We tested associations among parent and adolescent leisure time and physical activities, and family cohesion and family dinner frequency, controlling for demographic factors, using data from 141 dyads of adolescents (Mage = 15.2 years, 47.5% female, 51.8% white) and parents (Mage = 40.8 years, 63.8% female, 53.9% white). Leisure time and physical activity were correlated between adolescents and their parents. White parents and adolescents engaged in more unstructured leisure activities, and adolescents whose parents had more education engaged in more physical activity. Youth sport participation was highest among adolescents who also engaged in structured youth groups. Results are discussed in the context of family systems theory.
This study examines how sports participation and autonomy supportive coaching relate to depressive symptoms among college students with different levels of sport involvement. Using data from the Athletic Involvement Study (2006), we compared depression scores among non-athletes, former athletes, and current athletes in individual and team sports, with attention to perceived coach autonomy support. College athletes reporting high autonomy support showed significantly lower depressive symptoms than non-athletes, while past athletes with low autonomy support reported lower symptoms than non-athletes. These findings suggest that autonomy supportive figures shape mental health and show the need for updated data to promote positive coaching practices.
Positive movement experiences (e.g., exergaming) may enhance cognition, but evidence in midlife is limited. In a double-blind RCT, 233 adults (35-64) were randomized to a 10-day cognitive-motor Games intervention (n = 118) or a passive video control (n = 115) across five lab and five home sessions. Dual-task cost was assessed pre- and post-intervention, with engagement (affect, exertion, expectancy) modeled as predictors. Adherence was high (98.3%); exergaming elicited moderate- intensity (Delta M = 18.76 bpm, p < .001). Positive affect predicted reduced dual-task cost in one paradigm (beta = -0.316, p = .025), whereas higher exertion predicted poorer outcomes. Expectancy, baseline activity, and streak predicted improvement, underscoring task-specific affective contributions to cognitive adaptation.
Positive movement experiences (PMEs) occur when the individual and their movement-related contexts interact to promote physical, emotional, and social well-being. PMEs occur in a variety of movement-related contexts that individuals engage in across the lifespan (e.g. sport, recreation, play). Yet, there remains an ongoing need to examine the reciprocal relationships between individuals and their movement contexts to better understand how PMEs can contribute to adaptive health outcomes across the lifespan. The purpose of this special issue is to bring together a set of disciplinary and methodologically diverse papers to better understand the conditions that drive PMEs in different life stages.
The link between early life stress and later health may be partially attributable to adversity-related changes in behavior (e.g., borderline personality traits, health behavior) and inflammation (e.g., interleukin 6, c-reactive protein). Among 1,630 older adults enrolled in the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) Study, higher borderline personality traits, lower health behaviors, and greater inflammation serially mediated the negative association between childhood physical abuse and general health. Interplay between behavioral and biological pathways represent plausible mechanisms through which physical abuse experienced in childhood influence physical health in later adulthood.
This article connects moral education for social justice to William Damon's early work on moral development in young children, his subsequent work on the expectations that parents and schools should set for youth, and his later work on youth purpose. The approach to moral education described in this article is based on social cognitive domain theory, a framework that Damon addressed in his book, The social world of the child. In this approach, distinctions are drawn among attention to moral concerns for justice and human welfare, the conventions and norms of society, and personal matters of privacy and choice. The article outlines how attention to domain may be employed to guide the development of moral lessons integrated within the academic curriculum as well as procedures and processes for effective classroom management and student discipline. By integrating this domain-based approach with critical pedagogy through what is described as "take action" projects, students go beyond abstract moral discourse to connect with the needs of their local communities. This process allows students to engage as moral actors with a social purpose. This article also briefly touches on the personal connections between the author and William Damon that have led to the research and practices that are outlined.
A legacy of William Damon's work was the delineation of how children's social and moral reasoning about the fair distribution of resources emerges in peer interaction. We describe research from Developing Inclusive Youth, a classroom program that presents children with opportunities to discuss and share their reflections about decisions regarding peer inclusion and exclusion. Confirming our expectations, children used prosocial and psychological reasoning for discussions about interpersonal exclusion but used moral and group-based reasoning for intergroup exclusion based on gender and ethnicity. Programs designed to increase intergroup friendships promote children as agents of change, a constructivist approach to human development.
Intellectual humility, recognizing the limits of our knowledge, can help us navigate today's information landscape. However, intellectual humility research faces a gap between theory and practice: Although scholars consistently emphasize the importance of practicing intellectual humility "appropriately" and "properly," current frameworks provide little guidance on how to do this. Drawing inspiration from the work of Bill Damon, we offer new tools - a series of reflection questions - to help people navigate the complexities of appropriate intellectual humility in their daily lives. We conclude by observing that the honest self-examination that intellectual humility demands can become a source of genuine confidence.
Given the myriad factors that influence human development, longitudinal studies require substantial thought, reflection, and revision over the years. Moreover, a full accounting of human development necessitates partnerships across guilds, researchers, and theoretical perspectives. The current special issue provides one such example, by showcasing recent and past research that has accrued from the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) study. This 18-year longitudinal study has undergone significant shifts in direction over the years, though it remains one of the longest running investigations into how psychopathology and personality develop during middle-to-older adulthood, as well as the ramifications of these changes.
