Louise Bates Ames, assistant professor emeritus at the Yale Child Study Center, died of cancer at her granddaughter's home in Cincinnati on Oct. 31. She was 88 years old.
A founder and former director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development in New Haven, Professor Ames was a pioneer in the field of child development and psychology. She was one of the first researchers to recognize that youngsters go through "phases" and advocated placing children in school according to their "developmental age."
She was a close associate of psychologists Arnold Gesell and Frances Ilg, and collaborated with them on three books: "Infant and the Child in the Culture of Today," "The Child from Five to Ten" and "The Years from Ten to Sixteen." She also wrote or collaborated on more than 500 books -- including a trilogy for the interpretation of the Rorschach ink blot test -- as well as monographs and articles in the professional and popular press.
Born in Portland, Maine, Professor Ames received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Maine and her doctorate from Yale (1936). She joined the staff of the Yale Clinic of Child Development in 1933 as a personal research assistant to Gesell and later became an instructor and assistant professor at the School of Medicine. She was curator of Yale Films on Child Development 1944-50 and a lecturer at the Yale Child Study Center in 1991. She retired from the University in 1993.
In 1950 Professor Ames joined with Ms. Ilg and Janet Rodell to establish the Gesell Institute. In her work there, she often spoke to parents about child behavior and offered them advice based on a biological outlook. She continued to educate and advise parents through her series of books, a weekly television program and a syndicated newspaper column.
Her many honors include the Bruno Blopfer Distinguished Contributions Award and the University of Maine Alumni Career Award. In 1983, she was cited by Ladies Home Journal as one of the 100 most important, newsworthy and noteworthy women in America. She was a member, fellow or officer of many professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Society for Research in Child Development, the International Council of Psychologists and the International Society for the Study of Behavior Development.
In addition to her granddaughter, Carol Haber of Cincinnati, she is survived by a brother, Silas Bates of Philadelphia; a grandson; and four great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Connecticut Hospice Inc., 61 Burban Dr., Branford, CT 06405.