Paul Bloom  
Frank C. Keil  
Kristina Olson
Laurie R. Santos
Karen Wynn  

John Bargh
Marcia Johnson
Alan E. Kazdin
Julia Kim-Cohen
Brian Scholl

Current Work in Developmental Psychology

In keeping with the distinguished history of the Developmental program at Yale University, faculty and students within this program explore psychological change, growth, and transformation at all phases of the lifespan. The focus of this research is profoundly inter-disciplinary, spanning the other areas of the department (behavioral neuroscience, clinical, cognitive, and social), other departments at Yale, and institutions such as Yale's Child Study Center, the Bush Center for Child Development and Social Policy, and the Haskins Laboratories. The areas of study are diverse, including, for example, conceptual development, developmental psychopathology, infant cognition, language acquisition, as well as social policy and intervention research. In addition to a broad selection of specialized courses and seminars, the developmental area conducts a weekly seminar series wherein current research in developmental psychology is presented and discussed.

The Developmental program offers advanced training in understanding children of all ages. Instruction is available within the Department of Psychology and with other scholars in other areas of the University. Topics of special interest to developmental faculty and students include infancy, adolescence, cognitive development, applications of developmental psychology to education, developmental psychopathology, social policy, intelligence, language and thought, and children in other cultures.  
 
The heart of the program is direct involvement in research: First term developmental graduate students begin to work with student and faculty colleagues in the exploration and systematic study of problems involved with the rich variety of child behavior.æ  
 
Courses are offered by all members of the core faculty. Our basic meeting is the weekly lunch where faculty, students, and visitors present their research and their plans for future investigations. Students also are encouraged to enroll in courses or to work with faculty members specializing in social and personality, neurobiological, and cognitive aspects of development. Developmental students also will benefit from contact with the faculties of Pediatrics, the Child Study Center, the Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy, and Haskins Laboratories.