Conducting Research in Developmental Psychology: A Topical Guide for Research Methods Utilized Across the Lifespan

This comprehensive guide offers a rich introduction to research methods, experimental design and data analysis techniques in developmental science, emphasizing the importance of an understanding of this area of psychology for any student or researcher interested in examining development across the lifespan.

The expert contributors enhance the reader’s knowledge base, understanding of methods, and critical thinking skills in their area of study. They cover development from the prenatal period to adolescence and old age, and explore key topics including the history of developmental research, ethics, animal models, physiological measures, eye-tracking, and computational and robotics models. They accessibly explore research measures and design in topics including gender identity development, the influence of neighborhoods, mother-infant attachment relationships, peer relationships in childhood, prosocial and moral development patterns, developmental psychopathology and social policy, and the examination of memory across the lifespan. Each chapter ends with a summary of innovations in the field over the last ten years, giving students and interested researchers a thorough overview of the field and an idea of what more is to come.

Conducting Research in Developmental Psychology is essential reading for upper-level undergraduate or graduate students seeking to understand a new area of developmental science, developmental psychology, and human development. It will also be of interest to junior researchers who would like to enhance their knowledge base in a particular area of developmental science, human development, education, biomedical science, or nursing.

Nancy Aaron Jones, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, the FAU Brain Institute and the Center for Complex Systems, Florida Atlantic University, US. Her research focuses on the integration of infant brain and emotional development in the family system, particularly in the context of maternal mood disorders.

Melannie Platt, Ph.D., is a researcher and instructor at Florida Atlantic University, US. Her main research interests include emotional development, social and emotional learning, and relationships in early childhood.

Krystal D. Mize, Ph.D., is an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at Florida Atlantic University, US. Her primary interest is in the correlates and determinants of non-optimal and optimal emotional and social development across the lifespan.

Jillian Hardin, Ph.D., is a psychology researcher and adjunct instructor at Florida Atlantic University, US. Her main research interest is how early experiential factors influence bio-behavioral development and later functioning.