Cumulative Continuity Research Articles

Stability and Changes in Traditional and Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization in Childhood: The Predictive Role of Depressive Symptoms.

Childhood bullying is a public health concern. The stability and changes in children's bullying profiles should provide useful information about specific risk groups and their developmental patterns. The current longitudinal study examined the stability and changes in bullying involvement in children along with the predictive roles of depressive symptoms in bullying subgroup memberships and transitions. A total of 4,321 Chinese children (55.1% male, Mage = 9.93) participated in self-report assessments at three time points with six-month intervals. Bullying subgroups were identified based on physical, relational, and cyberbullying using latent profile analysis. The transitions patterns were modeled using latent transition analysis. Depressive symptoms were added as a covariate in bullying subgroup memberships and transitions. Five bullying subgroups were found at Time 1 and Time 2: traditional bully-victims, traditional victims, (cyber) bully-victims, (cyber) victims, and noninvolved children, whereas four bullying subgroups were found at Time 3: traditional bully-victims, traditional victims, (cyber) bully-victims, and noninvolved children. Findings suggested that (a) childhood bullying involvement showed varying levels of stability, with noninvolved children displaying the most stability and cyberbullying-involved children displaying the least stability; (b) children reporting more severe depressive symptoms manifested a higher risk of bullying involvement; (c) initially noninvolved children showing depressive symptoms were at a higher risk for becoming traditional victims; and (d) children reporting depressive symptoms found it more difficult to escape from bullying than children without depressive symptoms. The findings offer support for both the cumulative continuity and interactional models of development. The findings also highlight the important the role of depressive symptoms in preventing and ameliorating children's bullying.

Conduct Problems and Adherence to COVID-19 Guidelines: A Developmental Psychopathology-Informed Approach.

COVID-19 underscores the importance of understanding variation in adherence to rules concerning health behaviors. Children with conduct problems have difficulty with rule adherence, and linking early conduct problems with later adherence to COVID-19 guidelines can provide new insight into public health. The current study employed a sample (N = 744) designed to examine the longitudinal consequences of childhood conduct problems (Mean age at study entry = 8.39). The first objective was to link early conduct problems with later adherence to both general and specific COVID-19 guidelines during emerging adulthood (M age = 19.07). The second objective was to prospectively examine how interactional (i.e., callous unemotional traits, impulsivity) and cumulative (i.e., educational attainment, work status, substance use) continuity factors mediated this association. The third objective was to examine differences in sex assigned at birth in these models. Direct associations were observed between childhood conduct problems and lower general, but not specific COVID-19 guideline adherence. Conduct problems were indirectly associated with both general and specific adherence via higher levels of callous unemotional traits, and with specific adherence via higher problematic substance use. No differences in the models were observed across sex assigned at birth. Findings provide insight into both how developmental psychopathology constructs are useful for understanding COVID-19 guideline adherence, and the ways in which conduct problems may shape health outcomes.

Patterns of cumulative continuity and maturity in personality and well-being: Evidence from a large longitudinal sample of adults

Longitudinal studies have shown that, on average, agreeableness and conscientiousness increase and neuroticism decreases in adulthood, a phenomenon dubbed the “maturity principle”. The rank-order stability of personality also tends to increase with age, sometimes called the “cumulative continuity principle”. It remains unclear, however, whether the rank-order stability and average levels of different types of well-being increase with age. Therefore, using a large longitudinal sample of adults (N > 6,000), the present study aimed to replicate studies of the maturity and cumulative continuity of the Big Five and test whether these developmental trends extend to different types of well-being. The present study demonstrates that, although many types of well-being exhibit developmental trends that are similar to those of the Big Five, distinguishing the general tendency toward all forms of well-being from variation in specific kinds of well-being can illuminate potentially important developmental differences.

Does personality become more stable with age? Disentangling state and trait effects for the big five across the life span using local structural equation modeling.

