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. 2017 Jun;11(2):113-119.
doi: 10.1111/cdep.12221. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

Continuity and Stability in Development

Marc H Bornstein  1 , Diane L Putnick  1 , Gianluca Esposito  1
Affiliations

Continuity and Stability in Development

Marc H Bornstein et al. Child Dev Perspect. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Developmental science is centrally concerned with both consistency and change in characteristics through time. Consistency and change in development are tracked by group mean level continuity and individual order stability. Group mean level and individual order consistency and change are both developmentally informative and can co-exist conceptually and empirically as the two are partially orthogonal perspectives on development. Continuity and stability are broadly applicable to characteristics of the individual, dyad, and environment. Significantly, absent the distinctions we draw between mean level continuity and individual order stability, researchers who use the terms willy-nilly leave their readers in the dark as to which key feature of development is meant. In this article, we distinguish the two types of consistency and change, their measurement, importance, moderation, and implications.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Group mean level continuity and discontinuity
Note. C1-C5 are individual children measured on a characteristic at two time points.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Individual order stability and instability
Note. C1-C5 are individual children measured on a characteristic at two time points.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Four profiles of development
Note. C1-C5 are individual children measured on a characteristic at two time points.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Trajectories of development: How the intercept and slope differ from continuity and stability
Note. Gray lines represent individual child changes in ability from time 1 to time 2. The intercept is the group mean level at time 1. The slope is the average rate of change from time 1 to time 2. Stability is the degree to which children maintain their rank order from time 1 to time 2. Continuity is the change in group average from time 1 to time 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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