ABSTRACT
Kurt Lewin, cited in McGuire, 1973, p. 447 Hoping to support this proposition, I attempt in this chapter to identify the major theoretical constructs of developmental psychology that have practical relevance to the design of educational intervention programs for the early childhood years. My presentation of the constructs is organized in terms of a rough taxonomy with respect to their characterization of context, of development, and of the modes of interaction between the developing individual and the context. This approach has the attraction of specifying key variables for the design of an intervention program that can also be used to focus the attention of program personnel during their training. It does, however, run the risk of appearing to simplify the theories from which these constructs are derived and opens me to the charge of eclecticism.
