National Museum of Psychology

The Cummings Center invites the public to visit the National Museum of Psychology and the galleries of the Institute for Human Science and Culture.

The National Museum of Psychology explores the history of psychology as a profession, a science, and an agent of social change. Visitors explore the history of human experience through exhibits on:

• the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness
• the rise of IQ testing
• the psychology of advertising
• studies of race and gender
• the beginnings of laboratory psychology
• explorations of animal learning
• classic studies of obedience, social norms, and aggression
• Temporary exhibit - The Scientific Nursery: Psychologists' Advice to Parents

The public galleries in the Institute for Human Science and Culture explore the human experience from a variety of perspectives, with exhibits highlighting:

• Native American tools, blankets, baskets, and ceremonial objects
• the work of local artists
• The David P. Campbell collection of postcards, which contains about 250,000 postcards dating from the late 1800s
• special traveling exhibits from other institutions
* Temporary exhibit - Home Is... What Does Home Mean to You?

Exhibits

Permanent exhibits will be open

Free admission with ticket will be offered on Museum Day

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.