Emphasizes that culture should be defined to incorporate family, familial and community environments, and social norms. Discusses the way in which environmental norms enter into processes of individual development, and the application of the norms to the school achievements of African-American children. (RJC)

Argues that child socialization is directed toward the development of instrumental competencies related to imperatives that vary across cultures. Criticizes the use of White middle-class standards in developmental research and proposes a cultural ecological model which studies competence in the context of the cultural imperatives of a given…