ABSTRACT
Introduction Applied research in child development may be defined as the utilization of behavioral and social science theory and data to describe, explain, and optimize the course of child and adolescent development and to enhance the key settings within which young people develop (e.g., families, schools, after-school programs, community social service settings, or health settings). In more common parlance, it deals directly with how we bring “science to life for the benefit of children, youth, and families.”
