ABSTRACT
The designs and methodologies used by researchers in developmental psychology have shown remarkable evolution throughout the last century. Changes in who and what was studied not only reflect the natural response to growing sophistication of scientific investigation, but also to the periodic rise and fall of societal interests and socio-political agendas over the decades. The historical trajectory of developmental science focused on children is, in many ways, distinct from that of adult study in psychology. These differences have emerged largely as a result of various circumstances that converged uniquely on the scientific study of the developing child in the 20th and early 21st century. Changes also occurred in the emphasis of “basic,” theory-driven research and applied and practical implications. Notable methodological trends are discussed in terms of the socio and political surroundings in which they occurred, drawing data from various sources, including the history of developmental psychology, the origins and contributions of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and large-scale analyses of trends in research published in the field’s foremost journals. The trends examined include topics of study, such as cognitive and social development, ages and characteristics of children studied, and settings or environments in which the research was conducted. Given the extent to which societal conceptions of the child influenced modern child study, the evolution of the ways children have been viewed throughout history, leading up to and during scientific child study, is addressed as well.
