Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Illustration of a brain with legs standing on a platform, surrounded by yellow rays and red and yellow dots on a pink background.
New research suggests fun isn’t a distraction from learning — it’s the brain’s way of rewarding us for navigating uncertainty, discovering patterns, and staying mentally alive.
Two children are climbing on a yellow and green jungle gym, viewed from below against a blue sky with some clouds.
Away from adult supervision, children practice the skills that make friendship, confidence, and independence possible.
a group of young men standing next to each other on a field.
Adolescents’ brains are highly capable, if inconsistent, during this critical age of exploration and development. They are also acutely tuned into rewards.
a group of people standing around a blue object.
Considering the perspectives of others has important benefits for individuals and for society. There is one easy way to do it.
John Templeton Foundation
A new 20-year analysis of over 14,000 psychology studies finds that a study's media coverage is negatively linked to its replicability.
Closeup of a baby being kissed by his mother.
Sharing food and kissing are among the signals babies use to interpret their social world, according to a new study.
The same brain differences that contribute to left-handedness also contribute to psychotic disorders. But there's a bright side.
Does memory start to work only at a certain age?
teenager myths
Society treats teenagers as if they’re a problem to be solved, but the truth is that we have to prepare them to solve our problems. It’s time that we change the narrative.
John Templeton Foundation