The national conference on graduate education in the applications of developmental science across the life span

Child Development Laboratory Schools as Generators of Knowledge in Early Childhood Education: New Models and Approaches

“…Primary among these assumptions is the notion that ''developmental research is essential to social progress'' (Lomax, 1977, p. 284). Another foundational concept of ADS is a multidisciplinary approach to the primary functions of research, training, and service (Fisher et al, 1993;Harms & Tracy, 2006;Lomax, 1977). Both laboratory schools and ADS have a vision of focusing on optimal developmental outcomes-not just remediating problems but moving ''to supplement if not supplant prevention with promotion'' (Lerner, Jacobs, & Wertlieb, 2005, p. ix;Osborn, 1991).…”

Applied Developmental Science, Social Justice, and Socio-Political Well-Being

“…ADS has addressed many elements of a social justice perspective in its focus on the multilevel correlates of developmental risk and resilience, evidence based development promoting interventions, policy analysis, and community engagement (Benson, 2003b;Bronfenbrenner, 2005;Fisher & Lerner, 1994Fisher et al, 1993;Fisher, Murray, & Sigel, 1996;Higgins-D'Allesandro, Hamilton, & Fisher, 1998;Lerner, 2004Lerner, , 2010Lerner, Fisher, & Weinberg, 2000a, 2000bSherrod, Busch-Rossnagel, & Fisher, 2004). These contributions are tempered by small effect sizes (McCartney & Rosenthal, 2000), difficulty in constructing programs that can adequately address the diverse and multiple individual and contextual factors that result in cumulative risks (Geronimus, Hicken, Keene, & Bound, 2006;Lochman, 2004;Masten & Cicchetti, 2010;Timberlake 2007), challenges in sustaining experimental prevention programs once they are proven successful (Balsano, 2005;Hyman, 2002;Sánchez-Jankowski, 2002;Zaff, Malanchuk, & Eccles, 2008), and the disjuncture between the pace of science and that of legislation (Huston, 2008;Shonkoff, 2000).…”

“…One of the defining characteristics of applied developmental science (ADS) is that theory, research, and its application in the real world are interwoven, each informing and enriching the other (Fisher & Lerner, 1994Fisher et al, 1993;Lerner, 2010;Sherrod, Busch-Rossnagel, & Fisher, 2004). Over the past three decades this ADS orientation has transformed how investigators and policy makers conceptualize and strive to optimize development across the life course.…”

Historical and Theoretical Bases of Applied Developmental Science

“…Within this context, Fisher et al (1993) summarize the five conceptual components that together characterize the core principles of ADS. Taken together, these conceptual principles make ADS a unique approach to understanding and promoting positive development.…”

“…The National Task Force on Applied Developmental Science (Fisher et al, 1993) indicates that the activities of ADS span a continuum from knowledge generation to knowledge application (see also Wertlieb, 2003). These activities include, but are not limited to, the following: research on the applicability of scientific theory to growth and development in natural, ecologically valid contexts; the study of developmental correlates of phenomena of social import; the construction and use of developmentally and contextually sensitive assessment instruments; the design and evaluation of developmental interventions and enhancement programs; and the dissemination of developmental knowledge to individuals, families, communities, practitioners, and policymakers through developmental education, printed and electronic materials, the mass media, expert testimony, and community collaborations.…”