World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Developmental Science
H-index 36

Developmental Science

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 80 392 451 36

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 506
Documents by Best Scientists*: 508
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 23
SCIMAGO H-index: 156
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.73
Impact Factor: 3.2

Overview

Top Research Topics at Developmental Science?

The discussions in the journal mainly cover the fields of Developmental psychology, Cognitive psychology, Cognition, Child development and Visual perception. Issues in Developmental psychology were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Cognitive development and Social psychology. While Developmental Science focused on Cognitive psychology, it was also able to explore topics like Perception, Communication, Working memory, Language acquisition and Task analysis.

Developmental Science concentrated on Cognition research, specifically Short-term memory and Spatial ability. Visual perception study tackled is connected to the field of Eye movement. Developmental Science focuses on Language development but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Speech perception and Vocabulary.

It is mostly focused on Vocabulary, specifically Vocabulary development. Most of the works presented in Developmental Science deals with Nonverbal communication but it intersects with the subject of Gesture.

  • Developmental psychology (44.07%)
  • Cognitive psychology (34.16%)
  • Cognition (24.47%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Training and transfer effects of executive functions in preschool children. (775 citations)
  • Neurocognitive Correlates of Socioeconomic Status in Kindergarten Children. (755 citations)
  • Bilingual experience and executive functioning in young children. (724 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Developmental Science:

The journal articles primarily tackle Developmental psychology, Cognitive psychology, Cognition, Child development and Visual perception. Cognitive development, Socioeconomic status and Social psychology are some topics wherein Developmental psychology research discussed in the journal papers has an impact. The journal papers focus on Cognitive psychology but sometimes tackle the closely related topic of Communication which is concerned with Object (philosophy).

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

  • Cognition
  • Social psychology
  • Developmental psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal mostly deals with topics like Cognitive psychology, Developmental psychology, Cognition, Perception and Association (psychology). The research on Cognitive psychology featured in Developmental Science combines topics in other fields like Cognitive development, Context (language use), Working memory, Language acquisition and Language development. Language development research presented in Developmental Science encompasses a variety of subjects, including Prosody and Vocabulary.

Developmental psychology research is the primary subject tackled in the journal with a focus on Early childhood. Cognition research featured in the journal incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Control (management), Longitudinal study, Categorization and Electroencephalography. In addition to Perception research, it aims to explore topics under Sensory system and Reading (process).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • States of curiosity and interest enhance memory differently in adolescents and in children. (13 citations)
  • The moment‐to‐moment pitch dynamics of child‐directed speech shape toddlers’ attention and learning (9 citations)
  • Beyond Family-Level Adversities: Exploring the Developmental Timing of Neighborhood Disadvantage Effects on the Brain. (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.

The top authors publishing in Developmental Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Michael Tomasello (41 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Linda B. Smith (27 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Charles A. Nelson (25 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Elizabeth S. Spelke (22 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Kang Lee (19 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous 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.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Developmental Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Max Planck Society (105 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 6 more than at the previous edition,
  • Harvard University (93 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Oxford (69 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • University College London (67 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 5 more than at the previous edition,
  • Birkbeck, University of London (62 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less 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, 1.13% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 28.00% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 11.43% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 28.00% of all publications and 32.57% 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 Opportunities in Developmental Science

As advancements in Developmental and Cognitive Psychology continue to grow, so do the opportunities for careers in the field. Individuals with a background in these areas have a wide range of potential professions to choose from, one of which is forensic science. Forensic scientists often utilize their understandings of cognitive development and social psychology to analyze and solve complex problems. For example, in New Jersey, forensic scientists are in high demand. This profession allows one to apply their knowledge of cognition, communication, memory, and language development in a practical and impactful way. To learn more about how to become a forensic scientist in the state and apply your skills in developmental science, you can check out this comprehensive guide on how to be a forensic scientist in New Jersey. Despite the apparent divergence, careers in developmental and cognitive psychology, and forensic science share a common foundation: understanding human behavior. Whether it's analyzing eye movement, conducting memory analyses, or exploring visual and speech perception, these fields are intertwined through their objectives to comprehend the complexities of the human mind. If you are intrigued by the nuances of developmental science and enjoy critical problem-solving, a career as a forensic scientist might be the perfect path for you. This profession keeps the fascinating narratives of human behavior at the forefront while making a significant contribution to justice and society.

Top Publications

  • Predicting educational achievement from genomic measures and socioeconomic status

    Sophie von Stumm;Emily Smith-Woolley;Ziada Ayorech;Andrew McMillan

    (2020)
    143 Citations
  • Effects of game-based and standard executive control training on cognitive and academic abilities in elementary school children

    Verena E. Johann;Julia Karbach

    (2020)
    89 Citations
  • Socioeconomic status and executive function in early childhood: Exploring proximal mechanisms

    Daphne M Vrantsidis;Caron A C Clark;Nicolas Chevalier;Kimberly Andrews Espy

    (2020)
    89 Citations
  • Network structure reveals clusters of associations between childhood adversities and development outcomes

    Margaret A. Sheridan;Feng Shi;Adam B. Miller;Carmel Salhi

    (2020)
    76 Citations
  • Enhanced gaze‐following behavior in Deaf infants of Deaf parents

    Rechele Brooks;Jenny L. Singleton;Andrew N. Meltzoff

    (2020)
    75 Citations
  • Beyond Family-Level Adversities: Exploring the Developmental Timing of Neighborhood Disadvantage Effects on the Brain.

    Arianna M. Gard;Andrea M. Maxwell;Daniel S. Shaw;Colter Mitchell

    (2021)
    68 Citations
  • Caring babies: Concern for others in distress during infancy.

    Maayan Davidov;Yael Paz;Ronit Roth‐Hanania;Florina Uzefovsky

    (2021)
    66 Citations
  • Adaptive working memory training can reduce anxiety and depression vulnerability in adolescents

    Patricia Beloe;Nazanin Derakshan

    (2020)
    66 Citations
  • Systematic exploration and uncertainty dominate young children's choices.

    Nathaniel J. Blanco;Vladimir M. Sloutsky

    (2021)
    60 Citations
  • First demonstration of effective spatial training for near transfer to spatial performance and far transfer to a range of mathematics skills at 8 years

    Katie A. Gilligan;Katie A. Gilligan;Michael S. C. Thomas;Emily K. Farran;Emily K. Farran

    (2020)
    59 Citations

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal