Gesell, Arnold

Arnold Gesell (1880–1961), philosopher, psychologist, physician, and founder of the Yale Child Development Clinic, is best known for maturational–developmental theory and his understanding of the development of the normal child. Born and raised in Alma, Wisconsin, Gesell completed a PhD in psychology at Clark University, under the tutelage of G. Stanley Hall, and an MD at Yale in 1915. His major contributions to developmental psychology include his pioneering investigations into early development and use of cinematography to record and establish what he would establish as normal infant development, his activism and advocacy for educational and social reform for children, his work to benefit children with disabilities, his championing of preventive mental health programs, and his success in appealing to a general audience with his child-rearing ...