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Abstract

Here we introduce a Special Section of Child Development entitled “Formalizing
Theories of Child Development.” This Special Section features five papers that
use mathematical models to advance our understanding of central questions in the
study of child development. This landmark collection is timely: it signifies growing
awareness that rigorous empirical bricks are not enough; we need solid theory to
build the house. By stating theory in mathematical terms, formal models make
concepts, assumptions, and reasoning more explicit than verbal theory does. This
increases falsifiability, promotes cumulative science, and enables integration with
mathematical theory in allied disciplines. The Special Section contributions cover
a range of topics: the developmental origins of counting, interactions between
mathematics and language development, visual exploration and word learning
in infancy, referent identification by toddlers, and the emergence of typical and
atypical development. All are written in an accessible manner and for a broad
audience.