Professor Paul Harris Wins Preyer Award

Professor Paul Harris won the 2009 William Thierry Preyer Award for Excellence in Research on Human Development this week from the European Society for Developmental Psychology at the Mykolas Romeris University Vilnius in Lithuania.

"Having taught in the UK, in the Netherlands, in France and in Switzerland, I'm very proud to receive this award from my European colleagues," said Harris.

The society recognized Harris for his influence on the development of the discipline of development psychology. In particular, the society lauded Harris' research on children's insight into emotion, which has inspired many researchers all over the world. An award committee consisting of past and current society presidents and past recipients of the Preyer Award, as well as the society's council unanimously voted for Harris.

Harris' research focuses on the early development of cognition, emotion, and imagination. He is currently studying whether children rely on their own firsthand observation or trust what people tell them, and children's understanding of mental states, including emotional states.