Parenting, Child Care and Development

In the programme group Parenting, Child Care and Development we examine in what way parents (mothers and fathers) and allo-parents (e.g., professional caregivers) influence children’s development, wellbeing and health. The main focus is on children’s social-emotional development and the prevention of problems in this domain.

Theoretical backgrounds of both research and education within this programme group are, among others, attachment theory and social-learning theory. Parenting, child care, and child development are studied in the context of historical roots, child-rearing setting (e.g., family versus child care), culture, socioeconomic status, and biological make-up (e.g., gender, temperament, genotype, brain maturation). Moreover, we examine social-cognitive, neurocognitive and neurobiological mechanisms that affect caregiving and child development.

We use diverse methods to measure caregiver-child interactions, child behaviour and development, such as standardised observational methods, ethnographic methods, and experimental methods (such as eye tracking, EEG and fNIRS).

Our aim is to contribute to optimal child development, not only through research on the processes and mechanisms of caregiving and development, but also through developing preventive evidence-based interventions.