Research on Human Development across the Life Span

Research into the psychosocial aspects of human development has a long tradition at the University of Jena, going back to the turn of the century when William Thierry Preyer, Ernst Haeckel and Wilhelm Peters researched in the field.

In 1994, after German reunification, a new infrastructure was etsablished for developmental psychology in Jena aided by the appointment of Rainer K. Silbereisen to lead the department. Currently, 12 scientific and 3 technical support staff members, from four countries, collaborate on a variety of research projects. The equipment is state-of-the-art, including many different observation and recording technologies, flexible laboratory space, and computer facilities. The department accommodates not only the permanent staff but also graduate research assistants, doctoral and postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists.

Modern developmental psychology deals with the description, prediction, explanation and optimization of changes in behavior and experience over the life span. Research, therefore, concentrates on positive adaptation, e.g., problem solving competencies, and maladaptation, e.g., deficits in interpersonal skills. In order to examine change, various research designs are used (such as longitudinal studies), as well as different means of data gathering (for example, systematic behavioral observations within experimental settings), and of data analysis (like sophisticated statistical procedures).

The research program covers various periods of the life span, (particularly adolescence, early adulthood, and old age) and often combines quantitative survey studies with naturalistic observations. Studies have a biopsychosocial format, that is, human psychological development is seen as being influenced by biological and social processes, including contexts such as social institutions. In particular, work has heeded the theoretical notion that adolescents play an active role in their own development. It has also shown how adolescents draw on their physical and social environments in pursuing their goals, which, of course, reflect societal expectations as well as personal aspirations vis-a-vis the manifold transitions between childhood and adulthood. This research utilized samples of various cohorts that were gathered in different European countries, and which have been followed-up cross-sectionally and longitudinally over several years (soon to be reactivated).

The current research program shares the theoretical and methodological principles of earlier studies and together they represent a research paradigm that has been followed over many years. The majority of activities relates to adolescent development but recent research has focused more generally on processes of social change in Germany. Fundamentally, we investigate the development of successful adaptation and problem behaviors. The development of several problem behaviors turned out to be associated with coping attempts concerning developmental tasks that is often functional for the individual's adaptation. This insight enables the development of new prevention strategies that can be applied and evaluated in different ways. Likewise we pursue conditions enabling the mastery of challenges, such as life threatening diseases. In sum, an understanding of developmental processes over the whole life span will be attained.