Clinical Developmental and Health Psychology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Lecture on Evolution and Development of Mental Disorders,
Articles: Del Giudice, 2016 & Li et al., 2018 ------------------------------------------------------- 2
2. Lecture on Infant Cognition,
Articles: Hunnius, 2007 & Geeraerts et al., 2019 ------------------------------------------------- 5
3. Lecture on Diagnostics and Treatment of Anxiety,
Articles: Hudson et al., 2019 & Telman et al., 2018 ---------------------------------------------- 7
4. Lecture on Development of ADHD,
Articles: Franke et al., 2018 & Dovis et al., 2012-------------------------------------------------- 9
5. Lecture on Mindful Parenting,
Articles: Bögels et al., 2014 & Bögels et al., 2010 ------------------------------------------------ 12
6. Lecture on Treatment of ADHD,
Articles: Daley et al., 2014 & Boyer et al., 2016 -------------------------------------------------- 14
7. Lecture on Development of Addiction,
Article: Cousijn, Luijten, & Feldstein Ewing, 2018 ---------------------------------------------- 16
8. Lecture on Intervention and Addiction in Youth and Young Adults,
Articles: Kong et al., 2015; Marsch & Borodovsky, 2016 --------------------------------------- 19
9. Lecture on Development of Dyslexia,
Chapter: Seidenberg, 2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
10. Lecture on Intellectual Disability,
Articles: Bexkens et al., 2019 & Peltopuro et al., 2014 ----------------------------------------- 25
11. Lecture on School Psychology,
Article: Schneider & McGrew, 2012---------------------------------------------------------------- 27
12. Lecture on Development of Self-Regulation and Executive Functions,
Articles: Doebel, 2020; Michaelson & Munakata, 2020 ----------------------------------------- 28
13. Lecture on Development of Stress,
Articles: Brosschot, Verkuil, & Thayer, 2017; Wesarg et al., 2020 ---------------------------- 32
14. Lecture on Aging,
Articles: Wylie et al., 2010 & Lindenberger, 2014 ----------------------------------------------- 35
, Clinical Developmental and Health Psychology
Summary by Rosalie N.
1. LECTURE ON EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL
DISORDERS, ARTICLES: DEL GIUDICE, 2016 & LI ET AL., 2018
Paradox of mental disorders: why did natural selection not eliminate mental disorders from
the population? (mental disorders are common, highly heritable, people with mental disorders get
fewer children). 3 possible explanations:
1) Polygenic mutation selection balance:
mental disorders are the result of unavoidable
mutations in one or more of the thousands of
genes that underlie human behavior.
→ Evidence that this is a good resolution to the
paradox:
a) Many genes involved in brain
development (large mutational target size);
b) High comorbidity (between disorders);
c) Association inbreeding and mental disorders & paternal age and mental disorders.
→ mental disorders are polygenic (many underlying genes). Mutations are random changes in
genes. There is selection of genes based on reproductive success. Mutation-selection balance: bad
mutations are selected against; good mutations are selected; this should be in balance but may take
some time. So: the low reproductive success requires an explanation that does not involve
something that is beneficial.
2) Ancestral neutrality: mental disorders tend to have a negative impact on reproductive
success nowadays in modern countries, but the fitness effects were neutral in ancestral times.
→ BUT: we see that the prevalence is high and sometimes even increasing in modern society, we
would actually expect a decline in the prevalence of some disorders (ASD, MDD) if this
hypothesis were correct.
3) Balancing selection: mental disorders tend to have a negative impact on reproductive
success, but this is counterbalanced by positive effects (→ neg. impact on reproductive success is
counterbalanced). → BUT: in people with mental disorders there is a decrease in reproductive
success, so the idea of balancing selection does not make that much sense then. But it could be
that family members with the same genes (that did not develop into the disorder) may have the
positive effects of the genes and actually enhance their reproductive success, but research has
shown that this is not the case (no more reproduction in these people > general population).
Developmental psychopathology: approach that centers on the interplay of personal and
environmental factors in the origin of mental disorders, including genotype-environment
interactions, epigenetic coding of life events and their role in the development of neurobiological
systems.
Computational psychiatry: approach that employs mathematical models of cognitive and
neural processes to identify the mechanisms involved in mental disorders.
Focus of the article (Del Giudice): evolutionary psychopathology: approach that draws on
biological models and concepts to understand the functions of the neural and psychological
processes involved in mental disorders and how they have been shaped by selection during
evolutionary history.
- Key feature: this approach does not automatically regard mental disorders as
dysfunctions. It considers a broader range of alternative explanations (like it being a
2
, Clinical Developmental and Health Psychology
Summary by Rosalie N.
reflection of adaptive processes to biological processes, but this goes at the expense of well-
being/social adjustment).
