contributed by Rose Stull & Laura Loop, students in the Museums & Archives Certificate Program.
The students in Foundations of Museums and Archives II have been working hard all semester, and invite you to attend our exhibit: How Animal Subjects Shaped Psychology, which opens on May 9 from 2:30-4:30pm.
The term “animal subjects” might make you think of those red-eyed, white rats in a laboratory. The history of animal subjects used in psychology is actually much broader than rats. Psychologists have conducted research using birds, insects, fish, and much more in addition to rats. Animal subjects have played an essential role in understanding “the basic principles and processes that underlie the behavior of all creatures, both human and nonhuman.” (Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals, American Psychological Association)
The Archives for the History of American Psychology houses many artifacts that were used in research with animal subjects. Some of the objects are part of larger collections with plenty of archival and primary source materials to help us identify them. However, others had very little information to begin with, and it was up to us to figure it out. The hardest part for some of the objects was just figuring out what it was. Are you able to figure out what these objects could be?
What is this rack of droppers?
Meat powder?
We had a general idea what most of the objects were used for but we still needed more. What was the object used for? Who used it? What kind of research were they doing? What were the findings of their research? We started in the archives and found a lot of what we were looking for, then expanded our research elsewhere to fill in the gaps.
Some of us learned about the history of experimental psychology for the first time. There are so many fabulous photographs.
Gilbert Gottlieb ducklings
For example, Gilbert Gottlieb’s work with ducklings in his years of imprinting research has produced a multitude of amazing photographs (such as the photo shown above), which will be on display alongside many other archival materials regarding animal subjects. A great example of this was the Animal Behavior Enterprises and their IQ Zoo. To learn more about this interesting tourist attraction and to see if you correctly identified these objects, the exhibit will be open through summer 2019.
The fortune-telling chicken of the IQ Zoo
Working alongside our classmates with the wonderful staff at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology has given us opportunity for hands-on experience that will give us better advantage in our respective fields of study at The University of Akron, and after graduation when we’re job hunting. We are proud to invite everybody to join us for the opening of How Animal Subjects Shaped Psychology.
Opening Reception:
May 9th, 2019 from 2:30-4:30 pm
Free admission for the opening event. *Regular admission fees for the National Museum of Psychology during opening.
Location:
Institute for Human Science & Culture Galleries, RDWY 4th Floor
Drs. Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology; The University of Akron Roadway Building; 73 S. College Street Akron, OH 44325-4302
Contact: ihsc@uakron.edu ; 330-972-7285
This project fulfills the requirements for students in 1900:302 Foundations of Museums and Archives II at the Institute for Human Science and Culture. Contact Dr. Jodi Kearns jkearns@uakron.edu for information about the program.