History of the Society for Research in Human Development
The Society for Research in Human Development (SRHD) was originally founded in 1976 under the name of the Southwestern Society for Research in Human Development (SWRSRHD). In 2002 the name was officially changed to the Society for Research in Human Development.
1976: First Gathering
According to Spencer Thompson, the organizational meeting for what became the Southwestern Society for Research in Human Development (SWSRHD, pronounced “swizzard”) was held in San Antonio, TX, in the Spring of 1976. Stan Kuczaj, then at Southern Methodist University, is widely regarded as the instigator. Some 10-15 developmentalists, all from Texas, gathered to discuss ways to advance cooperation and communication among regional developmental psychologists. The feasibility of getting together during the off-years from the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) would be a key mechanism to achieve those goals. Stan took on the role of President and Harold (Hal) Grotevant (at University of Texas, Austin) acted as Secretary-Treasurer. Two years later, the goals of the organizing group were realized with our first biennial meeting. [For just a list of all officers see ”Officers of SWSRHD"; For a list of all meeting sites, members who were instrumental in putting on the meeting, and speakers for invited address, see Biennial meeting sites.
Spring 1978: First Biennial Meeting
Photo courtesy of Dallas Convention & Visitors BureauThe site of our first meeting was in Dallas, TX, from March 17-19. The tone for the meeting was informal and friendly, especially welcoming to young faculty and graduate students. The two invited addresses were given by Andy Collins, “Temporal Integration and Children’s Inferences About Televised Social Behavior,” and Catherine Garvey, “Cooperation in Conversation: An Analysis of Preschool Age Children.”
Kay Cutler’s history published in the Fall 1998 newsletter says that the first newsletters were written in 1978 “with six members serving as editors.” The March 1978 newsletter, written just after the convention, gives no indication of who wrote it, but it appears to be the first one, as the newsletter dated September 1978 billed itself as “Volume 1, Number 2.” [Newsletters] Both of these newsletters reported on the successful first meeting that included 62 research presentations. Ninety of 150 members registered.
The September 1978 newsletter announced that Stan Kuczaj had been elected President, and Hal Grotevant had been elected Secretary-Treasurer by mail ballot. It also mentioned that interested parties would meet in 1979 at the SRCD convention in San Francisco to continue planning for the 1980 SWSRHD meeting. That appears to have established the precedent of having a business meeting every year.
September 1979 “Volume 2, Number 1” of the newsletter
The newsletter announced the highlights of the upcoming second meeting, called for nominations for officers, and noted that the upcoming business meeting would focus on a discussion of formalizing the Society, by adopting by-laws and a constitution. Dues were $8.00 for “full members” (i.e., faculty) and $4.00 for students for the 2-year period between conventions.
March 27-29, 1980: SECOND BIENNIAL MEETING in Lawrence, KS.
Between September and March, a slate of officers was elected, with the winners announced at the business meeting on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence. John Wright became our second elected President and Gerald Adams was Secretary-Treasurer. Stan Kuczaj apparently received the title of “Founding Father.” John Wright asked Spencer Thompson to be the Newsletter Editor.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Patricia HawleyA “Planning Committee,” chaired by Barbara Moely, produced a survey asking the membership to react to various possible activities the Society could sponsor and created a draft of our first set of By-Laws. Those articulated the Society’s purpose, which remain unchanged to the present day:
“The purposes of the Society shall be to stimulate and support research in human development, to encourage cooperation among individuals in the Southwestern region of the United States who are engaged in the scientific study of human development, and to encourage the application of research finds.”
Invited Addresses:
Frances Degen Horowitz - “The Importance of Infancy”
Robert McCall - “Between Scientist and Public: Communicating Developmental Science Through Television News Features”
Ross Parke - “Fathering: A Social Interactional Perspective
Program Committee:
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Chair
Robert G. Cooper, Jr.
Harold D. Grotevant
Stan A. Kuczaj
April 8-10, 1982: THIRD BIENNIAL MEETING in Galveston ,TX.
At the business meeting in Galveston, the draft By-Laws were discussed and revised. Also during the convention, past, present, and future officers met with Dorothy Eichorn, SRCD’s executive director, to discuss pros and cons of incorporation. With the consensus being on the pro side of the argument, Hal Grotevant moved us forward on that front by consulting a Texas attorney and filling out the incorporation paperwork. By December 1982, the Society was legally incorporated in Texas. Officers for the 1982-1984 biennium were Harold Grotevant, President, and Jacques D. Lempers, Secretary-Treasurer, with Spencer Thompson continuing in the role of Newsletter Editor.
