Physiological synchrony within a dyad, or the degree of temporal correspondence between two individuals' physiological systems, has become a focal area of psychological research. Multiple methods have been used for measuring and modeling physiological synchrony. Each method extracts and analyzes different types of physiological synchrony, where 'type' refers to a specific manner through which two different physiological signals may correlate. Yet, to our knowledge, there is no documentation of the different methods, how each method corresponds to a specific type of synchrony, and the statistical assumptions embedded within each method. Hence, this article outlines several approaches for measuring and modeling physiological synchrony, connects each type of synchrony to a specific method, and identifies the assumptions that need to be satisfied for each method to appropriately extract each type of synchrony. Furthermore, this article demonstrates how to test for between-dyad differences of synchrony via inclusion of dyad-level (i.e., time-invariant) covariates. Finally, we complement each method with an empirical demonstration, as well as online supplemental material that contains Mplus code.

This study tested predictions from Bowlby's attachment theory about children's memory and suggestibility. Young children (3-5years old, N=88; 76% Caucasians) and their parents took part in the Strange Situation Procedure, a moderately distressing event and "gold standard" for assessing children's attachment quality. The children were then interviewed about what occurred during the event. Children's age and attachment security scores positively predicted correct information in free recall and accuracy in answering specific questions. For children with higher (vs. lower) attachment security scores, greater distress observed during the Strange Situation Procedure predicted increased resistance to misleading suggestions. In addition, for children who displayed relatively low distress during the Strange Situation Procedure, significant age differences in memory and suggestibility emerged as expected. However, for children who displayed greater distress during the Strange Situation Procedure, younger and older children's memory performances were equivalent. Findings suggest that attachment theory provides an important framework for understanding facets of memory development with respect to attachment-related information and that distress may alter assumed age patterns in memory development.

Objectives: To examine longitudinal associations of perceived diabetes-specific peer support with adherence and glycemic control among late adolescents with type 1 diabetes as they transition out of high school and into early emerging adulthood. Methods: As part of a larger study, 211 high school seniors with type 1 diabetes completed confidential online surveys and were reassessed one year later. Perceived diabetes-specific peer support and adherence were assessed in each survey. Glycemic control was measured with HbA1c assay kits. Results: Perceived diabetes-specific peer support in high school predicted better adherence across the subsequent year, while controlling for initial levels of adherence. Perceived peer support during early emerging adulthood was also associated with better adherence across time, after controlling for initial levels of both adherence and peer support. Conclusions: Perceived diabetes-specific peer support may be a protective factor as late adolescents with type 1 diabetes transition out of high school. Building strong peer support during the transition into early emerging adulthood may facilitate better diabetes management during this high-risk time of development.

Individual differences in children's prosocial behaviors, including their willingness to give up something of value for the benefit of others, are rooted in physiological and environmental processes. In a sample of 4-year-old children, we previously found evidence that flexible changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were linked to donation behavior, and that these physiological patterns may support greater sensitivity to the positive effects of compassionate parenting on donation behavior. The current study focused on a follow-up assessment of these children at age 6. First, we examined the stability of individual differences in donation behavior and related parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity from age 4 to 6. Second, we examined associations between donation behavior and RSA at 6 years. Third, we examined whether the association between children's RSA and donation behavior at age 6 varied depending on mothers' compassionate love. We found low to modest stability in donation behavior and RSA reactivity from age 4 to 6. These findings provide preliminary evidence that stable individual differences in altruism, as reflected by generosity, and in some aspects of parasympathetic functioning during opportunities to be prosocial, emerge in childhood. In addition, we found that some of the same associations between donation behavior, RSA, and compassionate love that we previously observed in children at 4 years of age continued to be evident 2 years later at age 6. Greater decreases in RSA when given the opportunity to donate were associated with children donating more of their own resources which, in turn, were associated with greater RSA recovery after the task. Lastly, mothers' compassionate love was positively associated with donation behavior in children who demonstrated stronger decreases in RSA during the task; compassionate parenting and RSA reactivity may serve as external and internal supports for prosociality that build on each other. Taken together, these findings contribute to the perspectives that individual differences in altruistic behaviors are intrinsically linked to healthy vagal flexibility, and that biopsychosocial approaches provide a useful framework for examining and understanding the environmental and physiological processes underlying these individual differences.

We analyzed 35 years of data from a captive breeding program of cheetahs to determine basic reproductive life history characteristics of females. Breeding females ranged in age from 2.7-10.5 years. Sixteen females and over 13 males produced 129 cubs in 36 litters, with an average litter size of 3.6. Older females produced significantly fewer cubs per litter than younger females, but cub survivorship was comparable across female ages. Sex ratio was balanced at birth and 71% of infants survived the weaning period. Given that the reproductive output of captive cheetahs in our study is similar to that in other zoologic institutions and to cheetahs in the wild, we suggest that reproductive deficits in captive cheetahs arise from the inability of some pairs to breed, due to a lack of mating preference, rather than from a species-wide problem.