Developmental Frameworks, What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Frameworks are widespread in developmental psychology. They provide general ideas about what to study in human development: which concepts to focus on (e.g., systems, timescales), which processes to test (e.g., micro-macro, bidirectional), and which methods to use (e.g., interview, dynamical equations). However, despite their prominence, there exists very little consensus or guidance on how to use frameworks in research. As such, they have an obscure role, influencing our research questions, methods, and theory, but often in ways we cannot articulate for ourselves, let alone for others. This paper presents a practical guide by identifying how different frameworks can inform assumptions, targets, goals, context, timing, and methods of a research project. As an illustrative example, we use Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework to inform research on how parent-child relationships influence the development of executive attention. We also show how different frameworks can inform a research project in distinct ways. Thus, our paper provides a guide for developmental scientists to more explicitly use and benefit from frameworks in their research.