Annual Review of Developmental Psychology - Current Issue
Volume 6, 2024
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Eleanor Jack Gibson: A Life in Science
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 1–34More LessEleanor Gibson's groundbreaking research on perception, learning, and development challenged the tenets of behaviorist and introspectionist psychology and extended the scope of Helmholtzian psychophysics to forge a unified experimental, comparative, and developmental science of perception and learning. Gibson faced obstacles throughout her career: She held a full-time faculty position, with her own lab and students, for only 3 years. Nevertheless, she was remarkably productive and happy. Her rigorous, innovative experiments on adults, children, and animals brought new life to the study of perception and learning. Consistently and wisely, she viewed humans and animals as lifelong learners with intrinsic talents and penchants for perceiving, exploring, and discovering environmental structures and affordances. Her experiments placed the study of development at the center of interdisciplinary research on the origins and nature of knowledge and intelligence, inspiring current studies of the processes that give rise to knowledge in human minds, brains, and machines.
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From Moscow to the Fifth Dimension: Memoir of a Slow Learner
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 37–61More LessThis essay contains an account of my professional life from its beginnings as a third-generation, Skinnerian, mathematical learning theorist to its current state as an interdisciplinary developmentalist. Following completion of my PhD at Indiana University, I spent the academic year at Moscow State University where I worked under the direction of Alexander Luria, whose ideas led to my lifelong interest in cultural-historical approaches to human development. For more than a decade, I conducted cross-cultural research on the role of formal schooling in the cognitive development of children growing up in a variety of sociocultural conditions. Since the late 1970s, my research has focused on the design of educational activities involving partnerships between institutions of higher learning and their communities. A constant concern throughout this work has been the inappropriate use of psychological methods when comparing people from different culture backgrounds and a search for the means required to remediate the resulting difficulties.
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Contingency and Synchrony: Interactional Pathways Toward Attentional Control and Intentional Communication
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 63–85More LessIn this article we examine how contingency and synchrony during infant–caregiver interactions help children learn to pay attention to objects and how this, in turn, affects their ability to direct caregivers’ attention and to track communicative intentions in others. First, we present evidence that, early in life, child–caregiver interactions are asymmetric. Caregivers dynamically and contingently adapt to their child more than the other way around, providing higher-order semantic and contextual cues during attention episodes, which facilitate the development of specialized and integrated attentional brain networks in the infant brain. Then, we describe how social contingency also facilitates the child's development of predictive models and, through that, goal-directed behavior. Finally, we discuss how contingency and synchrony of brain and behavior can drive children's ability to direct their caregivers’ attention voluntarily and how this, in turn, paves the way for intentional communication.
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Prenatal Stress and Maternal Role in Neurodevelopment
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 87–107More LessThis review summarizes recent findings on stress-related programming of brain development in utero, with an emphasis on situating findings within the mothers’ broader psychosocial experiences. Meta-analyses of observational studies on prenatal stress exposure indicate that the direction and size of effects on child neurodevelopment are heterogeneous across studies. Inspired by lifespan and topological frameworks of adversity, we conceptualize individual variation in mothers’ lived experience during and prior to pregnancy as a key determinant of these heterogeneous effects across populations. We structure our review to discuss experiential categories that may uniquely shape the psychological and biological influence of stress on pregnant mothers and their developing children, including current socioeconomic resources, exposure to chronic and traumatic stressors, culture and historical trauma, and the contours of prenatal stress itself. We conclude by identifying next steps that hold potential to meaningfully advance the field of fetal programming.
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The Origins and Emergence of Self-Representation
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 109–131More LessAlthough a reflective self-awareness is often considered to be the pinnacle of human consciousness, it takes time to develop, and behaviors indicating a conceptual self-representation appear only toward the end of the second year of life. How it develops has been the subject of much speculation, but little empirical data have targeted causal mechanisms. I first review early behaviors that likely do or do not indicate a reflective self-awareness. I then draw on data indicating a continuity between bodily and conceptual self-awareness, suggesting that the key to understanding how a reflective self-awareness develops is to look for its origins in a bodily self and in the earliest available signals of self-origin. Considering data from adult cognitive neuroscience, I review the mechanisms that could exploit early visceral cues and represent them as belonging to the self and the role that caregiver–infant interactions may play in this process. I conclude by considering how cross-cultural differences in the emergence of a self-concept provide important insights into the mechanisms that develop self-awareness.