The cumulative continuity principle of personality proposes a steady increase in Big Five trait stability across the adult life span. However, empirical support for this theoretical notion is still limited. Furthermore, the classical approach of using retest correlations might not be fully capable of illustrating the full picture of personality stability (Hertzog & Nesselroade, 1987). Recent methodological and theoretical advancements suggest that individual differences in personality might reflect both absolutely stable trait-like factors and partly stable changing factors (Anusic & Schimmack, 2016). Here, we aimed to compare how retest correlations versus the stable and changing factors of the Big Five personality traits change across the adult life span. Using 3 waves of personality data from Germany (N = 9,013) and another 3 waves from Australia (N = 6,012), we estimated latent retest and trait-state-occasion models in a local structural-equation-modeling framework and tested for moderating effects of age on model-specific stability components. There were 3 main findings. First, the retest correlations indicated that inverted U-shaped patterns manifested only in part. Second, for all Big Five characteristics (except conscientiousness in Study 1), the stable trait variance was larger than the occasion-specific variance, indicating that reliable individual differences in personality are mostly due to the effects of stable factors. Third, moderating effects of age differed across the Big Five and across the 2 studies and generally showed only limited support for the cumulative continuity principle. We discuss possible theoretical and methodological implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Dark Triad and competitive psychological climate at work: A model of reciprocal relationships in dependence of age and organization change

ABSTRACTIntegrating an interactionist model of personality development, the cumulative continuity model of personality development, and selection–evocation–manipulation theory, the present study analysed reciprocal relations of the Dark Triad common core and its sub-traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism with competitive psychological climate. Moreover, within a large (N = 1,185) and longitudinal sample of employees from Germany, latent cross-lagged panel analyses were applied to analyse the moderating roles of age and organization change (i.e., organizational turnover). Overall, results revealed positive reciprocal relations between the Dark Triad common core, its sub-traits, and competitive psychological climate. The Dark Triad common core and Machiavellianism were more stable within the older (50–59 years) compared to the younger (25–34 years) age group. However, we found no age differences for the relation between competitive psychological climate and change in the Dark Triad common core or its sub-traits. Among employees who changed organizations, the Dark Triad common core, narcissism, and psychopathy were more strongly positively related to the change in competitive psychological climate than in the non-change group. This suggests stronger selection compared to evocation–manipulation effects for individuals with high values in the Dark Triad common core, narcissism, and psychopathy, but not for Machiavellianism.

Dual-process theory of racial isolation, legal cynicism, and reported crime

Why is neighborhood racial composition linked so strongly to police-reported crime? Common explanations include over-policing and negative interactions with police, but police reports of crime are heavily dependent on resident 911 calls. Using Sampson's concept of legal cynicism and Vaisey's dual-process theory, we theorize that racial concentration and isolation consciously and nonconsciously influence neighborhood variation in 911 calls for protection and prevention. The data we analyze are consistent with this thesis. Independent of police reports of crime, we find that neighborhood racial segregation in 1990 and the legal cynicism about crime prevention and protection it engenders have lasting effects on 911 calls more than a decade later, in 2006-2008. Our theory explains this persistent predictive influence through continuity and change in intervening factors. A source of cumulative continuity, the intensification of neighborhood racial concentration and isolation between 1990 and 2000, predicts 911 calls. Likewise, sources of change-heightened neighborhood incarceration and home foreclosures during the financial crisis in 2006-2008-also predict these calls. Our findings are consistent with legal cynicism theory's focus on neighborhood disadvantage, racial isolation, and concerns about police protection and crime prevention; they correspond less with the emphasis of procedural justice theory on police legitimacy.

Historical-Scientific Reconstructions: Pluralism and Cumulative Continuity in the Development of Scientific Knowledge

Historical-Scientific Reconstructions: Pluralism and Cumulative Continuity in the Development of Scientific Knowledge

Student compliance will not mean ‘all teachers can teach’: a critical analysis of the rationale for ‘no excuses’ discipline

ABSTRACTAn increasing number of English schools are embracing an extreme approach to student behaviour dubbed ‘no excuses’ discipline, inspired by charter school chains in the United States. Proponents argue the approach is necessary to allow all teachers to teach and that it places responsibility where it should be: on the student. However, this rationale ignores the interactional nature of classroom disruption and discounts the role played by teachers and teaching. In this paper, I explain the concept of ‘cumulative continuity’ and then use this concept as a lens to make sense of classroom behaviour using observational data from a current longitudinal research project investigating the development of disruptive school behaviour. The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of pedagogical contexts, the responsibility that adults have, and the fallacy of the notion that students must be forced to comply in a one-size-fits-all system because we cannot rely on all members of the teaching profession to do the same.

Disrupting Intergenerational Continuity in Harsh and Abusive Parenting: The Importance of a Nurturing Relationship With a Romantic Partner

Harsh, abusive, and rejecting behavior by parents toward their children is associated with increased risk for many developmental problems for youth. Earlier research also shows that children raised by harsh parents are more likely to treat their own children harshly. The present study evaluated nurturing and supportive behaviors of spouses or cohabiting romantic partners hypothesized to strengthen co-parent relationships and help break this intergenerational cycle of harsh parenting. Data come from the Family Transitions Project, a 22-year, 3-generation study of a cohort of over 500 early adolescents (G2) grown to adulthood. During adolescence, observers rated G1 (parent of G2) harsh parenting to G2. Several years later, observers rated G2 harsh parenting toward their oldest child (G3). In addition, G2's romantic partner (spouse or cohabiting partner) was rated by observers on a range of behaviors expected to affect G2 harsh parenting. Romantic partner warmth and positive communication with G2 were associated with less G2 harsh parenting toward G3 (a compensatory or main effect) and when these partner behaviors were high, there was no evidence of intergenerational continuity from G1 to G2 harsh parenting (a moderating or protective effect). G1 harsh parenting slightly decreased the likelihood that G2 would select a supportive spouse or romantic partner (evidence of cumulative continuity). Romantic partner warmth and positive communication appear to disrupt continuity in harsh and abusive parenting. As appropriate, preventive interventions designed to reduce risk for child maltreatment should include a focus on spousal or partner behaviors in their educational or treatment programs.

Using trait–state models to evaluate the longitudinal consistency of global self-esteem from adolescence to adulthood

The present research used a latent variable trait–state model to evaluate the longitudinal consistency of self-esteem during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Analyses were based on ten administrations of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) spanning the ages of approximately 13–32 for a sample of 451 participants. Results indicated that a completely stable trait factor and an autoregressive trait factor accounted for the majority of the variance in latent self-esteem assessments, whereas state factors accounted for about 16% of the variance in repeated assessments of latent self-esteem. The stability of individual differences in self-esteem increased with age consistent with the cumulative continuity principle of personality development.

The road not taken: life experiences in monozygotic twin pairs discordant for major depression

In an effort to understand how environmental experiences contribute to risk for major depression (MD), we conducted joint autobiographical interviews with 14 pairs of monozygotic twins (mean age 51.2) rigorously discordant for a lifetime history of MD. Twelve of the pairs could be sorted into four broad categories. In two pairs, discordance was associated with a single traumatic event occurring to the affected twin. In seven pairs, the well twin had one stable, long-term, successful romantic relationship, whereas the affected co-twin had romantic reversals one or more of which precipitated depressive episodes. These pairs varied in the degree to which the romantic problems seemed to arise from bad luck or poor choices. In one pair, occupational difficulties were strongly related to discordance in experiences with MD. In two pairs, several mechanisms seemed to be at work. Discordance in the quality of intimate love relationships was the most common etiological factor revealed by interview in these discordant pairs, with single dramatic events and occupational problems being considerably rarer. Even in this best of natural experiments, the causal interrelationship between personality, environment and depressive episodes was not always clear. Many pairs illustrated the protective effects of planfulness and the malignant effect of cumulative continuity where early difficulties in relationships shaped the subsequent life course. These results speak both to the importance of environmental influences on human well-being and psychopathology, and the complexity of the causal paths underlying their effects.

