Jay Belsky, BA (Vassar), MS, PhD (Cornell)
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Position: Professor of Psychology Office: Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck College,7 Bedford Square, London, WC1E 7HX Website : Institute for the Study of Children, Families & Social Issues Phone: +44 20 7079 0835 Fax: +44 20 7323 4735 Fax from US: 508-374-8148 Email: j.belsky@bbk.ac.uk |
Research
Professor Belsky is an internationally recognized expert in the field of child development and family studies. His areas of special expertise include the effects of day care, parent-child relations during the infancy and early childhood years, the transition to parenthood, the etiology of child maltreatment, and the evolutionary basis of parent and child functioning. He is a founding and collaborating investigator on the NICHD Study of Child Care and Youth Development (US) and that National Evaluation of Sure Start (UK).
Dr. Belsky's research is marked by a focus upon fathers as well as mothers, marriages as well as parent-child relations, and naturalistic home observations of family interaction patterns. Dr. Belsky has carried out several longitudinal studies focused upon the early years of the family life cycle, concentrating first on the first year of life and especially the interrelation of marriage, parenting and infant development, as well as the effects of day care and origins of attachment security, before moving on to carry out work on the so-called "terrible twos", the second and third years of life. Among other things, he is currently involved in a multi-million dollar, multisite investigation in the U.S. of the effects of early child care on children's development through the age of 15 (The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development) and a long-standing longitudinal study of 1,000 (currently) young adults in New Zealand who have been studied intensively since age 3. His research as part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Project focuses upon the intergenerational transmission of parenting and upon intergenerational relations in adulthood. Professor Belsky led the multi-disciplinary team that won the multi-million pound award to carry out the National Evaluation of Sure Start in England, on which he serves as Research Director. This effort is evaluating, among other things,
Students
Monica Shiakou: Play and learning attitudes of Greek-Cypriot parents and teachers: Their impact on 4-6 year olds.
Kalanit Ben-Ari: Adult attachment styles, parental marital relationships and romantic relationships.
Robert King: The evolutionary function of the female orgasm
Dana Shai: Maternal embodied mentalisation: Nonverbal manifestions of mentalisations in mother-infant interaction
JongSun Lee: Early intervention to promote maternal sensitivity and developmental change in mother's state of mind regarding attachment
Recent Publications
Belsky, J. (in press). War, Trauma and Children’s Development: Observations from a Modern Evolutionary Perspective. International Journal of Behavioral Development.
Belsky, J., & Fearon, R.M.P. (in press). Precursors of Attachment Security. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment Theory and Research. 2nd Ed. New York: Guilford.
Bradley, R.H., Houts, R., Nader, P., O’Brien, M.O., Belsky, J., & Crosnoe, R. (in press). The Relationship of Body Mass Index and Behavior in Children. Journal of Pediatrics.
Anning, A., Ball, M., Belsky, J., & Melhuish, E. (in press). Exploring Links Between the Processes and Impact of Sure Start Local Programmes: Multi-Agency Team Work as an Exemplar. Children and Society.
* NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (in press). The Relations of Classroom Contexts in the Early Elementary Years to Children’s Classroom and Social Behavior. In A. Huston & M. Ripke (Eds.), Middle Childhood: Contexts of Development. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (in press). Mothers’ and Fathers’ Support for Child Autonomy and Early School Achievement. Developmental Psychology.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (in press). Social Competence with Peers in Third Grade: Associations with Earlier Peer Experiences in Child Care. Social Development.
**NESS Research Team (in press). Evaluating a National Intervention Programmed for Disadvantaged Young Children: The Sure Start Local Programmes in England. European Journal of Developmental Psychology,1, [Reprinted in M. Junger, R. Tremblay, W. Koops, B. Prinsen & H. Jonkman (Eds.), Early interventions to prevent conduct disorders: Opportunities and problems. London: Psychology Press.]
Pianta, R. & The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (in press). Developmental Science and Education: The NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development Findings from Elementary School. In R. Kail (Ed.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior. NY: Elseveir.
Bell, B.G., & Belsky, J. (2008). Parents, Parenting and Children's Sleep Problems: Exploring Reciprocal Effects. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4, 579-593.
Belsky, J. (2008). Classroom Composition, Child-Care History and Social Development: Are Child-Care Effects Disappearing or Spreading? Social Development, 18, 230-238.
Belsky, J. (2008). Origins of Attachment Security: Differential Susceptibility or Genetic Vulnerability? Attachment: Current Focus and Future Directions. ACAMH Occasional Papers Series, Number 29. London: ACAMH.
