School readiness: Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children's functioning at school entry.

The author examines the construct of emotionality, developmental relations between cognition and emotion, and neural plasticity and frontal cortical functioning and proposes a developmental neurobiological model of children's school readiness. Direct links are proposed among emotionality, use-dependent synaptic stabilization related to the prefrontal cortex, the development of executive function abilities, and academic and social competence in school settings. The author considers research on the efficacy of preschool compensatory education in promoting school readiness and recommends that programs expand to include curricula directly addressing social and emotional competence. Research should focus on the ontogeny of self-regulation and successful adaptation to the socially defined role of student, the development of prevention research programs to reflect this orientation, and interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate scientific methods and questions in the pursuit of comprehensive knowledge of human developmental processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking social change and developmental change: Shifting pathways of human development.

P. M. Greenfield's new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. Worldwide sociodemographic trends include movement from rural residence, informal education at home, subsistence economy, and low-technology environments to urban residence, formal schooling, commerce, and high-technology environments. The former ecology is summarized by the German term Gemeinschaft (“community”) and the latter by the German term Gesellschaft (“society”; T?nnies, 1887/1957). A review of empirical research demonstrates that, through adaptive processes, movement of any ecological variable in a Gesellschaft direction shifts cultural values in an individualistic direction and developmental pathways toward more independent social behavior and more abstract cognition—to give a few examples of the myriad behaviors that respond to these sociodemographic changes. In contrast, the (much less frequent) movement of any ecological variable in a Gemeinschaft direction is predicted to move cultural values and developmental pathways in the opposite direction. In conclusion, sociocultural environments are not static either in the developed or the developing world and therefore must be treated dynamically in developmental research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental and social influences on young girls' early problem behavior.

A developing body of research suggests that there are few sex differences in the rate and severity of problem behavior in early childhood, but clear sex differences emerge at about 4 years of age. The authors explore 2 hypotheses to further the understanding of emerging sex differences in problem behavior across the first 5 years of life. The first posits that the change in girls' problem behavior from infancy to school entry represents a channeling of early problem behavior into predominantly internalizing problems as a result of socialization. The second hypothesis is that the change in girls' early problem behavior during the preschool period results from the more rapid biological, cognitive, and social–emotional development of girls relative to boys. The authors review research on the influence of parents, teachers, and peers on girls' behavior from infancy to preschool regarding the first hypothesis, whereas they review studies of sex differences in developmental processes to test the second. They find moderate support for both hypotheses and present a comprehensive theory of girls' developmental psychopathology that integrates social and developmental influences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental-genetic analysis of aggressive behavior in mice: I. Behavioral outcomes.

In Exp I, stable lines of mice that differed in the frequency and latency of attacks were rapidly established in 2 series (by S? in the 1st series and S? or S? in the 2nd). For evaluation of the developmental-genetic proposal, an analysis was made of the ontogeny of aggressive expression in male mice of the 2 series, with a report provided of the S? and S? generations of the 2nd breeding series (Exps II and III). Comparisons between results of a longitudinal design and results of a new type of cross-sectional design (involving only siblings, or co-sibial) indicated (a) a reliable developmental course of attack expression, with a sharp rise in early maturity and a slow decline thereafter; (b) a convergence in later maturity of the behavior of lines selectively bred for high or low aggressive behavior, if Ss had been assigned to the longitudinal design; (c) a strong effect of repeated testing on attack latency and frequency, even though the dyadic tests were brief in duration and separated by long intervals. In addition, cross-generational comparisons suggested that the selective breeding differences came about primarily by changes in the behavior of the low aggressive lines, in that these Ss failed to show in early maturity the sharp increases in attack occurrence that were observed in earlier generations. Implications for developmental and evolutionary concepts (e.g., neoteny, acceleration, and heterochrony) are discussed. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-monitoring in children: A differential approach to social development.

A new measure, the Junior Self-Monitoring scale, was developed and related to individual differences in children's tendencies to engage in social comparison when making decisions. Snyder's work on self-monitoring in adults provided the theoretical framework for a developmental extension of this construct. As predicted, children scoring high in self-monitoring were more likely to attend to the decisions of other children, and to do so for a longer period of time, than were low self-monitoring children. The scale may be useful for exploring the origins and developmental processes leading to adult individual differences in self-monitoring. Results were discussed in terms of the need for research on the ontogeny of individual differences in patterns of social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ghosts, taxonomies, and social psychology.

This article critically analyzes social psychology's assumption that psychological states can explain social behavior. On the basis of an analysis of the logic of classification systems, the author argues that there are no procedures available to independently verify the existence of these psychological states. As a consequence, explanations of social behavior are subject to continual challenge and replacement. Furthermore, it is argued that focusing on psychological states serves to inhibit the systematic study of societal changes (particularly changes in technology) that are affecting and shaping all aspects of human existence. This article describes an alternate paradigm that coordinates one dimension of societal events—technology—with changes in people's consciousness and subsequent behavior. A taxonomy of technology is described in the closing section of the article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The (re)discovery of motor development: Learning new things from an old field.

