Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

Discipline	Peer Relations
Language	English
Edited by	Brett Laursen
Publication details
History	1954-present
Publisher	Wayne State University Press
Frequency	Quarterly
Impact factor	1.2 (2023)
Standard abbreviations ISO 4 (alt) · Bluebook (alt) NLM (alt) · MathSciNet (alt )
ISO 4	Merrill-Palmer Q.
Indexing CODEN (alt · alt2) · JSTOR (alt) · LCCN (alt) MIAR · NLM (alt) · Scopus
CODEN	MPQUA5
ISSN	0272-930X (print) 1535-0266 (web)
LCCN	sn91028419
OCLC no.	811778484
Links
Journal homepage

The Merrill-Palmer Quarterly is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It is the only empirical journal dedicated to the topic of peer relations. Published four times a year, the journal features developmental, quantitative research on peer relationships and interpersonal factors that impact socioemotional development.

History

The journal has a long and rich history as one of the oldest journals in developmental psychology. Originally attached to the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit, the journal was founded in 1954 to promote and disseminate scientific information about child and family development and became a scientific journal in 1960.[1] The Institute was acquired by Wayne State University in 1981 and the journal is now published by Wayne State University Press. From 1958 to 1981, it was known as the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly of Behavior and Development,[2] and from 1981 to 2024 as Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Editors

Since 2025, the editor-in-chief has been Brett Laursen (Florida Atlantic University), and the journal is now known as Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal.[3] The associate editors are Hannah Schacter, René Veenstra, and Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2023 impact factor of 1.2.[4]

Previous editors were Ralph E. Sloan (1954-1959), Martin L. Hoffman (1960-1980), Grover Whitehurst (1980), Eli Saltz (1981-1982), Carolyn Uhlinger Shantz (1982-2000), and Gary W. Ladd (2001-2024).[5]

Focus

Most papers published in the journal address a core themes in peer relations[6]: (a) features (what peers do with each other), (b) effects (antecedents and consequences of features), or (c) processes (mechanisms that account for associations within and between features and effects). Topics include peer relations and networks (e.g., friendships, peer groups and networks, romantic relationships, sibling relationships), peer settings (e.g., social media, school, home), peer interactions (e.g., bullying, helping), peer reputation and status (e.g., popularity, acceptance, rejection), and the antecedents, consequences, and correlates of each.

Most cited articles per decade

• Neural Underpinnings of Peer Experiences and Interactions: A Review of Social Neuroscience Research[7]
• What Does It Take to Stand Up for the Victim of Bullying? The Interplay Between Personal and Social Factors[8]
• Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches to Longitudinal Data[9]
• Temperament and Social-Behavior in Childhood[10]
• Continuities and Changes In Children's Social-Status: A 5-Year Longitudinal-Study[11]
• Acquisition of Performatives Prior to Speech[12]
• Sex, Age, and State as Determinants of Mother-Infant Interaction[13]
• Personal Thoughts on Teaching and Learning[14]

References

1. Hoffman, Martin L. (1988). "Launching a Journal". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 34 (4): 349–351. ISSN 0272-930X.
2. "Merrill-Palmer Quarterly on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
3. "Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal | WSU Press | Wayne State University". digitalcommons.wayne.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
4. "Merrill-Palmer Quarterly". 2023 Journal Citation Reports. Web of Science (Science ed.). Clarivate Analytics. 223.
5. Ladd, Gary W. (2004). "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the "Merrill-Palmer Quarterly"". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 50 (1): 1–16. ISSN 0272-930X.
6. Bukowski, William M.; Laursen, Brett; Rubin, Kenneth H., eds. (2018). Handbook of peer interactions, relationships, and groups (2nd ed.). New York/London: Guilford. ISBN 978-1-4625-4121-8.
7. Güroğlu, Berna; Veenstra, René (2021). "Neural Underpinnings of Peer Experiences and Interactions: A Review of Social Neuroscience Research". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 67 (4): 416–456. doi:10.1353/mpq.2021.0021. hdl:1887/3562660. ISSN 1535-0266.
8. Pöyhönen, Virpi; Juvonen, Jaana; Salmivalli, Christina (2010). "What Does It Take to Stand Up for the Victim of Bullying? The Interplay Between Personal and Social Factors". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 56 (2): 143–163. ISSN 0272-930X.
9. Laursen, Brett; Hoff, Erika (2006). "Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches to Longitudinal Data". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 52 (3): 377–389. ISSN 0272-930X.
10. Rothbart, Mary K.; Ahadi, Stephan A.; Hershey, Karen L. (1994). "Temperament and Social Behavior in Childhood". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 40 (1): 21–39. ISSN 0272-930X.
11. Coie, John D.; Dodge, Kenneth A. (1983). "Continuities and Changes in Children's Social Status: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 29 (3): 261–282. ISSN 0272-930X.
12. Bates, Elizabeth; Camaioni, Luigia; Volterra, Virginia (1975). "The Acquisition of Performatives Prior to Speech". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 21 (3): 205–226. ISSN 0026-0150.
13. Moss, Howard A. (1967). "Sex, Age, and State as Determinants of Mother-Infant Interaction". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 13 (1): 19–36. ISSN 0026-0150.
14. Rogers, Carl R. (1957). "Personal Thoughts on Teaching and Learning". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 3 (4): 241–243. ISSN 0272-9679.

External links

• Official website