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Built to Adapt: Mechanisms of Cognitive Flexibility in the Human Brain
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 133–162More LessAdaptability is a distinguishing feature of the human species: We thrive as hunter-gatherers, farmers, and urbanites. What properties of our brains make us highly adaptable? Here we review neuroscience studies of sensory loss, language acquisition, and cultural skills (reading, mathematics, programming). The evidence supports a flexible specialization account. On the one hand, adaptation is enabled by evolutionarily prepared flexible learning systems, both domain-specific social learning systems (e.g., language) and domain-general systems (frontoparietal reasoning). On the other hand, the functional flexibility of our neural wetware enables us to acquire cognitive capacities not selected for by evolution. Heightened plasticity during a protracted period of development enhances cognitive flexibility. Early in life, local cortical circuits are capable of acquiring a wide range of cognitive capacities. Exuberant cross-network connectivity makes it possible to combine old neural parts in new ways, enabling cognitive flexibility such as language acquisition across modalities (spoken, signed, braille) and cultural skills (math, programming). Together, these features of the human brain make it uniquely adaptable.
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Causal Explanations and the Growth of Understanding
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 163–184More LessCausal explanations are central to cognitive development. Once considered beyond the grasp of young children, causal reasoning is now understood to be present in infants, driving curiosity and learning. The search for causal explanations underlying recurring patterns is evident in nonverbal forms. Causal explanations are diverse, varying in granularity, spanning different content domains, and encompassing both deterministic and probabilistic forms. These explanations support counterfactual reasoning, diagnostic thinking, and learning. The emergence of causal explanatory thought in infants is suggested by their responses to anomalies and by the development of exploratory behaviors. In the preschool years, children build upon early abilities to request, evaluate, and generate explanations. The decline of causal explanation-seeking in young schoolchildren can be dramatic and seems to arise from a convergence of social, cultural, and motivational factors. Overall, the development of causal explanations is essential to cognitive growth and mature understanding, with enduring influences on learning and reasoning.
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Somewhere, Somehow: Young Children Imagine Possibilities and Ask About Them
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 185–201More LessStudies of young children's communication with adults and of their engagement in make-believe play have typically been conducted in parallel, with little dialogue between the two research programs. This review seeks to underline close connections between children's communication with adults and the emergence of the imagination, especially among 2- and 3-year-olds. Young children's ability to imagine currently uncertain possibilities shapes the information-seeking questions that they put to other people. Their ability to imagine as-yet unrealized but desirable possibilities shapes the requests that they make of other people. In each case, children appraise the responses that they receive. In the absence of answers that resolve their information-seeking questions, they repeat their questions. In the absence of compliance with their requests, they repeat their requests. By implication, from an early age, children seek information and help from other people with as-yet unknown or unrealized possibilities in mind.
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Creating Inclusive Environments: Enabling Children to Reject Prejudice and Discrimination
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 203–221More LessDevelopmental psychology researchers who investigate the multifaceted nature of prejudice, shown within everyday peer interactions, emphasize the importance of creating inclusive environments for children where equity and justice are promoted. This article uses the Social Reasoning Developmental (SRD) model to explore how children and adolescents reason about social inclusion and exclusion, drawing on moral, social group, and psychological considerations. The role of bystanders in challenging social exclusion is highlighted, with a focus on promoting proactive bystander intervention to create inclusive environments. This review identifies age, group identity, group norms, intergroup contact, empathy, and theory of mind as key influences on children's and adolescents’ bystander reactions. It emphasizes that interventions promoting inclusive peer and school norms, confidence in intergroup contact, empathy, and social perspective-taking can foster inclusive environments and empower bystander action that challenges intergroup social exclusion.
