ARTICLES
1. Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2002). A developmental psychopathology perspective on adolescence. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 6-20. doi:10.1037//0022-006X.70.1.6
1) The article contains various constructs and terms that are key constructs within the field of developmental
psychopathology (e.g., distal, resilient). List at least 10 of these and explain them
Developmental psychopathology: the study of the development of psychological disorders (e.g., psychopathy,
autism, schizophrenia and depression) with a life course perspective. Researchers who work from this
perspective emphasize how psychopathology can be understood as normal development gone awry.
Probabilistic epigenesis: different neural structures develop and activate either based on an individual biology or
interaction with the environment. Developmental psychopathology believes in this principle, therefore it is
probabilistic rather than deterministic.
Resilience: the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of
stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors.
It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Psychological autonomy: involves 3 dimensions: emotional autonomy from childhood dependency on parents,
behavioral autonomy in terms of independent functioning and self-reliance, cognitive autonomy involving self-
confidence in decision making.
Equifinality: diverse paths can be associated with the same outcome (f.e. antisocial behavior can be caused by a:
aggressive behavior from father since toddlerhood, b: family divorce in adolescence, c: abandonment of mother)
Multifinality: same experiences can be associated with different outcomes (f.e. maltreatment can lead to a:
depression, b: aggressive behavior, c: anxiety)
Moffit developmental pathways: delinquency conceals 2 distinct categories of individuals, each with a unique
natural history and etiology: a small group engages in antisocial behavior of one sort or another at every life
stage, whereas a larger group is antisocial only during adolescence. According to the theory of life-course-
persistent antisocial behavior, children's neuropsychological problems interact cumulatively with their
criminogenic environments across development, culminating in a pathological personality. According to the
theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behavior, a contemporary maturity gap encourages teens to mimic
antisocial behavior in ways that are normative and adjustive.
Developmental uniformity myth: a myth stating that mental disorders manifest themselves similarly regardless
of age and therefore do not require therapies that are sensitive to developmental changes.
Arnett central features of adolescents: mood disruptions, risk behavior, conflict with parents
Organizational perspective on development: holistic perspective that views development as composed of age-
and stage-relevant tasks that do not decrease of importance with time. Moreover, the individual has an active
role in determining the course of his/her development. A positive outcome is determined by a coherent
organization of the biological and psychological system
2) The authors state that “the boundaries between normal and abnormal, as well as between normative struggles
and psychopathology become less clear” in adolescence. Why is this?
Adolescence is a period of changes in terms of brain neurodevelopment, which leads adolescents to engage in
behavior that might be considered “abnormal” (e.g. risk behavior, extreme mood swings, conflict with authority,
etc.). Nevertheless, in the majority of cases, this behavior gradually decreases from adolescence to early adulthood.
3) The authors elaborate on the difference between developmental psychology and developmental
psychopathology. Can you summarize the core difference between these two fields?
Developmental psychology Developmental psychopathology
Study of human development with a life course Study of psychopathology development with a life
perspective course perspective
Contribution from multiple fields Contribution from multiple fields
Only studies normal development Sees normality and abnormality as one continuum
Interested in central tendencies Interested in outliers
Study common patterns of adaptation Study adaptation despite life difficulties (resilience)
, Study individuals and their development Study individuals at high risk for the development of
psychopathology
Important for treatment and prevention Important for treatment and prevention
(understanding what is normal) (understanding what is abnormal)
2. Bongers, I. L., Koot, H. M., Van Der Ende, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (2004). Developmental trajectories of externalizing
behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 75, 1523-1537. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00755.x
1) Draw the scheme of Frick et al. (1993) that distinguishes four types of externalizing problem behaviors.
Overt Covert
Destructive Aggression Property violations
o Fights o Cruel to animals
o Threatening o Setting fire
o Attacking o Vandalism
Non-destructive Opposition Status violations
o Argues a lot o Truancy
o Disobedient o Theft
o Temper tantrums o Substance use
2) The present study has three research goals.
a) What are the three research goals?
Research goals
1. To what extent do the classification of externalising behaviour as suggested by Frick fit the data from the present
sample?
2. What is the shape of the average developmental trajectory of the Frick clusters across childhood and
adolescence?
3. Can groups of individuals that follow different developmental trajectories within each cluster be distinguished
from each other?
b) Explain the kind of analysis that was used for each of these goals.
With this design, an investigator samples a source population cross-sectionally and then retrospectively assesses
subjects' histories of exposures and outcomes over a specified time period.
1. Confirmatory factor analysis
2. multilevel growth curve analyses
3. semiparametric mixture model-fitting procedure to identify groups of individuals who follow distinctive
developmental trajectories within each externalizing behavior cluster
3) The researchers use a cohort-sequential design. Can you explain what this is, using the design of the present
study?
Cohort-sequential design Experimental design in which multiple measures are taken over a period of time from
two or more groups of different ages (birth cohorts). If, for instance, individuals ranging in age from 5 to 10 years are
sampled and then the members of each age group are studied for a 5-year period, the resulting data would span 15
years of development. Such studies essentially are a combination of a longitudinal design and a cross-sectional
design. Also called accelerated longitudinal design.
4) What do you think are strengths and weaknesses of the method of this study? Why?
Weaknesses
Only parents (mothers) reported on the behaviour of their kids, this might cause bias and not be accurate as
parents are often not aware of behaviours of their children they perform in secret.
1. Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2002). A developmental psychopathology perspective on adolescence. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 6-20. doi:10.1037//0022-006X.70.1.6
1) The article contains various constructs and terms that are key constructs within the field of developmental
psychopathology (e.g., distal, resilient). List at least 10 of these and explain them
Developmental psychopathology: the study of the development of psychological disorders (e.g., psychopathy,
autism, schizophrenia and depression) with a life course perspective. Researchers who work from this
perspective emphasize how psychopathology can be understood as normal development gone awry.
Probabilistic epigenesis: different neural structures develop and activate either based on an individual biology or
interaction with the environment. Developmental psychopathology believes in this principle, therefore it is
probabilistic rather than deterministic.
Resilience: the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of
stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors.
It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Psychological autonomy: involves 3 dimensions: emotional autonomy from childhood dependency on parents,
behavioral autonomy in terms of independent functioning and self-reliance, cognitive autonomy involving self-
confidence in decision making.
Equifinality: diverse paths can be associated with the same outcome (f.e. antisocial behavior can be caused by a:
aggressive behavior from father since toddlerhood, b: family divorce in adolescence, c: abandonment of mother)
Multifinality: same experiences can be associated with different outcomes (f.e. maltreatment can lead to a:
depression, b: aggressive behavior, c: anxiety)
Moffit developmental pathways: delinquency conceals 2 distinct categories of individuals, each with a unique
natural history and etiology: a small group engages in antisocial behavior of one sort or another at every life
stage, whereas a larger group is antisocial only during adolescence. According to the theory of life-course-
persistent antisocial behavior, children's neuropsychological problems interact cumulatively with their
criminogenic environments across development, culminating in a pathological personality. According to the
theory of adolescence-limited antisocial behavior, a contemporary maturity gap encourages teens to mimic
antisocial behavior in ways that are normative and adjustive.
Developmental uniformity myth: a myth stating that mental disorders manifest themselves similarly regardless
of age and therefore do not require therapies that are sensitive to developmental changes.
Arnett central features of adolescents: mood disruptions, risk behavior, conflict with parents
Organizational perspective on development: holistic perspective that views development as composed of age-
and stage-relevant tasks that do not decrease of importance with time. Moreover, the individual has an active
role in determining the course of his/her development. A positive outcome is determined by a coherent
organization of the biological and psychological system
2) The authors state that “the boundaries between normal and abnormal, as well as between normative struggles
and psychopathology become less clear” in adolescence. Why is this?
Adolescence is a period of changes in terms of brain neurodevelopment, which leads adolescents to engage in
behavior that might be considered “abnormal” (e.g. risk behavior, extreme mood swings, conflict with authority,
etc.). Nevertheless, in the majority of cases, this behavior gradually decreases from adolescence to early adulthood.
3) The authors elaborate on the difference between developmental psychology and developmental
psychopathology. Can you summarize the core difference between these two fields?
Developmental psychology Developmental psychopathology
Study of human development with a life course Study of psychopathology development with a life
perspective course perspective
Contribution from multiple fields Contribution from multiple fields
Only studies normal development Sees normality and abnormality as one continuum
Interested in central tendencies Interested in outliers
Study common patterns of adaptation Study adaptation despite life difficulties (resilience)
, Study individuals and their development Study individuals at high risk for the development of
psychopathology
Important for treatment and prevention Important for treatment and prevention
(understanding what is normal) (understanding what is abnormal)
2. Bongers, I. L., Koot, H. M., Van Der Ende, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (2004). Developmental trajectories of externalizing
behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 75, 1523-1537. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00755.x
1) Draw the scheme of Frick et al. (1993) that distinguishes four types of externalizing problem behaviors.
Overt Covert
Destructive Aggression Property violations
o Fights o Cruel to animals
o Threatening o Setting fire
o Attacking o Vandalism
Non-destructive Opposition Status violations
o Argues a lot o Truancy
o Disobedient o Theft
o Temper tantrums o Substance use
2) The present study has three research goals.
a) What are the three research goals?
Research goals
1. To what extent do the classification of externalising behaviour as suggested by Frick fit the data from the present
sample?
2. What is the shape of the average developmental trajectory of the Frick clusters across childhood and
adolescence?
3. Can groups of individuals that follow different developmental trajectories within each cluster be distinguished
from each other?
b) Explain the kind of analysis that was used for each of these goals.
With this design, an investigator samples a source population cross-sectionally and then retrospectively assesses
subjects' histories of exposures and outcomes over a specified time period.
1. Confirmatory factor analysis
2. multilevel growth curve analyses
3. semiparametric mixture model-fitting procedure to identify groups of individuals who follow distinctive
developmental trajectories within each externalizing behavior cluster
3) The researchers use a cohort-sequential design. Can you explain what this is, using the design of the present
study?
Cohort-sequential design Experimental design in which multiple measures are taken over a period of time from
two or more groups of different ages (birth cohorts). If, for instance, individuals ranging in age from 5 to 10 years are
sampled and then the members of each age group are studied for a 5-year period, the resulting data would span 15
years of development. Such studies essentially are a combination of a longitudinal design and a cross-sectional
design. Also called accelerated longitudinal design.
4) What do you think are strengths and weaknesses of the method of this study? Why?
Weaknesses
Only parents (mothers) reported on the behaviour of their kids, this might cause bias and not be accurate as
parents are often not aware of behaviours of their children they perform in secret.
