Resource Guide
Project on Human
Development in Chicago Neighborhoods
About PHDCN
The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) is an interdisciplinary study of how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development. It was designed to advance the understanding of the developmental pathways of both positive and negative human social behaviors. In particular, the Project examined the pathways to juvenile delinquency, adult crime, substance abuse, and violence. At the same time, the Project also provided a detailed look at the environments in which these social behaviors take place by collecting substantial amounts of data about urban Chicago, including its people, institutions, and resources.
The Project's design consisted of two major components. The first was an intensive study of Chicago's neighborhoods, particularly the social, economic, organizational, political, and cultural structures and the dynamic changes that take place in the structures over time. The second component was a series of coordinated longitudinal studies that followed over 6,000 randomly selected children, adolescents, and young adults to examine the changing circumstances of their lives and the personal characteristics that might lead them toward or away from a variety of antisocial behaviors.
PHDCN was directed from the Harvard School of Public Health, and funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute of Mental Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, the Harris Foundation, and the Turner Foundation.
Using the Resource Guide
NACJD, a part of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, designed this Resource Guide for World Wide Web users to learn about the PHDCN dataset and to connect to other PHDCN information sources.
With this guide, first time users or experienced analysts can:
- Find general information about PHDCN
- Access and learn about PHDCN instruments/measures
- Download PHDCN data files and codebooks
PHDCN Data
Community Surveys
The Community Surveys measured the structural conditions and organization of neighborhoods in Chicago
with respect to the dynamic structure of the local community, the neighborhood organizational and
political structures, cultural values, information and formal social control, and social cohesion. The
first Community Survey was conducted in 1994-1995 and consisted of household interviews with 8,782 adult
Chicago residents from 343 neighborhood clusters.
View Community Surveys Methodology
Systematic Social Observations
Systematic Social Observation (SSO) is a standardized approach for directly observing the physical,
social, and economic characteristics of neighborhoods, one block at a time. The main objective of the
SSO was to measure the effects of neighborhood characteristics upon young people's development,
specifically the variables associated with youth violence. SSO data were collected in 1995 by
videotaping and coding characteristics of 80 sampled blocks from 343 neighborhood clusters in
Chicago.
View Systematic Social Observations Methodology
Longitudinal Cohort Study
The Longitudinal Cohort Study collected three waves of data over a period of seven years from a sample of
children, adolescents, young adults, and their primary caregivers. Seven randomly-selected cohorts of
respondents were selected to study the changing circumstances of their lives and the personal
characteristics that may lead them towards or away from a variety of antisocial behaviors. The age
cohorts include birth (0), 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 years. Data were collected at three points in time:
1994-1997, 1997-1999, and 2000-2001. Numerous measures were administered to respondents to gauge various
aspects of human development, including individual differences, as well as family, peer, and school
influences.
View Longitudinal Cohort Methodology
Infant Assessment Unit
As part of the Longitudinal Cohort Study, 412 infants from the birth cohort and their primary caregivers
were studied during Wave 1 (1994-1997) to examine the effects of prenatal and postnatal conditions on
the health and cognitive functioning of infants in the first year of life. The Infant Assessment Unit
also sought to link early developmental processes and the onset of antisocial behavior and to measure
the strength of these relationships. The infants received an assessment between the ages of 5 to 7
months, in addition to the protocol given to all infants in cohort 0 as part of the Longitudinal Cohort
Study. Measures assessed visual recognition and memory, physical health and birth complications,
temperament, and family environment. Videotaped records were used to record the response of the infant
to different types of stimulation, as well as to capture interactions between the parent and infant to
determine empathic responsiveness of the parent, encouragement and guidance, and overall
psychopathology.
View Infant Assessment Unit Methodology
PHDCN Research Staff
Principal Investigator:
- Felton J. Earls, M.D., Harvard Medical School (Emeritus)
Scientific Directors:
- Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D., Teachers College, Center for the Study of Children and Families, Columbia University
- Stephen Raudenbush, Ed.D., Department of Sociology, The University of Chicago
- Robert J. Sampson, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, Harvard University