Developmental Psychology and Art Education: Two Fields at the Crossroads

Abstract

It is an active time in both developmental psychology and art education. In developmental psychology some interesting new theoretical developments suggest a new level of maturity in the field. In art education there are some productive moves afoot that show that the tendency to emphasize spontaneous production in art class to the exclusion of understanding and appreciation is finally over. These are both welcome sets of changes; indeed, both are changes related to larger shifts in the cultural and intellectual climate of the 1980s. If it is true that the earlier form art education assumed was in part due to its direct or indirect relationship to developmental theories such as those of Sigmund Freud or Jean Piaget, then it would make sense that its future form would also be so influenced. Or would it? Perhaps some of the suspicion developmentalists encounter within art education circles these days is due to the not-so-happy memories that are still carried by art educators who remember the no-holds-barred 50s and 60s, when all of education seemed up for grabs. Why would they want developmental psychology to play a significant role in the reformulation of their field when developmental psychology was one of the reasons for the pickle the field is now David Henry Feldman is Professor of Child Study and Director of Graduate Studies at Tufts University, where he directs the Jessie Smith Noyes Fellows Program. His most recent publications are Nature's Gambit: Child Prodigies and the Development of Human Potential and Beyond Universals in Cognitive Development. The work reported in this paper was supported by grants from the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The stimulating conversations of the Developmental Science Group during preparation of this paper are gratefully acknowledged. The members of that group are Margaret L. Adams, Lynn T. Goldsmith, Martha L. Morelock, and Ronald E. Walton. John Kennedy and Howard Gardner also read and provided valuable comments on an earlier draft. The views expressed in this article are the author's and not necessarily those of The J. Paul Getty Trust.

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