, and her very
beautiful features were only relieved from the charge of insipidity on
the first look, by the lustre of her dark blue eyes, which were shaded
by long and beautiful eye-lashes. Her stature was scarcely above the
middle size, but so finely proportioned, that the eye of the beholder
never tired gazing on it. She was only seventeen, and had not yet
been allowed to grace a tournament, her ambitious father having
determined to seclude his northern flower till he could astonish the
Court of England with her charms, and secure for her such an
advantageous settlement as would increase his own power and
resources. Thus had Emma grown up the very child of nature and
tenderness. Shut out from society of every kind, her imagination had
run riot, and her most pleasing hours, when not occupied by
devotional duties, were spent in musing over the romantic legends
which she had heard either from minstrels, or those adventurers who
ofttimes found a home in the castle of a powerful chief, and which
were circulated among the domestics till they reached the ear of their
youthful lady. These feelings had been unconsciously fostered by her
spiritual director, Father Anselm, who, of noble birth himself, had
once been a soldier, and delighted, in the long winter evenings, to
recount the prowess of his youth; and in the tale of other years, often
and often was the noble name of Douglas introduced and dwelt upon
with enthusiastic rapture, as he narrated the chief’s bravery in the
Holy Land. In short, every circumstance combined to feed and excite
the feverish exalted imagination of this untutored child. Had her
mother lived, the sensibilities of her nature had been cherished and
refined, and taught to keep within the bounds of their proper
channel. As it was, they were allowed to run riot, and almost led her
to overstep the limits of that retiring modesty which is so beautiful in
the sex. No sooner, then, had she learnt that Douglas was the captive
of her haughty brother, and perhaps doomed to a lingering or
ignominious death, than she resolved to attempt his escape, be the
consequences what they would. A wild tumultuary feeling took
possession of her mind as she came to this resolution. What would
the liberated object say to her, or how look his thanks? and, oh! if
indeed he proved to be the hero of her day-dreams, how blessed
would she be to have it in her power to be his guardian angel! The
tear of delight trembled in her eye, as she turned from the bartisan of
the castle, and sought the solitude of her chamber.
It was midnight—the last stroke of the deep-toned castle bell had
been answered by the echoes from the neighbouring hills, when two
shrouded figures stood by the couch of the prisoner. The glare of a
small lantern, carried by one of them, awoke Douglas. He sprung to
his feet as lightly as if the heavy fetters he was loaded with had been
of silk, and in a stern voice told them he was ready. “Be silent and
follow us,” was the reply of one of the muffled visitors. He bowed in
silence, and prepared to leave his dungeon,—not an easy
undertaking, when it is remembered that he was so heavily ironed;
but the care and ingenuity of his conductors obviated as much as
possible even this difficulty; one came on each side, and prevented as
much as possible the fetters from clashing on each other. In this
manner they hurried him on through a long subterraneous passage,
then crossed some courts which seemed overgrown with weeds, and
then entered a chapel, where Douglas could perceive a noble tomb
surrounded by burning tapers. “You must allow yourself to be
blindfolded,” said one of them in a sweet, musical, but suppressed
voice; he did so, and no sooner was the bandage made fast, than he
heard the snap as of a spring, and was immediately led forward. In a
few minutes more he felt he had left the rough stones of the church,
and its chill sepulchral air, for a matted floor and a warmer
atmosphere; the bandage dropped from his eyes, and he found
himself in a small square room, comfortably furnished, with a fire
blazing in the chimney; a second look convinced him he was in the
private room of an ecclesiastic, and that he was alone.
It need not be told the sagacious reader that this escape was the
work of Lady Emma, aided by Father Anselm, and Ralph Teesdale,
who was her foster-brother, and therefore bound to serve her almost
at the risk of his life—so very strong were such ties then considered.
No sooner did Douglas learn from the venerable ecclesiastic to whom
he owed his life and liberty, than he pleaded for an interview with all
the warmth of gratitude which such a boon could inspire.
Recruited by a night of comfortable repose, and refreshed by
wholesome food, our youthful warrior looked more like those of his
name than when stretched on the floor of the dungeon. It was the
evening of the second day after his liberation, while Douglas was
listening to his kind and venerable host’s account of the daring deeds
by which his ancestor, the good Lord James, had been distinguished,
when the door opened, and Lady Emma and her attendant entered.
Instantly sinking on one knee, Sir John poured forth his thanks in
language so courtly, so refined, yet so earnest and heartfelt, that
Lady Emma’s heart beat tumultuously, and her eyes became suffused
with tears.
“Suffer me,” continued Douglas, “to behold the features of her who
has indeed been a guardian angel to the descendant of that house
who never forgave an injury, nor ever, while breath animated them,
forgot a favour.”
Lady Emma slowly raised her veil, and the eyes of the youthful pair
met, and dwelt on each other with mutual admiration. Again the
knight knelt, and, pressing her hand to his lips, vowed that he would
ever approve himself her faithful and devoted champion. The
conversation then took a less agitating turn, and, in another hour,
Lady Emma took her leave of the good father and his interesting
companion, in whose favour she could not conceal that she was
already inspired with the most fervent feelings. Nor did she chide
Edith, who, while she braided the beautiful locks of her mistress,
expatiated on the fine form and manly features of Douglas, and
rejoiced in his escape.
It was now time for Sir John to make some inquiries of Father
Anselm about the state of the country, and if the Scotch had beat
back their assailants in the attack made upon them, and learned, to
his pleasure and surprise, that the enemy were then too much
divided among themselves to think of making reprisals, the whole
force of the kingdom being then gathered together to decide the
claims of York and Lancaster to the crown of England; that Earl
Mowbray and his son, adherents of the queen, were then lying at
York with their retainers, ready to close in battle with the adverse
party. It might be supposed that this intelligence would inspire the

You might also like