The Developing Belief Network is a collaborative group of researchers from around the world interested in studying how we come to believe what we do about the world and our place in it. Most of us are cognitive and developmental scientists, but our network also includes scholars from other disciplines. We study the formation of a range of beliefs in early childhood (mostly ages 4-13), especially religious and scientific beliefs and beliefs about others and ourselves. We additionally study caregivers beliefs, values, and practices. We currently study these topics in 19 countries with nearly 50 unique communities (see Field Sites). We are developing and validating tasks and protocols that are suitable for cross-cultural research, and, in collaboration with Databrary are building a rich longitudinal dataset that will be available for other scholars to reuse.
 
The Developing Belief Network was formed in June 2020 through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Dr. Rebekah Richert (University of California, Riverside) and Dr. Kathleen Corriveau (Boston University). The researchers who comprise the network applied in response to an open RFP (Request for Proposals). Our initial work together has been to study how young children around the world and across religious belief systems develop their religious beliefs, in particular beliefs about religious beings and beliefs about what it means to be a member of a religious community.​ We follow principles of open science, through partnerships with Databary and OSF Collections, and engage in team science (e.g., see shared author guidelines).