HOW BIOLOGICAL CONFLICTS AND TRADE-OFFS CAN
SHED LIGHT ON THE ORIGINS OF MENTAL DISORDERS
2 common reasons for the evolution of vulnerability to pathology (and examples from diametric
model):
1. Trade-offs between competing traits or functions;
→ Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by hyper-developed
mechanistic cognition, and under-developed mentalistic cognition.
→ Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) show the opposite profile.
2. Biological conflict of interest between individuals (and/or their genes).
→ ASDs: over-expression of genes inherited from father, psychotic disorders: over-
expression of genes inherited from mother → evolutionary conflicts between both gene
types contribute to pathology risk.
^evidence: higher birth weight in ASDs, lower “...” in psychotic disorders.
Del Giudice extends on this diametric model by framing individual variation in disorder-traits in
the context of mating and reproduction, making a distinction between:
- Short-term mating with multiple partners favored by traits associated with psychosis
risk (creativity, mentalistic skills, impulsivity) and investment in long-term romantic
relationships favored by traits associated with ASD (technical skills, reduced sex drive,
preference for routines).
- This sexual selection (short vs. long term) could help explain the maintenance of these
traits in human populations.
The writer also extends on the model by focusing on reward vs. punishment:
- Long-lasting mood states (depression, anxiety) can be modeled as solutions to trade-offs
involved in pursuing rewards vs. avoiding punishments. Depression: focus on avoiding
losses, ADHD: focus on pursuing rewards.
THE EVOLUTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS
Differential susceptibility: individuals can be more or less sensitive to the effects of experience
owing to a combination of genetic and early developmental factors, so that those more
susceptible to adverse conditions are also more responsive to safe, supportive ones.
→ Hypothesis: individual differences in plasticity are an adaptive response to unpredictable
fluctuations in the environment.
→ Early adversity may not impair development so much as adaptively shape it. There is a
potential adaptive role of impulsivity, anxiety, cognitive biases.
LIFE HISTORY THEORY AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF MENTAL DISORDERS
DSM-5: Classification of mental disorders. Two main problems:
1. Comorbidity (supposedly distinct disorders tend to co-occur at high rates in the same
individuals);
2. Heterogeneity (diagnostic categories often include subgroups with different pathogenic
mechanisms, risk factors, etc.).
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Lecture on Evolution and Development of Mental Disorders,
Articles: Del Giudice, 2016 & Li et al., 2018 ------------------------------------------------------- 2
2. Lecture on Infant Cognition,
Articles: Hunnius, 2007 & Geeraerts et al., 2019 ------------------------------------------------- 5
3. Lecture on Diagnostics and Treatment of Anxiety,
Articles: Hudson et al., 2019 & Telman et al., 2018 ---------------------------------------------- 7
4. Lecture on Development of ADHD,
Articles: Franke et al., 2018 & Dovis et al., 2012-------------------------------------------------- 9
5. Lecture on Mindful Parenting,
Articles: Bögels et al., 2014 & Bögels et al., 2010 ------------------------------------------------ 12
6. Lecture on Treatment of ADHD,
Articles: Daley et al., 2014 & Boyer et al., 2016 -------------------------------------------------- 14
7. Lecture on Development of Addiction,
Article: Cousijn, Luijten, & Feldstein Ewing, 2018 ---------------------------------------------- 16
8. Lecture on Intervention and Addiction in Youth and Young Adults,
Articles: Kong et al., 2015; Marsch & Borodovsky, 2016 --------------------------------------- 19
9. Lecture on Development of Dyslexia,
Chapter: Seidenberg, 2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
10. Lecture on Intellectual Disability,
Articles: Bexkens et al., 2019 & Peltopuro et al., 2014 ----------------------------------------- 25
11. Lecture on School Psychology,
Article: Schneider & McGrew, 2012---------------------------------------------------------------- 27
12. Lecture on Development of Self-Regulation and Executive Functions,
Articles: Doebel, 2020; Michaelson & Munakata, 2020 ----------------------------------------- 28
13. Lecture on Development of Stress,
Articles: Brosschot, Verkuil, & Thayer, 2017; Wesarg et al., 2020 ---------------------------- 32
14. Lecture on Aging,
Articles: Wylie et al., 2010 & Lindenberger, 2014 ----------------------------------------------- 35
, Clinical Developmental and Health Psychology
Summary by Rosalie N.
1. LECTURE ON EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL
DISORDERS, ARTICLES: DEL GIUDICE, 2016 & LI ET AL., 2018
Paradox of mental disorders: why did natural selection not eliminate mental disorders from
the population? (mental disorders are common, highly heritable, people with mental disorders get
fewer children). 3 possible explanations:
1) Polygenic mutation selection balance:
mental disorders are the result of unavoidable
mutations in one or more of the thousands of
genes that underlie human behavior.