Belsky, J. (2008). Quality, Quantity and Type of Child Care: Effects on Child Development in the USA. In G. Bentley & R. Mace (Eds.), Substitute parenting: Alloparenting in human societies. London, UK: Berghahn Books.
Belsky, J. (2008). The Transition to Parenthood. In H.T. Reis & S.K. Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Belsky, J., & Fearon, R.M.P. (2008). Precursors of Attachment Security. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment Theory and Research, 2nd Ed. New York: Guilford.
Belsky, J. & Melhuish, E. (2008). Early Intervention for Young Children and their Families in England: The Sure Start Journey Over the Last Decade. In U. Von der Leyen & V. Spidla (Eds.) Voneinander lernen - miteinander handeln: Aufgaben und Perspektiven der Europdischen Allianz f|r Familien (Shared experience, concerted action: Ideas and perspectives in the European Alliance for Families). Baden-Baden Germany, Nomos-Verlag.
Belsky, J. & Pluess, M. (2008). The Nature (and Nurture?) of Plasticity in Early Human Development. Perspectives in Psychological Science.
Bradley, R.H., Nader, P., O’Brien, M., Houts, R., Belsky, J., Crosnoe, R., & The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2008). Adiposity and Internalizing Problems: Infancy through Middle Childhood. In D. Davies & H. Fitzgerald (Eds.) Obesity in America, Vol. 2, Understanding Development and Prevention (pp. 73-92). Westport, CT: Praeger Press.
Cohen, D., & Belsky, J. (2008). Avoidant Romantic Attachment and Female Orgasm: Testing An Emotion-Regulation Hypothesis. Attachment and Human Development, 10, 413-422.
Cohen, D., & Belsky, J. (2008). Individual Differences in Female Mate Preferences as a Function of Attachment and Hypothetical Ecological Conditions. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 6, 25-42.
Johns, S.E. & Belsky, J. (2008). Life Transitions: Becoming a Parent. In C. Salmon & T. Shackelford (Eds.). Family Relationships: An Evolutionary Perspective (pp. 71-90). London: Oxford University Press.
Pluess, M., & Belsky, J. (2008). Differential Susceptibility to Rearing Experience: The Case of Childcare. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Simpson, J. & Belsky, J. (2008). Attachment Theory within a Modern Evolutionary Framework. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment Theory and Research, 2nd Ed. New York: Guilford.
Belsky, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M., & van Ijzendoorn, M. (2007). For Better and For Worse: Differential Susceptibiilty to Environmental Influences. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 305-309.
Belsky, J., Steinberg, L., Houts, R., Friedman, S.L., DeHart, G., Cauffman, E., Roisman, G.I., Halpern-Felsher, B., Susman, E. & The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). Family Rearing Antecedents of Pubertal Timing. Child Development. 78, 1302-1321.
Belsky, J., Fearon, R.M.P., & Bell, B. (2007). Parenting, Attention and Externalizing Problems: Testing Mediation Longitudinally, Repeatedly and Reciprocally. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 1233-1242.
Belsky, J. (2007). Childhood Experiences and Reproductive Strategies. In R. Dunbar & L. Barrett (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 237-254) Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Belsky, J., Barnes, J., & Melhuish, E. (Eds.). (2007). The National Evaluation of Sure Start: Does Area-based Early Intervention Work? Bristol, UK: The Policy Press.
Belsky, J. & Melhuish, E. (2007). Impact on Sure Start Local Programmes on Children and Families In J. Belsky, J. Barnes, & E. Melhuish, E. (Eds.). The National Evaluation of Sure Start: Does Area-based Early Intervention Work? (pp. 133-154). Bristol, UK: The Policy Press.
Dmitrieva, J., Steinberg, L., & Belsky, J. (2007). Child-Care History, Classroom Composition and Children’s Functioning in Kindergarten. Psychological Science, 18, 1032-1039.
Melhuish, E., Belsky, J., Ball, M. & Anning, A. (2007). Programme Variation and Impact on Children and Families. In J. Belsky. J. Barnes, & E. Melhuish, E. (Eds.). The National Evaluation of Sure Start: Does Area-based Early Intervention Work? (pp. 155-172). Bristol, UK: The Policy Press.
Pianta, R., Belsky, J., Houts, R., Morrison, F. and The NICHD Early Childhood Research Network (2007). Opportunities to Learn in America’s School. Science, 315, 1795-1796.
Belsky, J., Vandell, D. Burchinal, M. Clarke-Stewart, K.A., McCartney, K., Owen, M. & The NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). Are There Long-term Effects of Early Child Care? Child Development, 78, 681-701.
