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  • Book
  • © 2014

Emerging Methods in Family Research

  • Proposes innovative methods for studying families as systems
  • Addresses a range of conceptual and analytic issues aimed at capturing family systems' dynamics
  • Considers new approaches to designing, implementing, and evaluating the effects of family programs and policies
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: National Symposium on Family Issues (NSFI, volume 4)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
  2. Family Development and Change

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Families as Coordinated Symbiotic Systems: Making use of Nonlinear Dynamic Models

      • Nilam Ram, Mariya Shiyko, Erika S. Lunkenheimer, Shawna Doerksen, David Conroy
      Pages 19-37
  3. Family Systems

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-71
    2. Emerging Methods for Studying Families as Systems

      • E. Mark Cummings, Kathleen N. Bergman, Kelly A. Kuznicki
      Pages 95-108
  4. Approaches to Measuring Families

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 125-125
    2. Studying Family Transitions from a Systems Perspective: The Role of Biomarkers

      • Carolyn Tucker Halpern, Kathleen Mullan Harris, Eric A. Whitsel
      Pages 127-144
    3. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Family Research

      • Joshua M. Smyth, Kristin E. Heron
      Pages 145-161
    4. Approaches to Measuring Families

      • Paul Amato
      Pages 179-193

About this book

The family can be a model of loving support, a crucible of pathology, or some blend of the two. Across disciplines, it is also the basic unit for studying human relationships, patterns of behavior, and influence on individuals and society. As family structures evolve and challenge previous societal norms, new means are required for understanding their dynamics, and for improving family interventions and policies.

Emerging Methods in Family Research details innovative approaches designed to keep researchers apace with the diversity and complexities of today's families. This versatile idea-book offers meaningful new ways to represent multiple forms of diversity in family structure and process, cutting-edge updates to family systems models and measurement methods, and guidance on the research process, from designing projects to analyzing findings. These chapters provide not only new frameworks for basic research on families, but also prime examples of their practical use in intervention and policy studies. Contributors also consider the similarities and differences between the study of individuals and the study of family relationships and systems. Included in the coverage:

Use of nonlinear dynamic models to study families as coordinated symbiotic systems.

  • Use of network models for understanding change and diversity in the formal structure of American families.
  • Representing trends and moment-to-moment variability in dyadic and family processes using state-space modeling techniques.
  • Why qualitative and ethnographic methods are essential for understanding family life.
  • Methods in multi-site trials of family-based interventions.
  • Implementing the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) to analyze the effects of family interventions.

Researchers in human development, family studies, clinical and developmental psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, and social welfareas well as public policy researchers will welcome Emerging Methods in Family Research as a resource to inspire novel approaches to studying families.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Dept. of Human Develop. & Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA

    Susan M. McHale

  • Department of Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA

    Paul Amato, Alan Booth

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Emerging Methods in Family Research

  • Editors: Susan M. McHale, Paul Amato, Alan Booth

  • Series Title: National Symposium on Family Issues

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01562-0

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science, Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-01561-3Published: 28 October 2013

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-37692-9Published: 27 August 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-01562-0Published: 15 October 2013

  • Series ISSN: 2192-9157

  • Series E-ISSN: 2192-9165

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 288

  • Number of Illustrations: 26 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Family, Psychology Research, Social Policy, Psychotherapy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access