The Register Report, Spring 2006: A Special Report on Developmental Challenges The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) by: John W. Hagen, Ph.D. and Paul L. Cobb Return to Table of Contents

The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) is a leading organization of professionals from a wide range of academic disciplines and backgrounds, all concerned with the study of child development and the improvement of the lives of children and families. Currently there are 6,000 members, over 800 of whom are from 50 countries outside the United States. SRCD promotes interdisciplinary research on infant, child, and adolescent development in diverse contexts and across a life-long trajectory; fosters the exchange of information among scientists and research consumers world wide; and fosters applications of research-based knowledge.

The SRCD was the outcome of the Committee on Child Development established by the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, in 1922. During its years, the committee effectively encouraged interest in the field by awarding fellowships, initiating conferences, and promoting publications. The journal Child Development was founded in 1930 and remains the flagship journal in the field 73 years later. In 1933, at the recommendation of the committee, the SRCD was formed as a free-standing organization.

SRCD is considered the major professional organization in the field of child development. Currently, its executive office is housed in Ann Arbor and its Office for Policy and Communications is located in Washington, D.C. There are several standing committees in addition to the Society’s Governing Council and Publications Committees. These include the Committee on Ethnic and Racial Issues, the Ethical Conduct Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the History of Child Development Committee, and the Policy and Communications Committee.

Publications, which include Child Development and the Mono - graphs of the Society for Research in Child Development, aswell as the Social Policy Reports and the Society’s Newsletter, SRCD Developments, are a major part ofthe SRCD’s endeavors. Child Developmentand Monographs areamong the most cited and most
highly circulated of all the journals in the field. The Social Policy Reports, first published in 1984, provide summaries and commentaries of key issues and policies relevant to children and families and is available to the public online at the website: www.srcd.org.

SRCD holds its meetings biennially in the spring of odd-numbered years. Approximately 6,000 attend, and the program, covering three and a half days, contains almost 3,000 presentations, including invited addresses, symposia, discussions, and poster presentations. The content is highly interdisciplinary and deals with many aspects of policy and application as well as theory-driven research.

The SRCD also serves as the administrative home for the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) (http:// www. s - r - a . o r g). Established in 1984 as an international, multidisciplinary, professional association, the goal of the SRA is to promote research and dissemination concerning development on adolescence. The SRA currently has approximately 1,100 members and serves a complementary role with SRCD both in terms of its emphasis on adolescent development and with its meetings in the years SRCD does not meet. continued

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