Leading expert on child development awarded prestigious book award
Release Date 30 October 2015
The University of Reading is delighted to announce that leading child development expert, Professor Lynne Murray, is the winner of the 2015 British Psychological Society (BPS) Text Book Award.
The Psychology of Babies: How Relationships Support Development from Birth to Two, highlights how parents' ordinary daily experiences with their babies, such as sharing meal times, looking at picture books, or pretend play, can help shape their child's lives for the better.
The book is an expert guide on caring for children less than two years old. It explains how the development of children's attachments, self-control and intelligence can be supported through their relationships.
Professor Murray, from the University of Reading's School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, said: "I am absolutely delighted to receive this award, as the book in many ways represents a distillation of my many years' work in psychology. I am very glad to make what I have learned myself available to students, but I also hope that the evidence base represented in the book will be of interest, and help, to parents and the professionals who support them."
After a lifetime of observing parents and infants communicating in the UK and Africa, Professor Murray is an internationally recognised expert in child development. In her book she explores tricky issues including babies' sleep problems, decisions about day care, postnatal depression and managing defiant child behaviour.
Lynne has worked extensively with babies whose mothers are depressed, anxious or living in deprived circumstances. Her research shows that the difficulties depressed parents have with their babies - noticing the baby's signals and cues, being able to respond to them appropriately and enjoy being with them, especially when these difficulties persist over several months - are associated with an increased risk of difficulties in the child's development.
Professor Laurie Butler, Head of the University of Reading's School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, said: "Many congratulations to Lynne. She is a true leader in her field whose ground-breaking work is revolutionising our knowledge of how babies communicate and develop. Her books have become valuable guides for parents across the globe."
Read more about the winning book here
Notes to Editors
The popular science category was won by Michael Bond for The Power of Others: Peer Pressure, Groupthink, and How the People Around Us Shape Everything We Do
The BPS Book Award recognises excellent published work in psychology. The award is made jointly by the Society's Research Board, Psychology Education Board and the Professional Practice Board.