Relational Developmental Systems: An Introduction Willis F. Overton Temple University Presented at the APA 2016 Convention, August, 5, 2006, Denver, CO

Developmental science, like other sciences, functions within the context of a broad sets of concepts that generally go unnoticed during day-to-day research activities. These background ideas constitute the conceptual framework or conceptual context within which day-to-day research activities operate. These conceptual frames are metatheoretical in nature (i.e. they operate above theory). They form the context within which hypotheses, theories, models, and methods are constructed, and empirical research is conducted. These conceptual frames form a nested hierarchy as follows:

Overton/Lerner Paradigm Overton/Lerner Metamodel Looking at this slide, on the left hand side the top two metatheoretical levels in the hierarchy, the philosopher Thomas Kuhn termed a “Scientific Paradigm”. Looking at the top right hand side, the philosopher Imre Lakatos termed the top two metatheoretical levels, plus the level of theory, a “Scientific Research Program”. For purposes of simplicity Lerner and I refer to the top metatheoretical level as the “Scientific Research Paradigm” and the bottom metatheoretical level as a “Scientific Metamodel. The top or Paradigm level consists of ontological propositions (i.e. assumptions about the nature of the world) and epistemological propositions (i.e., assumptions about the nature of knowing). The lower or Metamodel level consists of propositions derived from the Paradigm, but these propositions are narrower in scope and refer to assumptions about the nature of the subject matter under examination. Thus, in our case assumptions about the nature of living organisms. Metatheoretical propositions at each level serve as context to give meaning to, and ground, sustain, constrain and elaborate specific theoretical concepts and specific research practices.

While 20th Century science tended to be dominated by the Cartesian-Mechanistic paradigm. In contemporary developmental science, this anachronistic paradigm is increasingly being replaced by a Process-Relational paradigm These two paradigms, and their impact on metamodels and theory are illustrated in the following:

Cartesian-Mechanistic Paradigm Process-Relational Paradigm Cartesian-Mechanistic Paradigm Computational Mind, Classic Connecionism,Neural Network, Nativist Metamodels RDS Metamodel Theory Theory Lerner PDY Models All Cognitivism Evolutionary Dev Psych Narvaez Evolved Developmental Niche One important Metamodel conceptual framework of the Process-Relational paradigm is the Relational-Developmental-Systems (RDS) metamodel . Behavior Genetics Greene’s Moral Judgment Information Processing

Before specifically describing the RDS metamodel, it should be noted that the foregoing slide presents only 2 theoretical positions that are framed by RDS. This is because these are the positions described and discussed in this symposium. However, to avoid the impression that only these two have been impacted by RDS, the following slide illustrates several other authors and areas that have also been so influenced Symposium title: Relational Developmental Systems and Child Flourishing.

Some Other Theoretical Contributions Formulated within RDS Framework Mascolo & Fischer: Dynamic Skill Theory Turiel: Social Domaine Theory Bigler &Liben: Developmental Intergroup Theory All Action Developmental theories McClelland, Geldhof, Cameron & Wanless: Development of self- regulation Carpendale, Atwood &Kettner: Development of early communication and meaning Ricco & Overton Dual Systems Theory of Reasoning Development Marshall: Developmental cognitive neuroscience theories. Goodnow & Lawrence: Theories of Children and Culture Bornstein: Parent-Child Relationships

The Relational Developmental Systems Metamodel The RDS metamodel conceptualizes the living organism – which is itself the relational developmental system -- as follows:

The RDS (i.e., the Living Organism) is Adaptive System’s acts increase probability of survival. Endogenously active. Active agent. Requires no forces outside system to act. Self-Creating Enactive: System operates according to own processes. Self-Organizing Order arises from local co-actions between smaller components of a system. Self-Regulation Systems actions regulate environment & environment regulates system. Relatively plastic Systems capacity for change. Non-Linear System and system development not additive. Complex System holistic: Differentiations and integrations. Open System transfers matter, energy, & information.

Development of the RDS Development of the RDS occurs not according to some split off external or internal determinant, but rather it occurs through its own embodied activities and actions that mutually co-act with a lived world of physical and sociocultural objects,

EMBODIMENT Not merely physical structures of the body, but: Body as a form of lived experience, actively engaged with the world of sociocultural and physical objects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Body as form = biological standpoint Body as lived experience = psychological active agent person standpoint. Body actively engaged with world = socio-cultural standpoint.

Development of RDS proceeds according to Gilbert Gotlieb’s principle of Probabilistic Epigenesis This is a totally holistic concept, which asserts that: Thr Role of any part process of a relational developmental system—gene, cell, organ, organism, physical environment, culture—is a function of all of the interpenetrating and coacting ( ) part processes of the system.

Probabilistic Epigenesis amd Embodiment It is through complex bidirectional, relational embodied actions among the coacting part processes that the system changes (i.e., develops) and moves to levels of increasingly organized complexity. Thus, the principle of epigenesis identifies the relational developmental system as being a holistic system (i.e., relational set of processes, such that the whole determines the nature of the part processes and the part processes determine the nature of the whole). Epigenesis further demonstrates that the system is completely contextualized and situated; time and place matter

Probabilistic Epigenesis amd Embodiment Further, the embodied activities and actions operating according to probabilistic epigenesis lead, through positive and negative feedback loops to increasing system differentiation, system integration, and system complexity, which is directed toward adaptive ends. As a metatheory, RDS provides guiding principles for the construction of a variety of specific contemporary developmental models and theories as well as contemporary developmental methods.

A Comparison of Two Paradigms As mentioned earlier, RDS is itself a part of a broad Process-Relational scientific research paradigm that stands in contrast to the Cartesian-Mechanistic research paradigm, which prevailed during much of the 20th century. In schematic form, the contrasts between the two paradigms are contained in a Process-Relational emphasis on, among other propositions, Holism, on nature as Process, on the inherent Activity of living systems, on Becoming (i.e., change is fundamental, fixity is not), and on the idea of Necessary Organization (i.e., the system at any level exhibits some pattern, form or organization). A schematic comparison of the ontological and epistemological categories that distinguish the two paradigms is illustrated in the following:

Process-Relational Cartesian-Mechanistic Paradigms  Process-Relational Cartesian-Mechanistic  Ontological Categories  Holism Atomism Activity Fixity Nature as Process Nature as Substance (Matter) Change—Becoming Stasis—Being Dialectic Necessary Organization Uniformity Structure-Function Relations Pluralistic Universe Dualistic/Monistic   Epistemological Categories Holism Reductionism Constructivism Realism Relational Understanding Split Understanding Multiple Standpoints of Analysis Objectivism vs. Subjectivism Multiple Forms of Explanation Efficient/Material Causal Explanation

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