The following Studies are not a complete treatise on child-psychology,
but merely deal with certain aspects of children’s minds which happen to
have come under my notice, and to have had a special interest for me. In
preparing them I have tried to combine with the needed measure of
exactness a manner of presentation which should attract other readers
than students of psychology, more particularly parents and young
teachers.
A part of these Studies has already appeared elsewhere. The Introductory
Chapter was published in the _Fortnightly Review_ for November, 1895.
The substance of those from II. to VIII. has been printed in the
_Popular Science Monthly_ of New York. Portions of the “Extracts from a
Father’s Diary” appeared in the form of two essays, one on “Babies and
Science” in the _Cornhill Magazine_ in 1881, and the other on “Baby
Linguistics” in the _English Illustrated Magazine_ in 1884. The original
form of these, involving a certain disguise—though hardly one of
impenetrable thickness—has been retained. The greater part of the study
on “George Sand’s Childhood” was published as two articles in _Longmans’
Magazine_ in 1889 and 1890.
Like all others who have recently worked at child-psychology I am much
indebted to the pioneers in the field, more particularly to Professor W.
Preyer. In addition to these I wish to express my obligations to my
colleague, Dr. Postgate, of Trinity College, Cambridge, for kindly
reading through my essay on children’s language, and giving me many
valuable suggestions; to Lieutenant-General Pitt Rivers, F.R.S., and Mr.
H. Balfour, of the Museum, Oxford, for the friendly help they rendered
me in studying the drawings of savages, and to Mr. E. Cooke for many
valuable facts and suggestions bearing on children’s modes of drawing.
Lastly, I would tender my warm acknowledgments to the parents who have
sent me notes on their children’s mental development. To some few of
these sets of observations, drawn up with admirable care, I feel
peculiarly indebted, for without them I should probably not have written
my book.