Echoes of Early Life: Recent Insights From Mathematical Modeling

Authors :: Willem E. Frankenhuis
Daniel Nettle
John M. McNamara
Source :: Child Development, Child Development, 89, 1504-1518, Frankenhuis, W E, Nettle, D & McNamara, J M 2018, ' Echoes of Early Life : Recent Insights From Mathematical Modeling ', Child Development, vol. 89, no. 5, pp. 1504-1518 . https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13108, https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13108, Child Development, 89(5), 1504. Wiley-Blackwell, Child Development, 89, 5, pp. 1504-1518
Publication Year :: 2018
Abstract: Contains fulltext : 195174.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) In the last decades, developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) has emerged as a central framework for studying early-life effects, that is, the impact of fetal and early postnatal experience on adult functioning. Apace with empirical progress, theoreticians have built mathematical models that provide novel insights for DOHaD. This article focuses on three of these insights, which show the power of environmental noise (i.e., imperfect indicators of current and future conditions) in shaping development. Such noise can produce: (a) detrimental outcomes even in ontogenetically stable environments, (b) individual differences in sensitive periods, and (c) early-life effects tailored to predicted future somatic states. We argue that these insights extend DOHaD and offer new research directions. 15 p.