In his final appointment before leaving the Graduate School of Education (GSE), Dean Jerome T. “Jerry” Murphy promoted Paul L. Harris to a full professorship to study early childhood development.

Murphy said Harris’ appointment marks “an exciting moment” for GSE, as it begins shifting its focus from traditional secondary education to early childhood development.

“Paul’s appointment will help transform GSE into a distinguished center of scholarship on early childhood, moving us to the forefront of the national debate about the best practices for children during the preschool years,” said incoming Acting GSE Co-Dean Judith D. Singer.

Last year, GSE appointed Kathleen McCartney, a researcher in childcare, behavior genetics theory and parent-child attachment, among other things.

Harris, whose appointment is effective Sunday, primarily studies the early development of cognition, imagination and emotion.

Harris’ current studies are on how far children rely on either their own first-hand knowledge or what people tell them, especially when dealing with a new domain.

The incoming acting dean of the GSE, Judith D. Singer and John B. Willett, are excited with the choice.

“His work has important implications for practical questions about the role of play in preschools and kindergartens and the role of testimony in the mastery of disciplinary knowledge in schools,” Singer said.