Invited Addresses:
Martin Banks- “Infant Development with Visual Perception”
Sheldon White -“How Children and Developmental Psychologists Found One Another at the Turn of the Century”
Program Committee:
Ruth Ault, Chair
Gerald Adams
Robert G. Cooper, Jr.
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Past Program Chair
Spring 1983
The By-Laws were presented to the membership in the February 1983 newsletter, with a vote called for by March 15, 1983; the announcement of their adoption occurred at the business meeting at SRCD that spring.
March 15-17, 1984: FOURTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Denver, CO.
Officers elected for the new biennium were:
Jacques Lempers, President
Barbara Moely, President-Elect
Gerald Adams, Secretary-Treasurer
Deborah Lowe Vandell, Member-at-Large
Elaine Wilson, Student Representative
Spencer Thompson, Newsletter Editor
Invited Addresses:
Judy Dunn -“Siblings and Social Development”
Robert Plomin - “Behavioral Genetics and Human Development”
Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Visitor Center
March 6-8, 1986: FIFTH BIENNIAL MEETING in San Antonio, TX
New officers were:
Barbara Moely, President
Deborah Lowe Vandell, President-Elect
Ruth Ault, Secretary-Treasurer
Nancy Hazen, Member-at-Large
Carol Markstrom Adams, Student Representative
Spencer Thomson, Newsletter Editor
Invited Addresses:
Martha Cox - “Family Development”
Aletha Huston & John Wright- “Effects of Television”
Photo courtesy of Dr. Mark Smith
March 17-19, 1988: SIXTH BIENNIAL MEETING in New Orleans, LA
This meeting marked the first time students competed for a research award.
A second Member-at-Large position was created sometime before this meeting, but the newsletters of the time do not record how this decision was reached.
Newly elected and appointed officers were:
Deborah Lowe Vandell, President
Linda Anooshian, President-Elect
Ruth Ault, Secretary-Treasurer
Nancy Hazen, Member-at-Large
Margaret Tresch Owen, Member-at-Large
Kristen Kemple, Student Representative
Barbara Moely, Newsletter Editor
Local Arrangements:
Jeff Lockman, Chair
Richard Potts
Mimi Wright
Invited Addresses:
John Bransford-“Learning with Technology: Some New Possibilities”
Joy Osofsky- “The Influence of the Emotional Environment in the Development of High Risk Infants
Featured Speakers:
Phyllis W. Berman - “Federal Funding for Research in Child Development”
John Bransford- “Learning with Technology: Some New Possibilities”
Marie Bristol- “Predicting Personal, Marital, and Parenting Adaptation in Families of Young Disabled and Nondisabled Children”
Pat Casey- “The Infant Health and Development Program”
Erica Hoff-Ginsberg “Studying Environmental Effects on Children’s Language Development: What Can We Learn?”
Winner of student research competition:
Joann C. Buhr- “Acquisition of Negation in Language-Impaired Children,” written with Mabel Rice.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Jayne Johnson - “The Father’s Influence in Sex-Role Stereotyping and Sex-Role Reasoning of the Male Preschool Child,” written with Dahlia Stockdale.
Kristen Kemple- “A Longitudinal Study of the Development of Individual Differences in Young Children’s Communication Patterns: Implications for Peer Acceptance,” with Kathy Matula, Hallie Speranza, and Nancy Hazen-Swann.
Mimi Wright- “Relating Objects by Banging: A Longitudinal Study,” with Jeff Lockman
March 15-17, 1990: SEVENTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Dallas, TX
Photo courtesy of Dallas Convention &
Visitors Bureau
New officers were:
Linda Anooshian, President
Martha Cox, President-Elect
Robin Smith Jacobvitz, Secretary-Treasurer
Deborah Jacobvitz, Member-at-Large
Margaret Tresch Owen, Member-at-Large
Tom Bohman, Student Representative
Linda Musun-Miller, Newsletter Editor
Program Committee:
Robert Bradley, Co-Chair
Belinda Blevins-Knabe, Co-Chair
Frank Ascione
Martha Cox
Neil Salkind
Invited Addresses:
T. G. R. Bower- “Local Theories of Development: We Do Need Them”
Bettye Caldwell- “The Second Time Around: Secondary and Tertiary Attachment for Young Children”
Featured Speakers:
Robert G. Cooper, Jr.- “The Development of Cognitive Developmental Theory: Where Are We Going?”
George Holden- “The Future of Child Rearing Attitudes: To Recede or Re-Seed?”
Virginia Shipman- “25 Years of Head Start – What Have We Learned?”