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Struggling for Economic Security: Wealth, Race, and Child Development
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 223–249More LessChildren need stable environments with loving caregivers to develop into their best adult selves. Sufficient income and wealth provide a foundation of economic security that makes these circumstances more likely. Unfortunately, both income and wealth are unevenly distributed, with some households having very little while a few are extravagantly well off. This means that many families have little to invest in their children and face stress trying to make ends meet. Whether households face economic security or struggle is highly patterned by race. In addition to discussing pathways for how wealth influences child outcomes, this article delves deeply into the nature of the Black–White disparity in wealth, discussing both historical and contemporary factors. The article ends by exploring programs and policies that have been piloted to increase wealth for those at the bottom end of the wealth distribution, making asset building inclusive and enabling more children to thrive.
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Learning About Development from Interventions
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 251–272More LessIn this review, we argue that the role of causally informative evaluations of interventions within developmental psychology should be elevated. Causally informative research on the effects of intervention inputs on medium- and long-term outcomes are sufficiently relevant to developmental psychology to inform or even constrain our theories and to inspire future developmental research. We review several examples of research that yielded developmental insights from such work and discuss a broad theoretical framework for using developmental theory to reason about the effects of interventions and vice versa. Finally, we discuss potential challenges that have inhibited the role of causally informative research on interventions in developmental psychology along with actionable steps researchers can take to integrate such work more deeply into the field.
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An Ecological Neurodevelopmental Model of the Development of Youth Antisocial Behavior and Callous-Unemotional Traits
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 273–300More LessResearch has begun to identify genetic, environmental, and neurocognitive risk factors related to the development of youth antisocial behavior (aggression, rule-breaking). We review environmental and genetic risk factors for the development of antisocial behavior and related outcomes (e.g., callous-unemotional traits), as well as provide an overview of neural correlates of antisocial behavior. Next, we connect these findings to work in developmental neuroscience linking exposure to adversity to brain structure and function. Then we integrate across these literatures to provide a multilevel model of the development of antisocial behavior that includes transactions between genetic and environmental risk that shape brain development. Throughout, we focus on how pathways may differ for youth with different subtypes of antisocial behavior (e.g., early-onset) with a particular focus on callous-unemotional traits. We end by identifying challenges and future directions for the field.
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Reframing Adolescent Identity: A Global Perspective for the Digital Age
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 301–322More LessThis review provides a comprehensive evaluation of adolescent identity development research, critically examining the significant gap between the global distribution of adolescents and the focus of scholarly work. While over 85% of the world's youth live in the majority world—Africa, Asia, and Latin America—only 15% of developmental psychology studies explore these populations, revealing a critical gap in global perspectives on adolescent identity development. This review also emphasizes the lack of theoretical and empirical focus on the transformative role of digital technology in shaping identities. Through a systematic review of research, we provide both an empirical base and a conceptual framework to understand adolescent identity in an increasingly connected world. We also suggest several concrete steps for incorporating global perspectives and digital realities into developmental psychology research in general and identity development research in particular.
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Sleep and Neuroaffective Development from Early to Late Adolescence
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 323–350More LessSleep is fundamental to human existence—especially during periods of extensive neurodevelopment such as adolescence. Importantly, poor sleep health in the transition into puberty can impact developing neural systems, contributing to the onset and maintenance of emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. This review explores the complex interplay between sleep and neuroaffective development in adolescence, when changes in sleep architecture, circadian rhythms, and hormonal fluctuations interact with ongoing brain maturation to impact cognitive and emotional functioning. By synthesizing extant literature and charting future directions for research and intervention, this review elucidates the bidirectional associations between sleep and neuroaffective processes during puberty and highlights how sleep architecture and neurophysiology can inform our understanding of adolescent brain development. Ultimately, this article argues that promoting sleep health and addressing sleep-related challenges, especially in early adolescence, are promising strategies for enhancing well-being and fostering positive neurodevelopmental outcomes across both healthy and clinical populations.
