Gesell's theory of children's maturity is based on his twin ladder climbing experiment. The experiment was conducted by gesell of Yale University and his colleagues. They chose a pair of twins, about 1.5 years old. One of the children was arranged in the control group, and the other child was arranged for ladder climbing training.
Before the experiment, gesell and his team assessed the maturity of the two children to find out their starting point. The children in the control group did not receive any training, while the other child received six weeks of ladder climbing training. Every week, professional child psychologists will evaluate children and observe their progress.
After six weeks of training, gesell and his team re-evaluated the maturity of the two children. The results showed that the children who received ladder climbing training made significant progress in maturity, while the children in the control group made little progress. This result supports gesell's hypothesis that children's development is determined by mature factors, not by learning or experience.
However, the results of this experiment have not been widely accepted. Some psychologists think that there is something wrong with the design of this experiment, because children who have been trained to climb stairs may get more attention and encouragement, which may affect their progress.
In addition, some psychologists also believe that this experimental result may not be universally applicable, because children's development may be affected by many factors, including heredity, environment, education and culture.
Although there are some controversies, gesell's maturity theory has far-reaching influence in the field of children's development. His research provides a new understanding for children's development, that is, children's maturity is determined by the internal laws of their biology and nervous system, not by the external environment. This understanding has had an impact on educational practice and emphasized the importance of respecting children's individual differences and natural development process.
Generally speaking, gesell's twin ladder climbing experiment is an important milestone in the field of children's development. Although its results may not be universally applicable, it provides a new perspective on children's development and emphasizes the importance of maturity factors in children's development. This perspective has a far-reaching impact on educational practice, reminding us to respect children's individual differences and natural development process.