This article provides an introduction to the idiographic approach ("N = 1" research) in developmental psychology and an overview of methodological and statistical techniques employed to address the study of within-individual variability in development. Through a popularization of the idiographic approach and associated statistical…

The purpose of this article is to describe the application of Kram's mentorship principles to the development of a service learning assignment in an undergraduate course. An overview of the (a) assignment and (b) qualitative analysis of student papers is provided. Recommendations for other courses are noted.

This article provides readers with an accessible and minimally technical description of foundational issues surrounding the analysis of individual change--that is, the amount by which a given construct related to individuals changes over time. Of primary focus is an explanation of what is meant by construct commensurability, the requirement that…

Outdoor and adventure education has been shown to result in positive psychological outcomes. This paper connects positive psychology--specifically, strengths-based education--to important outcomes in outdoor and adventure education. Strengths-based education encourages participants to intentionally use their talents to achieve success in the…

Nonlinear growth curves or growth curves that follow a specified nonlinear function in time enable researchers to model complex developmental patterns with parameters that are easily interpretable. In this article we describe how a variety of sigmoid curves can be fit using the M"plus" structural modeling program and the nonlinear…

This article provides an overview of the origins and use of relational data analysis (RDA). RDA is a multidimensional, multiphasic framework for unifying data analytic strategies across dimensions (quantitative/qualitative, causal/structural, observation/interpretation, etc.) and phases of analyses (conceptual, theoretical, and research analyses).…

This article acknowledges Kazimierz Dabrowski as a foundational influence and inspiration for our work in supporting the development of highly gifted individuals. Our intention is to help disambiguate the ways this farsighted theory of global human development can be employed in uncommon and atypical profiles in the gifted population. Our focus is…

Multiple methods are vital to understanding development as a dynamic, transactional process. This article focuses on the ways in which quantitative and qualitative methodologies can be combined to enrich developmental science and the study of human development, focusing on the practical questions of "when" and "how." Research situations that may…

Tiedeman (1919-2004) designed the blueprint for equipping and building career construction theory. After making significant contributions to the statistical analysis of occupational behavior, he shifted to a constructivist epistemology for comprehending careers as the imposition of direction on vocational behavior. The cornerstones of his…

Following the assumptions of ecological socialization research, adequate analysis of socialization conditions must take into account the multilevel and multivariate structure of social factors that impact on human development. This statement implies that complex models of family configurations or of socialization factors are needed to explain the…

This article features the life and accomplishments of Stuart Appleton Courtis. As a teacher, a developer of tests in a variety of subjects, a member of several school surveys, a student of educational measurement, and a director of a bureau of educational research, Courtis participated in the twentieth-century transformation of public education.…