→ Evidence that this is a good resolution to the
paradox:
a) Many genes involved in brain
development (large mutational target size);
b) High comorbidity (between disorders);
c) Association inbreeding and mental disorders & paternal age and mental disorders.
→ mental disorders are polygenic (many underlying genes). Mutations are random changes in
genes. There is selection of genes based on reproductive success. Mutation-selection balance: bad
mutations are selected against; good mutations are selected; this should be in balance but may take
some time. So: the low reproductive success requires an explanation that does not involve
something that is beneficial.
2) Ancestral neutrality: mental disorders tend to have a negative impact on reproductive
success nowadays in modern countries, but the fitness effects were neutral in ancestral times.
→ BUT: we see that the prevalence is high and sometimes even increasing in modern society, we
would actually expect a decline in the prevalence of some disorders (ASD, MDD) if this
hypothesis were correct.
3) Balancing selection: mental disorders tend to have a negative impact on reproductive
success, but this is counterbalanced by positive effects (→ neg. impact on reproductive success is
counterbalanced). → BUT: in people with mental disorders there is a decrease in reproductive
success, so the idea of balancing selection does not make that much sense then. But it could be
that family members with the same genes (that did not develop into the disorder) may have the
positive effects of the genes and actually enhance their reproductive success, but research has
shown that this is not the case (no more reproduction in these people > general population).
Developmental psychopathology: approach that centers on the interplay of personal and
environmental factors in the origin of mental disorders, including genotype-environment
interactions, epigenetic coding of life events and their role in the development of neurobiological
systems.
Computational psychiatry: approach that employs mathematical models of cognitive and
neural processes to identify the mechanisms involved in mental disorders.
Focus of the article (Del Giudice): evolutionary psychopathology: approach that draws on
biological models and concepts to understand the functions of the neural and psychological
processes involved in mental disorders and how they have been shaped by selection during
evolutionary history.
- Key feature: this approach does not automatically regard mental disorders as
dysfunctions. It considers a broader range of alternative explanations (like it being a
2
, Clinical Developmental and Health Psychology
Summary by Rosalie N.
reflection of adaptive processes to biological processes, but this goes at the expense of well-
being/social adjustment).
HOW BIOLOGICAL CONFLICTS AND TRADE-OFFS CAN
SHED LIGHT ON THE ORIGINS OF MENTAL DISORDERS
2 common reasons for the evolution of vulnerability to pathology (and examples from diametric
model):
1. Trade-offs between competing traits or functions;
→ Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by hyper-developed
mechanistic cognition, and under-developed mentalistic cognition.
→ Psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) show the opposite profile.
2. Biological conflict of interest between individuals (and/or their genes).
→ ASDs: over-expression of genes inherited from father, psychotic disorders: over-
expression of genes inherited from mother → evolutionary conflicts between both gene
types contribute to pathology risk.
^evidence: higher birth weight in ASDs, lower “...” in psychotic disorders.
Del Giudice extends on this diametric model by framing individual variation in disorder-traits in
the context of mating and reproduction, making a distinction between:
- Short-term mating with multiple partners favored by traits associated with psychosis
risk (creativity, mentalistic skills, impulsivity) and investment in long-term romantic
relationships favored by traits associated with ASD (technical skills, reduced sex drive,
preference for routines).
- This sexual selection (short vs. long term) could help explain the maintenance of these
traits in human populations.
The writer also extends on the model by focusing on reward vs. punishment:
- Long-lasting mood states (depression, anxiety) can be modeled as solutions to trade-offs
involved in pursuing rewards vs. avoiding punishments. Depression: focus on avoiding
losses, ADHD: focus on pursuing rewards.
THE EVOLUTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL MECHANISMS
Differential susceptibility: individuals can be more or less sensitive to the effects of experience
owing to a combination of genetic and early developmental factors, so that those more
susceptible to adverse conditions are also more responsive to safe, supportive ones.
→ Hypothesis: individual differences in plasticity are an adaptive response to unpredictable
fluctuations in the environment.
→ Early adversity may not impair development so much as adaptively shape it. There is a
potential adaptive role of impulsivity, anxiety, cognitive biases.
LIFE HISTORY THEORY AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF MENTAL DISORDERS
DSM-5: Classification of mental disorders. Two main problems:
1. Comorbidity (supposedly distinct disorders tend to co-occur at high rates in the same
individuals);
2. Heterogeneity (diagnostic categories often include subgroups with different pathogenic
mechanisms, risk factors, etc.).
3
