How can insights into early development inform practice and contribute to a promising start for all children? This course will bridge the gap between basic developmental research and its applications in practice and policy. Babies and young children are amazing: born seemingly helpless, they reach important cognitive and linguistic milestones within the first years of life and transform into totally different creatures. How can this be? In recent decades, the field of infant studies has made great progress when it comes to understanding these impressive developmental changes. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that the first years of life have a long-lasting impact on cognitive and psychosocial outcomes: our experiences in early childhood shape our subsequent health and brain development.
In the first part, experienced instructors with a background in early childhood research and its theoretical and methodological intricacies will equip participants with state-of-the-art knowledge in developmental psychobiology, social-cognitive development and language development. This more theoretical part of the course will be complemented by a lab visit to the Baby & Child Research Center's research facilities. Novel insight from basic research into the early years can help practitioners and policymakers make decisions that help children to grow up to be happy and healthy. However, the translation from research to practice is not always easy. While basic research often focuses on specific, narrow questions, practitioners tend to look at the bigger picture.
In the hands-on, highly interactive second part of the course, participants will tackle questions at the intersection of theory and practice. Under the guidance of our instructors, they will explore three building blocks of translating research to practice, namely science communication, applied research projects, and policymaking. We're teaming up with professionals from e.g. the Dutch Health Council and the Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences. These experts will introduce core concepts and give insights into their own work. Equipped with this knowledge, participants will take on the roles of science writers, applied researchers and policy advisors in small groups.
The week-long course will culminate in a mini-symposium where each group presents their work. This course is for you if you have an interest in developmental research beyond the ivory tower. You will gain a deeper understanding of current topics in developmental science and their relation to the challenges practitioners and policymakers face. You should have a background in psychology or an adjacent field (e.g. speech-language therapy, neuroscience, education) in a clinical, research or professional capacity.
After this course you will be able to
- Translate findings from basic developmental research to applied practical settings.
- Participate in discussions on state-of-the-art research in early development.
- Present ideas to larger audiences.
The course is designed for
This course is aimed at participants with a background in psychology or an adjacent field (e.g. Qeuroscience, speech-language pathology, linguistics, educational science) in a clinical, research or professional capacity.
Admission Requirements
This course welcomes students and early career researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds as well as professionals. Participants should be familiar with core terminology from psychology and/or cognitive science. Prior experience in experimental research with developmental populations is not required.
Admission Documents
- Motivation letter
- CV
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.