This paper examined the ways in which developmental psychology can be useful for practitioners in the field, with early childhood education and child care as an example. This discussion appeared to relate to the broader problem of how research can be useful for practitioners in general. Progress in research including the evidence-based approach in developmental psychology continues to change the relationship between research and practice. It is also necessary to devise a more effective way to compile practice-based research. There appear to be three types of research geared at practice: research by practitioners themselves, action research based on collaborations between researchers and practitioners, and a third approach where researchers observe and analyze the practice. We next examined the characteristics of several types of research: child research in general, research on curriculum and teaching methods, research on social problems, research that provides evidence, basic research that transforms theoretical frameworks, and research that promotes social policies. It seems important based on this analysis to promote research from the fields of practice. Finally, we proposed that it would be useful to cultivate both research-oriented practitioners and practice-oriented researchers.

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This article focused on the specialization and roles of the clinical developmental psychologist from three points of view. First, it discussed the meaning of “clinical” within clinical developmental psychology by looking back at the history of the Japanese Organization of Clinical Developmental Psychologists. The second issue was the meaning of a “developmental point of view” at the core of the specialization of clinical developmental psychologist, from the viewpoint of developmental assessment and support. Third, the role of clinical developmental psychology and developmental psychology in providing support after the East Japan Great Earthquake Disaster was discussed. Consideration of the circularity of “basics” and “practice” in developmental psychology and clinical developmental psychology leads to suggestions for the future direction of developmental psychology research.

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Basic research on the development of theory of mind (ToM) has influenced clinical research and practice concerning developmental disabilities, and studies of clinical cases have contributed to progress in basic research which investigates the developmental foundations of ToM. This paper first reviews the influence of the concept of ToM as related to meta-representation processing, which may explain the social and communication problems associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from a cognitive viewpoint in research on developmental disabilities. This work raises the question of the applicability range of the ToM concept. Secondly, an ‘Animated Version of ToM Test' developed by Fujino (2002, 2005) is suggested here to be a valid measure. On the basis of the data collected using this tool, a discussion followed with regard to the developmental trend of ToM in school-aged ASD children and the relationship between acquisition of ToM and language abilities. The effectiveness and limitations of the two approaches used in developmental support for ToM, and problems of ToM acquisition and mental health were next discussed. Finally, a critical argument from the standpoint of the individual with ASD is provided regarding the concept of ToM.

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This article reviews studies published in Europe and the United States that have bridged research and practice through interventions for the parent-child relations, based on attachment theory. Research findings have indicated that parental characteristics such as their internal working model, sensitivity, and reflective functions affect the quality of child attachment. Accordingly, various intervention programs were developed to improve such characteristics and were found to be effective. These included the Video Intervention to Promote Positive Parenting (VIPP), Minding the Baby (MTB), and the Circle of Security Program (COS). There has been active discussion about what kind of interventions and what intervention elements are most effective. Refinement of assessment tools has been found to be necessary in applications to clinical settings. Finally, future issues concerning interventions for Japanese populations were discussed. It appears that application of interventions developed in Europe and the United States requires one to examine the universality of attachment and cultural factors. We also need to explore how to provide a secure base in clinical setting and to examine hypotheses with regard to factors associated with positive change in attachments.

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In search of a better relationship between developmental research and clinical practice in recent Japanese judicial/welfare practices, this article presented two research studies were presented as material for discussion, with respect to how they contributed to clinical practice. Both studies focused not on the specific therapeutic setting itself but rather on everyday life as a whole, and stressed the importance of micro-analysis of how the problem was socially constructed. These studies were relevant to clinical practice in that they used qualitative descriptions of the field in which clinical practice is carried out that (1) relativized the seriousness of the situation with troubled youth and (2) offered a basis for recognition of multiagency work.

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This article is based on the experience of the author's commitment to schools, and makes arguments concerning (1) how bullying research influenced the author's support of prevention practices in schools, and (2) how commitment to prevention practices shaped his own concerns about bullying problems and the direction of research. Because bullying is defined differently among children, teachers, researchers, and parents, this discussion must begin with a description of the nature of the problem, defined as “repetitive aggression in a relationship.” This definition seems to apply not only to bullying in different countries but also is relevant to child abuse and domestic violence. In addition, a process model of bullying and assessments of the severity of bullying influenced the author's commitment to prevention practices such as peer support in schools. However, involvement with such prevention practices revealed various limitations in his previous research. These experiences led the author to deepen his commitment to the practice and to facilitate his own research.

