Developmental Science provides an account of the basic principles of the new developmental synthesis, as formulated by the Carolina Consortium on Human Development. Based on a collaborative statement, individual chapters outline implications of the orientation for method and theory in traditional disciplines. The chapters address specific developmental issues, varying across time frames, methodologies, disciplines, cultures and even species. They provide an inside look at the issues that confront modern social and behavioral study, including its strengths and problems.

How can the richness of individual lives be captured by the objective methods and statistical analyses of developmental research? Some of the leaders in developmental research pursue the answers to this question in this book. Each chapter is followed by a commentary and discussion by Marian Radke Yarrow.