Integrating adverse and positive childhood experiences into experimental developmental science: introduction to the...

This introductory article situates twelve empirical studies included in the special issue Integrating Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences into Experimental Developmental Science within a framework that bridges public health and developmental science perspectives on early adversity and buffering experiences. The special issue highlights how experimental and developmental researchers can both contribute to, and benefit from, the public health framework that gave rise to the study of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs). Drawing on Kim and Royle's (2025) taxonomy, which organizes ACEs research by analytic treatment and developmental outcome domain, the included studies illustrate the varied ways that adversity and buffering experiences influence biological, cognitive, physical, psychological, and social functioning. Together, these contributions underscore the value of bridging epidemiological and experimental traditions, encouraging future developmental work that connects mechanisms of risk and resilience at the individual level with population-level applications in prevention, policy, and practice.