Mark Swanson- “Health and Development Outcomes of the Infant Health and Development Program”
Winners of student research competition:
Rosemarie Truglio, Sabrina Oppenheimer, & Kimberlee Murphy - “Family and Child Characteristics that Predict Young Children’s Viewing of Entertainment Television,” with John Wright and Aletha Huston.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetic order)
Kristen Kemple- “Early Shyness and Social Behavior in the Peer Group,” with Nancy Hazen
Fong-Yun Lee- “The Relationship of Temperament to Play Behavior in Young Children,” with Joan Moyer and Gene Glass
March 19-21, 1992: EIGHTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Tempe, AZ
New officers were:
Martha J. Cox, President
Spencer K. Thompson, President-Elect
Robin Smith Jacobvitz, Secretary-Treasurer
Deborah Jacobvitz, Member-at-Large
Robert H. Bradley, Member-at-Large
Kay M. Cutler, Student Representative
Belinda Blevins-Knabe, Newsletter Editor
Local Arrangements:
Richard Fabes, Chair
Carol Lynn Martin
Invited Addresses:
Cynthia Berg- “The Context of Everyday Problem Solving”
Joseph Campos- “The Functionalist Approach to Emotions and Emotional Development”
Robert Cialdini- “When Do We Use Helping to Affect Mood?”
Nancy Eisenberg- “Empathy: Socialization and Correlates”
Ron Haskins- “Can Federal Policy Solve America’s Poverty Problem?”
Susan Somerville- “Young Children’s Use of Evidence”
Winner of student research competition:
Patrick J. Curran- “Structural Equation Modeling of Non-normally Distributed Data: Practical Issues for Researchers in Human Development
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
Jai Shim -“Origins of Sex Differences in Attraction to Infants: Failure to Replicate,” with Susan Coleman & George Holden
Christina S. Shinisi - “Socialization and Personality Influences on Volunteering Behavior,” with Mark Barnett & Susan Sprague
February 24-26, 1994: NINTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Austin, TX
Julie Ann Mason was elected Secretary-Treasurer but tragically died July 15, 1994 shortly after giving birth. Amanda Harrist stepped up to fill the job.
Other new officers were:
Spencer K. Thompson, President
Frank R. Ascione, President-Elect
Lori Roggman, Member-at-Large
Deborah Jacobvitz, Member-at-Large
Hilary Rose, Student Representative
Douglas Behrend, Newsletter Editor
Invited Speakers:
Les Cohen- “Infant Perception of Causality”
Bill Graziano- “Personality Development: Some New Directions”
Wayne Holtzman- “Communities, Families, and Children in the School of the Future: New
Opportunities for Psychologists”
Aletha Huston - “Children in Poverty: Research and Public Policy Implications:
Ted Huston- “Processes of Adaptiveness in Intimate Relations: Studying Relationships Over Time”
Esther Thelen- “A Dynamic Systems Approach to Development: What’s New? What’s Useful?”
Winner of student research competition:
Kimberlee Murphy -“The Role of Television and the Home Environment on Children’s Cognitive Performance: Potential Differences Based on Family Income and Home Situation,” with John Wright and Aletha Huston
Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order)
Mary Lynne Courtney- “Behavior Segmentation as a Function of Children’s Aggressiveness,” with Robert Cohen
Takayuki Nakata - “Lag Sequential Analysis: Robust Statistical Analysis, Revisted,” with David R. Cross
March 28-30, 1996: TENTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Park City, UT
Photo courtesy of Richard Ault
The offices of Secretary and Treasurer split, but this change did not become codified until the By-Laws were amended in Spring 1999.
