| Description | British Psychological Society press releases concerning conferences and statements on policy and publications.
7 - 8 January 1985 Annual Conference of the Occupational Psychology Section, Open University
1. People Work Harder in Co-operatives (Nick Oliver) press release
2.Trade Union Ballots (Roderick Martin) - press release
26 March 1985 Invitation to briefing for launch of BPS statement on nuclear bomb published as a book and press releases
1. 'Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War
2. Science Created the Bomb
3. Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War
4. Disaster Reactions and Civil Defence
5. The Danger of Accidental Nuclear War
6. The Psychology of Negotiations
29 March - 1 April 1985 BPS Annual Conference, University College Swansea
General press release about the conference.
1. Heart Rules Head When Choosing Politicians (Robert Abelson) - press release for paper 'The Role of Affect in Public Response to Political Stimuli';
2. Disgust Allows The World To Starve (Paul Rozin) - press release for paper 'Accounting for Human Food Preferences';
3. Bridging The Gap in Northern Ireland (Liz McWhirter) - press release for paper 'Contact and Conflict Evaluating Reconciliation Projects';
4. Patient's Choose Cancer Treatment (Jenny Ashcroft) - press release for paper 'Informal Decision Analysis and Treatment Choice by Breast Cancer Patients';
5. New Drugs for the Addict (Colin Hendrie) - press release for paper 'Towards a New Model of Opiate Dependence';
6. Who Blames Who for Unemployment (Adrian Furnham) - press release for 'Explaining the Causes of Unemployment';
7. A Cure for Cream Cakes (John Blundell) - press release for 'The Pharmacological Control of Eating: Theory and Applications';
8. Teacher Your Looking Wonderful (Roger Burland) - press release for 'Survival Skills for the Comprehensive School'.
4 May1985 Psychology in Society Welsh Branch Exhibition [see BPS/001/11/03/03/04 for photographs]
10-12 May 1985 Northern Ireland Branch Annual Conference, Beach Hotel Portballintrae:
General Release about the conference
1. As Easy As I, 2, 3. (Ravey, Bunting, Stringer) press release on paper on voting preferences
2. The Eleven Plus: Unreliable, Invalid and Unjust (Brendan Bunting, Joe McCormack) - press release
3. Alcoholic Treatments (Carol McMillan) - press release
4. Youth Training Schemes Under Scrutiny (Rosemary Kilpatrick) - press release
30 May 1985 The Psychology of the Violent Crowd - BPS statement - press release
5 August 1985 Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War - press release and distribution list
14 August 1985 British Psychological Society Project Award for Schools
1. Canterbury School Girls Win 1985 National Psychology Award - press release
2. Two School Students from Kent pick-up Prize in Glasgow - press release
17/18 September 1985
Psychologists say Corporal Punishment Doesn't Work - press release
17-19 September 1985 Social Psychology Annual Conference Clare College, University of Cambridge
General Release about Conference and distribution list
1. Coping With Unemployment (Paul Jackson and Susan Walsh) - press release
2. Mothers Satisfaction with Maternity Care (Derek Ruttin and Robert Hayward) - press release
3. Politicians Speak With Their Hands (Peter Ball) - press release
4. Media and Memory ( Adrian Furnham)
20-23 September 1985 Developmental Psychology Annual Conference, Queens University Belfast
General Release about Conference
1. Experts Talk About Deafness to the Deaf (Susan Phoenix) - press release
2. Stress and Strains of Growing Up in Northern Ireland (Anne McGrath and Ronnie Wilson) - press release
3. Single Sex Pupils Less Talkative (John Kremer) - press release
4. Dad's Influence Girl's Maths (Malcolm Ostermeyer) - press release
5. Divorce Disliked by Teenagers (Ann Mitchell) - press release
8 October 1985 Psychology and Arms Negotiations press release promoting BPS statement and book 'Psychological Aspects of Nuclear War''
19 November - 12 December 1985 Psychological Aspects of Policing
Invitation to press conference at Friends House 12 December 1985
Summary of research to be presented at London Conference - press release, distribution list
16-17 December 1985 BPS Annual London Conference
General Release about Conference, distribution list
1. Women Pro Test-Tube Babies (Beth Alder) - press release for paper 'Attitudes of Women to in vitro fertilisation and embryo research';
2. Do Children Know Their
r P's and Q's (Geoff Trickey) - press release for paper 'Letter Names and the Teaching of Reading';
3. Never Been The Same Since His Op (Charles Twining) - press release for paper 'Cognitive outcome and Anaesthesia In the Elderly';
4. Ultra-Virus? (Andrew Smith) - press release for paper ' Psychological Studies of Minor Illnesses (Colds and Influenza)';
5. Video Games to the Rescue (Mike Anderson) - press release for paper ' A Psychological Framework for Rehabilitation';
6. Should Hospitals Be Human (Keith Nichols) - press release for paper 'Promoting Wellbeing in People Using the General Hospital';
7. Girls Still Expect To Be Secretaries (Dilys Davies) - press release for paper 'Sex Roles and Children's Views of School Subjects and Vocational Choices';
8. Learning Should Be Fun - At Least for Canoeists (Tony Crocker) - press release for paper 'Motor Skills Acquisitions: Two Approaches';
9. Why New Businesses Go Bust (Chris Brotherton, Sandra Charleton) - press release for paper 'Management Decisions and Management Education Searching for Synchronicity);
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| AdminHistory | The first report on public relations was in 1946 by T H Pear [see BPS Council Papers 25 May 1946]. A public relations committee was founded in 1955 and was a short lived working party.
The first press releases was for the BPS Occupational Psychology Section Conference in Cambridge, held 3-4 January 1970.
In 1971 Nicholas Georgiades and Professor Arthur Summerfield arranged a press conference at Brown's Hotel to draw attention to the BPS response to Sir John Foster's report on Scientology [See BPS/001/4/01/03/01]. After advice from Mr Christopher Hall, Barbara Castle's Information officer on setting up a press function - a Standing Press Committee was formed in October 1971 under the Chairmanship of Dr Georgiades - they produced press releases and started recruiting spokespeople and setting up a media training courses for them - the first of which was held in June 1972. Early press efforts were concentrated on promoting the conferences and journal articles but later encompassed promoting BPS policy, positions, activities and the profession of psychology.
In 1973 Susan Best PA to the Secretary General took on the additional role of 'Public Relations Secretary', this was later held by Mrs M Clark, the post existed until 1976. A dedicated press officer was recruited in 1991.
Stephen White joined the BPS staff as Director of Communications in 1985 and started organising regular media training from 1986 onwards. Press releases were regularly issued from this time.
By October 1991 the Press Committee was no longer a standing committee but a subcommittee of the Information Committee (which itself took over from the Standing Committee on Communications SCCOMS 1984-1990). The Information Committee became the Communications Committee in 1998 as part of the Society's strategic plan. This became the Publications and Communications Board in 2000. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Head of the History of Psychology Centre and Archives and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material |