Mary Louise Northway
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Mary L. Northway | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1909 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | February 27, 1987 (aged 77) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Thesis | Bartlett's concept, "schemata". (1938) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Psychology |
| Sub-discipline | Developmental psychology Social psychology |
| Institutions | University of Toronto |
Mary Louise Northway (May 28, 1909 – February 27, 1987)[1] was a Canadian psychologist, recognized for her work in the area of sociometry (the measurement of social relationships). She was a faculty member at the University of Toronto.
Northway was born in Toronto on May 28, 1909; she was the only child of Lucy Northway (née MacKellar) and Arthur Garfield Northway.[1] She was educated in Toronto at Branksome Hall, Rosedale Public School, and Bishop Strachan School.[1]
Northway obtained her B.A. in psychology in 1933 and her M.A. in psychology in 1934, both from the University of Toronto.[1][2] In 1935–1936, she travelled to Cambridge, England, to study under psychologist Frederic Bartlett.[1] Northway earned her PhD from the University of Toronto in 1938, with a dissertation titled Bartlett's Concept of the Schema.[1] This work was published in the British Journal of Psychology in 1940.[3]
Northway was a faculty member in the psychology department at the University of Toronto from 1933 to 1963.[1][2] She was also a lecturer, and later Supervisor of Research, at the university's Institute of Child Study (ICS), from 1938 until her retirement in 1968.[2] Northway attributed her resignation to the university's funding cutbacks to educational, search, and research programs at the ICS.[4]
In 1969, Northway co-founded the Brora Centre, a non-profit organization that conducted child development research that was no longer supported by the university.[2][4] The centre operated until 1978.[2] Northway was awarded an honorary degree from Trent University in 1979.[5]
Northway died in Toronto on February 27, 1987, of pancreatic cancer.[1][6]
Research
Northway was a pioneering researcher in the field of sociometry, examining children's social groups.[2][4][6] She coordinated a multi-decade longitudinal sociometric study at the Institute of Child Study.[2][7] Northway examined the forms and functions of children's social groups, and how these factors were related to individual behaviour.[4][8][9] She also published on sociometric methodology, including methods for visually depicting social relationships.[10][11]
During her career, Northway also published on a range of developmental psychology topics, including adolescent development,[12] parent-child relationships,[13] and She was also interested in summer camp as a context for the healthy development of children,[14] and edited a guide for camp counsellors.[15]
