Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 10 July 2018
Psychology museum explores what makes us human

By MITCH STACY Oddities include a medi-
Associated Press eval-looking skullcap from
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Won- the 19th century that mea-
der Woman’s striking visage sured the bumps on a per-
on large, bright screens just son’s head to determine in-
inside the new National tellectual traits. (Like many
Museum of Psychology early psychological theo-
tells visitors there’s more ries, that process, called
here than dusty books and phrenology, was later
esoteric curiosities. Once proved to be worthless.)
past Wonder Woman, the One of the most macabre
8,500-square-foot museum items is a wooden cage
on the edge of the Univer- known as a Utica Crib that
sity of Akron’s downtown was used in 19th-century
campus takes a deep dive asylums to keep patients
into the study of why peo- from leaving their beds. Dis-
ple do what they do. The played nearby are gleam-
technical stuff — treatment ing medical picks that be-
of mental illness, the rise of longed to Dr. Walter J. Free-
talk therapy, etc. — is keen- man, a physician who spe-
ly balanced with the kind cialized in lobotomies and
of interactive exhibits that botched the procedure on
are a requirement for any Rosemary Kennedy, the sis-
modern family museum. ter of President John F. Ken-
Dennis Barrie, who devel- nedy.
oped it with his wife, Kath- Barrie’s favorite exhibit in-
leen, already knew what it In this June 29, 2018, photo, a 19th-century device used by psychologists is displayed at the cludes memorabilia from
took to get people in the National Museum of Psychology in Akron, Ohio. The skullcap was supposed to measure the bumps the 1971 “Stanford prison
front door of a museum. He on a person’s head to determine mental traits. experiment.” The famous
was co-creator of Cleve- Associated Press social psychology exercise
land’s Rock and Roll Hall of probably too sophisticated in the early 20th century as marketing handguns to involved breaking groups
Fame and a former execu- in terms of knowledge and a “moron test” — to assess women. of students into guards and
tive director there. In recent background, I did have the intellect of immigrants “Psychology is literally ev- inmates in a mock prison
years he worked on the In- those concerns,” Barrie arriving in the U.S. erywhere in our world, and scenario and claimed to
ternational Spy Museum in said. But the subject mat- They can measure their applied everywhere,” Bar- show that each group
Washington and the Mob ter also gave him plenty of reaction time against that rie said. “It’s not just lying adapted to its role in dra-
Museum in Las Vegas. options. “There were things of legendary slugger Babe on a couch a la Freud, talk- matic ways.
He acknowledged the in everything we did that Ruth. They can test their ing about your childhood The museum’s overarching
challenges in making psy- were indicators of a bigger ability to multitask. memories.” theme is examining what
chology palatable to a story but allowed you to Displays tell the stories of Speaking of Sigmund makes us human.
mass audience. have fun and participate in how psychology has been Freud, there is a replica of “We hope,” coordina-
“When I first met the team the process,” he said. used in everything from the Vienna office where he tor Dorothy Gruich said,
there and looked at their Visitors can put together a workplace efficiency to pioneered psychoanalysis, “that people will come in
archives, which are ex- puzzle that was used as an determining the level of along with some of his let- and learn a little bit about
tensive and for most of us intelligence test — known caffeine in Coca-Cola and ters and rare home movies. themselves.”q

Oklahoma sees more severe earthquakes, fewer overall

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Okla- overall rate of earthquakes largest in state history. seismicity is triggered, he and aftershocks if this were
homa’s 4.0 earthquakes has declined, with 96 Scientists are largely see- said. Wastewater can trig- a fault that had slipped in
are up significantly this quakes of magnitude 3.0 ing earthquakes on un- ger the initial earthquakes, a more natural setting,” he
year, but the overall rate of or greater through June 30, mapped faults that were but quakes themselves can said.
earthquakes is declining. compared with 144 at this activated in 2014 by waste- lead to more quakes. Walter said that Oklaho-
Oklahoma has had six point last year and 302 by water injection, said state “So in some ways the ma’s seismic risk appears
quakes of at least magni- the end of 2017, the Tulsa seismologist Jake Walter. wastewater injection has to be similar to the latest
tude 4.0 halfway through World reported. Scientists are researching created a new paradigm hazard forecast put out by
this year, which is one more A magnitude 4.6 in April specific mechanisms by that defies how we would the U.S. Geological Survey
than all of last year. But the near Perry was the 12th which the state’s ongoing categorize main shocks in March.
The agency calculated
Oklahoma’s short-term
hazard levels to be similar
to active regions in Califor-
nia.
The chance of earthquake
damage in high-hazard ar-
eas of Oklahoma this year
ranges from 1 percent to
14 percent, “much high-
er” than most parts of the
U.S.q