Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

DDS: Dynamics of Developmental Systems

  • Published:
Biology and Philosophy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

The acronym Developmental systems theory (DST) has been introduced into the literature on development in at least three different contexts in recent years – twice for DST, and before that, for Dynamical Systems Theory – and in all cases, to designate a new perspective for understanding development. Subtle but significant differences in argument and aims distinguish these uses, and confound the difficulty of saying just what DST is. My aim in this paper is to disambiguate these different terms – both to call attention to the difference of perspectives, and to carve out a conceptual space for the concrete issues at stake.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • F.D. Abraham R.H. Abraham C.D. Shaw (1990) A Visual Introduction to Dynamical Systems Theory for Psychology, Science Frontier Express Series Aerial Press Santa Cruz

    Google Scholar 

  • W.R. Ashby (1962) Principles of the self-organizing system H. Von Foerster G.W. Zopf (Eds) Principles of Self-Organization Pergamon New York 108–118

    Google Scholar 

  • W.B. Cannon (1939) The Wisdom of the Body (rev ed.) Norton New York

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Fausto-Sterling (2000) Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality Basic Books, Inc New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D.H. Ford R.M. Lerner (1992) Developmental Systems Theory: An Integrative Approach Sage Publications Inc Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Gottlieb (1970) Concepts of prenatal behavior L.R. Aronson E. Tobach D.S. Lehrman J.S. Rosenblatt (Eds) Development and Evolution of Behavior: Essays in Memory of T.C. Schneirla Freeman San Francisco 111–137

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Gottlieb (1976) The roles of experience in the development of behavior and the nervous system G. Gottlieb (Eds) Neural and Behavioral Specificity: Studies on the Development of Behavior and the Nervous System Vol. 3 Academic Press New York 25–54

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Gottlieb (1991) ArticleTitleThe experiential canalization of behavioral developmental theory Dev. Psychol. 27 4–13 Occurrence Handle10.1037/0012-1649.27.1.4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. Gray (2003) Selfish genes or developmental systems? R. Singh K. Krimbas D. Paul J. Beatty (Eds) Thinking about Evolution: Historical, Philosophical and Political Perspectives: Festschrift for Richard Lewontin Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Griffiths R. Gray (1994) ArticleTitleDevelopmental systems and evolutionary explanation J. Philos. 91 IssueID6 277–304

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Griffiths, R. Gray. 2001. Darwinism and developmental systems. Oyama et al. pp. 195–218

  • P. Griffiths R.D. Knight (1998) ArticleTitleWhat is the developmentalist challenge? Philos. Sci. 65 IssueID2 253–258

    Google Scholar 

  • V.G. Harcastle (1999) ArticleTitleOt's OK to be complicated: the case of emotion J. Consciousness Stud. 6 IssueID11 237–249

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Jantsch (1980) The Self-Organizing Universe Pergamon Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • E.F. Keller (2002) Making Sense of Life: Explaining Biological Development with Models, Metaphors, and Machines Harvard University Press CambridgeMA

    Google Scholar 

  • J.A.S. Kelso (1984) ArticleTitlePhase transitions and critical behavior in human bimanual coordination: regulatory, integrative and comparative Am. J. Physiol. 15 R1000–R1004

    Google Scholar 

  • J.A.S. Kelso (1995) Dynamic Patterns: The Self-Organization of Brain and Behavior MIT Press CambridgeMA

    Google Scholar 

  • Z.Y. Kuo (1967) The Dynamics of Behavior Development Random House New York

    Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Lehrman (1953) ArticleTitleA critique of Konrad Lorenz's theory of instinctive behavior Q. Rev. Biol. 28 337–363 Occurrence Handle10.1086/399858 Occurrence Handle13121237

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D.S. Lehrman (1970) Semantic and conceptual issues in the nature-nurture problem L.R. Aronson E. Tobach D.S. Lehrman J.S. Rosenblatt (Eds) Development and Evolution of Behavior: Essays in Memory of T.C. Schneirla Freeman San Francisco 17–52

    Google Scholar 

  • R.C. Lewontin (1981) ArticleTitleOn constraints and adaptation Behav. Brain Sci. 4 244–245

    Google Scholar 

  • R.C Lewontin (1983) Gene, organism and environment D.S. Bendall (Eds) Evolution from Molecules to Men Cambridge Univ Press New York 273–285

    Google Scholar 

  • H.R. Maturana (1975) ArticleTitleThe organization of the living: a theory of the living organization Int. J. Man Mach. Stud. 7 313–332

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Moore (2002) The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of “Nature vs. Nurture” Owl Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (1985) The Ontogeny of Information: Developmental Systems and Evolution Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (1988) Stasis, development and heredity M-W. Ho S. Fox (Eds) Process and Metaphors in the New Evolutionary Paradigm Wiley London 255–274

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (1989) Ontogeny and the central dogma M. Gunnar E. Thelen (Eds) Systems and Development: Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology Vol. 22. ErlbaumHillsdale NJ 1–34

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (1999) Locating development locating developmental systems E.K. Scholnick K. Nelson S.A. Gelman P.H. Miller (Eds) Conceptual Development: Piaget's Legacy Erlbaum Hillsdale New Jersey 185–208

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (2000a) Evolution's Eye: A System's View of Biology Duke University Press North Carolina

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama (2000b) ArticleTitleCausal democracy and causal contributions in developmental systems theory Philos. Sci. 67 IssueIDSupplement S332–S347 Occurrence Handle10.1086/392830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Oyama P.E. Griffiths R.D. Gray (2001) What is developmental systems theory? Oyama (Eds) et al. Cycles of Contingency: Developmental Systems and Evolution MIT Press Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • I. Prigogine I. Stengers (1984) Order Out of Chaos Bantam New York

    Google Scholar 

  • K.F. Riegel (1975) ArticleTitleToward a dialectical theory of development Hum. Dev. 18 50–64

    Google Scholar 

  • K.F. Riegel (1978) Psychology Mon Amour: A Countertext Houghton Mifflin Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • T.C. Schneirla (1966) ArticleTitleBehavioral development and comparative psychology Quart. Rev. Biol. 41 283–302 Occurrence Handle10.1086/405056 Occurrence Handle5975996

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • E. Thelen J.A.S. Kelso A. Fogel (1987) ArticleTitleSelf-organizing systems and infant motor development Dev. Rev. 7 39–65 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0273-2297(87)90004-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. Thelen L. Smith (1993a) A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action MIT Press Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • E. Thelen L. Smith (1993b) A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action: Applications MIT Press Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • L. von Bertalanffy (1933) Modern Theories of Development Oxford University Press London

    Google Scholar 

  • L. von Bertalanffy (1968) General System Theory George Braziller New York

    Google Scholar 

  • C.H. Waddington (1952) The evolution of developmental systems Government Printer Brisbane

    Google Scholar 

  • P.A. Weiss (Eds) (1971) Hierarchically Organized Systems in Theory and Practice Hafner New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT; Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science, UMN, USA

    Evelyn Fox Keller

Authors
  1. Evelyn Fox Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Evelyn Fox Keller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Keller, E. DDS: Dynamics of Developmental Systems. Biol Philos 20, 409–416 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-004-1601-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-004-1601-4

Key words:

Search

Navigation