Developmental science is an interdisciplinary scientific field dedicated to describing, understanding, and explaining change in behavior across the lifespan and the psychological, environmental, and biological processes that co-determine this change during the organism’s development. Developmental science is thus a broad discipline that lies at the intersection of psychology, biology, sociology, anthropology and other allied disciplines. Advancing Developmental Science: Philosophy, Theory, and Method reflects this broad view of developmental science, and reviews the philosophical, theoretical, and methodological issues facing the field. It does so within the Process-Relational paradigm, as described by developmentalist Willis Overton over the course of his career. Within that framework, this book explores development in a number of specific cognitive, neurobiological, and social domains, and provides students and researchers with a comprehensive suite of conceptual and methodological tools to describe, explain, and optimize intraindividual change across the lifespan.

'This superb collection of essays builds a bridge from the great developmental theories of the past to the new insights and methods shaping the developmental science of today. It is no accident that the volume is framed as a tribute to Willis Overton, who has long modeled theoretical wisdom for the field. The volume belongs on the bookshelf of all scholars interested in the future of developmental science.' -William Damon, Stanford University

'Willis Overton’s metatheoretical contributions provided scientists with a new lens for viewing development, one that shifts attention away from reductionist splits of nature vs nurture to approaches marked by holism, process, and relational analyses. This volume is essential reading for students of developmental science seeking to understand how these ideas motivated thinking across a wide range of topics, from the nature of development, gender, health, to resilience in adolescence.' - Carol Martin, Arizona State University

Anthony Steven Dick is Associate Professor of Developmental Science and Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychology at Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. His research focus is on the developmental cognitive neuroscience of language and executive function.

Ulrich Müller is Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. His research focuses on cognitive and social development in early childhood.