Childhood Psychology Professor Dies at 76

Professor Sheldon “Shep” White, a developmental psychologist known for his contributions to the field of childhood cognitive development, died of an unexpected heart failure on March 17. He was 76.

White, the Lindsley Professor of Psychology Emeritus, served on the faculty since 1965. He was the Chair of the Psychology Department for five years and retired from Harvard in 2001.

White was most famous for his research on how children learn.

In the 1960s, he helped develop several government programs for children, including Head Start and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

He also helped create the television program Sesame Street.

White’s colleagues and students praised him for the way in which he approached his profession.

“Professor White was the model of a scholar. He attacked important problems with an incisive mind and a sense of history. He was an elegant model for what a university faculty member should be,” said Jerome Kagan, the Starch Research Professor of Psychology.

In an original research paper, widely referred to as the “Five to Seven Shift,” White outlined the dramatic cognitive changes that happen to children between the ages of five and seven.

“White showed how childhood development is a product of schools and society’s design,” said University of Illinois Psychology Professor Philip Rodkin, a former doctoral student of White’s.

“At a time when so much work is oriented toward genetics and neuroscience, he was one of a small number of people who inspired me to see that the context, the situation, and the places that are built for kids can be as powerful as anything in the world,” said Rodkin.

Other studies by White focused on educational policy, the ethics of educational practice, and the history surrounding childhood development.

Rodkin commended White’s skepticism of his own field of study.

“In an amazing display of courage, [White] acknowledged that the work on the study of children wasn’t adding up to much...He shifted away from micro-analytical studies, becoming more interested in the study of the whole child,” he said.

White, a New York native, graduated from Harvard College in 1951, received his M.A. from Boston University in 1952, and earned his PhD at the State University of Iowa in 1957. After completing his doctorate, White taught at the University of Chicago before coming to Harvard.

White’s family and friends attended his funeral service yesterday in Brookline, Mass.

“Those who spoke talked about his kindness and warmth as a person,” said longtime colleague Brendan A. Maher, the Henderson Research Professor Emeritus of the Psychology of Personality.

“When people came in to talk to him, whether it be students, faculty or staff, he didn’t just go through the motions of paying attention to them. Academia is not filled with good listeners, and he was one,” said Maher.

Rodkin also noted White’s devotion to his students, recalling when White ate dinner with Rodkin and Rodkin’s grandmother.

“I was able to connect a personal part of who I am with my professional future, which is what [White] embodied as my advisor, and it is something I’ll always treasure,” said Rodkin.

White is survived by his wife Barbara, his two sons Andrew and Gregory, their respective wives Elizabeth and Amie, and his three grandchildren Olivia, Alexander, and Jonathan.

“White has an extremely warm family. He was very closely involved with them and really enjoyed them. It will be a long time before someone like him comes around again,” said Maher.