Bronfenbrenner Flashcards

Ecological Theory

• Developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, emphasizing the influence of various environmental systems on child development.

Microsystem

• Innermost layer impacting daily life; encompasses settings like home, school, and peer groups.
• Critically affects children's immediate experiences and interactions.

Examples of Microsystem

• Includes the child's home, places of worship, peer groups, neighborhoods, and childcare centers.

Mesosystem

• Connects different microsystems, highlighting the interactions and relationships among them.
• The strength of these connections significantly influences child development.

Examples of Mesosystem

• Interaction between parents and teachers, collaborations between schools and daycare providers.

Exosystem

• Consists of social institutions affecting children indirectly; includes environments that impact but typically do not involve the child.

Examples of Exosystem

• Comprises parents' workplaces, government agencies, mass media, extended family networks, and local community contexts.

Macrosystem

• Represents broader cultural context, encompassing societal values, beliefs, laws, and resources.

Examples of Macrosystem

• Encompasses shared beliefs, cultural customs, conflicts such as wars, and consequences of natural disasters.

Chronosystem

• Reflects changes occurring in a child's life, including developmental milestones and environmental shifts.

Examples of Chronosystem

• Accounts for alterations in family structure, socioeconomic status, job status, and shifts in living arrangements over time.

Support in the Microsystem

• Focuses on strengthening families and providing access to resources that nurture children's current development.

Support in the Mesosystem

• Aims to create a welcoming environment for families and connect child services with the community.

Support in the Exosystem

• Provides essential backing for microsystems, particularly for parents and families to enhance children's growth.

Support in the Macrosystem

• Advocates for child and family-friendly policies, promoting laws that support developmental welfare.

Head Start Program Outcomes

• Increased adult earnings and improved health behaviors attributed to participation in the Head Start program.

Dependency and Legal Issues

• Head Start involvement has corresponded with reduced dependence on welfare programs and lower arrest rates among adults.

Head Start Benefits (True Statements)

• Participation results in fewer years spent in special education and yields better classroom behavior and higher high school graduation rates.

Poverty Context

• Approximately 22% of US children currently live in poverty, impacting their overall development and opportunities.

Test your knowledge of Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory with these flashcards. Examine key concepts like microsystems and mesosystems, and learn about the various settings that impact child development. Perfect for students of psychology and education.