LI Biology and Culture Life span development is

LI, Biology and Culture • Life span development is a dynamic coconstruction of biological and cultural processes occurring simultaneously within different time scales (microgenetic, ontogenetic, phylogenetic) and across different levels (neurobiological, cognitive, behavioral, sociocultural).

LI, Biology and Culture • Phylogenetic time: Culture affects genes (cultural change modifies long term biological natural selection process) – (ex. urban living and stress resistant genes).

LI, Biology and Culture • Ontogenetic time: Culture affects social situational context (values, norms, language, etc. transmitted through social interaction), which affects individual ontogeny over the life span. – ex. infant sleep in industrial vs. traditional cultures.

LI, Biology and Culture • Microgenetic time: Culture affects momentto-moment activities & experience (genetic, neuronal, cognitive, behavioral) – ex. Asian children’s use of abacus enhances mental calculation; music training affects brain function.

LI, Biology and Culture • Development involves feed-downward (culture-biology) and feed upward (biologyculture) interactive processes. • Plasticity exists at all levels and at all ages.

QUINTANA ET AL. Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Child Development • Introduction to special issue—focus was on: – Normative development in context – Intergroup relations and attitudes – Identity development

QUINTANA ET AL. • Trends in research represented in special issue: – Distinguishing race/ethnicity and cultural effects – Distinguishing culture and immigration status effects – Finding proximal mediators of demographic effects – Focus on context (neighborhood, racial density, etc. ) – Need to study normative development nonethnocentrically – Ethnic/racial identity—multidimensional and fluid – Acculturation/acculturation conflict – Intergroup relations/attitudes – Methodological advances: • Research-community collaboration • Measurement of ethnicity/race variables

QUINTANA ET AL. • Challenges: – Theoretical: Need theory of context effects – Measurement: Need explicit, not proxy measures – Content: Much research to be done – Cultural validity: Sampling, constructs/measures, & analyses