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Tech & Media in Children's Development

The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) invites you to submit for the 2016 Special Topic Meeting: Technology and Media in Children’s Development to be held at the University of California, Irvine from October 27-30, 2016.

Digital devices and social media have become ubiquitous in the environment of 21st century children. From the moment of birth (and even in utero), children and adolescents are surrounded by—and increasingly interacting with—media and technology. This meeting will provide a forum for intellectual interdisciplinary exchange on several aspects of media and technology in relation to children’s development. It is designed to appeal to a wide range of researchers, including those in media and communications, technology design and development, developmentalists, and others who seek to understand the role that technology and media do and can have in children’s lives.

Given its pervasiveness, more and more developmental scientists find it crucial to consider the role of media and technology in developmental processes. Likewise, as technology designed for and with children develops, technology and media researchers need to understand how developmental processes interface with the digital landscape. The rapid evolution of technologies and the increased access across socioeconomic status, minority groups, and developmental time periods raise both methodological and theoretical challenges to those researching child development and those researching and designing new technology. Moreover, a focus on media and technology in children’s development provides an opportunity for reflection on global and historical shifts in the contexts of development. This meeting will present an opportunity for scholars who study media, technology, and/or children to come together for meaningful exchanges and interactions.

Target audience:

• Researchers who investigate children’s media and/or technology use
• Child development researchers who seek to learn about and engage in dialog about studying
technology and/or media
• Designers and developers of media and/or technology for and with children
• Researchers/practitioners who use technology and/or media as a tool for measurement or intervention
• Individuals who work with youth using media and want to know about developmentally appropriate practice

The conference will be organized to facilitate interaction and collaboration among attendees. In addition to keynote presentations [ Justine Cassell, Patricia Greenfield, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff ], there will be workshops and panels that will focus on methodological concerns (e.g., data mining, logging software, working across disciplines) and funding opportunities. Creative breaks alongside demo and poster sessions will facilitate networking and intellectual exchange.

The meeting will be organized around four intersecting themes:

• Children as Producers and Consumers of Media and Technology
• Media and Technology in the Service of Development
• Innovative Methods for Studying Children and Media
• Technology as a Tool for Developmental Interventions and for Studying Development

We invite submissions for symposia, individual papers, poster presentations and demos within/across any of these themes. The interdisciplinary and international character of SRCD is strongly supported through its meetings. We welcome submissions from investigators around the globe in all disciplines related to the topic of technology and media in children’s development.

Early Career Attendance

The Society is committed to supporting the next generation of scholars and strongly encourages submissions from students, both graduate and undergraduate, and early career scholars. The conference is designed to support participation of early career scholars and will offer mentoring, professional networking, and reduced registration for all scholars within 5 years of their degree.

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