European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To your he Ami reactions differ when danger strikes byway Teyoung United press International Hen a Pennsylvania official Drew a gun from his briefcase during a news conference earlier this year in look reporters precious seconds to realize he was about to Hill himself. By thai time Hsy said ally award in was Loo late. Lest july a Rolirod police officer Drew his gun and subdued a deranged killer who had puffed a sword on a crowded Staten Island ferry before some witnesses even realized what was happening. A recent study of 500 lire victims showed that when confronted with a Blaze men invariably stepped Forward to fight in while women raced away to Alert potential victims and save lives. When seconds count Why do people react the Way Hoy do psychologists say How people react in emergencies depends on a verily of actors most of them lied to instinct. Bui they dispute the idea thai Tho world is divided into cowards and hero most heroes water say privately they would t have done what Hoy did in they knew the risks they were taking with choir own lives said John Dovidio chairman of psychology at Colgate University. What makes a person locus on the gun and another focus on the victim during an emergency is simply a  when emergencies strike most people became extremely lose and agitated. Their attention focuses exclusively on the danger and their thoughts become simple and methodical. Accident victims sometimes say the few seconds before the crash was Tike slow motion Dovidio said. That s because All their attention is focused on the upcoming  the ability humans have to create a sort of mental Tunnel vision during emergencies is seen by psychologists As a survival technique developed Over evolution. You want to process danger very Well not a lot of apr olo people react to danger such a lire in Dotter set Way. Matt reactions a tied to instinct information that is no use to the situation Dovidio said. Once danger is perceived How people react varies researchers said. When they have Only seconds to react some risk their lives for strangers others May try to escape and still others 110020 in panic but researchers have seen patterns of behaviour in their studies of human response. For instance it is deaf thai some split second reactions can be Learned. Police and emergency personnel who Are drilled in How to respond in emergencies Oden perform deeds within moments thai Are Lalor doomed heroic like the retired police officer who captured Iho Solon Island lorry murderer by firing a gunshot into the air. People have a tendency to think simply so they act Bestil they have had a Drill said John Keating professor of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Researchers also said studies have indicated that witnesses to violence usually focus on the weapon and not on the victim. As a result the first reaction of most people at the scene of violent crime is to cower. Bui there Are exceptions to this Rule if the victim is known by the witness Hen Mie victim not the weapon becomes a primary locus Dovidio said. That s Why we have people running Bach into burning houses to save relatives or  but people who gel easily excited appear to have a natural tendency to ignore the weapon and focus in on the victim Dovidio said. These Are the heroes who later say they would nol have risked their Liv Esil they had realized the danger but who Al the moment of crisis plunge Forward to yank a victim from the path of an oncoming train or dive into an icy River to save a drowning person. Gender May also be a Factor in How people react in emergencies. Keating said his lire studies indicate Man Are much More Toly to react aggressively and women intuitively. The men see the fire and want to eliminate the danger while the women lend to think about others first he Salt. Psychologists said people in these situations lend to think fast but simply. They usually do nol have abstract thoughts or Complex ideas the researchers said. The reporters Al that Pennsylvania press conference would probably have first thought that he was going to shoot them Davidio said. It would Lake them longer to Shilt gears to realize they weren t in danger it s impossible to broaden your locus he said. When you Only have a minute you can t weigh All the  researchers said their studies have convinced them most people will naturally try to help others in an emergency whenever possible and that humans have a built in mechanism to lace danger with As much courage As possible. It s easy to do armchair Quarto backing after the event seating Bald. Bui when you re in there you do the Best possible with what you  aspirin clearly linked to Reye s syndrome United press International any children with symptoms of flu or Chicken to Are still Given aspirin despite Clear evidence linking the Medicine to Reye s syndrome an often deadly brain i Lechon. Government researchers reported recently. Warning labels appear on aspirin bottles urging the products not be Given to teen agers or children Lor symptoms of Chicken pox or Llu because there is evidence in can Moease chances of contracting Rye s syndrome 40 times a new study provides Tho strongest support yet Lor the link. Children and teen agers should not be taking aspirin Lor Chicken pox or influenza like illnesses especially when Mere Are readily available alternatives said or. Eugene Hurwitz of the Federal centers of disease control the message is galling around but it s not getting to everyone " the aspirin Industry criticized the research which involved several National health agencies As biased but agreed it was better to be Sale than sorry when deciding whether to give Asp in to children. Reye s syndrome an infection of the brain and liver usually begins with Chicken pox the flu or a mild respiratory illness and within Days progresses to vomiting disorientation loss of consciousness and olten convulsions from 20 percent to 30 percent of the victims die and another third suffer serious brain damage. Scientists do nol know Why aspirin is associated with Reyes or Why some children develop the syndrome or Why some do not said Hurwitz. Although primarily considered a Small child s disease iwo thirds of the cases occur in youths Between 10 and is the 13-year-old granddaughter of actor Dick Van Dyke recently died of Reye s syndrome in Cleveland Heights. Ohio Ono week after taking Lour aspirin for Chicken Pov Tho syndrome remains rare however striking one or iwo children out of 100.000 every year about 1,000 cases wore repelled to Tho cd irom 1981 to 1965. With 291 deaths although studies linking Reye s to aspirin Date to 1980, it was t unlit a preliminary cd study in 1934. Hat Secretary of health and human services Margaret heckler urged aspirin manufacturers to print warnings on the labels. The voluntary program proved inadequate and the warnings became mandatory in 1936. The current cd study published in the journal of the american medical association involved 27 cases of Royo s syndrome since the preliminary study and found aspirin use for Chicken pox or flunks illness was associated with 26 of the cases. In contrast Only 3b percent of a similar group of 140 ill children used aspirin with 85.7 percent opting for acetaminophen the non aspirin pain reliever found in tylenol and other medications. Hurwitz said the most distressing aspect of the study is that nearly 40 percent of children and teen agers still take aspirin Lor Chicken pox and Llu. He said the problem is particularly prevalent among teenagers who often determine their own medication and May not believe the warning applies to them Page 16 the stars and stripes tuesday april 21, 19b7