J. Steven Reznick (1951–2016) was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He published numerous books, articles and chapters on a wide array of topics in developmental psychology; his research is most notable for the measurement tools he developed, including the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory, which remains the most widely used child language assessment tool in the world and the First Year Inventory (developed with colleagues at University of North Carolina), used by researchers worldwide to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. He also founded the Cognitive Development Society, served on the editorial boards of many scientific journals and held several administrative roles for the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr Reznick completed this book during the final year of his life while living courageously with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

'In this extraordinary book, Reznick provides an engaging and insightful perspective on the practice of research in developmental science – one that is rooted in deep reflections on the philosophy of science and filled with valuable practical advice about research design, methodology, and data analysis. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the science of human development.' Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

• 1. The broad goals of science; 2. Developmental science in context; 3. Defining constructs and variables; 4. Validating measurement; 5. Designing developmental research; 6. Selecting a sample; 7. Collecting behavioral data; 8. Interviews and surveys; 9. Analyzing data; 10. Interpreting research results; 11. Building better developmental science; 12. Becoming better developmental scientists.

J. Steven Reznick (1951–2016) was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He published numerous books, articles and chapters on a wide array of topics in developmental psychology; his research is most notable for the measurement tools he developed, including the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory, which remains the most widely used child language assessment tool in the world and the First Year Inventory (developed with colleagues at University of North Carolina), used by researchers worldwide to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. He also founded the Cognitive Development Society, served on the editorial boards of many scientific journals and held several administrative roles for the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr Reznick completed this book during the final year of his life while living courageously with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

'In this extraordinary book, Reznick provides an engaging and insightful perspective on the practice of research in developmental science – one that is rooted in deep reflections on the philosophy of science and filled with valuable practical advice about research design, methodology, and data analysis. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the science of human development.' Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

• 1. The broad goals of science; 2. Developmental science in context; 3. Defining constructs and variables; 4. Validating measurement; 5. Designing developmental research; 6. Selecting a sample; 7. Collecting behavioral data; 8. Interviews and surveys; 9. Analyzing data; 10. Interpreting research results; 11. Building better developmental science; 12. Becoming better developmental scientists.

J. Steven Reznick (1951–2016) was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He published numerous books, articles and chapters on a wide array of topics in developmental psychology; his research is most notable for the measurement tools he developed, including the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventory, which remains the most widely used child language assessment tool in the world and the First Year Inventory (developed with colleagues at University of North Carolina), used by researchers worldwide to identify infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. He also founded the Cognitive Development Society, served on the editorial boards of many scientific journals and held several administrative roles for the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr Reznick completed this book during the final year of his life while living courageously with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

'In this extraordinary book, Reznick provides an engaging and insightful perspective on the practice of research in developmental science – one that is rooted in deep reflections on the philosophy of science and filled with valuable practical advice about research design, methodology, and data analysis. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the science of human development.' Philip David Zelazo, University of Minnesota

• 1. The broad goals of science; 2. Developmental science in context; 3. Defining constructs and variables; 4. Validating measurement; 5. Designing developmental research; 6. Selecting a sample; 7. Collecting behavioral data; 8. Interviews and surveys; 9. Analyzing data; 10. Interpreting research results; 11. Building better developmental science; 12. Becoming better developmental scientists.