COLLABORATIVE
STUDIES
The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighbourhoods
Professor Robert J.
Sampson
Harvard University
The Project
on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) seeks to understand human development in context. It has been
described as one of the more comprehensive social research studies
on urban life in American history. Since its inception in 1995, it has collected
an exhaustive database of evidence aimed at understanding the causes
of pathways into crime. The project combines the study of neighbourhoods –
their social, economic, organisational, political and social
structure – with a series of co-ordinated longitudinal studies
looking at the lives of children, adolescents and young adults.
From
a developmental perspective, seven cohorts of children and their
caretakers (N = 6500 children, aged 0 to 18) were
followed for seven years. The cohorts were sampled from a
variety of neighbourhood contexts that were subjected to independent
empirical scrutiny. PHDCN has accomplished three original
studies at the community level: a citywide Community Survey of 8,782
residents of all 343 Chicago neighbourhoods, Systematic Social Observation
(video-taping) of some 25,000 street segments in a subset of 80
neighbourhoods selected to ensure diversity by race/ethnicity and
social class, and a Neighbourhood Experts Survey of 2,820 community
leaders also in the 80 sampled neighbourhoods. PHDCN has produced
a set of publications that develop and test theories on neighbourhood
collective efficacy and crime, social capital for children, spatial
dynamics, and the explanation of social disorder. PHDCN papers
have also constructed new scientific standards for assessing the
quality of neighbourhood assessments and for studying how neighbourhood
social processes relate to outcomes.
For more about the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighbourhoods, please see the PHDCN website.
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The Cambridge Study
in Delinquent Development
Professor David Farrington
University of Cambridge
The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development is a prospective longitudinal survey following 411 males born
in a working class neighbourhood in South London in 1953-54 from ages 8 to 46. The Cambridge Study has documented
continuities and discontinuities in offending and antisocial behaviour
from childhood to adulthood; onset, duration and desistance of offending
of fathers, mothers, sons and daughters; effects of life events
on the course of development; risk and protective factors predicting
offending and antisocial behaviour; associations between offending
and other antisocial behaviours at different ages; and intergenerational
transmission of offending, antisocial behaviour, and family background.
The main aim of the follow-up at age 46 is to investigate how far
current antisocial behaviour and mental health problems are predicted
by individual, family, socio-economic, peer, school and behavioral
variables measured between ages 8 and 32, and to extend previous
studies of intergenerational transmission and desistance.
Professor Farrington and others have published extensively on this study.
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The
Montreal Two-Samples Longitudinal Study
Professor Marc LeBlanc
University of Montreal
In
1974 the Montreal Two-Samples Study recruited a representative sample
of the population of boys aged 12-16 years old (n=458) in Montreal.
At the same time, a second sample of 470 boys was recruited, based
on adjudicated delinquency and behavioural problems. These samples
have since been interviewed five times, the last time when they were around
40 years of age. Information collected has included official delinquency
and other institutional data (marriage, death, driving record),
self-reported data on a wide range of deviant behaviour (delinquency,
drug use, violence etc), measures of social adaptation (family,
school, work, leisure) and personality (Jesness & Eysenck personality
inventories). Current work in progress includes the identification
of unidimensional and multidimensional long-term developmental trajectories.
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The
Pittsburgh Youth Study
Professor Rolf Loeber
University of Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Youth Study is a longitudinal study of the development of antisocial behaviour,
delinquency, substance use and mental health problems in young males
(N = 1517). Participants were drawn from grades 1, 4, and 7 in Pittsburgh
public schools in 1987-88. The youngest sample has been followed
through 18 data collection waves and subjects are now about 20. The middle sample was followed through 7 waves to age 13,
and is now being followed-up at age 23-24. The oldest sample has
been the subject of 17 waves and the subjects are now 26-27.
The
study has been described as 'an excellent real-life laboratory for
advancing and testing hypothesized developmental pathways', and
Professor Loeber has developed an extensive database for formulating,
testing and refining his conceptual framework for males' progressions
into disruptive and delinquent behaviour. Recent work has focussed
on the influence of community factors and peer influences. Attrition
has been very low. The study to date has generated two books and
97 peer-reviewed articles.
For
more information, please visit the Pittsburgh Youth Study website.
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The
Tübingen Criminal Behaviour Development Study
Professor Hans-Juergen Kerner
University of Tübingen
The Tübingen Criminal Behaviour Development Study (TCBDS) is designed to gain detailed and systenatically structured experiential knoweldge about pathways towards crime compare with pathways away from crime. Begun in 1965, it has collected comprehensive, qualitative life-history data on 400 young men - 200 inmates serving at least six months and 200 matched males representative of south-west Germany. These men were 20-30 years old in 1965 and 45 to 50 at a 1987-1995 follow-up. External data covers them from birth to the age of 55.
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The
Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children (z-proso)
Dr Manuel Eisner
University of Cambridge/University of Zurich
The Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children (z-proso) began
in October 2003. The project combines a longitudinal study
with the randomized implementation of two prevention programmes
aimed at promoting life skills among primary school children. It main airms are to better understand the impact of personality, family, school and neighbourhood on the development of prosocial skills; to evaluate the effectiveness of two intervention programmes; and to contribute to knowledge on how to promote prosocial competencies among primary-school children and reduce externalising problem behaviour over the life-course.
The
initial target sample consisted of approximately 1000 seven-year-olds
in 100 school classes in the city of Zurich. The study encompasses three waves of interviews with parents, children and teachers,
conducted once a year over five years. Outcome measures include
various indicators of the social and cognitive develpment of children,
as well as measures of disruptive behaviour, externalizing disorders
and bullying. After the initial wave, a parenting programme was offered to parents in a random sample of 50 school classes. After
the second wave of interviews, a sample of 50 classes were taught
a school-based social and cognitive skills curriculum over a period
of at least nine months. Findings of the study can contribute to
knowledge about the efficiency of early primary school prevention
programmes in promoting pro-social skills and in reducing problem
behaviour.
For information, please visit the Z-Proso website.
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