Dynamical analyses for developmental science: A primer for intrigued scientists

Dynamical systems theory is becoming more popular in social and developmental science. However, unfamiliarity with dynamical analysis techniques remains an obstacle for developmentalists who would like to quantitatively apply dynamics in their own research. The goal of this article is to address this issue by clearly and simply presenting several analytical techniques for the study of dynamics. We placed emphasis on the use of dynamical analysis techniques for the examination of social and developmental phenomena. We present descriptions of five techniques, which include examples of how they have been or can be used in developmental research, with reference to seminal and approachable resources when appropriate.