Nature and uses of immaturity

Bruner, J. S. (1972). Nature and uses of immaturity. American Psychologist, 27(8), 687-708. doi: 10.1037/h0033144


Man adapts by changing the environment, by developing amplifiers and transformers for his sense, banks for his memory, but also by changing literally the properties of his habitat
-This adaptation to variable conditions depends heavily on opportunities for learning, in order to achieve knowledge and skills that are not stored in the gene pool.
- Bruner points out pattern of enormous observation of the adult behavior by young, and with incorporating what
has been learned into a pattern of play
observational learning: Two prerequisites:
1-the ability to differentiate or abstract oneself from a task
2-construction of an action pattern by appropriate sequencing of a set of constituent subroutines to match a model  
Functions of play
- a means of minimizing consequences of one's actions and of learning
- provides excellent opportunity to try combinations of behavior that would never be tried under pressure