Using Fishery Models to Examine Self- and Co-Regulation Processes Across Multiple Timescales

Differential equation models have intuitively meaningful parameters that can be mapped to developmental theories emphasizing nonlinear multiple timescale processes. Following this tradition, we map theoretical propositions of infant-parent self-/co-regulation to intrinsic and extrinsic dynamics captured by fishery models wherein fish’s reproduction and farmers’ harvesting contribute to population size. Integrated and estimated within a multilevel growth modeling framework, the model captures distinct components of self-/co-regulation and changes with age. We use simulations to examine viability of the model’s application to real-world data and illustrate the model’s utility using exemplar data drawn from a multiple timescale study of infant distress and mother soothing behaviors (N = 144 dyads) as the infant received routine immunizations at ages 2 and 6 months. Results highlight the benefits of articulating theoretical propositions within a differential equations framework, and using multiple timescale study designs with natural or experimentally induced perturbations in the study of self-/co-regulation and its development.