Professor to find out what babies are thinking



Issued by York University

A psychology professor at the University of York has been awarded a national fellowship to support research into helping parents understand what their babies might be thinking or feeling.

Professor Elizabeth Meins is one of seven fellows appointed under the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Professorial Fellowship Scheme for 2012-13.

She will use the award to develop materials to improve parents’ ability to “tune in” to their babies, known as mind-mindedness. She is planning an animated film, short book and a smartphone app to explain the technique.

Professor Meins said: “Current interventions to improve parenting are very costly and fail to reach those families who are most in need. By using new technology, this package will deliver the intervention in a user-friendly manner, giving parents easy-to-follow advice to help them understand their baby’s thoughts and feelings.

“I hope this fellowship will enable me to make important steps towards having the intervention materials adopted nationally in antenatal classes.”

The ESRC Professorial Fellowship Scheme supports leading scientists working in the UK by providing them with the freedom to pursue their own innovative and creative research ideas.

The fellows aim to make a significant contribution to the development of social science, while also acting as a champion for the ESRC and the social sciences, promoting their role in addressing current and future issues for modern society and the economy

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