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In this study of the interface between psychological studies and the practical daily life activities, Levy's concept of “overprotection”and Symond's childrearing classification were first considered from the standpoint of American social needs. Four developmental directions, e.g., “Internal Working Model,” “D- type (Disorganized / Disoriented),” “Emotional Availability,” and “Father-Child Attachment” were next reviewed, as influenced by the Bowlby's theory and Ainsworth's Strange Situation Procedure. Lastly, in reference to my research studies on father-daughter relationships and the transition to parenthood, I described my own interface activities of child-rearing magazines and educational support programs for special needs children at school. To establish a firm interface, it is important not only that developmental psychologists conduct original studies, but also that practitioners be open-minded to benefit from the new research-based knowledge.

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As an itinerant consultant to inclusive preschools, the author has recognized the increasing needs of children with severe difficulties to sustain everyday life. Practitioners and researchers concerned with early childhood care have faced the issue of the developing individuality of children`s behaviors, and also have focused on the meaning of individuality and the relationships between children and other people. Derived from various problems presented in consultations, this article provides an analysis of the structure of “difficulty moving on to the next activity” (DMNA), in order to build a hypothetical model. In this formulation, achieving emotional closure of the activity in process was most important in the DMNA process. The origin of DMNA was considered in terms of the structure of triadic relationships in which children objectify their private cognitive and emotional experiences to share them with other people. In that moment, children's sense of time becomes segmented by the caregiver`s verbalizations, which enables children to create narrative stories.

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Research shows that there are two distinct approaches to geropsychology: (1) a life-span developmental psychology approach, which explores developmental changes in individuals, and (2) an approach involving psychological facets of gerontology, which is an interdisciplinary field addressing problems encountered with aging. In this paper, the contents of dementia studies were first reviewed from neurocognitive, clinical, and developmental approaches. Second, examples of fundamental and applied studies on dementia were examined, including studies of visual space recognition within paintings of scenic images, the relationship between perception of another's emotion and cognitive rigidity, false estimates of cognitive abilities of elderly patients with dementia by their caregivers, memory using false memory and metamemory methodologies, and practical interventions (i.e., the “Personal Care Method”). Finally, as an example of new basic research brought about by clinical knowledge, research on communication between family members and the elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) at risk for dementia is clearly needed.

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Researchers in the field of the intergenerational transmission of attachment have recently focused on mothers' attuned responses, which are akin to empathic responses to infants' negative emotions (i.e., showing that the mother is “in tune” with the baby's emotions). The present observational study investigated how mothers produce attuned responses to their infants. Regression analyses revealed that mothers with a secure internal working model produced “mind-related comments (i.e., comments that express something about the infant's thought processes) with smiles” in response to their infants' negative emotions. Insecure mothers either did not make these responses, or instead made responses that did not include mind-related comments. Avoidant mothers and infants displaying highly fearful temperaments rarely produced mind-related comments with smiles. Because such attuned responses may have been overlooked in previous studies, it is important to focus on these responses as factors that promote infants' socioemotional development.

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Junior high school students responded to the Red Nose Problem using three representations of information. Their proportions of correct answers did not differ significantly between the natural frequency (Zhu & Gigerenzer, 2006) and absolute number representations, but were significantly smaller for a partly modified natural frequency representation that included a relative frequency representation. In the partly modified natural frequency representation, students used modes of reasoning in which relative frequency was interpreted as absolute numbers. This suggests that Zhu & Gigerenzer's (2006, pp. 302-303) finding that “children can systematically reason the Bayesian way if the information is provided in natural frequencies rather than in probabilities” was obtained because children interpreted natural frequencies as absolute numbers. The problem structure for natural frequencies was not differentiated from that for absolute numbers, in which basic first-order quantification of probability is required. However, third-order quantification of probability is required in Bayesian problems. It appears that children do not reason the Bayesian way. These results seem to indicate “degeneration effects” (Nakagaki, 1989).

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The present study compared the Fictional Narrative abilities of 26 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with the abilities of 32 typical children. Participants (ages 7-19 years) were asked to narrate a story while looking at the images in a wordless picture book. Group differences were detected in children's use of “settings” and “endings” as story structure components. Children with ASD were less likely than normal children to identify the causes of a character's mental state and emotions. In addition, it was more difficult for ASD children to construct a story from the character's point of view. In contrast to findings from previous studies, there were no significant group differences in the use of referential devices, and gaze behavior at the listener was observed here in many ASD children in elementary school. Additional research is needed to determine how ASD children regulate and adjust their narratives according to the status and knowledge of the listener.

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The present study investigated the relationship between students' trust in their parents and their school adjustment. Junior high school students (N=563) completed a questionnaire. The results were as follows. First, exploratory factor analysis of the scale for students' trust in their mothers revealed 3 factors: “evaluation of role accomplishment by mother,” “sense of security in mother,” and “distrust toward mother. ”Second, exploratory factor analysis of the scale for students' trust in their fathers revealed 3 factors: “sense of security and confidence in father,” “distrust toward father,” and “affinity for father. ”Finally, students' trust in their parents was correlated with their school adjustment, and the correlation differed according to the different relationships (with mother vs. with father), students' grade level, and students' gender.

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