Sources of cumulative continuity in personality: A longitudinal multiple-rater twin study.

This study analyzed the etiology of rank-order stability and change in personality over a time period of 13 years in order to explain cumulative continuity with age. NEO five-factor inventory self- and peer report data from 696 monozygotic and 387 dizygotic twin pairs reared together were analyzed using a combination of multiple-rater twin, latent state-trait, and autoregressive simplex models. Correcting for measurement error, this model disentangled genetic and environmental effects on long- and short-term convergent valid stability, on occasional influences, and on self- and peer report-specific stability. Genetic factors represented the main sources that contributed to phenotypic long-term stability of personality in young and middle adulthood, whereas change was predominantly attributable to environmental factors. Phenotypic continuity increased as a function of cumulative environmental effects, which became manifest in stable trait variance and decreasing occasion-specific effects with age. This study's findings suggest a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors resulting in the typical patterns of continuity in personality across young and middle adulthood.

PROTOCOL: Effectiveness of Early Family/Parent Training Programs in Preventing Antisocial Behavior & Delinquency

PROTOCOL: Effectiveness of Early Family/Parent Training Programs in Preventing Antisocial Behavior & Delinquency

Cumulative continuity and injection drug use among women: a test of the downward spiral framework

Although researchers have examined injection drug use among women, the findings vary and remain inconclusive. We know very little about the career of IV drug-using women-specifically, what processes link injection drug use to events and situations prior to adulthood? Using detailed self-report data, we examine the route into injection drug use and its long-term consequences among a sample of incarcerated women. Comparisons are made between women who have and have not injected drugs within the conceptual framework developed by Rosenbaum (1981). We argue that IV drug using women live in social circumstances typified by a narrowing of life's options that decreases their ability to assume conventional roles. The results of path analyses suggest that women who have injected drugs experienced child maltreatment, were inundated in the drug culture, had fewer options in the conventional world, had expanded options in the nonconventional world, and lived in a chaotic lifestyle. We also found that women who have injected drugs were amenable to substance treatment programming while in prison. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that injection drug users have accumulated high levels of negative events across their life course that effectively narrows their access to conventional opportunities.

A risk-amplification model of victimization and depressive symptoms among runaway and homeless adolescents.

This report is an examination of a theoretical model of risk amplification within a sample of 255 homeless and runaway adolescents. The young people were interviewed on the streets and in shelters in urban centers of four Midwestern states. Separate models were examined for males (n = 102) and females (n = 153). Results indicated that street experiences such as affiliation with deviant peers, deviant subsistence strategies, risky sexual behaviors, and drug and/or alcohol use amplified the effects of early family abuse on victimization and depressive symptoms for young women. These street adaptations significantly increased the likelihood of serious victimization over and above the effects of early family history for both young men and women. Similarly, street behaviors and experiences increased the likelihood of depressive symptoms for young women over the effects of early family abuse, but not for young men. The risk-amplification model from the life course theoretical perspective is discussed as an example of the cumulative continuity of maladaptive behaviors.

Continuities and consequences of interactional styles across the life course.

Behavior patterns can be sustained across the life course by two kinds of person-environment interaction. Cumulative continuity arises when an individual's interactional style channels him or her into environments that themselves reinforce that style, thereby sustaining the behavior pattern across the life course through the progressive accumulation of its own consequences. Interactional continuity arises when an individual's style evokes reciprocal, sustaining responses from others in ongoing social interaction, thereby reinstating the behavior pattern across the individual's life course whenever the relevant interactive situation is replicated. Using archival data from the Berkeley Guidance Study (Macfarlane, Allen, & Honzik, 1954), we present evidence for the operation of these two continuity-promoting processes by identifying individuals who were ill-tempered, shy, or dependent in late childhood and then tracing the continuities and consequences of these interactional styles across the subsequent 30 years of their lives in the domains of work and family. The importance of the sociocultural context in mediating these continuities and consequences is stressed.

