Our work in this area focuses on both child and adult development in a variety of socio-cultural contexts. That work attempts to tackle tangible and practical issues as well as address more basic questions raised in the relevant fields.

Our staff has been involved in collaborations with many institutions in the UK and abroad, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the British Academy, Luton Primary Care Trust, Luton and Central Bedfordshire Local Authorities, the European Regional Development Fund.

Our topics of interest include the identity and outcomes of children in care, interventions with socially disadvantaged parents and children, the role of brain placticity in language learning, children's eating, learner's development in higher education, and the role of attachment in human relationships and mental health.