Gesell, Arnold

Gesell, Arnold (Lucas) (1880–1961) pediatric psychologist; born in Alma, Wis. Coming to Yale first as a psychologist in 1911, when he founded the Yale Clinic for Child Development, he graduated from Yale's medical school (1915) and remained affiliated with it until 1948. He was a pioneer in establishing normal ranges of child development and behavior, and to this end in 1924 he initiated the use of movie cameras in recording children's actions; in 1930 he introduced a one-way observation dome that allowed researchers to observe children's behavior unseen. He trained several generations of students of infant and child development. Among his various publications are The Mental Growth of the Pre-School Child (1925) and Atlas of Infant Behavior (1934). In 1950 Yale established the Gesell Institute of Child Development to carry on his work.