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Critical Consciousness and Youth Political Activism
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 351–372More LessLike previous generations, today's youth are engaging in political activism to positively transform their local communities and the broader society. This review applies critical consciousness theory to shed light on the factors that spur youth political activism and to highlight how developing critical consciousness engenders developmental benefits. Critical consciousness refers to structural and historical reasoning about inequality, motivation to promote social change, and political activism to bring about social equity. A succinct review of outcomes associated with critical consciousness is presented first, followed by a nuanced contemporary understanding of the precursors to youth critical consciousness development. In closing, this review highlights exciting emerging directions in this area of research and offers reflections on the trajectory of critical consciousness scholarship. All told, critical consciousness research illuminates a strength-based approach for supporting youth's healthy development that adequately attends to the psychological, historical, and structural facets of youth experience.
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Why Should Developmental Scientists Engage in Research on Adolescent Suicide? The Case for Developmentally Informed Suicidology
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 373–399More LessAdolescent suicide is a critical and prevalent issue yet is rarely studied by developmental psychologists. We assert that developmentalists’ lack of engagement has stymied progress on adolescent suicide research and practice, and we demonstrate how developmental perspectives can contribute to the next decade of research and practice in suicidology. Specifically, we (a) review theories in suicidology (that are largely a-developmental); (b) discuss how developmental phenomena may explain findings regarding the epidemiology of adolescent suicide; (c) review the evidence on the etiology of adolescent suicide, where efforts to identify risk factors have not led to strong predictions, highlighting underutilized approaches from the developmental risk and resilience literature; and (d) review strategies and developmental gaps across the suicide prevention continuum from primary prevention to postvention, recommending an adolescent developmental perspective on the development and study of school- and community-based suicide prevention and postvention. In doing so, we propose a new subfield of Developmentally Informed Suicidology.
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Youth-Led Participatory Action Research and Developmental Science: Intersections and Innovations
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 401–423More LessIn this review, we provide a conceptual and empirical overview of youth-led participatory action research (YPAR) across disciplines. We consider the historical and conceptual contexts for the diversity of YPAR approaches and (a) the rationales underlying the rapid growth of YPAR in practice and research; (b) the relevance of YPAR for the study and promotion of healthy and equitable human development; (c) the state of the empirical evidence for YPAR impact on youth and environments, especially domains of social-emotional well-being and sociopolitical development; (d) challenges and opportunities at the intersection of YPAR and developmental science; and (e) important next steps for the field, including the further development of multimethod research and the need for stronger research and practice to support the capacities needed for YPAR integrity, impact, and sustainability.
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The Psychology of Misinformation Across the Lifespan
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 425–454More LessUbiquitous misinformation on social media threatens the health and well-being of young people. We review research on susceptibility to misinformation, why it spreads, and how these mechanisms might operate developmentally. Although we identify many research gaps, results suggest that cognitive ability, thinking styles, and metacognitive scrutiny of misinformation are protective, but early adverse experiences can bias information processing and sow seeds of mistrust. We find that content knowledge is not sufficient to protect against misinformation, but that it, along with life experiences, provides a foundation for gist plausibility (true in principle, rather than true at the level of verbatim details) that likely determines whether misinformation is accepted and shared. Thus, we present a theoretical framework based on fuzzy-trace theory that integrates the following: knowledge that distinguishes verbatim facts from gist (knowledge that is amplified by cognitive faculties and derived from trusted sources); personality as an information-processing filter colored by experiences; emotion as a product of interpreting the gist of information; and ideology that changes prior probabilities and gist interpretations of what is plausible. The young and the old may be at greatest risk because of their prioritization of social goals, a need that social media algorithms are designed to meet but at the cost of widespread exposure to misinformation.
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Toward a Theory of Lifespan Personality Trait Development
Vol. 6 (2024), pp. 455–478More LessThe lifespan development of personality traits has evolved from a niche topic to a core subject of psychological science. Looking back at 20 years of research, I review the personality development literature against three criteria for strong psychological theories. Overall, the field has come a long way toward refining our theoretical understanding of lifespan personality trait development. Major accomplishments include the establishment of evidence-based trait measures, the identification of robust patterns of trait stability and change, and the documentation of both environmental and genetic contributions to lifespan personality development. These insights put the field in a position to make transformative advances toward stronger and more precise theories. However, there are still several open questions. I discuss ideas to overcome existing obstacles to the development of strong lifespan personality theories and close with an overall evaluation of the theoretical status of the field.
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