Positive effects of research for families and children

One example of research that benefits young children and families is the nature versus nurture debate. For decades, researchers aimed to understand how a child's environment (versus their genetics) affected their developmental outcomes. It is well accepted today that development stems from a combination of nature and nurture- that both the environment (social and physical) and the child's genetics play important roles in the developing brain (Berger, 2016). This research benefits young children because either assumption (that only nature matters or that only nurture matters) means we are neglecting part of the child's development. For example, we know that the young brain makes tons of synaptic connections before age three and that the environment to which the child is exposed has an effect on how many synapses are formed (Berger, 2016). This has led to an incredible push for high-quality programs serving the youngest children and their families. On the other hand, it has helped science move toward manipulating genes in ethical ways to increase the health and outcomes for all young children. The nature versus nurture debate sparked research on a wealth of other topics and has been helpful to young children and families as professionals seek to improve environments, increase caregiver education, and as science moves toward genetic testing and tweaking.

Reference

Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.