George W. Holden, a professor in the Psychology Department, joined the SMU faculty in 2008 after 23 years on the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a B.A. at Yale University and Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as chair of the Psychology Department at SMU from 2015 to 2020. His major research focus is on the determinants and effects of parental use of corporal punishment with children. Professor Holden has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, 28 chapters, had his work supported by multiple granting agencies, and authored or edited six books including a textbook on parenting, now in its 3rd edition, published by SAGE. For more than 10 years he was a board member, including board president, of Family Compass, a Dallas child abuse prevention agency. For his work on corporal punishment, he received a Distinguished Career Award from the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) and a Legacy Achievement Award from the Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago. He also received an Outstanding Mentor Award from the Society for Research in Human Development. He retires as professor emeritus of psychology.
George W. Holden, a professor in the Psychology Department, joined the SMU faculty in 2008 after 23 years on the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a B.A. at Yale University and Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as chair of the Psychology Department at SMU from 2015 to 2020. His major research focus is on the determinants and effects of parental use of corporal punishment with children. Professor Holden has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles, 28 chapters, had his work supported by multiple granting agencies, and authored or edited six books including a textbook on parenting, now in its 3rd edition, published by SAGE. For more than 10 years he was a board member, including board president, of Family Compass, a Dallas child abuse prevention agency. For his work on corporal punishment, he received a Distinguished Career Award from the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) and a Legacy Achievement Award from the Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago. He also received an Outstanding Mentor Award from the Society for Research in Human Development. He retires as professor emeritus of psychology.