Gesell test objects, 1911-1939.

Bell, two rattles, cup, 10 large and 6 small wooden blocks: test objects used by the developmental psychologist Dr Arnold Gesell, along with a small spool of 16mm film showing line drawing, from the Clinic of Child Behaviour, Yale University, 1911-1961

Gesell test objects including a bell, two rattles, a cup, ten large and six small wooden blocks, 1911-1939. These items were used by the American developmental psychologist and physician Dr Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) in his Clinic of Child Development at Yale University, Connecticut, United States. Gesell studied hundreds of children to chart the normal stages of child development. His work was the basis of the routine testing of children by healthcare workers and it was also used to match up children with adoptive parents.

Details

Category:
Psychology, Psychiatry & Anthropometry
Object Number:
1993-1458
type:
medicine, psychology, psychological tests and gesell
credit:
Walden, K.G.

Parts

Dr Arnold Gesell test objects

Dr Arnold Gesell test objects

Bell, rattle, cup, five large and six small pine wood blocks, unsigned, United States of America, 1911-1939. These objects are part of test objects used by the developmental psychologist Dr Arnold Gesell, along with a small spool of 16mm film showing line drawing, from the Clinic of Child Behaviour, Yale University, 1911-1961.

More

Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) pioneered the study of normal child development. Gesell took ‘normal’ to be healthy children, based on comparison with other children. Gesell put children from newborns to six year-olds through filmed tests using these objects at his Yale clinic for Child Development in the United States. He established behaviour patterns using the observed results. For example, at 15 months a ‘normal’ child will build a tower of two blocks; at four years, a tower of ten.

Measurements:
overall: 65 mm x 300 mm x 250 mm, 0.69 kg
Materials:
paint , tin (metal) , metal (unknown) , pine (wood) , aluminium (metal) and plastic (unidentified)
Object Number:
1993-1458/1
type:
rattle , cup , bell - idiophone and child development test object
Image ©
The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Gesell test objects, 1911-1939.

Gesell test objects, 1911-1939.

Rattle, 5 large wooden blocks: part of test objects used by the developmental psychologist Dr Arnold Gesell, along with a small spool of 16mm film showing line drawing, from the Clinic of Child Behaviour, Yale University, 1911-1961

Object Number:
1993-1458/2
type:
medicine , psychology , psychological tests and gesell