Biosocial perspectives on the family

New theoretical models conceptualize families as systems affected by, and e ffecting change in, reciprocal influences among social, behavioral, and bio logical processes. Technological breakthroughs make noninvasive assessment of many biological processes available to family researchers. These theoret ical and measurement advances have resulted in significant increases in res earch on family processes and relationships that integrate knowledge from t he fields of behavioral endocrinology, behavior genetics, and, to a lesser degree, evolutionary psychology. This review covers a broad spectrum, inclu ding the topics of parenthood, early child development, adolescent and midd le child development, parent-child relations, courtship and mate selection, and the quality and stability of marital and intimate relations. Our inten tion is to introduce, by example, the relevance of the biosocial approach, encourage family researchers to consider the application of these ideas to their interests, and increase the participation of family researchers in th e next generation of studies.