Plenary Lecture 1 Throughout history mankind has constantly wondered about the origin of the human species. For many centuries until scientific explanations became available the only possible answers were provided by myths. In origin myths the human birth is often at the centre of scenario and takes on a traumatic character because is marked by the abandonment of the children by parents or adults, an attempt to suppress the newborn babies, as in the Oedipus Myth and in the story of Moses and of Romulus and Remus in Rome. |
Plenary Lecture 2 It is widely appreciated that intervention efforts vary in their efficacy, even within generally effective trials and services. Such heterogeneity in efficacy is often, even perhaps typically, attributed to variation in implementation fidelity. Differential-susceptibility theorizing stipulates, however, that much such variation in intervention efficacy is due to the fact that individuals vary in their susceptibility to environmental influences, including intervention ones. Moreover, it stipulates that those very individuals most vulnerable to adversity—for temperamental, physiological and/or genetic reasons—are also most likely to benefit from contextual support and enrichment. In this talk, theory and observational evidence consistent with this claim is reviewed, before turning attention to experimental-intervention evidence indicating the same. Indeed, the work to be presented will reveal that children who are more temperamentally difficult, especially as infants and toddlers, and who are more physiologically reactive and/or carry certain “plasticity” alleles are disproportionately likely to benefit from a variety of intervention programs. Implications of this research are highlighted, especially with respect to the issue of targeting particularly susceptible individuals when resources are limited. And this will raise the issues of efficacy and equity when it comes to the provision of services. |
Plenary Lecture 3 |
Plenary Lecture 4 Digital media have experienced their most rapid evolution over the past 10 years, with the introduction of mobile and interactive platforms that have drastically changed children and parents’ relationships with media. Dr. Radesky’s research uses a developmental lens to examine media use in families, with a particular emphasis on associations of media use with parent-child interaction dynamics, child temperament and self-regulation, and psychosocial stress. She will discuss parent mobile device use and how it effects parents’ engagement with young children during family routines; parent emotional, attentional, and cognitive experiences of mobile device use during family time; associations of frequent parent mobile device use with reflective functioning and mentalization abilities; and relevance for clinical guidance and digital design. In addition, this talk will examine how characteristics of young children predict and modify their media use habits, such as preferences for highly gamified design, frequent use of mobile devices for calming purposes, and effects of digital attention management and distractions such as in-app advertisements. Dr. Radesky will also review results from several new studies showing how persuasive design makes it more difficult for parents to scaffold children in digital play experiences. Finally, opportunities for clinical intervention and advocacy around digital media across several different social contexts will be discussed.
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