Advanced Developmental

Psychology

PSY 620PJanuary 15, 2015

Discussion Leader Assignments

January 22 – Culture in Development (cont). Lansford, J. E., Chang, L., Dodge, K. A., Malone, P. S., Oburu, P., Palmerus, K.,

Bacchini, D., Pastorelli, C., Bombi, A. S., Zelli, A., Tapanya, S., Chaudhary, N., Deater- Deckard, K., Manke, B., & Quinn, N. (2005). Physical discipline and children’s adjustment: Cultural normativeness as a moderator. Child Development, 76, 1234. Jaime1

Chen, X., Chen, H., Li, D., & Wang, L. (2009). Early childhood behavioral

inhibition and social and school adjustment in Chinese children: A 5-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 80, 1692-1704. Sarah1

Chen, X. (2012). Culture, peer interaction, and socioemotional development.

Child Development Perspectives. Caroline1 Bulotsky‐Shearer, R. J., Manz, P. H., Mendez, J. L., McWayne, C. M., Sekino, Y.,

& Fantuzzo, J. W. (2012). Peer play interactions and readiness to learn: A protective influence for African American preschool children from low‐income households. Child Development Perspectives, 6(3), 225-231. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00221.x Liz1

Dynamic Systems Theory (Thelen & Smith)

Dynamic Systems Theory (Thelen & Smith)

Focus on: Multiple, mutual, continuous interaction of all

components of developing system

Emergence of new forms of behavior

Development as an open system▪ Self-organizing with relative plasticity

Common Themes across Current Models

Multiple levels of organization Fused, embedded, nested

Development can be seen across all units of time ms years

Development is adaptive and organized

Not just random change Limits on possible outcomes, self-organization

Developmental Systems Perspectives – Applications (cont)

Contexts are not fully independent▪ Parenting is directly associated with the type of crowd

adolescents choose to affiliate with (Brown et al., 1993)

Effects of contexts on individual can be altered by other contexts within the system

▪ Maladaptive adolescent crowd affiliation (vs. adaptive or neutral) increased adverse effects of poor parenting and diminished effects of positive parenting (Brown & Huang, 1995)

Developmental Systems Perspectives – Applications (cont)

Effects of contexts on individual can be altered by other contexts within the system High levels of support from school personnel decreased

levels of distress among young adolescents with low levels of parental support (but didn’t make a difference for kids with high levels of parental support) (Dubois et al., 1992)

▪ Restrictive and controlling parenting is adaptive in dangerous neighborhoods (e.g., Baldwin et al., 1990)

Developmental Systems Perspectives – Applications (cont)

Social Contexts are Themselves Dynamic▪ Effects of poverty on development change

depending on timing and duration▪ Greatest effects on child if (a) family in poverty for multiple years vs. shorter amounts of time, and

(b) poverty experienced early in life vs. adolescence (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997)

Developmental Systems Perspectives – Applications (cont)

Dynamic Systems Theory – Applications Focus on change, emergence of new forms,

self-organization▪ Static System xt = f (a,b,c….)

vs.▪ Dynamic System xt = f (xt-1,a,b,c….)

Dominant behaviors as attractors▪ Arousal + negative emotional valence?

Developmental Systems Perspectives – Applications

(cont) Dynamic Systems Theory – Applications

▪ State Space Grid Analysis▪ 2-dimensional grids reflecting co-occurrence of 2 or

more variables Strange Situation examples

see Howe & Lewis, 2005; Martin et al., 2005 (and entire Developmental Review, 25 special section)

Dynamic Systems Theory – Applications

▪ State Space Grid analysis of dyadic interaction▪ e.g., “Child 2 may have

been goading the seemingly affable Child 1 through negative behavior.

▪ Eventually, Child 1 responds in kind and the interaction ends in mutually high negativity, indicating a conflict has ensued.”

▪ True?C. L. Martin et al. / Developmental Review 25 (2005) , pp. 307-308

Dynamic emergence of sex differences based on emotionality

Same sex peer proclivities Other sex peer proclivities

How do these dyadic emotional dynamics differ?

▪ State Space Grid Analysis

What features attract the target child in these 3 hypothetical plots of their successive interaction partners?

Interpret…

Fig. 5. Examples of SSG using focal observations. (A) Focal SSG for

boys: Session 1 only. (B) Focal SSG for girls: Session 1 only

Interpret…

Fig. 6. Examples of SSG using focal observations. (A) Focal SSG for

same-sex playing children.

(B) Focal SSGfor other-sex playing children

A U T H O R S : S P E N C E R , P E R O N E , & B U S S , 2 0 1 2

C A S E Y B U R R O W S , 1 / 1 6 / 1 4

20 YEARS OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS THEORY

DYNAMIC SYSTEMS THEORY

• Emphasis on “how” of development• Change occurs within complex systems that interact over

time to contribute to produce change in behavior

• Unit of analysis: organism within a given context• Systems are self-organizing

• Behavior as emergent

• Rejection of dichotomies• Nature vs. nurture• Qualitative vs. quantitative change

REMAINING CHALLENGES

• Formally connecting units of analysis• Integrating time scales• Empirical methods

Spencer et al., 2006

Smile(sleep/drowsy)

Attentive Brow(awake)

Smile(awake)

Real time Developmental time

Messinger,, et al., 2002; Dondi, et al., 2007