President Kennedy helped fulfill his vision of research on and attention to mental retardation by creating the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the President's Panel on Mental Retardation. The President's Panel helped create Mental Retardation Research Centers (MRRCs). Peabody College of Vanderbilt University's Kennedy…

Susan Gray and Nicholas Hobbs were influential in the development of the Kennedy Center at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, which was designed to include an emphasis on research and training in education and human development. This paper describes Gray's and Hobbs' work and explains how their vision extended to the creation of the Kennedy…

Discusses the evolution of research on mental retardation, which was enhanced by support from the Kennedy family, President Kennedy's determination to place a high priority on the issue, development of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and creation of 12 national Mental Retardation Research Centers, including the unique…

Describes the development of the Kennedy Center for Research and Human Development at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, which is renowned for outstanding training of researchers and for its work in the field of mental retardation. Discusses Kennedy Center researchers, the Center's philosophy, the Center's research, and the Center's role in…

The Kennedy Center at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University is one of 12 Mental Retardation Research Centers (MRRCs) constructed by the federal government. Several major discoveries in mental retardation have come from MRCCs. The Kennedy Center is unique in its focus on education integrated with a university and medical school environment,…

Describes the history of the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, which focuses its research on problems related to mental retardation. The center is unique among 12 federally funded Mental Retardation Research Centers because it is exclusively identified with a college of…

The Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University emphasizes research on mental retardation and human development; there is a parallel commitment to research training for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral candidates. This article reviews the history of the Kennedy Center's research training,…

Offers six strategies that can be used in human development courses to promote student understanding of the research practice relationship: (1) observation; (2) priming; (3) clarification of tacit assumptions; (4) a life span perspective; (5) the meanings of diversity; and (6) theory as process. (CMK)

Describes the establishment and work of the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at the Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, presenting an overview of this theme issue, which highlights Kennedy Center contributions, roots of the Kennedy Center, and ongoing research at the Kennedy Center. Two appendixes list Kennedy Center…

Describes the work of the John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, which for three decades has promoted interdisciplinary research on developmental disabilities. The paper describes how the Kennedy Center is an integral part of both the educational community and the surrounding civic community at the Peabody College of Vanderbilt…

The three-fold mission of facilitating and supporting teaching, research, and outreach activities has guided the actions of university-based child development laboratory programs since their inception. In recent years, campuses have reconsidered, reconceptualized, and restructured the ways in which these laboratory programs fit within the agendas…

Reviews the behavioral, cognitive, and other psychological features of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), exploring their relationships to known genetic mechanisms. PWS is a genetic developmental disability characterized by a group of specific behavioral features, including an insatiable appetite. The article briefly touches on PWS-related research at…

Describes how applied developmental science (ADS) integrates developmental research with policies and programs promoting positive development or enhancing life chances of vulnerable children and families. Maintains that ADS contributes to social justice, promotes outreach, and serves as a model of how higher education may engage policymakers,…

Reviews past and present research on early communication and language intervention at the Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, presenting three premises that inform most of the Kennedy Center's research on the issue, summarizing seven lines of contemporary research by Kennedy Center investigators that influence the development of…