Teaming up to understand individual development

Some children thrive and others don’t, but why? This question is as important for science as it is for parents, educators and society at large. More specifically, children who fail to thrive are at risk of developing behavioral, emotional, and cognitive problems in spite of the almost unprecedented level of prosperity in today’s Western society. Both early prediction and possibilities for adequate interventions of problem behaviors can alleviate the burden for society, parents, and last but not least the children themselves, providing them with a much better starting position in life. Behavioral Control (BC) and Social Competence (SC) are two key components for healthy child development and successful functioning in society. Child development, including behavioral control and social competence, is affected by biological and psychological child characteristics as well as social environmental factors, such as family, peers, and neighbourhood. These factors are not independent, but how they covary and interact in predicting child development, and behavioral control and social competence specifically, is poorly understood. To date, in-depth insight into these processes have been hampered by traditional boundaries of the research areas involved.