ABSTRACT
Translational research and applied research in developmental science enlist methods in all domains of developmental study but do so within an ecological perspective. This is especially true of work in developmental psychopathology and social policy. In order to make research findings as relevant as possible to the actual circumstances in which children develop, the interaction of the child with a complex social and physical context is a paramount concern. In this chapter, representative research topics in developmental psychopathology and applications of developmental science to social policy are surveyed. Studies of the effects of child poverty are explored in greater depth to illustrate: the ecological orientation of work in this area, the importance of a multilevel perspective to developmental processes, the identification of risk and protective factors in the prediction of child adjustment, and the design of studies to address potential intervention and policy options. Distinctive features of research approaches in this field are also discussed, including the secondary analysis of large archival datasets, research designed for field settings, the use of randomized controlled research designs, biologically informed research approaches, and special ethical issues encountered in this work.
