Social Life of Objects in Early Development : New Perspectives on the Pragmatics of the Object

This book fills a gap in early developmental psychology by providing a critical reconsideration of the status of artifact objects as protagonists of children's actions and communication. The main thesis explored in the book is that objects are part of the material culture; they have public functions and social meanings that are transmitted by the members of the community. Their meanings are not "naturally" given, and children are not born knowing what to do with objects. All chapters analyze and illustrate communication with parents, or with teachers and peers in the early-years school. The book also explores the status of action and uses of materiality in communicative situations with children on the autism spectrum. The book shows objects coming alive in action and in communication, shaping the social foundations and early development of the human psyche. The book is intended for use by scholars and researchers in developmental psychology, teachers in early childhood education (mainly 0-3 years), undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of psychology and education, and sociocultural psychologists interested in early development.

Cintia Rodríguez Garrido is a full professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain. She studied and worked as assistant in the Developmental Psychology Department at the Geneva School, as part of the team led by Bärbel Inhelder. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Jean Piaget Society, president of the Psychology Section of the Ateneo de Madrid, and Co-Editor in Chief of the EJPE journal. She leads the research group DETEDUCA (UAM). She has developed the Pragmatics of the Object approach in early development.

Pedro Palacios is a retired professor from Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico. He has a PhD in developmental psychology, learning and education from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain. He is the leader of the academic body “Psychological Development, Culture and Health” and has been part of the DETEDUCA research group at the UAM since its creation in 2011. He received the Desirable Profile Recognition by the Program for Professional Teacher Development and is a member of the National System of Researchers.

Iván Moreno Llanos is a psychologist and researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain, where he got his master’s degree in psychology of education. His current line of research focuses on the origin and early development of the executive functions from a socio-cultural, semiotic and mediated perspective. He is interested in the first goals that children set for themselves, and the means they employ to overcome their difficulties and achieve their goals in early-years schools.

Irene Guevara de Haro is a psychologist and researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain. She has a degree in psychology from the Universidad Central de Venezuela and a master’s degree in educational psychology (UAM). With experience in clinical practice with Autism Spectrum Disorders, she has participated in several competitive research projects and co-authored articles on early development. Her current research focuses on the origins of intentional action and communication through gesture development in early-years schools.