| AdminHistory | The Psychological Society was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London. Its aim was 'to advance scientific psychological research, and to further the co-operation of investigators in the various branches of Psychology.' It changed its name to 'The British Psychological Society' in 1906, to avoid confusion with another society.
In August 1991, ten years before the centenary of BPS in 2001, Stephen White [BPS Director of Information], initiated activity among BPS staff to support the celebration centenary.
A working party was founded in August 1991 following a meeting of Stephen White, Allan Sakne [BPS Business Manager], Amanda Briggs [BPS Conference and Events Manager] and David Bird [BPS Assistant Executive Secretary]. The activity of the working party appears to have largely dropped until it was picked up again in 1994-1995, when the first official minuted meeting of the working party was held 19 December 1995.
The Centenary Working Party was established as a formal Sub-Committee reporting to the F&GP (Finance &General Purposes Committee) in September 1995 and later, as a sub-committee direct to the BPS Council in 1998. It and became known as the "Centenary Sub-Commitee" in the Minutes from June 1999 onwards [presumeably due to documentation about corporate procedures from the Board of Directors, noted in April 1999].
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Varied ideas for centenary activity from the committee were generated from the start, including publications, an exhibition an orchestral commission, Journal, Brach and Conference activity, as well as a reception on the actual centenary, 24th October 2001.
This was supplemented by a call out for ideas to the membership in the September 1995 issue of The Psychologist, ['News, p. 387, The Psychologist, Vol 8 No 9, September 1995, p387].
In 1997 there was also a call in The Psychologist to members for ideas for the Centenary Slogan, which was won by BPS member Michael Davis for, 'Bringing Psychology to Society', which was used widely through activities during the centenary year.
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The final list of events organised in the Centenary Year was as follows:
5 January 2001 One-day conference held at the Royal Society to mark the BPS' centenary year entitled 'Psychology—a Science for Society'.
18 January 2001 Book launch of 'Psychology in Britain: Historical Essays and Personal Reflections' edited by G.C.Bunn, A.D.Lovie and G.D.Richards (published by the British Psychological Society in association with the Science Museum); Also Launch of the exhibition: 'Mind Your Head?'. a joint launch event for Book and Exhibition held at the Science Museum;
22 February 2001 Professor Alan Cowey's Centenary Lecture at the Royal Society entitled 'Functional Localisation in the Brain: From Ancient to Modern'
28-31 March 2001 The British Psychological Society's Centenary Annual Conference 2001 Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre Glasgow. Because it was the Society's Centenary there were a number of celebratory events in addition to the normal academic programme: 26-30 March: Throughout the week a banner hung from the Finnieston Crane advertising the British Psychological Society. 28 March: Presidential Address by Tommy MacKay. There was a careers fair on the morning of Wednesday 28 March and a Psychology Bus was situated in Buchanan Street, Glasgow during the conference. 30 March: The BBC Radio 4's "Any Questions" programme was broadcast live from the British Psychological Society 's annual conference on the evening of Friday 30 March 2001.
11th of April 2001 Royal Society of Edinburgh talk at the Edinburgh International Science Festival by the British Psychological Society's President Vicki Bruce on 'Identifying Faces - A Psychological Investigation',
9 May 2001- 27 August 2001 The British Psychological Society and the National Portrait Gallery in London celebrated 100 years of British psychology with a photographic display of eminent psychologists entitled 'Portraits in Mind', with a launch on the 9th May.
1-6 July 2001 VII European Congress of Psychology, Barbican, London [promoted with reference to the BPS Centenary]
9-11 July 2001: Information stand at AIDS Impact 2001, Brighton.
18-20 2001: Social psychology section annual conference held at the University of Surrey
13-15 September 2001 BPS stand at the Royal Cornwall Show Weybridge.
5 October 2001: the First of two psychology-related films screened at the Phoenix Cinema in Newarke Street, Leicester on Friday, to celebrate the BPS Centenary : 'Regeneration' based on Pat Barker's novel of the First World War about the work of pioneering psychologist and founder member of the British Psychological Society, William Rivers. The second film was shown on Friday 2 November 2001: 'Memento' looking at aspects of memory through its story of a man with short-term amnesia.
6 October 2001: North West branch centenary conference.
8 October 2001: Professor Mike Burton's lecture at the New Walk Museum Leicester: 'Face Recognition in the Lab and on the Street' organised by the local branch of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
22-26 October: Information exhibition in the Upper Waiting Hall, House of Commons, Houses of Parliament.
23 October 2001 British Psychological Society Centenary Parliamentary reception (Guest Speaker: The Lord Sainsbury of Turville) held at Portcullis House
24 October 2001 British Psychological Society Scientific Meeting on 'Illegal drug use: Psychological factors and UK policy' held at Grand Committee Rooms, House of Commons , Chair: Dr Brian Iddon MP
24 October 2001 British Psychological Society Centenary reception held at The Wellcome Wing, Science Museum.
Simultaneously, regional branch receptions held in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
24 October 2001: Division of Health Psychology centenary party at John Street office; Wessex & Wight branch organised a talk 'The use of Benzodiazepan by the elderly', by Ruth Collins.
5 November 2001 The British Academy held a a lecture to mark the centenary of the British Psychological Society in London SW1 'Elementary, my dear Watson, the clue is in the genes–or is it?' delivered by Professor Annette Karmiloff-Smith FBA FMedSci MAE CPsychol, Neurocognitive Development Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College, London.
7-9 November 2001 Wessex & Wight branch conference 'Psychology & the Internet conference: A European perspective'
13-15 November 2001: Information stand at MIND annual conference, Scarborough West Midlands branch one day conference, 'Psychology: the next hundred years'
8 December 2001: 'Knowledge and Illusion: Historical views of perception'. A one day conference at the Science Museum organised by the History and Philosphy section
17 December 2001 An Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences lecture by Professor Marie Johnston held at Local Goverment House, Westminster to mark the centenary of the British Psychological Society, entitled 'Thought, action and health'.
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