Integrating basic and applied developmental research: A new model for the twenty-first century

Until recently basic and applied research agendas in the field of child dev elopment have followed separate paths. One reason the two have not merged i s that the objectives of basic and applied research are often seen as incom patible. In this paper, we argue that researchers can simultaneously achiev e the objectives of advancing basic knowledge and addressing applied proble ms within a single research program. We provide a frame-work for this persp ective by first looking back at historical trends of basic and applied deve lopmental research and then looking forward at potential new approaches for integrating basic and applied research. We use our own research on percept ion of affordances and unintentional childhood injuries to illustrate how r esearchers might implement these strategies for integrating basic and appli ed research. We conclude by discussing how we might extend this integration further to include nontraditional classes of application.