CRI: Planning the Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships

【摘要】儿童关系发展研究中心Julia Torquati， Lisa Crockett, Carolyn Edwards， Marcela Raffaelli和Ross Thompson人际关系对儿童的智力、情感、社交和身体发育至关重要。与父母，祖父母，兄弟姐妹，同龄人，老师，日托和学前班的看护人以及其他人的关系有助于技能的发展，对孩子的个性做出反应，促进新的学习和成长，并提供安全和支持的来源。最近，美国国家科学院幼儿发展科学综合委员会在其报告《从神经元到邻里》中，将人际关系描述为健康发展的“有效成分”。但是，尽管我们对特定关系对儿童发展的影响了解甚多，但目前的理解仍有许多局限性。该项目提案要求支持，使调查人员能够通过规划建立一个儿童关系发展研究中心来推进发展中的关系科学。该中心的首要目标是发展多学科研究能力，研究从婴儿期到青春期儿童在各种关系中的发展，包括各种关系和儿童特有的发展过程。更具体地说，该中心的研究人员将开发：(a)关于发展和关系的共同理论观点，以指导他们的工作；(b)研究科学家进行的具体研究活动之间的协调框架；(c)通过研讨会、会议和网络机会进行学术交流的过程；(d)研究生、博士后学者和访问科学家的教育活动；(e)与儿童有关的机构和社区资源的协会；(f)储存已经存在的关于地方和国家来源的发展和关系的数据和报告，以及(g)向其他学者、社区、人类服务专业人员和决策者传播研究结论的程序。拟议规划期的目标是通过在内布拉斯加大学内部建立合作伙伴关系，以及与其他机构的学者建立合作伙伴关系，开创该中心的发展，并通过严格审查当前关于儿童关系的研究来启动具体的研究项目，以确定概念化、测量、研究人口或已研究的发展阶段和转变方面的差距。在拟议的规划期间，将进行几项活动。这些包括(a)通过每月会议评估未来的研究需求，交换文献评论，并与专家咨询委员会进行咨询，(b)在大学内部建立多学科合作，并与外部学者合作，(c)通过协作互动开发共享的理论框架，以及(d)准备和提交中心资助提案。儿童关系发展研究中心还将完成几个辅助目标。首先，它将为这一重要课题的教育和研究的整合提供基础设施。其次，它将通过积极招募学者、学生和研究参与者来扩大代表性不足群体的代表性。最后，中心学者的工作将通过独立的研究活动和研究文献的审查来增强对该领域的知识。

AbstractPlanning a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships Julia Torquati, Lisa Crockett, Carolyn Edwards, Marcela Raffaelli, and Ross Thompson Relationships are critical to intellectual, emotional, social, and physical growth in childhood. Relationships with parents, grandparents, siblings, peers, teachers, caregivers in day care and preschool, and others contribute to the development of skills, respond to the child's individuality, facilitate new learning and growth, and provide sources of security and support. Relationships have recently been described as the "active ingredients" of healthy development by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development of the National Academy of Sciences in their report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods. But although much is known about the impact of specific relationships on children's development, there are many limitations to current understanding. This project proposal requests support to enable investigators to advance the science of relationships in development by planning the creation of a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships. The overarching goal of the Center is to develop the capacity for multi-disciplinary research on children's development within relationships, from infancy through adolescence, encompassing the varieties of relationships and develop-mental processes characteristic of childhood. More specifically, researchers at the Center will develop: (a) a shared theoretical view of development and relationships to guide their work, (b) a framework for coordination among specific research activities conducted by research scientists, (c) processes for scholarly exchanges through workshops, conferences, and networking opportunities, (d) educational activities for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting scientists, (e) associations with institutional and community resources concerned with children, (f) a repository for data and reports that already exist concerning development and relationships from both local and national sources, and (g) procedures for disseminating research conclusions to other scholars, communities, human service professionals, and policymakers. The goals of the proposed planning period are to inaugurate the development of this Center by building collaborative partnerships within the University of Nebraska, and with scholars at other institutions, and to initiate specific research programs by critically examining current research on children's relationships to identify gaps in conceptualization, measurement, populations studied, or developmental stages and transitions that have been examined. During the proposed planning period, several activities will occur. These include (a) an assessment of future research needs through monthly meetings, exchanges of reviews of the literature, and consulting with an advisory board of experts, (b) building multidisciplinary collaborations within the University, and with scholars outside it, (c) developing a shared theoretical framework through collaborative interaction, and (d) preparation and submission of a Center grant proposal. The Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships will also accomplish several ancillary goals. First, it will provide an infrastructure for the integration of education and research on this important topic. Second, it will broaden the representation of underrepresented groups through active recruitment of scholars, students, and research participants. Finally, the work of Center scholars will enhance knowledge of the field through independent research activities and review of the research literature.