Commentaries in honor of the 50th anniversary of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: An introduction to the July 2004 and October 2004 issues

This occasion in the journal's history provides a vantage point from which to appraise the scientific endeavors that have generated the contents of the Quarterly and its sister publications over the last half-century. To capitalize on this opportunity, two issues of this year's Quarterly (i.e., July and October 2004) contain commentaries written by senior investigators whose research programs and accomplishments span many years within this epoch. Included in the content of these commentaries are historical analyses of pivotal accomplishments within various subdisciplines, appraisals of the contemporary status of specific areas of investigation, and visions of the future of scientific inquiry in the human developmental sciences.