Isabela Granic

Toward a comprehensive model of antisocial development : A dynamic systems approach

The purpose of this article is to develop a preliminary comprehensive model of antisocial development based on dynamic systems principles. The model is built on the foundations of behavioral research on coercion theory. First, the authors focus on the principles of multistability, feedback, and nonlinear causality to reconceptualize real-time parent-child and peer processes. Second, they model the mechanisms by which these real-time processes give rise to negative developmental outcomes, which in turn feed back to determine real-time interactions. Third, they examine mechanisms of change and stability in early- and late-onset antisocial trajectories. Finally, novel clinical designs and predictions are introduced. The authors highlight new predictions and present studies that have tested aspects of the model

Emotion, Development, and Self-Organization: Dynamic Systems Approaches to Emotional Development

Introduction: a new approach to study of emotional development Marc D. Lewis and Isabela Granic Part I: Intrapersonal Processes: 2. Self organization of discrete emotions, emotion patterns, and emotion-cognition relations Carroll Izard 2. Emotional self-organization at three time scales Marc D. Lewis 3. Emotions as episodes of subsystem synchronization driven by nonlinear appraisal processes Klaus R. Scherer 5. Surprise! Facial expressions can be coordinative motor structures Linda Camras 6. The dynamic construction of emotion: varieties in anger M. F. Mascolo Part II: Neurobiological Perspectives: 7. The self-organization of the right brain and the neurobiology of emotional development Alan N. Schore 8. Motivation of neural plasticity: neural mechanisms in the self-organization of depression Kate Harkness and Don M. Tucker 9. Emotion is essential to all intentional behaviors Walter J. Freeman 10. The neurodynamics of emotions: an evolutionary-neurodevelopmental view Jaak Panksepp Part III. Interpersonal Processes: 11. Beyond bidirectional models of parent-child relations: a self-organization perspective Isabela Granic 12. Attachment and self-organization Deborah Laible and Ross Thompson 13. The dynamics of emotion-related behaviors in infancy C. de Weerth and Paul van Geert 14. Theoretical and mathematical modeling of marriage K. D. Ryan and J. M. Gottman 15. The dynamics of emotion: metaphors, methods, and models of development Daniel P. Keating and Fiona K. Miller.

Rigidity in Parent-Child Interactions and the Development of Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior in Early Childhood

Behavioral rigidity is a common feature of many psychopathologies, yet the association between rigidity and the development of childhood psychopathology has not been studied. State space grids (a dynamic systems [DS] method) were used to examine the relation between rigidity in Parent—Child interactions and childhood externalizing and internalizing problems. High-risk kindergarten children (n = 240) and their parents were observed for 2 hr engaging in a variety of tasks that were expected to elicit a range of affect. State space grid analysis of the observational data revealed an association between rigidity in Parent—Child interactions and child externalizing behavior problems in the fall and spring of kindergarten and 1st grade, and with growth in those problems over time. Rigidity was associated with concurrent levels and with chronic high-level internalizing problems. Strengths and limitations of the new DS methodology in relation to understanding child psychopathology are discussed.

Longitudinal analysis of flexibility and reorganization in early adolescence: A dynamic systems study of family interactions

A dynamic systems (DS) approach was used to study changes in the structure of family interactions during the early adolescent transition period. Longitudinal observational data were collected in 5 waves prior to, during, and after the transition. Boys (n = 149 families) were videotaped problem solving with their parents at 9-10 years old and every 2 years thereafter until they were 18 years old State space grids (a new DS method) were constructed for all families across all waves. Two variables indexing the variability of the family interactions were derived from the grids. As hypothesized, the DS variables revealed a significant quadratic effect related to a peak in variability at 13-14 years of age.

Combining dynamic systems and multivariate analyses to compare the mother-child interactions of externalizing subtypes.

A dynamic systems analysis was conducted to distinguish the parent–child interactions of “pure” externalizing children from children comorbid for externalizing and internalizing problems. Thirty-three parents and clinically referred children (8–12 years old) discussed a problem for 4 min and then tried to “wrap up” in response to a signal (a perturbation). The perturbation was intended to increase the pressure on the dyad, triggering a reorganization of their behavioral system. We hypothesized that the comorbid group would be distinguished from the externalizing-only group as a result of this reorganization, but not before. The sequential data were analyzed using a combination of case-sensitive (state space grids and chi-square analyses) and group-based, multivariate techniques (log-linear modeling). Results revealed that externalizing dyads engaged in a permissive pattern throughout the problem-solving session, whereas comorbid dyads shifted from a permissive pattern to a mutually hostile pattern after the perturbation. These findings punctuate the need for a dynamic systems approach to the study of relationship processes associated with the development of childhood psychopathology. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Deviant Talk in Adolescent Friendships: A Step Toward Measuring a Pathogenic Attractor Process

Deviant talk in adolescent friendships has been previously found to predict escalations in substance use, delinquency, and violence. The current paper extends past work on deviant talk by examining its dynamic, self-organizing properties. From the direct observations of peer interactions, a simple measure was developed that indicated whether, as an interaction unfolded, deviant talk bouts became longer in duration (indicating an attractor state). Participants included 102 high-risk adolescents and their friends. A time-series of the duration of each successive deviant talk bout over the course of an interaction was created for all dyads. Slope values were derived from the time-series and used as an index of attractor strength. As hypothesized, the attractor index predicted serious authority conflict (arrests, school expulsion) and drug abuse three years later, after controlling for prior problem behavior, family coercion and deviant peer associations. The findings suggest that the process by which adolescents become increasingly absorbed in deviant talk is an important underlying mechanism in the development of serious antisocial behavior.

