>From the feedback I have seen so far from AERA I wish I had been there. I
am not sure I would have recommended SRCD this year, but that may be
simply my limitation and scheduling. Several symposia I wanted to attend
were simultaneous.
Trends?
The behavioral study of infancy appears to have migrated to neurosciences
(read-- brain measures) or perhaps to the new infancy society..... not a
healthy tendeny in my opinion for a lot of reasons.
An unusual emphasis on linking research with practice and the difficulties
thereof (passim Eric's pessimism on this score) including a firebrand and
rather moving speech by Paul Wellstone who has to be one of our best
senators. One unforgetable soundbite stat from his talk: the average wage
paid childcare workers= 1/2 the average pay of zookeepers. He also seemed
very intelligent about relating wages and healthcare issues to issues of
development.
A lot of interest in afterschool, which is the life domain I havee been
focusing on along with higher ed, so that interested me.
Increasing evidence of studies which link heretofore separate psychological
categories like cognition and emotion, a topic seen here on xmca often.
Clear manifestation of the continued dominance of caucasians in SRCD but
also of efforts to foster great participation by people of color through
special fellowship/mentoring program that I participated in for one day.
And, of course, clear evidence of the gender bias where 90% or so of
participants were female, but leadership is perhaps now reached 50-50.
Psychology cum neurosciences still dominate an association where it makes
no sense at all. This generated some good discussions about how to do
things better at ISCRAT next summer.
mike
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