Why do we study child development?

Researchers study child development for many reasons. For some, it is simply because they are curious to understand children and because the study of development is fun. But there are other reasons to study child development as well, such as hoping to gain insight into human nature. For example, are children essentially aggressive or loving?
We study development to help us determine the basis of adult behaviors. We might also want to discover whether sex differences between women and men exist and how sex roles develop in children over time. We also study child development to help us understand the origins, prevention and treatment of developmental problems. For example, why are some children hyperactive and others are not? Is there any way to prevent hyperactivity in children? What are effective treatment options for hyperactive children? Finally, we study child development so that we may optimize the conditions of development. In other words, we use our research findings to help ensure that children grow up in the healthiest environments possible.