Neurophysiological mechanisms of emotion regulation for subtypes of externalizing children

Children referred for externalizing behavior problems may not represent a homogeneous population. Our objective was to assess neural mechanisms of emotion regulation that might distinguish subtypes of externalizing children from each other and from their normal age mates. Children with pure externalizing (EXT) problems were compared with children comorbid for externalizing and internalizing (MIXED) problems and with age-matched controls. Only boys were included in the analysis because so few girls were referred for treatment. We used a go/no-go task with a negative emotion induction, and we examined dense-array EEG data together with behavioral measures of performance. We investigated two event-related potential (ERP) components tapping inhibitory control or self-monitoring - the inhibitory N2 and error-related negativity (ERN) - and we constructed source models estimating their cortical generators. The MIXED childrens N2s increased in response to the emotion induction, resulting in greater amplitudes than EXT children in the following trial block. ERN amplitudes were greatest for control children and smallest for EXT children with MIXED children in between, but only prior to the emotion induction. These results were paralleled by behavioral differences in response time and performance monitoring. ERP activity was localized to cortical sources suggestive of the dorsal anterior cingulate for control children, posterior cingulate areas for the EXT children, and both posterior cingulate and ventral cingulate/prefrontal regions for the MIXED children. These findings highlight different mechanisms of self-regulation underlying externalizing subtypes and point toward distinct developmental pathways and treatment strategies.

Behavioral Differences in Aggressive Children Linked with Neural Mechanisms of Emotion Regulation

Abstract:  Children with aggressive behavior problems may have difficulties regulating negative emotions, resulting in harmful patterns of interpersonal behavior at home and in the schoolyard. Ventral and dorsal regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been associated with response inhibition and self‐control—key components of emotion regulation. Our research program aims to explore differences among aggressive and normal children in the activation of these cortical regions during emotional episodes, to the extent possible using electrophysiological techniques, to identify diagnostic subtypes, gain insights into their interpersonal difficulties, and help develop effective treatment strategies. This report reviews several recent studies investigating individual and developmental differences in cortical mechanisms of emotion regulation, corresponding with different patterns of interpersonal behavior. Our methods include event‐related potentials (ERPs) and cortical source modeling, using dense‐array electroencephalography (EEG) technology, as well as videotaped observations of parent–child interactions, with both normal and aggressive children. By relating patterns of brain activation to observed behavioral differences, we find (i) a steady decrease in cortical activation subserving self‐regulation across childhood and adolescence, (ii) different cortical activation patterns as well as behavioral constellations distinguishing subtypes of aggressive children, and (iii) robust correlations between the activation of cortical mediators of emotion regulation and flexibility in parent–child emotional communication in children referred for aggressive behavior problems. These findings point toward models of developmental psychopathology based on the interplay among biological, psychological, and social factors.

Neural Changes Associated with Treatment Outcome in Children with Externalizing Problems

BACKGROUND The current study directly investigated whether changes in the neural correlates of self-regulation (SR) are associated with the effectiveness of treatment for the externalizing problems of children. METHODS Seventy-one children 8-12 years of age with clinical levels of externalizing behavior and their families completed a 3-month cognitive behavioral therapy program with a parent management training component. Electroencephalogram correlates of SR were evaluated before and after treatment with a go/no-go task requiring inhibitory control. RESULTS Results showed that neural markers of SR, such as the N2 and frontal P3 event-related potential magnitudes, differed between the clinical sample and a matched comparison group before treatment: the clinical sample had larger N2 magnitudes and smaller frontal P3 magnitudes. Children who improved with treatment demonstrated a marked decrease in the magnitude of the N2 in comparison with children who did not improve. For improvers only, source analyses during the time period of the N2 estimated activation decreases in medial and ventral prefrontal cortex as well as the anterior medial temporal lobe. CONCLUSIONS A decrease in N2 magnitudes and corresponding source activation in children who improved with treatment might reflect improved efficiency in the neural mechanisms of SR.

Peer influence in a micro-perspective: imitation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Ample experimental research has found evidence for imitation of alcohol consumption in social encounters. However, these studies cannot reveal whether imitation is specifically related to alcohol and not to consumption in general. We investigated whether imitation is more evident when peers drink alcohol compared to other beverages. We observed sipping behavior during a 30-minute interaction between same-sex confederates and participants in an ad lib semi-naturalistic drinking context (bar lab). We expected a stronger imitation effect when both participant and confederate drank alcoholic beverages. A random occasion multilevel analysis was conducted to take repeated measurements into account. Findings showed that participants imitated the sips of the confederates, but that the likelihood of participants imitating a sip was lower when confederates were drinking alcoholic beverages and participants non-alcoholic beverages compared to when both were consuming alcohol.