The discussion concerning children's possibilities of coping with traffic has become diffuse. To a great extent, this results from the lack of definition of a basic approach when considering children's development. The aim of this study is to structure the theories about children's development which influence work with children and traffic in Sweden. One of the theories dealt with is the general psychological approach based on the Ebbinghaus theories about learning by repetition. The developmental psychological approach with Piaget's theories of learning decided by development is then reported. Furthermore, Erikson's theory of man developing through both inner and external crises is presented, while Vygotskij believes that development is based on the development of language. He stresses the importance of the interaction between adults and children. A development ecological approach is presented by the Bronfenbrenner theory concerning the importance of different societies on the influence and formation of the development of children. The meta cognitive approach where Pramling considers that thinking is a relation between the child and the surrounding world and learning has the meaning of "understanding". Finally, an alternative approach is described where Bergstroem considers that if the child may confirm knowledge by simultaneous stimuli from different sources (senses, movement etc.) the building up of knowledge will be improved. This work should be regarded as the beginning of more long-term research. (A)
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