A Dynamic Systems Approach to Adolescent Development

Developmental psychologists offer advice to colleagues on how to study human development in one of its more perplexing stages, adolescence. They describe an approach that takes change--often unpredicted change--as the guiding principle. Among the topics are the search for process characteristics, using state space grids for understanding processes of change and stability in adolescence, the art of building dynamic systems models, agent-based modeling in developmental psychology, and the search for relations between micro and macro development. Five appendices are available online. Psychology Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Saskia Kunnen is Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Groningen where she researches and teaches dynamic systems modelling and the application of dynamic systems theory in the field of identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood.