Just One Wish for the Study of Human Development

Abstract

If you had just one wish for the study of human development, what would it be? How would it advance the field? And what would it take for your vision to be realized? This was the charge given to 28 scholars who come from different disciplines and fields, and who study different periods of the life course. In this article, Richard A. Settersten, Jr. and Megan McClelland, the issue’s editors, provide an overview of the contributors’ wishes, organized into seven thematic areas: (1) conceptual advances; (2) systems, levels, and contexts; (3) individual differences; (4) methodological advances; (5) harnessing science for human welfare and social justice; (6) underexplored life course dynamics; and (7) interdisciplinary collaboration and playing well with others.