This paper will critically explore elements of the psychoanalytic paradigm of developmental psychology in relation to the professional practice of working with teenage mothers in an educational setting. Particular focus will be given to the psychosexual and psychosocial staged theories of development. The framework for this critical analysis will…

In this short contribution I introduce myself to the readership of the "International Journal of Developmental Science" by describing some high points in my scientific career, leading up to a major change in my perspective on the proper way to conduct empirical research in developmental science.

Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core feature of autism spectrum disorders. They constitute a major barrier to learning and social adaptation, but research on their definition, cause, and capacity for change has been relatively neglected. The last decade of research has brought new measurement techniques that have improved the…

Developmental trajectories provide the empirical foundation for theories about change processes during development. However, the ability to distinguish among alternative trajectories depends on how frequently observations are sampled. This study used real behavioral data, with real patterns of variability, to examine the effects of sampling at…

Introduces a notation system for representing the formal aspects of Erikson's theory of psychological development in adolescence (including consideration of stages and transitions from one stage to the next) and uses this notation system to raise and make some researchable questions regarding Erikson's conceptions of the crises of identity and…

The author critically reviews the literature on the developmental approach to mental retardation by examining such aspects as motivation, interrupted tasks, probability learning, institutional effect, statistical problems, and Piagetian tasks; and questions whether there is a substantial body of valid evidence supporting claims of…

Three views of the compatibility of Piaget's theory and educational practice are considered. More research is needed to establish the validity of Piaget's most educationally relevant constructs. Features of Piaget's theory that have attracted teachers and the implications of Piaget's more recent theoretical emphasis on social factors are…

Argues that dynamic systems approaches may provide an explanatory framework based on general scientific principles for developmental psychology, using principles of self-organization to explain how novel forms emerge without predetermination and become increasingly complex with development. Contends that self-organization provides a single…

Responses of four people to the book "Future Shock" are analyzed in relation to Erik Erikson's theory of personality. Results were interpreted as support for Erickson's theory and as illustration of how people interpret written language in terms of their own situations and life histories. In general, adults applied more detached and…

Global accounts of cognitive development, best illustrated by Piaget's theory, dominated the field until the 1970s and 1980s, when they were gradually superseded by domain-specific accounts. In this article I present evidence suggesting that both global and domain-specific processes make important contributions to cognitive development, and I…

Argues that the "ontogenetic" model of adult development theory is inappropriate because it treats as "natural" a subject that is social in character. Offers instead some essential elements of a "sociogenic" paradigm drawn from the accumulated body of sociological research and theory. (CMG)

Research described by Walton and Sedlak ("Merrill-Palmer Quarterly," v28, n3, p389-412, 1982) is used to illustrate a movement within the general area of socialization research toward the incorporation of concepts from subareas of psychology. (MP)

This "classic" article (1972) in the field of deaf studies includes some interpretive notes for current readers. The article examines the effect of deafness on basic developmental tasks at each of the eight developmental stages of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and explains the more successful passage through these…

A focal theory (gradual coping with stressful change); is offered to reconcile contradictions between the empirical view, which conceptualized adolescence as relatively peaceful and harmonious, and the classical "storm and stress" view. The status of two concepts, generation gap and identity crisis, are examined relative to classical and…

Responds to Caple's self-organization paradigm of student development, where humans are viewed as open systems, unstable because of continuous exchange of energy with their environments. Corroborates the inevitability of disequilibrium in human existence but is disturbed by the notion of random determination of second-order change. Raises…