Background
Louise Bates Ames was born on October 29, 1908 in Portland, Maine, United States. Daughter of Samuel Lewis and Annie Earle (Leach) Bates. Her father was a respected lawyer and judge, and her mother a school teacher.
columnist educator psychologist author
Louise Bates Ames was born on October 29, 1908 in Portland, Maine, United States. Daughter of Samuel Lewis and Annie Earle (Leach) Bates. Her father was a respected lawyer and judge, and her mother a school teacher.
Bates completed her primary and secondary education in Portland’s public school system. After her high school graduation in 1926, Bates attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She did not enjoy her time at Wheaton and disliked the atmosphere of the all-female institution. In 1928, she transferred to the University of Maine, and in 1930 received her B.A. She received Master of Arts from University of Maine in 1933 and received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1936 in experimental psychology. Bates was awarded two honorary doctorates of science, one in 1957 from the University of Maine and another in 1967 from Wheaton College.
Bates joined the Yale Clinic of Child Development. She worked there from 1933 to 1948, serving as the clinic’s secretary and personal research assistant to the director, Dr. Arnold Gesell. In 1938, Bates was introduced to the film industry and produced her first film for Encyclopedia Films entitled "How Behavior Grows: The Sequential Patterning of Prone Progression". In 1944, Bates worked as curator of Yale Films of Child Development. Here she developed a new method for film making which allowed her to objectively analyze children’s behavior. She also taught at Yale Medical School, first as an instructor and then as an assistant professor from 1936 to 1950. She was a co-founder and secretary-treasurer at Gesell Institute Child Development from 1950 till 1965. In 1968 she was associate director and chief psychologist at Gesell Institute Child Development. From 1971 till 1977 she was co-director at Gesell Institute Child Development. Since 1991 she worked as lecturer at Child Study Center, Yale University. Since 1993 she was emeritus assistant professor.
She was a member of Connecticut Psychological Society, American Psychological Society, Society Research Child Development, International Council Psychologists (director 1945-1947), Society Projective Techniques (president 1970), Sigma Xi.
Louise Bates Ames married Smith Whittier Ames on May 22, 1930. Louise and Smith’s marriage lasted seven years, they divorced in 1937.