1998 William James Fellow Award

Paul Ekman

University of California, San Francisco

Paul Ekman has developed methods that allow psychologists to read emotion from the human face. In so doing he has been able to show the universality of emotional expression across cultures and age. His work has related emotional expression to underlying biological mechanisms. Ekman’s research has made it possible for the study of emotion to return to a central place in psychology, and his books have made finding in the field of emotion available to a wide audience. Ekman has also been instrumental in the field of interpersonal deception. His writings in this field have been widely influential in the application of psychology to criminal justice. This work also represents a fundamental contribution to our understanding of human interaction and memory.