The Developmental Scientist's Companion: Improving Research Methodology and Achieving Professional Success

Written by one of developmental science's foremost methodologists, The Developmental Scientist's Companion provides an engaging and accessible guide to the scientific techniques that have been devised to investigate human development. Adopting an original approach to what can be a dry yet essential topic, Reznick enlivens his coverage of key issues in developmental methodology - measuring psychological phenomena, assessing reliability and validity, experimental design, interviews and surveys, data collection and analysis and interpreting research results - with discussion of his own experiences of those various techniques, gained over a substantial research career. The Companion concludes with practical tips for improving the field and navigating a path to professional success. Reznick's 'behind-the-scenes' view of empirical research and career progression, told with wit, wisdom and insight, is essential reading for students and young researchers launching their careers in developmental science.

J. Steven Reznick (1951–2016) was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He published numerous books, articles and chapters on a wide array of topics in developmental psychology; his research is most notable for the measurement tools he developed, including the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory, which remains the most widely used child language assessment tool in the world and the First Year Inventory (developed with colleagues at University of North Carolina), used by researchers worldwide to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. He also founded the Cognitive Development Society, served on the editorial boards of many scientific journals and held several administrative roles for the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr Reznick completed this book during the final year of his life while living courageously with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.