L. Alan SroufeWilliam Harris Professor of Child Development Office: 140 Child Development Socioemotional development, developmental psychopathology |
My research involves the complementary study of normal and abnormal development. The basic strategy of that research is to define the salient developmental issues for each period, then trace normative pathways and delineate developmental deviations. The focus of my recent work is on prediction of adaptation in adulthood, including parenting, and the roots of psychopathology. The longitudinal approach allows study of continuity and change from infancy forward. (See the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children research lab.)
One emphasis has been to outline the progressive nature of relationship competence from early childhood to adulthood. Preschool children face the challenge of entry into the peer group and development of interactive skills. Beyond these, in middle childhood forming close same-gender friendships, coordinating these with functioning in the same-gender peer group, and maintenance of clear gender boundaries become important. Adolescents have the task of coordinating close friendships, same gender group functioning, cross-gender group functioning and cross-gender dyadic relationships. Adults bring these experiences plus early attachment history to the task of parenting.
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