Conducting Applied Developmental Science in Diverse Contexts

This volume guides readers through the dynamic field of applied developmental science while explaining the importance of conducting research across diverse contexts. The first part begins with a review of relevant theoretical perspectives and then defines diverse contexts along two dimensions: the backgrounds and identities of the children and families who participate in developmental research, and the lived environments that those children and families inhabit, from their homes and schools to juvenile justice and child welfare service settings. The second part turns first to the designs, measures, and analytic approaches that developmental researchers may employ in applied settings, with an emphasis on the methodological issues that are more likely to arise when research is conducted in real-world environments. It then addresses how applied developmental researchers are currently trained, and outlines how those training approaches will need to adapt to promote a more equitable, responsive, and relevant science. The final part of the book focuses on why it is essential that developmental research is conducted in diverse contexts if that research is to yield findings that are broadly generalizable, and presents strategies intended to maximize the likelihood that applied developmental science will fulfil its promise to improve the lives of children and families. The book's final chapter reviews the landscape of applied developmental science and the different professional roles that applied developmental researchers may choose to inhabit throughout their careers. Written in an approachable style, and featuring interviews with applied developmental scientists working in a range of settings, Conducting Applied Developmental Science in Diverse Contexts will appeal to students and scholars across a wide range of disciplines including psychology, sociology, anthropology, human development, social work, and education.

Steven J. Holochwost is a developmental psychologist and Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lehman College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. His research examines the effects of the environment on socioemotional development and the involuntary activity of neurophysiological systems that support self-regulatory abilities. This work is directly relevant to his work in applied developmental science, which is focused on evaluating the efficacy of interventions for children at risk. W. Roger Mills-Koonce is a developmental scientist and Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on early biopsychosocial development in the context of family relationships, with emphases on the development of self-regulation and adaptive and maladaptive behavioural and emotional development within diverse family systems. Eleanor D. Brown is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at West Chester University where she directs the Early Childhood Cognition and Emotions Lab (ECCEL). Her research examines children's academic, social-emotional, and neurophysiological development, stress and trauma related to poverty, strengths of individuals facing hardship, and models of individual and social change. Her applied research projects focus on maximizing benefits of Head Start preschool; music, arts, and mindfulness interventions; and anti-racism training and support.