In the past 10 years, childhood has become a focal point of concern. Childr
en are viewed as symbolizing an investment in the future of societies aroun
d the world. In the past, knowledge about children's views was realized thr
ough objective measures or from representative accounts by adults (e.g., pa
rents and teachers) who were thought to know the child best. Current resear
ch suggests that most adult representations and interpretations are only at
tempts to describe something that more or less represents the child's world
. The literature suggests that in the past, children have been perceived ma
inly as objects rather than subjects of research interest. This perhaps ref
lects the viewpoint held by many that children are unable to comprehend and
describe their world and life experiences because of developmental immatur
ity and/or that there are intrinsic difficulties in researching children. T
he purpose of this article is to describe how a child's developmental level
affects the research process. Specifically discussed are developmental dif
ferences in responses to research including psychosocial research methods,
assent, and consent with children. Copyright (C) 2000 by W.B. Saunders Comp
any.