Roisman, G.I., & Fraley, R.C., & Belsky, J. (2007). A Taxometric Study of the Adult Attachment Interview. Developmental Psychology, 43, 675-686.
Bell, B.G. & Belsky, J. (2007). Parenting and Children's Cardiovascular Functioning. Child: Care, Health & Development, 34, 2, 194-203.
O’Brien, M., Nader, P.R., Houts, R., Bradley, R., Friedman, S.L., Belsky, J., Susman, E., & the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). The Ecology of Childhood Overweight: A 12-Year Longitudinal Analysis. International Journal of Obesity. http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803611 on 03/04/07 doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803611
Melhuish, E., Belsky, J., Anning, A., Ball, M., Barnes, J., Romaniuk, H., Leyland, A., & The NESS Research Team. (2007). Variation in Community Intervention Programmes and Consequences for Children and Families: The Example of Sure Start Local Programmes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 543-551.
Bornstein, M.H., Hahn, C., Hayns, O., Belsky, J., Azuma, H., Maital, S., Painter, K., Pascual, L., Toda, S., Varron, C., Venuti, P., Vyt, A., de Galperin C. (2007). Maternal Personality and Parenting Cognitions in Cross-Cultural Perspective. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 31, 193-209.
Belsky, J. (2007). Experience in Childhood and the Development of Reproductive Strategies. Acta Psycholigica Sinica, 39, 454-468.
Belsky, J., Bell, B., Bradley, R. & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). Socioeconomic Risk, Parenting During the Preschool Years and Child Health at Age 6 Years. European Journal of Public Health. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl261
Reid, V.M., Csibra, G., Belsky, J., & Johsnson, M.H. (2007). Neural correlates of the perception of goal-directed action in infants. Acta Psychologica, 124, 129-138.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2007). Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children’s Academic Achievement and Socioemotional Development. Early Education & Development, 18, 337-368.
Belsky, J. (2007). Recent Child Care Findings. Pediatrics for Parents, 23, 2-4.
Little, A., Cohen, D., Jones, B. & Belsky, J. (2007). Variable Preferences for Facial-Sexual Dimorphism According to Temporal Context and Environmental Risk in Humans (Homo Sapiens). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 6, 967-973.
Anning, A., Ball, M., Belsky, J., & Melhuish, E. (2007). Predicting impact in an early years intervention: the design of a tool using qualitative and quantitative methods. Journal of Children's Services, 2, 27-42.
Belsky, J. (2006). Effects of Child Care on Child Development in the USA. In J.J. van Kuyk (Ed.), The Quality of Early Childhood Education (pp. 23-32). Arnheim, The Netherlands: Cito.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2006). Child Care Effect Sizes for the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. American Psychologist, 61, 99-116.
Nader, P.R., O’Brien, M., Houts, R., Bradley, R., Belsky, J., Crosnoe, R., Friedman, S., Mei, Z., Susman, E. & the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2006). Identifying Risk for Obesity in Early Childhood. Pediatrics, 118, e594-e601.
Belsky, J., Melhuish, E., Barnes, J., Leyland, A.H., Romaniuk, H., & the NESS Research Team. (2006). Effects of Sure Start Local Programmes on Children and Families: Early Findings From a Quasi-experimental, Cross-sectional Study. BMJ, 332, 1476-1578 (formerly The British Medical Journal; also published at BMJonline: http://bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.38853.451748.2F).
Schwebel, D., & Brezausek, C., & Belsky, J. (2006) Does Time Spent in Child Care Influence Risk for Unintentional Injury. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 31, 184-193.
Belsky, J. & Jaffee, S. (2006). The Multiple Determinants of Parenting. In D. Cicchetti & D. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental Psychopathology, 2nd Ed., Vol. 3: Risk, disorder and adaptation (pp. 38-85). NY: Wiley.
Belsky, J. (2006). Early child care and early child development: Major findings from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, 95-110.
NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2006). Infant-Mother Attachment Classification: Risk and Protection in Relation to Changing Maternal Caregiving Quality Over Time. Developmental Psychology, 42, 38-58.
Barnes, J., Belsky, J., Broomfield, K., Melhuish, E., & the NESS Research Team. (2006). Neighbourhood Deprivation, School Disorder and Academic Achievement in Primary Schools in Deprived Communities in England. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 30, 127-136.
Jaffee, S., Belsky, J., Sligo, J., Harington, H., Caspi, A. & Moffitt, T. (2006). When parents have a history of conduct disorder how is the caregiving environment affected? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 309-319.