Moving against the world: Life-course patterns of explosive children.

Do ill-tempered children become ill-tempered adults? What are the life-course consequences of such an explosive interactional style? What processes can account for the persistence of maladaptive behavior across time and circumstance? To answer these questions, this study used data from the Berkeley Guidance Study (Macfarlane, Allen, & Honzik, 1954) to identify children with a pattern of temper tantrums in late childhood (ages 8-10) and to trace the continuities and consequences of this behavioral style across the subsequent 30 years of their lives. Life-course continuities in this behavioral style were found for both sexes. Men with histories of childhood tantrums experienced downward occupational mobility, erratic work lives, and were likely to divorce. Women with such histories married men with lower occupational status, were likely to divorce, and became ill-tempered mothers. It is proposed that maladaptive behaviors are sustained through the progressive accumulation of their own consequences (cumulative continuity) and by evoking maintaining responses from others during reciprocal social interaction (interactional continuity). The need to delay gratification, control impulses, and modulate emotional expression is the earliest and most ubiquitous demand that society places on the developing child, and success at many life tasks depends critically on the individual's mastery of such control. In this article, we looked back at the life histories of children who were failing to achieve such mastery, who, at age 10, were still reacting to childhood frustration and adult authority with explosive temper tantrums. We sought to discover whether such ill-tempered children become ill-tempered adults and, if they do, what the causes and consequences of such continuity are. The continuity of maladaptive behavior has long been recognized as a challenge to psychological theory. If behavior is largely sustained by its consequences, then adaptive behaviors should show continuity almost by definition. (Research confirms that it is the adaptive or ego resilient individual whose personality displays the strongest continuity across the life course [Block, 1971].) But why should maladaptive behaviors persist? What are the processes that sustain them across time and circumstance?

The Idea of Process in American Social Thought

THE sciences which are in any peculiar sense modern, said Thorstein Veblen in 1908, take as an (unavowed) postulate the fact of consecutive change.... This notion of process about which the researches of modern science cluster, is a notion of a sequence, or complex, of consecutive change in which the nexus of the sequence . . . is the relation of cause and effect. The consecution, moreover, runs in terms of persistence of quantity or of force.1 John Dewey has urged the same point: Since the idea of history involves cumulative continuity of movement in a given direction toward stated outcomes, the fundamental conception that controls determination of subject-matter as historical is that of a direction of movement.2 And again: In science the order of fixities has already passed irretrievably into an order of connections in process.3 The first part of this paper will discuss the ideas of social process advanced by six recent American thinkers: Dewey, Veblen, Wesley C. Mitchell, John R. Commons, Theodore Dreiser, and Clarence Darrow. Then three related criticisms are made of the idea as it was formulated and applied by these men. The final section suggests the relevance

Societies and Academies

LONDON. Aristotelian Society, December 5.—Prof. G. Dawes Hicks in the chair.—J. Johnstone: The limitations of the knowledge of Nature. A survey of the speculative biology of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries forces one to the recognition of a twofold passage of Nature. According to the fundamental concept of physical science, the second law of energetics, viz. the augmentation of entropy, physical change tends continually to diminution. The universe, to use Bergson's term, is detending. To the biologist there is another aspect, for life is the incessant attempt of certain physico-chemical systems to resist the increase of entropy. The difficulty in accepting generalised relativity in biology is that for speculative physiology space-time cannot be completely isotropic, especially if we regard the quality of duration as the cumulative continuity of life. It is a passage, as well as the persistence, of that which has passed. We must regard Newton's “ocean of truth ”as amorphous in structure. The relations that are to be discovered in it are in it only in the sense that they come into existence with the thought that makes the relation.