Research Directions for the 70's in Child Development

This booklet is based on a series of 1971 conferences attended by 22 prominent individuals in the field of child development research. Conference participants met in three working panels (on infancy, the preschool child, and the school age child) to assess the current status of the child development research field and to project research needs for the coming decade. Representing the collective opinions of the panelists, the booklet describes trends in research, gaps in research activity, and barriers to research efforts. The priorities in child development research are discussed, and the consensus on research needs is reported under the following headings: (1) the need for more and better communication in research and development, (2) the need for collaborative research, and (3) the need for certain types of manpower. In addition, the synthesis of research results within and across disciplines is highlighted as a prerequisite for understanding the development of the child.