Download SCIENCE AND PROMOTION OF EARLY DEVELOPMENT

SCIENCE AND PROMOTION OF EARLY
DEVELOPMENT
By Michael Rutter
VARIETIES OF SCIENCE
The traditional subdivision into social, behavioural and
biological sciences no longer makes any sense. Modern
science usually involves some kind of bridging across, or
integration of, different branches of science. Accordingly,
my talk will be about the contributions of science and
not those of ‘social science’, whatever that is supposed
to mean.
PROVISION OF UNDERSTANDING OF
THE BIOLOGY OF EARLY
DEVELOPMENT
a)
b)
c)
d)
Rapid brain growth with neural proliferation and then
pruning
Role of experiential input on brain structures:
Experience-expectant (e.g. vision – Hubel & Wiesel)
Experience-adaptive (e.g. language input - Kuhl)
Role of coping with challenges and hazards
Stress and ‘steeling’ and ‘sensitization’ effects
Infection and immunity
Effect of stress on brain structures
PROVISION OF UNDERSTANDING ON
GENETIC INFLUENCES
a)
b)
b)
c)
d)
Dynamic processes involved in gene action
Multiple DNA elements involved in gene transcription
Chance
Environmental influences on gene expression
Importance of passive, active and evocative geneenvironment correlations
Genetic influences on environmental risk exposure
Importance of gene-environment interactions
Genetic influences on environmental risk susceptibility
Partial genetic mediation of risks associated with adverse
environments
Switching on and off of genes
TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK
MEDIATION THROUGH USE OF ‘NATURAL
EXPERIMENTS’
Discordant twin designs
Mendelian randomization
Effects of environmental changes outside the influence of
social selection
Risk reversal
Children of Twins design
UNDERSTANDING OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL/PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL
CONTINUITIES AND DISCONTINUITIES
Importance of early physical aggression and of
inattention/overactivity
Predictive importance of early developmental deficits and
delays
Early origins of autism spectrum disorders and of dyslexia
Continuities between normality and pathology
Interconnections among cognition, emotions and social
relationships
Importance of social relationships, both early and late, and
the limitations of measures of attachment security
EVALUATION OF EFFICIENCY OF
PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC
INTERVENTIONS AND DELINEATION OF
THE KEY MEDIATORS OF EFFICACY
Randomized controlled trials
(with their varieties and modifications)
Need to measure process variables in order to determine
mediators
Issues in translating interventions that are effective in
expert hands into community-wide implementations
DEMONSTRATION OF THE IMPORTANCE
OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND THE
REALITY OF THE IMPORTANCE OF
RESILIENCE
Genetic variations
Value of experience of successful coping
Value of experiences both before and after exposure to risk
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL
The message that science provides the means of
answering fundamental questions and this goes way
beyond the collection of “facts”.
The message that we should view with considerable
caution and wariness the peddlers of certainty – whether
the salesmen be politicians, media experts or scientists.