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The European Society of Developmental Psychology is in very good shape. The number of members is growing rapidly. The Society is financially healthy. The next Conference in Jena is prepared well by the experienced hands of Prof Rainer Silbereisen and his staff. The Society’s Journal does very well. Of course there were a great number of problems that had to be solved in the last years. This as a consequence of the passing away of the founders of the Society George Butterworth and Sandy Jackson. Handling bank affairs, getting access to the accounts, updating of the website are only a few of these difficult issues. But now we think to be back again. Soon there will be the great new updated website (here it is!) – well prepared by Dr. Matthias Reitzle, to whom the Society is most grateful for his dedication. The financial situation was greatly improved by the success of the Tenerife Conference in 2005, chaired by Prof Maria Jose Rodrigo, who did a great job, among other things leading to a considerable increase in the number of members. The Society also owes much to the publishers of the journal, Psychology Press. The Press not only supports in a wonderful way the publication of the Journal, but will also take over the technicalities of the membership administration, in close cooperation with the treasurer (Maria Jose Rodrigo) and the Secretary (Dr Nadja Reissland).
And then there is the work of the newly appointed Secretary, Dr Nadja Reissland, who more and more succeeds in being the coordinating and linking power of the Society.
We very much hope that the membership will experience the Society as the important secure base of European developmental psychology. It is our intention that the Society succeeds in promoting and making visible the European contribution to international psychological science and at the same time gives a face to typical European research themes and issues.
Dear members, please read this Newsletter and please commit yourself by sending suggestions, nominations, critical remarks. We, members of the Council hope to see you all in Jena, 2007.
Willem Koops, President of ESDP
We are seeking nominations from members of the European Society for the board of the European Society. You are invited to nominate members of the Society, from any European region; however we need particularly members who represent Southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, etc.) and middle Europe (Hungary, Rumania, Lituania etc.).
Please send your nominations to Dr. N. Reissland (n.n.reissland@durham.ac.uk)
George Butterworth (1947-2000) was a renowned scholar in developmental psychology, internationally respected for his scholarship and for his commitment to research. He was the founder of the ESDP and its first President. George’s research interests were broad, encompassing topics as varied as the origins of self awareness in human development and evolution, and children's understanding of geographical features of the earth. But his most distinguished contribution was his work on the origins of thought and perception in infants, a field in which he was a world authority. ESDP honours his scholarly work and his dedication to internationalizing developmental psychology by attaching his name to the important Young Scientist Award.
Any dissertation in the (broadly defined) domain of developmental psychology that has been successfully defended at a University in any European country during the period 1-1-2003 to 31-12-2006 is eligible to be included in the competition organized by the ESDP. The award will be attributed in 2007, during the Jena Conference.
Nominations of authors of the dissertations (the former Ph D students) as candidates for the award should be received by February 28 2007. Self-nominations are permitted. The applicants should send a paper or a chapter, either published, in press or submitted, or written for this purpose. In any case, the proposal should be based on the dissertation. It must be written in English, and submitted to each of the committee members by email. The paper should fulfil the APA criteria. The length of the paper should not exceed 25 pages (double spaced) excluding figures and tables. At the same time the applicants should send one copy of the original thesis (any European language is permitted) to the chair of the committee. All nominations should also be accompanied by 2 letters of recommendation by senior scholars.
The committee reviewing the 2007 proposals consists of Bente Wold (chair) (bente.wold@psyhp.uib.no, Bente Wold, Research Centre for Health Promotion, University of Bergen, Christiesgate 13, 5015 Bergen, Norway), Blaise Pierrehumbert (blaise.pierrehumbert@ip.unil.ch) and Bram Orobio de Castro (b.castro@fss.uu.nl). The criteria are good quality publications, well constructed studies, insightful analyses, plus that little bit extra which makes the difference between the good and the best.
The awardee will receive € 500. He/she will be offered the opportunity to present the research of the dissertation as an invited address at the next ESDP Conference in Jena, and will be invited and supported to publish the invited address in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology. He/she will also be invited to join the next award committee.
The William Thierry Preyer Award was given to the European Society for Developmental Psychology (ESDP) by the President of the 2007 European Congress on Developmental Psychology and the Rector of the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany. According to an agreement with ESDP, the university will support this Award with a donation for the next three congresses. ESDP will take care for its continuation.
William Thierry Preyer (1841-1897), born in England, was the Chair of Physiology at the University of Jena, Germany. His vision was inspired by Charles Darwin, and his main works have importance till today – “Spezielle Physiologie des Embryos” and “Die Seele des Kindes” (The Mind of the Child). Both books lead the foundation in their respective scientific disciplines, developmental physiology and developmental psychology, and seen from modern interdisciplinary views on human development, Preyer is a major forerunner of rigorous research on human development, based on observation and experimentation.
Criteria: The Award will be given to a European psychologist or a group of European psychologists – who is/are recognized internationally for an original and substantial contribution to a better understanding of human development and its contexts, as demonstrated by first-rate publications in scholarly journals, based on empirical research into the antecedents, processes and outcomes of human development-in-context.
