Manifesto for new directions in developmental science

Area of Science:

• Developmental Science
• Lifespan Human Development
• Interdisciplinary Research

Background:

• Rapid social and scientific changes cause fragmentation in developmental science.
• The field needs clear directions to address real-world problems impacting human development.
• Existing approaches may not adequately capture the complexity of lifespan development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a manifesto for steering developmental science towards coherent advances.
• To identify critical research domains and conceptual/policy shifts needed.
• To foster dialogue and action plans for the future of the field.

Main Methods:

• Scholarly consensus building across diverse disciplines.
• Identification of four critical content domains for research.
• Outline of two key issues concerning the practice and purpose of developmental science.

Main Results:

• Highlights four critical content domains requiring focused research.
• Identifies the need for shifts in 'how' and 'what for' developmental science is conducted.
• Proposes five core principles for future research.

Conclusions:

• Calls for an integrative, inclusive, transdisciplinary, transparent, and actionable developmental science.
• Discusses recommendations, prospects, pitfalls, and challenges for achieving these goals.
• Emphasizes the need for a unified approach to effectively address lifespan development issues.