Introduction

The Developmental Research Group was set up in 1994. We have established a distinctive research profile both nationally and internationally in a number of research areas, including the development of prejudice and stereotyping, children's conversational skills, child care and protection and in the study of children in forensic contexts (e.g., child witness interviewing). Our research projects have been funded by grants from ESRC, Wellcome Trust, NHS Executive, and the University of Kent.

Staff involved in research focused on specific stages of the lifespan include Professor Dominic Abrams, Professor Adam Rutland, Dr Kirsten Abbott-Smith, Dr Lindsey Cameron, Dr Mike Forrester, Dr Erika Nurmsoo, and Dr Jane Wood. The main population of interest is children, from infancy to adolescence. Research topics in social psychology include the expression and control of ethnic and gender prejudice, social ostracism and inclusion, conversational norms, and group identity in children. Our cognitive developmental research includes such topics as theory of mind, language development, and children's information processing. Forensic research on children is focused on adolescents, in particular gang activity and antisocial behaviour. Lifespan research at Kent also includes research on social aspects of older adulthood, in particular self-stereotyping and prejudice against the elderly.