Research Foundations of Human Development and Family Science: Science versus Nonsense

Now in its second edition, this comprehensive research methods textbook provides an introduction to the diverse scientific methods that form the foundation of scholarship and practice in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), with a focus on information literacy for applied practitioners.

Illustrated throughout with studies foundational to the discipline as examples of the strategies described in the text, the book distinguishes empirical scientific research from common sense and personal experience. It explores how scientific consensus is developed and how scientific literacy translates into evidence-based professional practice. It also introduces the use of study design to achieve falsifiability in scientific research and provides an overview of four different study designs: qualitative, prevalence, correlational, and experimental. It then examines systematic empiricism through sampling and measurement and addresses the public verifiability of science, including how information literacy and scientific literacy translate into evidence-based professional practice. This section also includes a discussion of the strategies used by pseudoscience to exploit the well-deserved credibility of science and relevant examples, with guidance to distinguish science from its pretenders.

Key features of this new edition include:

• In-text pedagogical tools, such as learning activities, recorded interviews and mini lectures, and reflection questions
• Interactive digital resources including flashcards and self-testing questions to enhance student engagement and understanding

Research Foundations for Human Development and Family Science is a comprehensive, accessible core textbook for undergraduate research methods classes in HDFS and related fields. It introduces the discipline of HDFS and challenges students to understand the limitations of common sense and the threat of pseudoscience for those working professionally with children and families.

Kathleen D. Dyer is a professor of child and family science at the California State University, Fresno. Her research is in the areas of parenting and infant sleep as well as critical thinking in higher education.