The articles in this special issue reflect a resurgence of interest in motor development. Just as the classic studies of McGraw and Gesell helped to establish the scientific study of human ontogeny, so contemporary studies of motor processes can contribute to our overall understanding of development. The articles in this issue illustrate several general principles: (a) The developing system is the proper unit for study, (b) the task assembles behavior, (c) developmental processes are nonlinear, (d) action and perception form an inseparable loop, and (e) developmental studies should look at variability as well as modal patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social inappropriateness, executive control, and aging.

Age-related deficits in executive control might lead to socially inappropriate behavior if they compromise the ability to withhold inappropriate responses. Consistent with this possibility, older adults in the current study showed greater social inappropriateness than younger adults—as rated by their peers—and this effect was mediated by deficits in executive control as well as deficits in general cognitive ability. Older adults also responded with greater social inappropriateness to a provocative event in the laboratory, but this effect was unrelated to executive functioning or general cognitive ability. These findings suggest that changes in both social and cognitive factors are important in understanding age-related changes in social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of selective amygdala, orbital frontal cortex, or hippocampal formation lesions on established social relationships in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Social dominance, personality ratings, and frequency, duration, and timing of social behaviors were measured pre- and postsurgically in 6 groups of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), each consisting of 1 sham-operated control and 1 monkey each with a selective amygdala, hippocampal, or orbital frontal cortex lesion. Unlike previous reports, none of the operated groups showed changes in social dominance postsurgery, although changes in other measures varied by lesion site. Although sham-operated monkeys displayed heightened avoidant, anxious, and aggressive behaviors, those with hippocampal lesions also showed increased exploration and excitability, along with reduced responses to affiliative signals. Amygdala lesions yielded several personality changes that precluded positive social interactions (increased exploration and excitability, decreased affiliation and popularity) and altered responses to threatening social signals. By contrast, monkeys with orbital frontal lesions were involved in more aggressive interactions and responded differently to both affiliative and threatening signals. Although several findings differ from earlier nonhuman primate studies, they are largely in agreement with human data and emphasize the context-specific nature of social behavior studies. Interpretation of results in relation to cognitive processes mediated by each structure is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology: The socially indifferent science.

Psychology "is a science without social content… . I believe that psychology has been and ought to be mainly interested in the properties and processes of individual organisms… . Psychology… has been so far the science which deals with the abstract, universal, culturally contentless features of behavior which in almost all cases—and surely all the most interesting cases—are socially tagged, but which are analyzed as properties of individual organisms… . I am arguing that the formulations which psychologists have made and ought to continue making do not and need not contain explicit social or cultural terms to satisfy the relevance of psychology for understanding social behavior." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2AD32L. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commentary: Causal processes leading to antisocial behavior.

Conceptual, and empirical, questions are raised regarding the notion that physical aggression is the main individual risk factor for antisocial behavior; that language impairment also constitutes a risk factor; the meaning of the male preponderance for antisocial behavior; the findings on environmentally mediated risk; the role of biosocial interplay; social context effects; the construct of antisocial behavior; developmental trends; processing of experiences; and transactional effects. The main blocks to using research to develop policy are the lack of evidence on (a) the mediators of the causal processes, (b) what is needed to bring about change, (c) ways to ensure that individuals who need interventions actually receive them, and (d) differences in levels of antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tuning in to psychological change: Linguistic markers of psychological traits and emotions over time in popular U.S. song lyrics.

American culture is filled with cultural products. Yet few studies have investigated how changes in cultural products correspond to changes in psychological traits and emotions. The current research fills this gap by testing the hypothesis that one cultural product—word use in popular song lyrics—changes over time in harmony with cultural changes in individualistic traits. Linguistic analyses of the most popular songs from 1980–2007 demonstrated changes in word use that mirror psychological change. Over time, use of words related to self-focus and antisocial behavior increased, whereas words related to other-focus, social interactions, and positive emotion decreased. These findings offer novel evidence regarding the need to investigate how changes in the tangible artifacts of the sociocultural environment can provide a window into understanding cultural changes in psychological processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ontogeny of suckling in rats: Transitions toward adult ingestion.

Studied the suckling behavior of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats on their own anesthetized mother from the day of birth until after weaning (35 days). Even newborn Ss were capable of nipple attachment without maternal assistance. Before 11–23 days of age, pups deprived of suckling for 22 hrs and nondeprived pups quickly attached to their mother's nipples, sucked, and remained attached to the nipple though no milk delivery occurred. Then behavior underwent at least 3 changes: (a) After 11–23 days of age, latency to attach became considerably elevated in nondeprived pups; (b) a 2nd change in latency occurred at 23–25 days of age, when nondeprived pups no longer even attached to the nipples of anesthetized mothers; and (c) about 14 days of age, deprived pups began to shift from 1 nipple to the next after initial attachment. These developmental changes were seen in other test situations in which pups were placed directly on a nipple and not required to search and when various periods of deprivation were utilized. These transitions were not critically dependent on the onset of visual function or on the pup's experience with food other than mother's milk. Suckling, therefore, in not an unmodified reflex but is an appetitive behavior that undergoes a series of changes during development. These transitions constitute major developmental events in the ontogeny of rat ingestive behavior. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent aggression and imagery: contributions from object relations and social cognitive theory

Object relations and social cognitive theory can be combined with the use of imagery in a self-control program with aggressive adolescents. Object relations provide a rationale for merging fantasy and reality processes while social cognitive theory (and its operationalization through cognitive behavioral therapy) provides a general framework in which behavioral and cognitive change techniques are utilized. This is embedded in a developmental paradigm that promotes the integration of the past, present, and future as a means of encouraging developmental maturity and identity. A case study demonstrates how the elaborated procedure of imagery manipulation can effectively alter behavior in a relatively brief time. While concerns remain regarding the amalgamation of psychodynamic and cognitive theories, the theories can give rise to a judicious blending of techniques that appear to have good effect in the case described.     

Postnatal NGF administration causes adult hyperalgesia and overreactivity to social stimuli but does not reverse capsaicin induced hypoalgesia

The present longitudinal analysis was aimed at assessing (i) the effects of developmental capsaicin (CAPS) administration on nociceptive responsivity and on the response of adult mice to social stimuli; (ii) the action of NGF on the ontogeny of the same nociceptive response and social stimuli; (iii) whether capsaicin treatment could be reversed by subsequent treatment with NGF. CD-1 mouse pups were treated with either capsaicin (50 mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle on postnatal days (PNDs) 5 and 8. Every other day from PND 9 to PND 21 the same pups received a daily injection of NGF (0.75 mg/kg, s.c.). During both the prepuberal stage (PNDs 14, 21, and 28) and adulthood, mice were repeatedly tested in a hot-plate apparatus (52 +/- 0.1 degrees C for 1 min). At adulthood they also underwent an aggressive behaviour test. NGF-treated mice showed a shorter latency to hindlimb licking response in the hot plate compared to both controls and NGF-CAPS groups. CAPS-treated subjects showed a long-lasting hypoalgesia at both prepuberal and adult stages that was not modified by subsequent NGF treatment. Finally, NGF-treated mice were more aggressive than both controls and CAPS-NGF animals.     

Adapting to and coping with the threat and impacts of climate change.

This article addresses the nature and challenge of adaptation in the context of global climate change. The complexity of “climate change” as threat, environmental stressor, risk domain, and impacting process with dramatic environmental and human consequences requires a synthesis of perspectives and models from diverse areas of psychology to adequately communicate and explain how a more psychological framing of the human dimensions of global environmental change can greatly inform and enhance effective and collaborative climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and research. An integrative framework is provided that identifies and considers important mediating and moderating parameters and processes relating to climate change adaptation, with particular emphasis given to environmental stress and stress and coping perspectives. This psychological perspective on climate change adaptation highlights crucial aspects of adaptation that have been neglected in the arena of climate change science. Of particular importance are intra-individual and social “psychological adaptation” processes that powerfully mediate public risk perceptions and understandings, effective coping responses and resilience, overt behavioral adjustment and change, and psychological and social impacts. This psychological window on climate change adaptation is arguably indispensable to genuinely multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and policy initiatives addressing the impacts of climate change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Growth and aggression: I. Childhood to early adolescence.

Followed 4th-grade subjects (116 girls and 104 boys) in annual assessments of aggressive patterns over 6 years, from childhood through early adolescence. Results indicated that (a) there were marked normative shifts from childhood to adolescence in the nature of aggressive themes in conflicts, with developmental persistence of direct confrontation and physical attacks (i.e., a "brutality norm") in male–male conflicts and an increase in social aggression and ostracism in female–female conflicts; (b) individual differences in teacher ratings (and in self-ratings) of aggressive patterns were reasonably continuous over 6 years, with a decay in magnitude as the interval between measurements increased; and (c) there were developmental shifts in the factor structure of aggressive measures, along with changes in how measures from the "self" and "others" were aligned. Some theoretical implications for development, continuity, and convergence are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a technology of human behavior for defense use.

Conditions faced by defense managers are changing rapidly. "The significant changes for behavioral scientists are the expansions of the military environment into a world of machines and into new social settings… . Defense management needs a technology of human behavior based on advances in psychology and the social sciences." 6 programs warranting special attention are separately discussed: human performance, man-machine systems. decision processes in the individual, team functions, adaptation of complex organizations to changing demands, and persuasion and motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An integrated components preventive intervention for aggressive elementary school children: The Early Risers program.

The Early Risers prevention program aims to alter the developmental trajectory of children with early onset aggressive behavior. The program features 4 CORE components: (a) an annual 6-week summer school program, (b) a teacher consultation and student mentoring program, (c) child social skills groups, and (d) parent education and skills-training groups, all delivered in tandem with a FLEX family support program individually tailored to address the unique needs of families. At baseline, the mean age of the sample was 6.6 years. Following 2 years of intervention, program children showed significant improvement relative to controls in academic achievement and school behaviors. Change on behavioral self-regulation was moderated by level of child aggression, with intervention effects found for only the most severely aggressive children. Parents with high program attendance rates showed improvement in discipline methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)