Peter K. Smith

Professor Peter K Smith (born 23 September 1943) is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His research interest is children’s social development, and was Head of the Unit for School and Family Studies in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmith's from 1998 to 2011. He received his B.Sc at the University of Oxford and his PhD from the University of Sheffield; following his doctorate he continued at the University of Sheffield, obtaining a Personal Chair in 1991, before moving to Goldsmiths College in 1995. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Association of Psychological Sciences, and the Academy of Social Sciences.

Academic work

Smith has authored, co-authored or co-edited 23 books, and authored or co-authored 176 journal articles and 111 book chapters. His general works in children’s development include the textbook (with Helen Cowie and Mark Blades) Understanding Children’s Development (Blackwells, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2011), and the co-edited collection (with Craig Hart) the Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development (Blackwell, 2002; Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).

He is known for his work on children’s play, and works include the edited collection (with Tony Pellegrini) The Nature of Play: Great Apes and Humans (Guilford, 2005), and the book Children and Play (Blackwell, 2010).

His most extensive research has been on bullying and violence in schools, where he has led a number of research projects, including a COST Action on Cyberbullying. Publications include the edited collections (with Debra Pepler and Ken Rigby) Bullying in Schools: How Successful can Interventions be? (Cambridge University Press, 2004) and (with Qing Li and Donna Cross) Cyberbullying in the Global Playground: Research from International Perspectives (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).

His most recent book is Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature and Prevention Strategies (Sage, 2014).

External links

• Official staff page at Goldsmith's College