Home Environment Classification System: A Model for Assessing the Home Environments of Developing Children

Abstract

A two-tiered system for classifying inputs from the environment is presented. For the first (or outer) tier, each environmental element is categorized along three structural dimensions: 1) the function which the element serves in behalf of development (stimulation, structure, sustenance, surveillance, support); 2) the modality through which the element is received (visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory); and 3) the source from which the element comes (person, object, event, setting). For the second (or inner) tier, items are rated along three dynamic dimensions: 1) reactivity 2) complexity and 3) intensity. The classification system is presented as a heuristic approach to organizing information on environment/development relationships. It allows for a multi-dimensional description of any type of input to persons in such a way as to incorporate most of the ways of describing environments previously presented in the literature on human development. The advantage of the proposed classification system would seem twofold 1) It should permit classification of environmental elements at various levels of abstraction within the same system of classification; and 2) it should promote integration of research information from studies with disparate goals and make easier the identification of significant gaps in the research on environment/development relationships. The most obvious practical advantage of the system would seem to be its ability to describe children's environments in great detail, leading to a fuller understanding of how particular environmental elements are likely to influence behavior and development.