A research centre for child social development

Science-based insights on child social development

Recent articles

Is your teenager too anxious to socialize?

May 22, 2024

What we (don’t) say with emotions around the world

April 15, 2024

How to raise confident teens? (And why is it important?)

January 25, 2024

Our mission

The mission of the Becoming Social Research Center is to generate and share the science behind child social development with researchers, educators, practitioners, and parents

An integrated approach

We study child social development using insights and methods from psychology, neuroscience, developmental and affective sciences

Making science accessible

We bridge the gap between science and practice by translating scientific research into insights, stories, and tools for caregivers

Who are we?

We are a group of curious scientists based at the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University in the Netherlands. We use a variety of methods to study infants, children, and youth in the social context with a shared passion for promoting healthy social development.

Our research is funded by:

Our publications

Scientific articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals

Highlighted publications

Parental socialization of guilt and shame in early childhood.

Nikolić, M., Brummelman, E., Orobio de Castro, B., Jorgensen, T. D., & Colonnesi, C. (2023). Scientific Reports.

Mothers’ and fathers’ mind-mindedness in infancy and toddlerhood predict their children’s self-regulation at preschool age.

Nikolić, M., Zeegers, M., Colonnesi, C., Majdandžić, M., de Vente, W., & Bögels, S. M. (2022). Developmental Psychology.

Associations between maternal and paternal parenting behaviors, anxiety and its precursors in early childhood: A meta-analysis

Möller, E. L., Nikolić, M., Majdandžić, M., & Bögels, S. M. (2016). Clinical Psychology Review.