ABSTRACT
Most people would agree that by the age of 2 the child is no longer a baby. In fact, the typical 2-year-old might well protest if he or she is treated as a baby! The transition from infancy to childhood is gradual and it is difficult to say exactly where infancy ends and childhood begins. The toddler will have learned to walk, he or she will have good comprehension of language and be able to talk, and is very independent by comparison with the infant. These landmarks in physical and intellec tual growth might be taken as important indicators of a new developmen tal stage. However, as was discussed earlier (see pp. 27-30), evidence for a widespread qualitative change in the organisation of behaviour is re quired before it can be argued that early childhood marks a new stage of development.
