Prominent Psychologist Robert Yerkes Writes About Sex and His Books

Book Description

(1876-1956). A comparative psychologist, Yerkes developed the Yerkes-Dodson law relating motivation and performance. He studied chimpanzee behavior. As President of the American Psychological Association in 1917, Yerkes helped shape the response of psychologists to the needs of World War I, the first large-scale program of applied psychology. TLS. 1pg. 8 ½" x 11". 5 April 1945. New Haven. A typed letter signed "Robert M. Yerkes" on Yale letterhead. He wrote to Amram Scheinfeld, author of You And Heredity and Your Heredity And Environment: "Yours of 29 March is delightfully interesting and encouraging. I should be very glad to receive your memorandum concerning opportunities 'in the field of sex differences in morbidity and mortality,' for it is entirely possible that my connections and my special interest in the subject might enable me to do something about it! I am, to be sure, pleased to hear that my predictions as to the fate of Women and Men are coming true. Except for the war, developments would have been much more rapid undoubtedly, but eventually your book will be read eagerly all over the world and in several languages. I should suppose your American publishers might find it worth while to readvertise the work after the war, perhaps on the basis of a new edition. I have just returned from a few weeks in Florida, whither I went to attend meetings of the Board of Scientific Directors of the Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology. While I was there a friend in Jacksonville discovered your article with its use of my name and brought me a copy of 'American Mercury.' I am happy indeed to be of use to you, either through my scientific work or otherwise... ". The letter has a minor scuff mark in the lower corner and the usual folds, but is in fine condition otherwise

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