ABSTRACT
Our understanding of the behavioral and psychological repertoires of the human infant has changed dramatically over the course of the twentieth century. In the early 1900s researchers viewed the infant as an essentially vegetative, reflexive organism; whereas today researchers are very aware of the perceptual, intellectual, emotional, and social competencies of the young infant. Much empirically derived information about infants, as well as the general view that infants are competent and active, has been shared with parents and professionals. Acknowledgment of the general competency of infants has been accompanied by recognition that infants are capable of influencing those around them. However, despite this widespread recognition, researchers and parents alike are generally more concerned with how variations in infants’ physical and social environments impact infant outcomes than with how infants themselves affect their own environments. Thus, while most of the chapters in this volume reflect the predominant orientation—addressing environmental determinants of development—the present chapter provides a counterpoint, serving to remind us that infants play an integral role in forming their own caregiving environments.