Procedure: The Award will be given on the occasion of the European Congress of Developmental Psychology. ESDP is in charge of a Preyer Award Committee which includes its President, its President-Elect and three other outstanding international scientists in human development. Nominations can be made, following a Call normally announced 6 months subsequent to the previous Congress, by every ESDP member and by members of the Committee who are free to consult with other scientists and scientific bodies, including former Award winners. A recommendation to the EC will be made by the Committee and confirmed by the EC. Nominations should be accompanied by a statement as to how the nominee(s) meet(s) the criteria, and by the full curriculum vitae of the nominee(s), and should be signed by two nominators. Members of the EC of ESDP are not eligible for the Award during their mandate. They become so 5 years after the end of their last mandate. A Preyer Award Lecture by the winner will be delivered during the next European Congress of Psychology. The Preyer Award is given during the Opening Ceremony of the Congress by the President of ESDP. It may be given in the form of a diploma or a medal. The funds donated are meant to cover travel and accommodation for the awardee, and for a special reception or dinner.
Please address nominations electronically to Willem Koops W.Koops@fss.uu.nl. The deadline for the current round is February 28, 2007.
XIIth European Conference on Developmental Psychology, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, 24-28 August 2005.
The delegates of the conference came from 45 countries, the majority (82%) from Europe and the rest from North and South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It was very gratifying to note that the students and postgraduate students represented one third of the total number of delegates. As far as the presentations at this conference were concerned, besides 5 invited speakers and 11 invited symposia, the conference included 40 symposia, 39 thematic sessions (230 oral presentations) organized in 9 parallel sessions, 1 posterworkshop (11 posters) and 375 posters (25 topics). That is a total of 825 presentations. The most represented areas were Cognitive and Linguistic development, followed by Personal and social development, Cultural and Educational contexts of development, Developmental disorders and special needs. We also observed in the presentations a growing interest in developing intervention programs with a preventive and educative orientation.
The XII edition of the European conference brought some novelties which are in line with the ESDP´s aims:
1) First Pre-conference Workshop on Methodological Advances in Developmental Research especially suited for students and young researchers. The main focus was to present four fields of methodological advances that move developmental research well beyond the traditional methods. Specialists from Spain, USA, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands agreed to take on the difficult task of sharing their expertise with the audience in a four-hour session for each topic. Around 150 participants attended the workshop.
2) Discussion hour on Migration in Europe: A panel of specialists from different countries was appointed to present their own results and thoughts on this topic which is of primary importance for many European and non European countries. This was an important contribution of this conference which can inspire social and political decisions on these matters.
3) The Wolfang Köhler exhibition, sponsored by the Wolfang Köhler Association and the Faculty of Psychology of La Laguna, was an interesting spot to visit during the conference days in the Aularium. It illustrated the stay of Köhler at the Casa Amarilla in Puerto de la Cruz where he carried out his famous study of problem solving in apes. It was a way also to stress the importance of preserving this house and the Köhler´s cultural heritage on the island.
The conference successfully combined work and pleasure. Conference Dinner took place in the gardens of the Hotel Botanico, Puerto de la Cruz. A photo gallery is still on shown on the webpage of the conference www.magnacongresos.com/xiiecon/.
A final word of gratitude to the Executive and the program committee, the local organizing committee, local agencies, and authorities for their continuous effort to make this event possible. I would like to also thank all the participants for they were the ones who gave life to this conference by sharing and discussing their ideas.
María José Rodrigo
President of the conference
The 13th conference on Developmental Psychology will take place 21st - 25th August in Jena. See the web pages for the conference http://www.esdp2007.de/ The deadline for abstract submissions is December 31st 2006 and should be submitted through their webpages: http://www.esdp2007.de/congress/abstracts.htm.
!! Submission deadline: December 31, 2006 !!
Rainer Sibereisen, the conference president wrote:
“This biennial conference offers a forum for researchers and all those who want to learn more about studying human development. As organisers of the conference in Jena, Germany, we would like to offer our hospitality to participants from Europe and all other continents. The programme will cover all aspects and research domains of developmental psychology, with a particular emphasis on development-in-context during the first decades of life.
Over and beyond basic research, we will put emphasis on the transfer of psychological insights to social policies and programme development. For developmentalists, Jena represents a special place because the founder of scientific child psyuchology, William Thierry Preyer (1841-1897), lived and worked at the Unviersity of Jena. My colleagues and I are very much looking forward to meeting you in Jena in the summer of 2007 and are now eagerly awaiting submissions!”
Please also note that there are two pre-conference workshops (August 20 and 21, 2007) particularly addressing young researchers from eastern European and from developing countries. Please look for the details at http://www.esdp2007.de/
The city of Jena , originally founded by winegrowers, was mentioned the first time in official records in the year 1236. In 1558, the university was founded and the city has since acquired prominence all over Europe . Thanks to its attractive setting, the beautiful surrounding and the famous orchids, Jena has become a popular destination.
