Child Development

Top Research Topics at Child Development?

The main points discussed in the journal deals with Developmental psychology, Child development, Social psychology, Cognitive psychology and Cognition. The Developmental psychology works featured in Child Development incorporate elements from Cognitive development, Social relation, Social environment and Personality. It addresses concerns in Child development which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Nonverbal communication, Context (language use) and Primary education.

While Child Development focused on Social psychology, it was also able to explore topics like Social change, Social cognition and Social perception. In addition to Cognitive psychology research, it aims to explore topics under Visual perception, Perception and Task (project management).

• Developmental psychology (65.36%)
• Child development (27.68%)
• Social psychology (20.97%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work (5416 citations)
• The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta‐Analysis of School‐Based Universal Interventions (3733 citations)
• The determinants of parenting: A process model. (3443 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Child Development:

The journal articles mainly deal with areas of study such as Developmental psychology, Child development, Social psychology, Social relation and Cognition. The works on Developmental psychology tackled in the journal papers bring together disciplines like Cognitive development, Social environment and Personality development. The works on Cognition tackled in the most cited articles bring together disciplines like Cognitive psychology and Perception.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Social psychology
• Cognition
• Developmental psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Child Development primarily focuses on research topics in Developmental psychology, Cognitive psychology, Task (project management), Context (language use) and Cognition. Topics in Developmental psychology were tackled in line with various other fields like Longitudinal study, MEDLINE, Association (psychology), Socioeconomic status and Ethnic group. The studies tackled, which mainly focus on Association (psychology), apply to Clinical psychology as well.

The journal dives deep in exploring the relationship between the study of Ethnic group and Identity (social science). The study on Cognition featured in the journal expounds on the topic of Cognitive development in particular.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Sensitivity to Visual-Tactile Colocation on the Body Prior to Skilled Reaching in Early Infancy. (26 citations)
• Linking Quality and Quantity of Parental Linguistic Input to Child Language Skills: A Meta-Analysis (8 citations)
• Learning From Video: A Meta-Analysis of the Video Deficit in Children Ages 0 to 6 Years (8 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Child Development (based on the number of publications) are:

• Susan A. Gelman (50 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Kenneth A. Dodge (48 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Henry M. Wellman (44 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Jay Belsky (43 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Jerome Kagan (43 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Child Development (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Michigan (235 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Harvard University (185 papers) published 21 papers at the last edition, 9 more than at the previous edition,
• Pennsylvania State University (185 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• University of Minnesota (168 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
• Stanford University (159 papers) published 10 papers at the last edition, 4 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 0.73% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 21.25% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 15.02% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 23.08% of all publications and 40.66% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Pathways in Child Development Research

While this article has thoroughly explored the various topics and trends in child development research, it might be beneficial to readers to understand the potential career paths in this field as well. For instance, one interesting area of child development research is forensic psychology, which involves the application of psychological knowledge to legal matters, often focusing on the development and behavior of children within legal contexts.

Being a forensic scientist in child development can offer an intriguing and fulfilling career path. This role typically involves the study of children's development and behavior to assist in legal cases or disputes. This can touch on areas such as custody disputes, child abuse cases, or juvenile delinquency proceedings. In the state of Indiana, for instance, there are specific steps and requirements to become a forensic scientist. These steps include obtaining a relevant degree, gaining necessary certifications, and acquiring sufficient experience in the field.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in this area of child development research, our guide on how to become a forensic scientist in Indiana may serve as a useful starting point. This guide outlines the educational, experiential, and certification requirements to enter this fascinating field.

Nevertheless, it's important to remember that career paths in child development research can be diverse and versatile, spanning from academia and research to applied roles within educational, health care, and legal settings. Thus, it's crucial to carefully explore options and consider your personal interests and goals as you navigate your career in child development research.