Loyola Archives & Special Collections’ Digital Exhibit: Forgotten Contributions to Psychology by Professor Vincent V. Herr, S.J.

Innovations in Language, Emotion, and Empathy Research is a digital exhibit celebrating the forgotten contributions to psychology by Professor Vincent V. Herr, S.J. and his colleagues in the mid-20th century. Exhibit items include an early model of a word association test, and images and information about a unique instrument built to measure emotional responses. In total the free online exhibit showcases over 40 archival documents, images and photographs never seen by the public until now.

The exhibition was developed through an international collaboration between visiting scholar, Marjorie Lorch, Professor of Neurolinguistics at Birkbeck, University of London and Kathy Young, University Archivist at Loyola University Chicago Libraries. Drawing on the substantial unpublished material in the Herr Papers at the Loyola University Chicago Archives & Special Collections, the exhibit will present Herr’s research achievements and impactful collaborations.

Professor Marjorie Lorch commented: “We are excited to display these items for the public and for the psychiatry, psychology, and linguistics communities. Throughout his career, Herr maintained a large interdisciplinary network that extended outward from city and state to national and international academic, professional, and religious organizations. He also authored numerous journal articles and books and was honored by many academic and professional bodies. In developing several assessment instruments and diagnostic tools Herr was a key player in the exploration of the relationship between linguistic and other cognitive resources. His approach to assessment represents a significant historical development which has been overlooked by subsequent researchers, and we believe it holds potential value for addressing current research questions in psychiatry, psychology, and linguistics.”

Innovations in Language, Emotion, and Empathy Research is a project supported by a Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund Award to Marjorie Lorch, co-curator of the exhibition. For further information about this exhibit and the Marjorie Lorch’s research project contact m.lorch@bbk.ac.uk.

Full exhibit link: http://libapps.luc.edu/digitalexhibits/s/herr-psychology/page/herr-home 

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