Elinor W. Ames

Elinor W. Ames (1931-2023) was a Canadian psychologist whose work was concerned with the psychological impact of adoption on children.

Career Ames was born and grew up in the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. She attended Tufts University from which she graduated with a BSc in Psychology in 1953 followed by a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 1960.

In 1965, Ames joined the Psychology Department at Simon Fraser University as a charter faculty member and stayed for the remainder of her academic career retiring as Emeritus Professor of Psychology in 1997. In 1985 she was elected President of the Canadian Psychological Association.

Research Ames's research was on various aspects of child development (e.g., Ames, 1985) but especially the impact of adoption on children with a particular focus on Romanian children (e.g. Chisholm et al., 1995; Fisher et al., 1997; Mainemer et al., 1998).

Publications Ames, E. W. (1985). Mundus et Infans. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 26(4), 262–274. Ames, W.W. (1997). THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROMANIAN ORPHANAGE CHILDREN ADOPTED TO CANADA. National Welfare Grants Program, Human Resources Development Canada Chisholm K, Carter MC, Ames EW, Morison SJ. Attachment security and indiscriminately friendly behavior in children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Development and Psychopathology. 1995;7(2):283-294. Fisher, L., Ames, E. W., Chisholm, K., & Savoie, L. (1997). Problems Reported by Parents of Romanian Orphans Adopted to British Columbia. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 20(1), 67-82. Mainemer, H., GilmanN, L.C., & Ames, E.W. (1998). Parenting Stress in Families Adopting Children From Romanian Orphanages. Journal of Family Issues, 19(2), 164-180.

Positions President, Canadian Psychological Association (1985)