Early social knowledge: The development of knowledge about others

This chapter examines the development of one aspect of social knowledge - knowledge of others - specifically examining how this knowledge is acquired in the first two years of life. It discusses the development of one aspect of social knowledge - knowledge of others - specifically examining how this knowledge is acquired in the first two years of life. The chapter reviews the development of self and of relationship. It addresses the importance of the social world in development needs to be addressed. It suggests that many tasks are embedded in a social context and that development cannot be understood without reference to the infant’s social world. The chapter also examines the development of knowledge about others in terms of the different dimensions that persons possess, dimensions that the infant must learn in order to differentiate among persons. In addition, differentiation between social and non-social events will change as the infant acquires new social knowledge and increases his cognitive capacity.