Links between socioeconomic position and cognitive and behavioral regulation in adolescence: The role of pubertal development

John Schulenberg as a developmental scholar and mentor: Personal reflections

John Schulenberg has had significant impact on developmental science. His conceptual writing and empirical research, grounded in developmental contextualism, emphasized the critical role that developmental transitions play in shaping health risks, especially substance use, across the life course. Schulenberg's integration of developmental concepts with large-scale epidemiological studies, particularly through his leadership in the Monitoring the Future study, provides key insights into how significant life changes-such as school transitions, employment, and relationships-interact to influence well-being across adolescence and early adulthood. He was a fierce advocate for adolescence and young adulthood being critical phases of life, deserving of focused attention and support. John was also a devoted mentor to the next generation of developmental scientists. This commentary reflects on John Schulenberg's legacy, highlighting five of his foundational concepts (developmental tasks, transitions, trajectories, turning points, and timing) and celebrating his role as a generative and joyful mentor. He fostered open intellectual dialog, promoted and celebrated career development, and took pleasure in life inside and outside work, helping early career scientists to develop innovative and impactful research programs. Schulenberg's commitment to positive relationships and celebrating success is an enduring model for future generations of developmental scientists and mentors.

Celebrating the legacy and work of John Schulenberg: Answering the question "Does adolescence matter?"

Dr. John Schulenberg (1957-2023) was a brilliant and internationally recognized developmental scientist. In equal measure, he was an outstanding, dedicated, and generous mentor. Through his scholarship and mentorship, his impact on the fields of adolescent and substance use research will be deep and enduring. The overriding theme of his research was illuminating the importance of adolescence in the life course, which he referred to as "Taking the Long View" on adolescence. John's longstanding motivation for this was to answer the question: "Does adolescence matter?" This special issue, which (in addition to this introduction) includes 14 papers and 2 invited commentaries, is designed to honor his scholarship and impact. For this introduction to the special issue, we divide what it means to "Take the Long View" on adolescence into four major themes: (1) Turning points; (2) Developmental disturbances; (3) Continuity and long-term developmental connections; and (4) Heterogeneity in the age curve. We describe these four themes, consider how they connect with the overarching question "Does adolescence matter?," and discuss how the research papers included in this special issue are excellent examples of research inspired by these themes.