The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-19
A PsycboIogiser's substitute for old
Fashioned "Common Sense"

A PsycholoRiser's Substitute for old
Fashioned "Common Sense"
Sex education. socialism. Thought
transference." Jury psychology, farm
efficiency. advertising. the mind Of the
| investor" and dancing are disposed OF
by Prof. HUGO MUENsTERBERo in Psv-
cholo0v and Social Sanity doubleday
Page). The professor grips the idol Of
common sense by its clay feet and
heaves nightly and disturbingly Com
mon sense IL a fool alongside OF psy-
chology; ehort sighted and stupid. with
apparatus of spotted disc and other de-
vices for the registering OF mental phe-
nomena the advertising man could save
money and increase the effectiveness
Of his persuasive literature; the farmer
could minimize the expenditure OF his
precious energy and woo his patron
goddess Ceres TO fairer smiles and fav-
ors more gracious: everybody could do
better in his business, trade or profess
sion n he would go 70 school TO the
psychologist. Professors are very wise.
and their wisdom Is wonderfully elastic;
II Is nowadays moro than ever before
constantly in demonstration.
J Prof Muensterberg has psychological
the court room, the sick room, the
school room and the counting room, and
looking ahead he sees religion, art and
politics reckoning in the road. with
Heaven knows what new vistas TO open
, up after that. This book Is less sys-
, tematic than the others, because social
) sanity IL not simple subject. The
/ topics are selected as the most Sig
, nlncant for our period" Sex, socialism.
I and superstition are superlatively APP
= pealing. Suffrage IA omitted, sad dis
Z elimination. with regard TO sex, the
r present essay is a full reply to attacks
v on Newspaper article published
year ago: II hope sincerely that II
y will be my last word in the matter. The
a advocates Of sexual talk now have the
r floor; from now on shall stick to the
3 one policy in which firmly believe, tht
d policy Of silence" II Is good policy
= when public discussion OF the phys'oi'
n ogy OF sex, sex hygiene in the schools
: &c. is rottlng the air. The professor
n ct word" is soundly sensible and no
g 10 be criticised with faultfinding.
5 How does the professor outline fo'
$ each Of his characteristic topics OF socia
d discussion" the psychologists "contri
g hutton 10 the solution or at least tn
Y. lana,ysis OF the problem? THE aim is.
n cultles are ultimately dependent upoI
IS mental conditions which ought to b
q cleared up with the methods Of moder,
y psychology"
ie Begin with the social sins" Of the al
yertising man. He IL wonderful per
N former and gets credit for keeping tn
= wheels moving by linking up suppl
le and demand: also for making possibl
c, The modern newspaper and magazine
!; "mlght!est agencies OF public opinlo
~ and intellectual culture" He In cleve
D but not sufficiently scientific. swayed b
~ IAN amateurlsh impresslonism, by &c
pr called common sense which IL nothin
re but the uncritical following OF we
4 worn path" Some tests aro made, bu
ie thcy are Inadequate. They are base
re only on practical success, result-ge,tln
as experience: and the success II attalne
III by mere instinct Instead OF the com
~ monplace rules az TO size position ("d!s
~ play" IN tho technical vcrnacular). n
az Effectiveness OF text, use of illustration
and 90 on. there should be "eXnc; mca!
urement and laboratory research
Consider the memory value" OF n
Nv different parts Of page. The nort
"' east quarter Is twice as tempting TO q
- attention as tho southwest quartz
-. Paid for at the same rate. there Is b
W half as much return from tho inves
-, ment in the lower inside section as
'a' diagonal opposite yields
Tho "problem" Of magazine ADVERT
'.' ing has double import. economic al
y. cultural" When the advertising pag
's are bulked and the literary text OF q
'a' publication unbroken the 'idealstic Il
~. depreciation" is that the magazine is
unit Of article and story, with the adve
-, tisements a mere appendage. To "tl
=. less ambitious reader" It Is "a heap
80 entertaining advertisement pages,
-. tween which 1.-THE heapl the reading ms
ter Is sandwiched." There IA no mutu
IA interference. tho two integral parts
.n, the makeup are separate and distin'
,a,, But the horrid device OF breaking off
,ed text at high place and failing It off
~. finish among the praises OF partic
~ lar makes OF corsets and cookies, piar
g. and popcorn, automobiles and corn pl,
30, ters, shoes and ships and sealing "
~ and all the weltering tumble Of comm,
-, cial commodities is n transparent trio
=, and II psychology never did or does q
I'D other good thing II acquires merit VII
-, Il proves experlmentally that tho pa
r'' OF solid advertising matter excels
,,,o split page in eyecatching potency, me
90 DRY value" as SO Is greater than
~, that is, by more than one-third.
w. professors own common sense Is e,
IIo better than his psychology when ne sa
n tho mind Is adjusted 20 the pleasure
reading for its Information and enjoym
nv II 10 not prepared for the fullest appreh
IL sion OF an advertisement as such.
lar- attention for the notice on tho same p
ave remains shallow long as the enti'
age different kind Of text reaches the side p,
,old OF the eye. On those pages, on the OF
- hand. which contain Improvements onl,
- uniform setting Of the mind prepares
o' way for their fuiest effectiveness.
~ "' Without recognizing the cause OF 1,
go tation, the reader Is disturbed by
,,ys- appearance Of the mixed matter. 80
w. picture OF girl seen with the unt
80 standing that It Is the actress of
latest success, or seen with the unt
,ost standing that 1t is an advertisement
Was toilet preparation. starts In the WI
, a. psychophysical system different kind
- activities which mutually inhibit.
80 We anticipate the one form OF In
49,, reaction we make ourselves unit
,,.o the opposite" The jumbed maya;
'''o 10 "ona NJ the most malicious nerve 4