Grandparenting is a complex, culturally shaped role that remains understudied. Using data from 492 older adults (Mage = 71) in the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network study, this research examined grandparent-grandchild conversations across 14 topics. Grandmothers reported more frequent conversations than grandfathers, and Black grandparents more often discussed race and identity than White grandparents. Compared to past generations, current grandparents engage in topically broader, more frequent exchanges. Conversations about education, social change, and leisure were linked to greater perceived social contribution and fulfillment, highlighting intergenerational communication as an important factor in social well-being.
How can we ensure that moral values are constructed and become central to people's identities? What values should societies aim to be central to the identities of future generations? This article aims to address these two questions by briefly exploring the concepts of values and moral identity based on William Damon's perspective. Also, the chapter discuss another central concept in Damon's work: Purpose, which is assumed as a moral value that should be integrated into people's identities. Finally, to illustrate the paths that William Damon's research opens up in education, some pedagogical experiences that can facilitate the integration of moral values into identity through active learning methodologies, are presented.
William Damon's theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions have had a foundational impact on developmental science. The quality and quantity of his prolific scientific career have resulted in Damon's approach to developmental science exemplifing programmatic and integrative scholarship. The systematic and cumulative impact of Damon's career contributions has shaped both what is studied in human developmental science and how the science is conducted. His career is unique in the more than 100 years since the field emerged from its philosophical roots. His accomplishments and contributions are a model for all future generations of developmental scientists.
Human development scholarship has long engaged in consideration not just of the description of development but in considering the ideal ends of development and maturity, considered philosophically. This paper considers the history and current understanding of the relationship between subjective and objective ends in development, with a special focus on the work of William Damon. It considers especially the linking role of virtues and purpose in alignment between an subjective experience and objectively values. Integrity is addressed as bridging the divide between subjective and objectives ends. The paper also highlights the increasing influence of developmental science on philosophical ethics.
In this festschrift-style special issue of Research in Human Development, we honor William Damon, or Bill, as he is known to his friends and colleagues. Bill has had a far-reaching career through his scholarship and field-building leadership in human development, character education, and purpose formation. His legacy is rooted not only in the advancement of scientific knowledge, but also in the translation of developmental science into public good. Through his research, writing, mentoring, advocacy, and public engagement, he has indelibly impacted the field of human development in theory and method, and his generative mentorship has shaped the trajectories of countless students, friends, and colleagues. In this brief introductory article, we trace Bill's academic career, address the unique coherence between Bill's character and his career, and reflect on the role Bill has played in our lives.
Positive interactions during recess enhance well-being, whereas social isolation can foster loneliness and victimization. We examined changes in 1,022 third- through fifth-grade students' belonging and victimization at recess in schools receiving Playworks coach support over one year. Latent growth curve modeling showed significant linear growth in belonging (b=.097, p=.003) and a quadratic trajectory for victimization (b=.029, p=.013). Subgroup analyses revealed a negative intercept-slope correlation, with greater gains among students starting lower. In focus groups, students described recess as a space for connection and a setting where conflict sometimes arises. They reported Playworks fostered a positive recess climate. Findings highlight importance of inclusive play environments to increase belonging and reduce victimization
Ample human development research has focused on athletic development across time. Little research, however, has explored the mental health journeys of professional female athletes across life stages. This study used narrative inquiry and included nine female athletes who were competing (inter)nationally. Athletes participated in three interviews which followed a life-story approach. Narrative thematic analysis yielded a model that represents participants' different stages of their athletic experiences compared to perceived sport success. Findings suggest the university/early professional sport stage is the most tumultuous for a female athlete. Early prevention may be the most effective solution, with practitioners promoting non-sport-related identity exploration.
The aim was to analyze the ability of basic psychological needs and psychological capital to predict academic engagement in secondary school students through a longitudinal study. The sample consisted of adolescents of Entre R & iacute;os, Argentina. Self-reports were used Path analysis was conducted to assess the relationships among basic psychological needs (time 1), psychological capital (time 2), and academic engagement (time 3). The results indicated that basic psychological needs predict psychological capital and that psychological capital predicts engagement. While no direct effect of psychological needs on engagement was found, there is an indirect influence that is mediated by psychological capital.
In this commentary, I will discuss the relationship between purpose and morality from developmental and educational perspectives based on empirical and philosophical works. Reviewing previous psychological studies, I will explore the potential association between purpose and moral development. I will also analyze a dataset including variables related to purpose and moral functioning. Furthermore, based on recent works in moral philosophy, particularly those focusing on wisdom cultivation, I propose that pursuing a purpose that embraces virtues and ethical values, instead of a non-moral purpose, will be conducive to flourishing. Finally, I will discuss the implications of moral purpose within educational contexts. While working on these points, the connection between William Damon’s two main research themes (i.e., ethical development and purpose development) will be reviewed and discussed. My primary intent is to integrate his views and works in those two dimensions of human development to propose ideas for flourishing and eudaimonic well-being.
