Developmental Trajectory Modeling: A View from Developmental Psychopathology

Since its introduction just over a decade ago, developmental trajectory modeling has had a major impact in studies of childhood behavior problems as well as in studies of crime. This article explores some of the issues it raises from the perspective of developmental psychopathology. First, it notes debates over categorical versus dimensional approaches to the conceptualization and analysis of behavior and argues that in the current state of knowledge, much can be gained from exploring each. Second, it highlights heterogeneity in the behavioral manifestations of antisocial traits in childhood and suggests that trajectory modeling could productively be used to track trajectories in these differing aspects of child behavior problems. Third, it argues that though trajectories are typically analyzed in relation to age, a developmental approach requires that researchers “unpack” these associations to uncover the other aspects of development—biological, psychological, or social— that underlie the age trends they observe.