Developmental psychopathology
Developmental and clinical baby research
Our research focuses on typical and atypical development from infancy to school-age. Specifically, we investigate mechanisms and contextual factors influencing cognitive, social and emotional development. Our methods range from experimental behavioral observation, eye-tracking, physiological measures (e.g., heart rate, cortisol), EEG, to automatic motion capture.
Principal Investigator and Team:
Dr. Babett Voigt
Jessica Marks, M.Sc.
Funding
German Research Foundation (VO 2325/2-1)
Duration
36 months
Description
Episodic foresight describes the ability to imagine specific events of one’s personal future and to adapt current behavior accordingly. It supports planning, self-regulation, and decision-making. Hence, understanding its development during childhood is of critical importance. Existing research reports more frequent episodic foresight among older compared to younger preschool children. Evidence regarding the time of onset of episodic foresight is inconsistent. These two observations raise two key questions. (1) Which mechanisms may drive the differences between younger and older preschool children? The developmental framework of episodic foresight claims that executive functions explain higher performance in older compared to younger preschool children. The hot/ cool framework proposes that in contexts of motivational significance, ‘hot’ executive functions play a stronger role compared to motivational neutral situations. (2) Which contextual factors influence the emergence of episodic foresight (early vs. late) and which mechanisms underlie these context-dependent differences? Theoretical models suggest that motivation plays a critical role here, but diverge in their predictions how. The hot/ cool framework proposes a decelerated emergence of episodic foresight in motivational significant contexts compared to motivational neutral contexts. The dual competition model differentiates, only motivation arising from a current desire (that differs from future demands) protracts emergence, whereas motivation arising from the importance of a future event accelerates emergence. Developmental accounts on desire reasoning limit the decelerating influence of current desires to current desires that are mutually exclusive with future demands. So far, existing research is insufficient in the evaluation of the theoretical claims about the role of executive functions and motivation, partly because of methodological shortcomings. The current research program aims to close this gap and comprises of two experiments (Experiment 1: N = 272; Experiment 2: N = 272). In both experiments, ‘hot’ and ‘cool’ executive functions and episodic foresight is examined according to current guidelines. In both experiments, children’s motivation for the future episode (high, low) and children’s status of holding a current non-physiological desire are independently manipulated. The current desire is different but compatible with the upcoming desire (Experiment 1: compatible, neutral) or it is in conflict with fulfilling the upcoming desire (Experiment 2: conflict, neutral). Findings will have implications for the developmental framework ofepisodic foresight including possible specifications regarding the context-dependency of developmental mechanisms and developmental patterns. Findings about the role of executive functions and motivation provide important information how to design future studies and how to foster episodic foresight form early on.
Principal Investigator and Team
Prof. Silvia Schneider
Prof. Sarah Weigelt
Dr. Carolin Konrad
Julie Poirier, M.Sc.
Collaborator
Dr. Jane Herbert
Funding
German Research Foundation (SFB 1280, Project A16)
Duration
July 2017 – June 2021
Description
Based on existing animal research, this translational project will examine qualitative and quantitative (neuro) developmental changes of extinction in human beings in two critical windows of time for major changes in the developing brain: infancy/early childhood (forgetting versus re-learning, maturation of the hippocampus) and adolescence (maturation of the prefrontal cortex). The developmental trajectories will be charted in the aversive as well as in the appetitive system to unravel similarities as well as differences between the two systems. In three studies we will study (1) 200 infants (6-36 months) and (2) 210 adolescents and young adults (12-22 years) using the same behavioral tasks to assess aversive and appetitive learning and extinction. In the third study, the 210 adolescents will take part in a predictive learning task implemented while undergoing neuroimaging. A multi-level approach investigating behavioral manifestations and physiological underpinnings (in infants/young children and adolescents) and neuronal mechanisms (using functional magnetic resonance imaging in adolescents) allows us to gain insights into the relationship of the development of the brain and changes in extinction. To our knowledge, the current project will be the first to provide a systematic account of extinction in infancy/early childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, it will be the first to translate findings in rodents on qualitative changes in extinction during infancy to humans. Understanding the developmental trajectories of extinction not only provides insight into the mechanisms underlying extinction, but has direct clinical implications in the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology, potentially translating windows of vulnerability into windows of opportunity (for timely interventions).
Adolescent mental health
In the area of adolescent mental health, we are examining precursors of mental disorders among youth. In particular, we are interested in body image disturbances and symptoms of disturbed eating behaviour in children and adolescents. The aim of our research is to develop new therapeutic interventions to reduce or prevent body image disturbances and eating disorders.
Bullying
The systematic and prolonged bullying of individuals or groups of individuals is more widespread than is often assumed. Investigation of the long-term consequences of childhood bullying for the development of mental disorders is being conducted in this research group through large-scale studies of school populations and through experimental studies. These will lay the foundation for effective prevention and treatment studies.
Principal Investigator and Team:
Prof. Dr. Silvia Schneider
Dr. Babett Voigt
M.Sc. Anna-Luisa Kranhold
Funding
FBZ Research Fund
Duration
2020-2026
Description
The overarching aim of the project is to strengthen the understanding of bullying in children and adolescents with regard to four main points: (a) the validation of a screening tool to assess bullying efficiently, (b) children’s needs for primary care in the context of bullying and the current practices in primary care, (c) relations between bullying and mental health, and (d) the role of knowledge about bullying consequences for the prevention of bullying in school contexts.
The project consists of a series of studies, including online questionnaires and an intervention study in secondary schools. In the intervention study we explore whether increasing knowledge about the consequences of bullying reduces bullying behaviour. Findings of the project will have important implications for the care of those who are affected by bullying and the prevention of bullying among children and adolescents.
Regulation problems
Regulation problems such as crying, feeding and sleeping problems are common in the first year of life. This working group is concerned with the long-term consequences of regulation problems and their significance for the development of mental disorders. A better understanding of the interplay of child and parental characteristics in the development and treatment of regulation problems is the focus of our research.