Of course, then is much more to Jena then the landscape. Jena is home to the world´s oldest planetarium, now equipped with state-of-the-art projection technology. In Jena, you will find the largest collection of eyeglasses in Europe as well as the famous Zeiss microscope which was developed in Jena and has since acquired an excellent reputation throughout the world. Today, you can learn about the pioneering history of origins of the Zeiss microscope in the Optical Museum. In the Schott Glass Museum , the history of the production and technology of Schott Glass is documented. Authentic exhibits, images and films take you into the innovative world of Schott. In the Schott Villa, Otto Schott´s multi-faceted lifework is on display.
If you are interested in museums, there is much you will like to visit. Classical museums in Jena are the Romantikerhaus (The Romanticists´ House), the Goethe Memorial and the Museum 1806. Furthermore, the Imaginata presents an interactive exhibition for all senses. Its numerous architectural monuments and cultural-historical sights bear witness to Jena´s glorious and eventful past. Great names like Goethe, who supported the university, Schiller, who taught his lectures here, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel are the foundation of Jena´s brilliant intellectual history.
A large number of people come to Jena every year to study, attend seminars and conferences, to revisit the place where they used to live or study, on business, or simply to take pleasure in the beautiful old town with all its greenery, remarkable memorials of German culture and history, and its charming surroundings which offer a wealth of unusual botanical attractions.
Rita Zukauskiene (laav@is.lt) University of Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania is the conference organiser of the 14th conference on Developmental Psychology
The ECDP in Vilnius will provide a forum for the presentation of a wide range of papers in all aspects of on human development in the European context. Papers on all aspects of human development dealing with psychological development and developmental psychopathology during infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood are invited for presentation at the conference and publication in the proceedings. All submitted papers will be peer reviewed under the coordination of an international scientific advisory panel.
Department of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, www.mruni.lt
In order to maintain a tradition, we have scheduled the Vilnius Conference for the last week of August, including Saturday night to ensure APEX travel prices. The last week has been chosen to avoid interference with the European Congress of Psychology and with the APA annual conference.
For registration and accommodations online payment (via credit card) will be accomplished via internet. However, for registration bank transfer options will be also acceptable.
Vilnius is the capital of the Republic of Lithuania. In the year 2009 the country will celebrate 1,000 years since its name was mentioned for the first time in the written documents.
Vilnius is the country’s most attractive tourist location. Approximately 80% of all tourists who come to Lithuania visit Vilnius. One quarter of Lithuania’s hotels, some of which are owned by the renowned international hotel groups, operate in Vilnius. The Old Town, the historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Eastern Europe (360 hectares). Its unique qualities led to the Old Town being included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. Vilnius is distinct from other European cities not only because of the specific old town spirit and unique architecture but also because of its intense and rapidly developing cultural life, recreational and sports events. National and international conferences, world-famous classical music festivals and exhibitions are held in the city on a regular basis. Huge and noisy city holidays, street parades, and open–air events are also gaining in popularity in Vilnius. As a result of the development in these areas, Vilnius aims to be the European Cultural Capital in 2009.
Vilnius’ favourable geographical location enables good communications with foreign countries. Nine highways and national roads, five of which are actually international, connect Vilnius to the national and regional transport network. Vilnius has an excellent air transport system: Vilnius International Airport serves up to 90% of passengers using air transport in Lithuania. Vilnius Airport has direct connections with Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Hanover, London, Moscow, Munich, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw and others. Railways play an important role in the infrastructure of the city and integration with the European and Lithuanian railway networks and international railway networks is proceeding at a rapid pace.
The format will basically follow the usual set-up of the ECDP with keynotes (Plenary lectures), symposia, Thematic Sessions, and posters. Invited talks will last 45 minutes plus 5 minutes for discussion. Symposium or Paper sessions will last 90 minutes, and provide opportunities for up to four presentations in each session. Normally presenters will have a maximum of 20 minutes for their presentation. Ten minutes will be allocated for questions and discussion.
Submissions are to be made online. The Conference & Scientific Committee will reserve the right to schedule individual abstracts as papers or posters, but will try to satisfy all requests.
It will be recommended that each speaker make no more than 2 oral presentations (however, they may be second or third authors on as many papers as they wish).
Workshops will be devoted to methodological issues, and designed mostly to fit into needs of young researchers, but they also will be offered to all participants.
Bids for the 2011 ESDP conference containing the following information:
should be send to Dr. N.Reissland (n.n..reissland@durham.ac.uk). The deadline for submissions is: 31st May 2007.
Although The European Journal of Developmental Psychology is not yet listed in the Journal Citation Reports it was favourably reviewed earlier this year in the Times Higher Educational Supplement. This is very encouraging. Listing probably will take place in the coming calendar year. The publisher has positive expectations with respect to the reviewing of the journal that will take place for this purpose. The journal is doing very well according to several criteria: there is an exponentially growing number of submissions and many proposals for special issues; the number of subscriptions has doubled in the last year and the number of institutional subscriptions has tripled in the same period; the Publisher has added without costs a more than 10% increase in the number of pages in the following year. Success also has downsides: we are building a back log that is becoming too long. An exponential increase in submissions leads to a back log, even when the reviewing is leading to high quality papers. The increase in the number of pages will help here, but probably not enough. So we will remain knocking on the door of the Publisher for more pages.
