Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Differential susceptibility experiments: going beyond correlational evidence: comment on beyond mental health,
Marinus H van IJzendoorn1, Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
1Center for Child and Family Studies, Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. vanijzen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Abstract:
Reviewing the studies on differential susceptibility presented in this section, we argue that the time is ripe to go beyond correlational designs to differential susceptibility experiments. In such experiments, randomization prevents hidden moderator effects on the environment and guarantees the independence of moderator and outcome, while the environment is manipulated and assessed in standard ways. Correlational studies generate a priori expectations about crucial moderators (e.g., temperament, biological sensitivity, and genetics). We discuss the differential susceptibility experiments available up until now and conclude that these experiments are feasible and contribute in unique ways to our conceptions of differential susceptibility.
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