Society for Research on Adolescence

Society for Research on Adolescence
Name	Society for Research on Adolescence
Formation	1984
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	North America
Fields	Adolescent development
Leader title	President

Society for Research on Adolescence is an international learned society focused on the study of adolescent development and behavior. The society convenes researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to advance empirical knowledge about adolescence through research dissemination, conferences, and publications. It engages with adjacent institutions and professional networks to translate developmental science into practice and policy.

History

The society originated in the early 1980s amid increased scholarly attention to adolescence, influenced by figures and institutions such as Albert Bandura, Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, Anna Freud, Stanley Hall, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, and International Society for Research on Aggression. Founding meetings involved scholars affiliated with Yale University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and University of Pennsylvania, as well as representatives from World Health Organization and UNICEF. Early conferences featured work connected to landmark studies such as the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, Terman Study of the Gifted, and research programs at the Brookings Institution and Carnegie Corporation. Over subsequent decades the society interacted with agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and regulatory bodies like the Food and Drug Administration on adolescent health research priorities.

Mission and Objectives

The society’s mission aligns with objectives promoted by entities including American Educational Research Association, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, European Society for Developmental Psychology, and Canadian Psychological Association. Objectives emphasize rigorous empirical research modeled after traditions from B. F. Skinner, Lev Vygotsky, John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, and Urie Bronfenbrenner, and aim to influence policy debates involving stakeholders such as U.S. Department of Education, UK Department for Education, Australian Research Council, European Commission, and World Bank. The society promotes interdisciplinarity connecting scholars from programs at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University College London, University of Toronto, and Peking University.

Organizational Structure and Membership

Governance structures mirror those of organizations like American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, Association for Psychological Science, Royal Society, and National Academy of Sciences. Leadership roles—president, executive committee, and standing committees—include scholars with appointments at institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles, Yale School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, University of British Columbia, McGill University, King’s College London, University of Sydney, University of Tokyo, and Seoul National University. Membership categories incorporate graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, clinicians, and international affiliates drawn from networks including Society for Research on Adolescence–European Chapters, Latin American Association for Adolescent Research, and regional societies linked to African Population and Health Research Center.

Research and Publications

The society publishes peer-reviewed work and proceedings influenced by editorial standards from journals such as Developmental Psychology, Child Development, Journal of Research on Adolescence, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Pediatrics, and The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. Research topics include identity formation, risk behaviors, mental health, and neurodevelopment with scholarship referencing theories from Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, Albert Bandura, Anna Freud, and empirical programs like the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, Monitoring the Future study, Add Health, and multinational cohort studies coordinated with European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. The society’s publications interact with citation networks involving Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, American Journal of Psychiatry, and policy briefs used by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual and regional meetings resemble conferences hosted by American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, Association for Psychological Science, European Society for Developmental Psychology, and International Congress of Psychology. Venues have included campuses and centers at Harvard University, Princeton University, University of California, San Diego, University of Edinburgh, University of Amsterdam, University of Cape Town, University of Melbourne, Peking University, and National University of Singapore. Meetings feature plenaries, symposia, poster sessions, and workshops with invited speakers drawn from institutes such as National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and think tanks like RAND Corporation and Brookings Institution.

Awards and Honors

The society confers awards and honors akin to recognitions given by American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, Association for Psychological Science, National Academy of Medicine, Royal Society, and foundation prizes from MacArthur Foundation and Ford Foundation. Awards acknowledge lifetime achievement, early career scholarship, mentorship, and outstanding empirical contributions, and recipients are often affiliated with institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, University of Oxford, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Category:Learned societies