In this article, Peter Molenaar responds to three commentaries (this issue) on his article, "An Interpretation of Part of Gilbert Gottlieb's Legacy: Developmental Systems Theory Contra Developmental Behavior Genetics." He addresses aspects of relational developmental systems (RDS) mentioned and questions raised in each of the…

The concepts and paradigms "development", "evolution", and "developmental behavior genetics" target, in their statements, populations. The laws of genetics and evolution are supposed to apply to every single case in a population. It can be counted among the major contributions of Gottlieb (1992, 1995) to have pointed…

Molenaar's (2015) article concerns Developmental Systems Theory (DST) in relation to behavior genetics and he presents implications of DST for empirical research, especially the need for subject-specific studies. In this commentary, the article is discussed from a broader developmental science perspective, particularly regarded through the lens of…

The main theme of this paper concerns the persistent critique of Gilbert Gottlieb on developmental behavior genetics and my reactions to this critique, the latter changing from rejection to complete acceptation. Concise characterizations of developmental behavior genetics, developmental systems theory (to which Gottlieb made essential…

In this response to "A Quality of Giftedness," ("Gifted and Talented International" v27 n2 p13-71 2012) by Prof. Dr. Joan Freeman, John Anchan comments that Freeman's article raises a number of issues that challenge conventional train of thoughts. It is all about why one person can train endlessly and yet, never keep a tune,…

Developmental contextualism focuses on changes in fused relations between developing people and their changing contexts. Research on cognitive training in the aged years provides evidence about plasticity throughout life because it alters developmental trajectories through revised person-context relations. The studies in the current issue support…

Definitions of introversion and various suggested school practices are provided in the hope that these valuable members of society can "become what they are capable of becoming." Well-meaning teachers and parents try to mold these youths into socially outgoing individuals without understanding their deep-seated feelings and motivations.…

As college and university professionals prepare for the 21st century they need to be cognizant of the student population they will be serving and how to maximize educational and developmental opportunities. No one theory adequately provides a comprehensive explanation of the processes that manifest themselves during the college experience. All…

Knowledge gained from literature is not knowledge that can be classified, abstracted, and transferred to the general context of a body of knowledge such as constitutes psychology or sociology. Extensive literary examples demonstrate that literature can, however, enrich an understanding of what it is to interpret and make sense of things, increase…

Addresses four major issues in developmental psychology: the preservation of structures over time; the psychological growth functions for emergent competences; the mechanisms of change in development; and the determinants of individual variation in psychological development. (Author/DB)

Focuses on the conceptual implications of analyses of individual differences in francophone post-Piagetian research. Maintains that these analyses are preoccupied by the "American question" of measurement and method, instead of attempting a theoretical account of the issues raised by intraindividual and interindividual variability in…

Discusses Adolph's research on locomotion with regard to the requirements of an ecological psychology, especially the use of control laws; her examination of individual styles and normative patterns as it reflects a dynamic systems perspective; and her use of cognitive processes of decision making in explaining why infants approach or avoid a…

Provides a basis from which to critically examine contemporary identity research, by offering a definition of identity, a constructive criticism of the subject approach, and an empirical approach to studying sense of identity. The empirical approach is based on conceptually sound ideas and leads to important questions about identity modes and the…

School readiness encompasses two different terms in Estonia: school maturity and school readiness. School maturity involves stages in growth a child experiences up to a certain level of development. School readiness involves that point in development at which a child is ready to enter school. Because children develop at different rates, ways…

A classroom teacher discusses her attitude towards her own aging process, and describes the benefits of classroom interaction between older adults and young children. (LH)