Developmental Psychology in the 1920s: A Period of Major Transition

A 1918 survey (H. E. Jones, 1956 ) indicated that only 3 psychologists in the United States expressed an interest in conducting research on child development. By the end of the 1920s there were more than 600 who expressed such an interest, and their areas of inquiry encompassed not only child development but also adolescence, the lifespan, and old age. The author explores the factors and people that contributed to this remarkable transition and highlights some of the major contributions that resulted from their work.