How can contemplative educational practices support healthy human development? In this talk, I will outline five metatheoretical premises underlying developmental contemplative science, and to demonstrate their utility, I will apply them to foundational neurocognitive skills that are the targets of many contemplative practices: meta-cognitive reflection and executive function (i.e., attention-regulation) skills.

Phil Zelazo, PhD (Yale Univerity) holds the Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Leadership Chair at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. Zelazo’s research has helped shape current understanding of executive function (EF) and its development, including the key roles of reflection, rule use, hierarchical complexity, mindfulness, and emotion (hot versus cool EF). He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2025 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Developmental Psychology (APA). His forthcoming book, Executive Function, Reflection, and the Developing Brain: A Multi-level Account of the Development of Conscious Control, will be published by MIT Press later in 2026.

This session is part of the FREE Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 14-25, 2026.

The full summit schedule is posted at: https://med.stanford.edu/contemplation/summit.html.