Journal article
Reexamining developmental continuity and discontinuity in the 21st century: Better aligning behaviors, functions, and mechanisms
Developmental psychology, Vol.60(11), pp.1992-2007
11/2024
DOI: 10.1037/dev0001657
PMCID: PMC11026300
PMID: 37856415
Abstract
Developmental science aims to explain development across the lifespan. Jerome Kagan observed that the same behavior can occur for different reasons, and differing behaviors can occur for the same reason. To help account for persistence, desistence, and transformation of behavior across development, Kagan introduced various types of continuity and discontinuity of forms and functions of behavior. This framework provides opportunities for identifying explanatory mechanisms in behavior development. However, misconceptions remain in applying the concepts that Kagan introduced. Much of the literature assumes developmental continuity in constructs without examining whether assumptions are supported, leading to faulty developmental inferences. For instance, the use of the same measure across time to assess development assumes that the behavior occurs for the same reason across time (homotypic continuity). In addition, just because one behavior predicts a different behavior at a later time does not necessarily indicate that age-differing behaviors occur for the same reason (heterotypic continuity). This review aims to advance conceptualizations of continuity and discontinuity from a contemporary perspective with aims to improve mechanistic understanding of behavior development across the lifespan. To better align behaviors, functions, and mechanisms, research should (a) examine (dis)continuity of individual behaviors rather than merely syndromes, (b) identify the function(s) of the given behavior(s), and (c) identify the cognitive and biological processes that underlie the behavior–function pairs. Incorporating examples from research on development of humans and nonhuman animals, I discuss challenges from work that has followed Kagan’s ideas and ways to advance understanding of continuity and discontinuity across development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Reexamining developmental continuity and discontinuity in the 21st century: Better aligning behaviors, functions, and mechanisms
- Creators
- Isaac T Petersen
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Developmental psychology, Vol.60(11), pp.1992-2007
- DOI
- 10.1037/dev0001657
- PMID
- 37856415
- PMCID
- PMC11026300
- NLM abbreviation
- Dev Psychol
- ISSN
- 0012-1649
- eISSN
- 1939-0599
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- Grant note
- DOI: 10.13039/100009633, name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, award: HD098235
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 10/19/2023
- Date published
- 11/2024
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984482459302771
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