| Description | British Psychological Society press releases concerning conferences and statements on policy and publications.
27 February 1986 Psychological Aspects of AID's BPS Division of Clinical Psychology West Midlands Branch conference - press release and distribution list
25 March 1986 New President of the British Psychological Society(David Legge) - press release
25 March 1986 New General Secretary Elected (Graham Beaumont) - press release
5 - 7 April 1986 BPS Annual Conference, Sheffield
1. As I Was Proceeding in a Westerly Direction -(Noel Clark) - press release for paper 'Scripts or Stories? The Consequences of Divergent Recall Strategies for Police Officers and Students';
2. Booze and The Muse (Geoff Lowe) - press release for 'Booze and The Muse: Experiments on Alcohol and Creativity';
3. Success on the Dole (Philip Leather, Sandy Charleton and Chris Brotherton) - press release for 'From Unemployment to Self-Employment';
4. It's Normal to Think You're Fat (Jane Wardle) - press release for paper 'Dieting in Norma Adolescent Boys and Girls';
5. Boys Can Be Victims of Anorexia (Rachel Bryant-Waugh) - press release for paper 'Childhood Onset Anorexia Nervosa';
6. Stress Costs Us A Fortune (Cary Cooper) - press release for 'Jobs Distress: Identifying Sources of Work Stress';
7. Self Examination for Breast Cancer (Shelley Taylor) - press release
8. Coming to terms with Mastectomy (Deborah Lucas) - press release for paper 'Predicting Psychiatric Morbidity in Women Treated Surgically for Breast Cancer';
9. Fixing The Fake Psychics (Robert Morris) - press release for paper 'A Descriptive Model of Parapsychological Claims and Experiences'.
9 April 1986 The Lie Detector - launch of BPS report of the working party on the use of the polygraph in criminal investigations and personnel screening
3 June 1986 Government to Decimate Educational Psychology Services - press release concerning statement of BPS on proposed new specific grant arrangements for the in-service education and training of teachers;
18-22 July 1986 First Conference of European Clinical Psychologists, University of Kent, Canterbury.
General press release about the conference
22 August 1986 British Psychological Society Project Award for Schools
Schools Psychology Project 1986 Award Winners - press release
19-22 September 1986 BPS Developmental Psychology Annual Conference, University of Exeter
General release about the conference
1. New Born Babies Recognise Their Mother's Face (Ian Bushell and Frank Amari) - press release
2. School Problems for Wandering Children (Christine Parkinson and Michelle Richardson) - press release
3. Can Genius Be Manufactured (Michael Howe) - press release
21 September 1986 BPS Scottish Branch Annual Conference
1. Gender Role Development in Adolescence (Dilys Davies) - press release
2. Conformality and the Child Witness (Jim Baxter) - press release
3. Should Children Be Seen and Heard (Rhona Flin) - press release
4. Eccentrics - Are They Self-Made Individuals (D J Weeks) - press release
5. Life Span Development of the Gender Role (Don McCreary) - press release
6. What Men Wish to Believe They do Believe (Julian Book) - press release
7. Childhood Stress and Its Influence on Subsequent Behaviour and Educational Attainment (Alex Mc Glaughlin) - press release
26-28 September 1986 BPS Social Psychology Annual Conference University of Sussex
General press release about the conference
1. Why Don't More Girls Apply to University (Karen Janman) - press release
2. Body Mind and Social Class (Alan Blair) - press release
3. Better Public Opinion Polls (Aubrey Baillie and Kerry Thomas) - press release
4. Voluntary Activities Are Beneficial for the Unemployed - press release
5. Turn Down the Heat (Huber, Griffiths, Baillie) - press release on domestic gas use study
27 October 1986 Alcohol Problems - A Practical Guide - press release for publication of 'Lets Drink to Your Health' (Ian Robertson and Nick Heather)
12 November 1986 Psychological Aspects of Alcohol - invitation to press briefing
1 December 1986 The Child Witness: Do the Courts Abuse Children? conference organised by the Division of Criminological and Legal Psychology, at Wolfson College, Oxford
Child Witness Are As Competent As Adults - general release about conference
12 December 1986 Information Technology and the People: Designing for the Future Conference, Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace - invitation, press release, media attendees
5-7 January 1987 [release issued 15 December 1986] Occupational Psychology Section and Division Conference, University of Hull
General Release about the Conference
1. You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks (Sylvia Downs) - press release
2. Reducing Stress in Health Visitors (Michael West) - press release
3. Nothing Succeeds Like Success (Anne Kearns) - press release
4. Tales of the Unexpected (Keith Duncan) - press release
5. Horses for Courses (Peter Herriott) - press release
6. Divert Military Spending to Research (Michael West) - press release
7. The Rolls-Royce of Selection Methods Is It Worth It? (Allan William and David Dennison) - press release
8. The Protestant Work Ethics - Alive and Kicking (Roy Payne and Graham Jones) - press release
9. Employers Can Save up to £1350 Million A Year (Karen Howard) - press release
10. The Hidden Talents of Housewives (Karen Howard) - press release
18-19 December BPS London Conference at City University
General press release about the conference
1. Sexual Abuse Link With Eating Disorders (Rachel Calam) - press release for paper 'Relationships Between Sexual Abuse and Eating Disorders';
2. People With Aids Abstaining from Sex (Heather George) - press release for paper 'Psychological Sequelae of AIDS and HIV Infection';
3. School Computers Give Kids A Chance (Ben Fletcher) - press release for paper 'Current State and Influences on Microcomputer Use';
4. Four Minutes to Save A Life (Teresa Marteau and Marie Johnston) - press release for paper 'Self-Efficacy, Expectancy and Ability to Perform Basic Life Support';
5. Crisis Youngsters Hit Ciggies and Booze (Jill Penny, Jim Robinson) - press release for paper 'Psychological Resources, Stress and Coping in Adolescent Smokers and Non-Smokers;
6. Bring Back The Bulge (Don McCreary) - press release for paper 'Is Thin Really Feminine? A Multivariate Analysis of Perceptions of Excessive Dieters';
7. Lessons for Heart Sufferers (Christine Bundy) - press release for paper 'Stress Management in the Treatment of Chronic Stable Angina';
8. Psychological Fallout From Chernobyl (David Canter) - press release for paper 'The Psychology of the Unthinkable';
9. Reason for Rhymes (Morag Maclean) - press release for paper 'Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes and Reading in Early Childhood';
10. Are You Heading for A Heart Attack (John Gallacher) - press release for paper 'Type A Behaviour, Prevalent Heart Disease and Symptom Reporting';
11. To Make The Addiction Fit The Crime (Richard Hammersley) - press release for paper 'Relationships Between Crime and Drug Use Amongst Heroin Users';
12. I'll Never Forget Whatisname (Patrick Rabbitt) - press release for paper 'The Pick of the Bunch. Characteristics of Elderly People Who Show Little Cognitive Change with Age';
13. Sex Change Operations Not Just Cosmetic (Charles Mate-Kole) - press release for paper 'Gender Reassignment Surgery: A Cosmetic Solution to a Psychological Problem?'
Student of Psychology? Membership Leaflet - design for press release |
| 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 |