Nonetheless we elected officers for both positions as well as other regular positions:
Frank Ascione, President
Deborah Jacobvitz, President-Elect
Amanada Harrist, Treasurer
Kay Cutler, Secretary-Historian
Paul Miller, Member-at-Large
Lori Roggman, Member-at-Large
Amanda Hart, Student Representative
Doug Behrend, Newsletter Editor
Program Committee:
Cynthia A. Berg, Co-Chair
Marie Sell, Co-Chair
Invited Speakers
Margarita Azmitia - “On the Co-Construction of Cognition in Relationships”
David Cross- “Dynamic Models: Their History and Potential”
Donna Gelfand- “Do Prevention Now: The Case of Maternal Depression”
Jean Mandler- “Concept Formation and Induction in Infancy”
Cecelia Wainry- “The Cultural Context of Social Development”
Winner of student research competition
Mary-Kay McNeilly-Choque - “A Multiple Method Approach to Examine Sub-Types of Aggression on the Playground,” with Larry J. Nelson, Craig H. Hart, and Clyde Robinson
Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order)
Sarah Jones- “The Relation of Temperament and Social Monitoring to Preschoolers’ Social Skills,” with Richard Fabes, Nancy Eisenberg, and Bridget Murphy
Nicole Hawkins- “A National Survey of Preservice and Inservice Training Practices of Agencies Employing Home Visitors,” with Richard N. Roberts
March 19-21, 1998: ELEVENTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Galveston, TX
Incoming officers were:
Deborah Jacobvitz, President
Robert H. Bradley, President-Elect
Amanda Harrist, Treasurer
Kay M. Cutler, Secretary-Historian
Paul A. Miller, Member-at-Large
Yvonne M. Caldera, Member-at-Large
Michelle Neiss, Student Representative
Rebecca Glover, Newsletter Editor
Invited Speakers:
Linda P. Acredolo- “Helping Babies ‘Talk’ Before Babies Can Talk: Theoretical and Practical Implications of ‘Baby Signs’”
Judy DeLoache- “Becoming Symbol-Minded: Young Children’s Use of Symbolic Objects”
Judith H. Langlois- “Maxims, Myths, and Mysteries of Beauty”
Cathy Surra- “The Use of Qualitative Methods for the Study of Development”
John C. Wright- “Media Effects on Kids are Specific and Early: Evidence From Two Longitudinal Studies”
Winner of student research competition
Andrea Hart- “Social Support in Relation to Mortality in the Elderly”
Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order)
Jeffrey T. Cookston- “Maternal Negative Affect as a Mediator Between Marital Conflict and Children’s Negativity with Unfamiliar Peers,” with Amanda Harrist and Ricardo Ainslie
Jennifer Jipson- “Do Crystals Grow? Do Flowers Melt?” with Maureen Callanan and Michelle Bialon
Spring 1999
At the SRCD 1999 business meeting, the new By-laws became official, separating the roles of Treasurer and Secretary. [By-Laws] The Newsletter Editor shifted to become a Webmaster, with Mike Godfrey taking on the position and designing the first site. This new position was unofficially dubbed SWSRHD Wizard for its alliterative properties.
April 13-15, 2000: TWELFTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Eureka Springs, AR
Photo courtesy of Kay Cutler
Incoming officers were:
Robert Bradley, President
Lori Roggman, President-Elect
Eric Lindsey, Treasurer
Kay Cutler, Secretary-Historian
Anna Tacon, Member-at-Large
Sue Martin, Member-at-Large
Patti Price, Student Representative
Michael Godfrey, SWSRHD Wizard
Invited Speakers:
Ann Austin- “Nurturing Child Development Across Cultures”
Gene Brody- “Disentangling the Contributions of Neighborhoods, Schools, and Parenting to the Adjustment of African-American Children”
Robert Cooper- “Cognitive Development: What are the Questions and Where are the Answers”
Leanne Whiteside-Mansell- “Structural Equation Modeling: Overview and Applications”
Winner of student research competition
Lisa A. Newland - “Mother and Infant Play Preferences in Relation to Infant Language Competence,” with Lori A. Roggman, Diana D. Coyl, Lisa K. Boyce, and Gina A. Cook.
Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order)
Malathi Apparala - “Cross-National Comparison of Parenting Attitudes: Women’s and Men’s Attitudes towards Participation in Household Tasks and Childcare,” with Alan Reifman, Joyce Munsch, and Yvonne M. Caldera
Jeffrey T. Cookson- “Changes in Parenting Behavior from the Dyad to the Triad: A Q-Sort Analysis of School-Aged Children.” with Amanda W. Harrist.
March 7-9, 2002: THIRTEENTH BIENNIAL MEETING in Austin, TX
After many years of discussion about whether the society should remain regional or expand, and whether having a regional name (“Southwestern”) made it more difficult for members to get funding to attend the biennial meeting, the membership voted at the Austin business meeting to change the society’s name to Society for Research in Human Development, SRHD. Kay Cutler, Secretary, was given the task of seeking approval from the state of Texas. That turned out to be more complicated that anyone envisioned, as a defunct Texas organization’s name also began with “Society for Research.” Kay had to seek permission from their board of directors to share the beginning of the name, but those individuals either were no longer living or were incapacitated. Multiple rounds of registered letters and appeals have moved the process into the final waiting stage, with approval anticipated for Spring 2007.
At this Austin meeting, the Society held its first memorial session, for John C. Wright who had died in an automobile accident the previous year. It was especially poignant because John had moved from the University of Kansas to the University of Texas at Austin, so many of his current and former students could attend the session.
Incoming officers were: