Re: Memory span in children (student question)
Hi No references, sorry. Just some faint memories from long-ago lectures. On Sat, 29 Sep 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What is the memory span of say a 2yr old child? And how does it increase (amount/time) when the child gets older? For example if a infant's memory is an hour long and a 2 yr old is a week. These are probably two separate effects. 1. Memory span is short-term memory. It does increase with age from 2-3 items at younger ages (how is that for precision) to the 7+-1 later. Perhaps this is related to increased fluency, as short-term memory does correlate with speed of speech. 2. The hour and week effects are long-term memory. I do not know at the young ages you cite. Later, when traditional paradigms can be used, there is again a robust increase in amount remembered with age. However, intermediate age children's performance can be improved with prompts to use certain aids (e.g., organization). Younger children need to actually have the aids presented to benefit. So, two processes appear to be involved: knowing the strategy, and executive control of the strategy. Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
Memory span in children (student question)
Tipsters, Except for expression the suspicion that the development of early childhood memory is not a linear progression of increased span, I could not give a good answer to this question. So before I make more of an jackass of myself than is usual, I thought I would seek some guidance on this student question: What is the memory span of say a 2yr old child? And how does it increase (amount/time) when the child gets older? For example if a infant's memory is an hour long and a 2 yr old is a week. thank you And also thanks from me - Nancy Melucci LACCD
Student question about taste
Hello, This is a question from a student. I have never been aware of the taste reaction that he is describing, but was wondering about his impression that the salt receptors are stronger than the others on the tongue. Is this true, or is he asking about something that is totally idiosyncratic? Although we are finished with the senses. I had to ask this. Why is it when one puts salt on their tongue and then sweet, the salty taste still lingers on your tongue before the "sweetness". Also are the salt receptors "stronger" than the others? because it take a while before a salty taste leaves thae mouth. Thanks for any help you can give to me. Nancy Melucci LACCD
Re: Student question about taste
Nancy: The salty taste will linger for two reasons. First, it physically remains on the tongue for a while, and second, all tastes take time to build up. Sugar takes about 10 seconds. So, between those two effects you would expect salty to linger and sweet to take time. You can tell your student that he is getting never published results! But it fits with other work I have published on the question. don Donald McBurney [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello, This is a question from a student. I have never been aware of the taste reaction that he is describing, but was wondering about his impression that the salt receptors are stronger than the others on the tongue. Is this true, or is he asking about something that is totally idiosyncratic? Although we are finished with the senses. I had to ask this. Why is it when one puts salt on their tongue and then sweet, the salty taste still lingers on your tongue before the "sweetness". Also are the salt receptors "stronger" than the others? because it take a while before a salty taste leaves thae mouth. Thanks for any help you can give to me. Nancy Melucci LACCD
Re: Student question about taste
On Fri, 28 Sep 2001 08:22:18 -0400 (EDT) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello, This is a question from a student. I have never been aware of the taste reaction that he is describing, but was wondering about his impression that the salt receptors are stronger than the others on the tongue. Is this true, or is he asking about something that is totally idiosyncratic? Although we are finished with the senses. I had to ask this. Why is it when one puts salt on their tongue and then sweet, the salty taste still lingers on your tongue before the sweetness. Also are the salt receptors stronger than the others? because it take a while before a salty taste leaves thae mouth. The issue is complex, and the student's impression may be idiosyncratic but here is a relevant issue. Saliva contains salt. The amount of saliva in the mouth and the amount of salt in the saliva will change the taste threshold for salt for an individual. (More salty saliva will increase the threshold because there will be adaptation.) When you start mixing foodstuffs in the mouth then you may see adaptation-produced potentiation of tastes. For example, if you adapt the tongue to the presence of something bitter (like quinine) then you may potentiate or elicit a sweet taste to a neutral substance like water. So your students impression may be explained by a combination of the saltiness of saliva, the saltiness of the foodstuff, and the sweetness of the other foodstuff. (And it Don McBurney can be raised from the shadows then he can provide a more definitive answer.) Ken -- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D.[EMAIL PROTECTED] Dept. of Psychology Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA
Fwd: Student question about taste
On behalf of Don McBurney... Nancy M. ---BeginMessage--- Nancy: The salty taste will linger for two reasons. First, it physically remains on the tongue for a while, and second, all tastes take time to build up. Sugar takes about 10 seconds. So, between those two effects you would expect salty to linger and sweet to take time. You can tell your student that he is getting never published results! But it fits with other work I have published on the question. don Donald McBurney [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello, This is a question from a student. I have never been aware of the taste reaction that he is describing, but was wondering about his impression that the salt receptors are stronger than the others on the tongue. Is this true, or is he asking about something that is totally idiosyncratic? Although we are finished with the senses. I had to ask this. Why is it when one puts salt on their tongue and then sweet, the salty taste still lingers on your tongue before the "sweetness". Also are the salt receptors "stronger" than the others? because it take a while before a salty taste leaves thae mouth. Thanks for any help you can give to me. Nancy Melucci LACCD ---End Message---
Re: Student Question (sleep disorder)
Nancy, This sounds like Kleine-Levin Syndrome. According to information on the "Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation" web site (http://www.KLSFoundation.org/), the disorder is defined in the following way: "Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of sleep. The patient becomes progressively more drowsy and sleeps for most of the day and night, (hypersomnolence), and in some cases requires excessive food intake (compulsive hyperphagia). The disorder primarily strikes adolescents. When awake, affected individuals may exhibit irritability, lack of energy (lethargy), lack of emotions (apathy) and they may appear confused (disoriented). Many patients report a hypersensitivity to noise. Some patients show an abnormally uninhibited sexual drive. Symptoms of Kleine-Levin Syndrome are cyclical. An affected individual may go for weeks or months without experiencing any symptoms, with perfect health and no evidence of behavioral or physical dysfunction. When present, KLS symptoms may persist for days to weeks or even months. The exact cause of Kleine-Levin Syndrome is not yet known. It is thought that symptoms of Kleine-Levin Syndrome may be related to malfunction of the portions of the brain (hypothalamus) that help to regulate functions such as sleep, appetite, and body temperature. It appears to be self limiting with cessation of episodes by early adult life." I don't know anything about the disorder other than this. But there are links to articles and other information at this web site. Jeff [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello Colleagues: I am cutting and pasting the following student question about a sleep disorder because I am clueless: There is a disorder that somepoeple have (i've seen it on television a few months ago. As i remember it mainly affects people 18-25, and it is something where people have been knoen to be asleep for several months. They get restroom use and food by help usually it was the parents who take care of them, so in a severly drowsy state they get food given to them like babies, and wabbly they walk to the restroom. They showed a girl who had been in this state of sleep for 6 months or so, and even her brother got the same disorder a few years after her. It's something that comes ang goes, they can be fine and the next minute just literaly fall and be asleep. The girls parents had to withdraw her from college, and she lost her friends because they all moved on. They even showed some home video footage that the parents recorded and it looked the person is in a transe, they are asleep but can answer sometimes, it was a really weird thing to see. And i was wondering does this have anything to do with the "reticular activating system" in our brains, in class you have menssioned that if a person has that damaged they might not wake up. However the disorder that those poeple have, comes and goes. It be got 2 months of sleeping constantly, and then be absolutely fine for 2-3 years, then there can be a relapse Thanks for your help folks. Nancy Melucci LACCD -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS) http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html
Student Question
Hello Colleagues: I am cutting and pasting the following student question about a sleep disorder because I am clueless: There is a disorder that somepoeple have (i've seen it on television a few months ago. As i remember it mainly affects people 18-25, and it is something where people have been knoen to be asleep for several months. They get restroom use and food by help usually it was the parents who take care of them, so in a severly drowsy state they get food given to them like babies, and wabbly they walk to the restroom. They showed a girl who had been in this state of sleep for 6 months or so, and even her brother got the same disorder a few years after her. It's something that comes ang goes, they can be fine and the next minute just literaly fall and be asleep. The girls parents had to withdraw her from college, and she lost her friends because they all moved on. They even showed some home video footage that the parents recorded and it looked the person is in a transe, they are asleep but can answer sometimes, it was a really weird thing to see. And i was wondering does this have anything to do with the "reticular activating system" in our brains, in class you have menssioned that if a person has that damaged they might not wake up. However the disorder that those poeple have, comes and goes. It be got 2 months of sleeping constantly, and then be absolutely fine for 2-3 years, then there can be a relapse Thanks for your help folks. Nancy Melucci LACCD
Non-Traditional Student Question
I recently had a student ask me about career options etc. However, he is a non-traditional student (i.e., adult-learner) and has been getting some conflicting advice about career options. I thought I would gather feedback from fellow psychologists for him to help in making his decisions. Here is some brief background: He is currently in his mid-40's and will complete his BA in about a year. He would like to go on to get his masters or perhaps a doctorate. He is most interest in clinical/counseling areas of psych. He is particularly attracted to educational settings and would like to pursue a path that would allow him to work in an educational setting of some sort. We have discussed school psych, and he is also attracted to college teaching. However, his advisor gave him the impression that, at his age pursuing graduate study in psychology (especially the doctorate) would be risky. Basically, they suggested that he would have trouble getting work because of his age. This disturbed me (and him), because I know of many Ph.D.s who entered grad school late and have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers. Also, in my personal experience, the opportunities are never quite as narrow as many people suggest. However, I would like to give him some additional feedback from others in the field. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks Mark Mark J. Sciutto, Ph.D. Dept. of Psychology Westminster College New Wilmington, PA 16172 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Non-Traditional Student Question
This disturbed me (and him), because I know of many Ph.D.s who entered grad school late and have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers. Also, in my personal experience, the opportunities are never quite as narrow as many people suggest. However, I would like to give him some additional feedback from others in the field. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks One of my classmates actually entered grad school whilst in his 40s, and, in my opinion, he's one of the most productive, focused, and promising folks from our class. Granted, there's bound to be some ageism out there, but I don't think your student should let that limit his decisions. If he pursues something about which he has a genuine interest/passion/ambition, that should come across to potential employers and give him a good chance. Best Wishes, Matt
Re: Non-Traditional Student Question
At 01:12 PM 5/1/01 -0400, you wrote: I recently had a student ask me about career options etc. However, he is a non-traditional student (i.e., adult-learner) and has been getting some conflicting advice about career options. I argue that admissions committees will see such applicants as serious, mature people who have strong professional commitments (otherwise they would not be considering grad school). They certainly possess a degree of valuable wisdom not present in young turks. As for career, I know therapists well into their 70s who continue to have full time practices. Quality therapy, unlike construction, is something not restricted to the young and healthy. Bill Ghiselli Psychology Department University of Missouri at Kansas City One man's fish is another man's poisson
RE: Non-Traditional Student Question
There were several individuals in my graduate program who were in their forties. In addition, there were two individuals who were in their late 50's. , his advisor gave him the impression that, at his age pursuing graduate study in psychology (especially the doctorate) would be risky. Basically, they suggested that he would have trouble getting work because of his age. Frankly, this type of advice seems offensive and suggests an attitude of discrimination.Considering the vast and diverse opportunities in this field, the advice seems to be based in ignorance as well. At the risk of stereotyping, my experience with college advisors has been that one must take an attitude of caveat emptor. They may give bad advice for which they are not held responsible, hence the title advisor. If you read the qualification requirements (an look at salary ranges) for people who are in college advisement, many are people who may only have AA or BA degrees and are better able to discuss majors, minors, and the articulation agreements their institutions have with a variety of colleges. However, their expertise in career counseling may be merely a reflection of their own, uninformed, biases. Actually, having taught Student Success courses for a number of years, advisement has come up frequently. I have heard a number of horror stories from students who have been, unintentionally, mislead by their advisors, resulting in extended time in college due to taking unnecessary classes and improper prerequisites. Haydee Gelpi Broward Community College DHHS/FOH Florida -Original Message- From: Mark Sciutto [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 1:13 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Non-Traditional Student Question I recently had a student ask me about career options etc. However, he is a non-traditional student (i.e., adult-learner) and has been getting some conflicting advice about career options. I thought I would gather feedback from fellow psychologists for him to help in making his decisions. Here is some brief background: He is currently in his mid-40's and will complete his BA in about a year. He would like to go on to get his masters or perhaps a doctorate. He is most interest in clinical/counseling areas of psych. He is particularly attracted to educational settings and would like to pursue a path that would allow him to work in an educational setting of some sort. We have discussed school psych, and he is also attracted to college teaching. However, his advisor gave him the impression that, at his age pursuing graduate study in psychology (especially the doctorate) would be risky. Basically, they suggested that he would have trouble getting work because of his age. This disturbed me (and him), because I know of many Ph.D.s who entered grad school late and have gone on to successful and fulfilling careers. Also, in my personal experience, the opportunities are never quite as narrow as many people suggest. However, I would like to give him some additional feedback from others in the field. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks Mark Mark J. Sciutto, Ph.D. Dept. of Psychology Westminster College New Wilmington, PA 16172 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Student Question
Tipsikins, Here's one from a student that I could not answer and it made me want to cry. What causes crying? (I am sure I will get my share of smart aleck answers from you all, so let'em rip.) Also given that crying can be done willfully as well as spontaneously, is there any definitive way to tell the genuine crying from the put-on? Kind of like the "Duchenne Smile" that differentiates a real, spontaneous smile from a voluntary one? I thank you much for your help. Best wishes for a pleasant spring break to all. Nancy Melucci East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, CA
Re: Student Question
On Tue, 20 Mar 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Tipsikins, Here's one from a student that I could not answer and it made me want to cry. What causes crying? (I am sure I will get my share of smart aleck answers from you all, so let'em rip.) A stimulus.Btw,there is a stimulus for the tears and the stimulus for the sound. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida
Re: student question (Brain Evolution)
At 08:26 PM 03/19/2001 -0800, you wrote: While going over the evolution of the human brain a student asked an intriguing question. In what order did we develop our senses? The answer might depend on whether you believe that there are five or more senses. Or, more pointedly, in which order did the cerebral cortex evolve? Thanks for your expertise in advance. Actually, to answer this question, one must first realize that the senses evolved before the appearance of the cortex. At first, the CNS consisted solely of a simple spinal cord, with unspecialized sensory and motor fibers. At one end of the cord, specializiation began to respond to special features of the sensory world, making up the primitive brainstem. This front end formed three enlargements or vesicles. The first enlargement, the prosencephalon (forebrain), became specialized mainly for the sense of smell, and probably taste. The second enlargement, the mesencephalon (midbrain), became specialized for vision and hearing. The posterior enlargement, the rhombencephalon (hindbrain), became specialized for equilibrium and balance. The organization of the brain, of course, has remained the same over evolution, with the main difference being that our cortex just got larger. Yet, there is room to grow! Mike Lee, MA Dept of Psych, U of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~mdlee
student question
While going over the evolution of the human brain a student asked an intriguing question. In what order did we develop our senses? Or, more pointedly, in which order did the cerebral cortex evolve? Thanks for your expertise in advance. peace, K Kitty K. Jung, MA Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, NV"she is still playing the martyr, I am still praying for revolution." -Ani DiFranco, "Fixing Her Hair" Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
student question
While going over the evolution of the human brain a student asked an intriguing question. In what order did we develop our senses? Or, more pointedly, in which order did the cerebral cortex evolve? Thanks for your expertise in advance. peace, K Kitty K. Jung, MA Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, NV "she is still playing the martyr, I am still praying for revolution." -Ani DiFranco, "Fixing Her Hair" Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
Re: Student question
I understand that the police are trained to scrutinize the eyemovents of suspects suspects and the directiion of gaze is one index used. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida Based on what the other folks on the list have been saying, I guess Michael has just provided us with more evidence that use of techniques by the police in no way validates them as effective or scientific. Nancy Melucci ELAC
Re: Student question
On Thu, 22 Feb 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Tipsters - Does someone know the answer to this question: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?" Thanks for your help Nancy Melucci ELAC I understand that the police are trained to scrutinize the eyemovents of suspects suspects and the directiion of gaze is one index used. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida
Re: Student question
Hi On Fri, 23 Feb 2001, Michael Sylvester wrote: On Thu, 22 Feb 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?" I understand that the police are trained to scrutinize the eyemovents of suspects suspects and the directiion of gaze is one index used. If so, I suspect that this would be another good example of unfounded practices, akin to using psychics to locate victims or perpetrators. Is there any documentation of this practice Michael? Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
Re: Student question
On Fri, 23 Feb 2001, jim clark wrote: Hi If so, I suspect that this would be another good example of unfounded practices, akin to using psychics to locate victims or perpetrators. Is there any documentation of this practice Michael? Best wishes Jim JiM: check with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I have had police officers in my classes. They also confirm that they are usually kept very busy on full moon nights. Hope this helps. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida
Re: Student question
In a message dated 2/23/2001 9:34:42 AM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: JiM: check with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I have had police officers in my classes. They also confirm that they are usually kept very busy on full moon nights. Hope this helps. They were "kept busy" on full moon nights because they only counted incidents on "full moon" nights. Otherwise they ignored the number of incidents. Michael, you are too credulous. This is a clear example of confirmation bias. The full moon madness belief is pure hokum. Nancy Melucci ELAC
Student question
Tipsters - Does someone know the answer to this question: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?" Thanks for your help Nancy Melucci ELAC
Re: Student question
Hi On Thu, 22 Feb 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Tipsters - "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?" Some older studies reported that direction of eye movements to questions could indicate which hemisphere was activated. The idea was contralateral activation (I seem to remember); that is, leftward eye movements indicated right hemisphere activation and rightward eye movements LH activation. I forget the original authors, but my recollection is that their studies were not replicated. We use to use this as a lab demo. It was interesting. Students would make up questions to activate left or right hemispheres and test subjects. Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
Re: Student question
The infamous Dr. Nanjo wrote: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?" I'm sorry, but I have never heard of this claim before. The more fundamental claim--the one on which this one seems to be based--involves the idea that eye movements reflect the particular hemisphere, right or left, that is most active at the time. This idea has some initial plausibility, it seems. According to Springer Deutsch (1993), the "hypothesis is based on the well-established fact that eye movements to one side are controlled by centers in the frontal lobe of the contrlateral hemisphere" (p. 85). The studies on this have typically asked either "left-hemisphere questions" (especially those involving primarily verbal analysis) or "right-menisphere questions" (especially those involving spatial analysis) and observe the direction of eye movement. After briefly discussing such studies, however, they concluded: "In the absence of independent verification that eye movements are related to differential hemispheric cognitive activity, it would be wise to interpret the results of LEM [lateral-eye-movement] studies cautiously. A review for which [Paul] Bakan [the person who first suggested the hypothesis that LEMs were associated with hemispheric activity] was a coauthor claimed that converging evidence from a variety of techniques support the LEM model. The evidence is weak, however, leading us to conclude that it is premature to postulate conclusions about brain asymmetries and the processing of different kinds of questions on the basis of the direction of eye movements." (p. 86) The problem is that this reference is 8 years old. Does anyone know of more recent studies? Jeff Springer, S. P. Deutsch, G. (1993). Left brain, right brain (4th ed.). N. Y. Freeman Company. -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 "Science must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths" Karl Popper Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS) http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html
RE: Student question
There is a line of research, mostly done by Roger Drake, that suggests that directed eye movements can be used to activate the contralateral hemisphere (i.e., instructing participants to shift their visual focus to the LVF activates the RH and vice versa). I don't have any references handy, but I've read this stuff and it's fairly convincing. Kind of the flip side of what has been talked about here. Marty Bourgeois University of Wyoming -Original Message-From: Jeff Ricker [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2001 8:02 AMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: Student questionThe infamous Dr. Nanjo wrote: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative side of their brain otherwise indicating that they are lying?"I'm sorry, but I have never heard of this claim before. The more fundamental claim--the one on which this one seems to be based--involves the idea that eye movements reflect the particular hemisphere, right or left, that is most active at the time. This idea has some initial plausibility, it seems. According to Springer Deutsch (1993), the "hypothesis is based on the well-established fact that eye movements to one side are controlled by centers in the frontal lobe of the contrlateral hemisphere" (p. 85). The studies on this have typically asked either "left-hemisphere questions" (especially those involving primarily verbal analysis) or "right-menisphere questions" (especially those involving spatial analysis) and observe the direction of eye movement. After briefly discussing such studies, however, they concluded: "In the absence of independent verification that eye movements are related to differential hemispheric cognitive activity, it would be wise to interpret the results of LEM [lateral-eye-movement] studies cautiously. A review for which [Paul] Bakan [the person who first suggested the hypothesis that LEMs were associated with hemispheric activity] was a coauthor claimed that converging evidence from a variety of techniques support the LEM model. The evidence is weak, however, leading us to conclude that it is premature to postulate conclusions about brain asymmetries and the processing of different kinds of questions on the basis of the direction of eye movements." (p. 86) The problem is that this reference is 8 years old. Does anyone know of more recent studies? Jeff Springer, S. P. Deutsch, G. (1993). Left brain, right brain (4th ed.). N. Y. Freeman Company. -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED] Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 "Science must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths" Karl Popper Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS) http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html
Re: Student Question
Title: Re: Student Question Some of the cadavers used have requested in their wills that their bodies be donated. In that case, the ashes are returned (with gratitude, I'd hope) to the families. But as for the ashes of unclaimed bodies, I don't know. (If you're about to eat lunch, skip the following.) Incidentally, my husband said that in medical school, on the first day with their cadavers, they were always told that among these cadavers were the bodies of a judge, a doctor, etc., so that the students would treat the bodies with more respect than they might if they thought they were the bodies of vagrants. I think it probably helped. The shenanigans occasionally shown in movies didn't take place where he went to medical school, at least. But he used to regale us with the grizzly story of going down to the basement of the medical school where the cadavers were stored in a huge vat. (He had to get a new cadaver because his had begun to decompose.) The hardware required to fish out a cadaver reminded me of a Michael Crichton thriller. Not a pretty thought. Beth Benoit College for Lifelong Learning and Daniel Webster College, Portsmouth NH
RE: Student Question
As many have already mentioned, blind children produce their first social smiles at the same age as sighted children. This observations provides important evidence that smiling is typical for human behavior. However, I recall some literature on the maintenance of those social smiles. It seems that in seeing infants the social smile is maintained by the return smile of a partner (typically parent). Blind children do not receive this reinforcement and so their social smiles must be reinforced with other kinds of signals - voice or touch. While the blind infants initiate the same behavior as their sighted peers, maintenance of that behavior is more difficult. I think that I can find the citation for this if someone is interested. Dennis Dennis M. Goff Dept. of Psychology Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg VA -Original Message- From: Pollak, Edward [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, January 26, 2001 8:14 PM To: 'Tips (post)' Subject: Student Question Children born deaf and blind do, indeed, smile at the appropriate age. This fact is often cited as evidence that smiling and some other basic behavior patterns as "hard wired." Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, West Chester Univ. of PA, West Chester, PA 19383 Office: 610-436-3151; Home: 610-363-1939; Fax: 610-436-2846; Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8-9 and 11-12 and Mondays and Wednesdays 12-1 and by appointment, ~~~ Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, herpetoculturist and bluegrass fiddler If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning. --Catherine Aird
Ontogeny/phylogeny teaching moment Was: Student Question
The previous suggestion (forgot the poster, sorry!) that the human smile might be the result of random muscle movements shaped by reinforcers raises the oft-pondered relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny. A Darwinian explanation of the smile (or any adaptation) can be described in nearly identical terms: There is _random_ variation in structure and function, and those particular forms that do better in a certain environment - by definition - are more frequent in subsequent generations. The "random" part of Darwinian theory has always been under-appreciated. The fact that the variation is random means there is/was no plan to evolution, no teleology, no foresight - just design shaped by selection. Both Thorndike and Skinner pondered the ontogeny-phylogeny relationship. Skinner had an article on the relationship between the two in _Science_ in 1966 (called: The Phylogeny and Ontogeny of Behavior?). In phylogeny environmental selection changes gene frequency. In ontology, the frequencies of non-heritable behaviors are altered. Some texts will use evolution to illustrate operant conditioning. BUT, since most students do not appreciate the random, "lack of foresight" nature of evolutionary change, this analogy probably doesn't work perfectly. In fact, since most students these days have a more accurate view of operant conditioning than evolution, we might be able to reverse the analogy and let operant conditioning illustrate Darwinian evolution. -- --- John W. Kulig[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology http://oz.plymouth.edu/~kulig Plymouth State College tel: (603) 535-2468 Plymouth NH USA 03264fax: (603) 535-2412 --- "What a man often sees he does not wonder at, although he knows not why it happens; if something occurs which he has not seen before, he thinks it is a marvel" - Cicero.
RE: Ontogeny/phylogeny teaching moment Was: Student Question
John W. Kulig wrote: are more frequent in subsequent generations. The "random" part of Darwinian theory has always been under-appreciated. The fact that the variation is random means there is/was no plan to evolution, no teleology, no foresight - just design shaped by selection. Agreed, but I might amend that to say that the "random" part of Darwinian theory has been typically misplaced, not simply underappreciated. Randomness applies to the variation part of evolution, but probably the most common strawman argument against evolution is the one that holds that the entire process is random, and fails to note the decidedly nonrandom (though still nonintentional) nature of the selection side of the process. In my experience, it has seemed that the problem is not a lack of attention to the randomness involved in evolution, but rather a failure to separate the concepts of variation and selection (something that Skinner does an excellent job of in several articles, if I remember correctly). Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee
Student question
Hello - This is a cut and paste from my discussion board: When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to teach them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do, seeing or not? Or do blind people not smile? It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and dad smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them smiling at you, how would you learn? It's a great question - does anyone have an idea about it? Nancy Melucci ELAC
Re: Student question
Why would you have to imitate to learn this? Isn't just making random mouth configurations sufficient? And when there is a smile (high probability given the musculature), it's followed by reinforcers. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello - This is a cut and paste from my discussion board: When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to teach them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do, seeing or not? Or do blind people not smile? It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and dad smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them smiling at you, how would you learn? It's a great question - does anyone have an idea about it? Nancy Melucci ELAC -- Thom --- Thomas G. Brown, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Distinguished Professor of the College Utica College of Syracuse University 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, New York, 13502-4892 Voice: 315/792-3187 Fax: 315/792-3187 --- "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life." - William James
Re: Student question
When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to teach them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do, seeing or not? Or do blind people not smile? It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and dad smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them smiling at you, how would you learn? Although I don't have a cite for this, my understanding that the social smile emerges based on gestational age--at least one indicator that that smiling is biologically/genetically driven. Also, smiling occurs in all cultures (although with various meaning attached depending on context and other facial expressions). So my guess would be that children born without sight would also smile, be reinforced, and learn the socially appropriate nonverbals. Carla -- === Carla E. Grayson, Ph.D. The University of Montana Dept. of Psychology Missoula, MT 59812 Phone: 406 243-2391 Fax: 406 243-6366 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Student question
We inherit our smiles. Cal Izzard at Delaware has been studying this for years. Certain basic emotional expressions are essentially reflexive reactions to mood states. There are some interesting stories of patients with strokes who were paralyzed on one side the face. When asked to make the movement of a smile to command, one side of the face remained paralyzed. When the the patient was told a joke, both sides of the face formed the smile. Mike Williams Thom Brown wrote: Why would you have to imitate to learn this? Isn't just making random mouth configurations sufficient? And when there is a smile (high probability given the musculature), it's followed by reinforcers. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello - This is a cut and paste from my discussion board: When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to teach them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do, seeing or not? Or do blind people not smile? It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and dad smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them smiling at you, how would you learn? It's a great question - does anyone have an idea about it? Nancy Melucci ELAC -- Thom --- Thomas G. Brown, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Distinguished Professor of the College Utica College of Syracuse University 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, New York, 13502-4892 Voice: 315/792-3187 Fax: 315/792-3187 --- "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life." - William James
RE: Student question
Could I ask that we not send attachments to the list, but rather provide URLs? My mail system is quite slow, and attachments mean that what I'm expecting to be a quick check of my mail turns into a fifteen minute or longer wait during which I can't read mail at all. If TIPS becomes attachment-heavy, I'll have to unsubscribe, and I'd hate to do that. Even small attachments cause big problems. Thanks in advance, Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee
Re: Student question
Thom and others: It seems unlikely it is learned. Given the importance of the smile in human evolution - and the fact that blind infants smile in response to social stimuli - it is more parsimoneous to consider the human smile as an adaptation. If it were shaped by random movements, one should expect to see differences between families, across families, and across cultures, and we do not see them. See attached photographs (all from Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt's _Ethology: The Biology of Behavior_ 1970, Holt, Rinehart, Winston). Interestingly, there have been a few very readable recent articles on the biology/evolution/cross-cultural nature of emotional reactions: Panksepp, J. (2000) The Riddle of Laughter: Neural and Psychoevolutionary underpinnings of joy. _Current Directions in Psychological Science_, December 2000, 9(6), 183 - (in the same issue is an article on embarrassment) Hejmadi, A et al (2000) Exploring Hindu Emotional Expressions: Evidence for accurate recognition by Americans and Indians. Psychological Science. 11(2), 183 - Thom Brown wrote: Why would you have to imitate to learn this? Isn't just making random mouth configurations sufficient? And when there is a smile (high probability given the musculature), it's followed by reinforcers. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello - This is a cut and paste from my discussion board: When a person is born blind, does someone (a seeing person) have to teach them how to smile, or is it something that people automatically do, seeing or not? Or do blind people not smile? It seems that it would be a learned response. As a baby, your mom and dad smile at you, and you learn to smile back. But if you can't see them smiling at you, how would you learn? It's a great question - does anyone have an idea about it? Nancy Melucci ELAC -- Thom --- Thomas G. Brown, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Distinguished Professor of the College Utica College of Syracuse University 1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, New York, 13502-4892 Voice: 315/792-3187 Fax: 315/792-3187 --- "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts life." - William James -- --- John W. Kulig[EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology http://oz.plymouth.edu/~kulig Plymouth State College tel: (603) 535-2468 Plymouth NH USA 03264fax: (603) 535-2412 --- "What a man often sees he does not wonder at, although he knows not why it happens; if something occurs which he has not seen before, he thinks it is a marvel" - Cicero.
RE: Student question
Paul wrote: Could I ask that we not send attachments to the list, but rather provide URLs? My mail system is quite slow, and attachments mean that what I'm expecting to be a quick check of my mail turns into a fifteen minute or longer wait during which I can't read mail at all. If TIPS becomes attachment-heavy, I'll have to unsubscribe, and I'd hate to do that. Even small attachments cause big problems. I second this. Even the attachment of "cards" is a hassle for some of us. I've come to the point of simply deleting messages that show attachments without ever opening them. Paul's note is a call for courtesy from list members. I think we ought to listen him. Pat Cabe ** Patrick Cabe, Ph.D. Department of Psychology University of North Carolina at Pembroke One University Drive Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 (910) 521-6630 [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Thomas Jefferson "There is the danger that everyone waits idly for others to act in his stead." Albert Einstein "Majorities simply follow minorities. Gandhi
RE: Student question
Patrick Cabe wrote: I second this. Even the attachment of "cards" is a hassle for some of us. I've come to the point of simply deleting messages that show attachments without ever opening them. Paul's note is a call for courtesy from list members. I think we ought to listen him. Rather than all posting our agreement with this, let's give it a while and see if the problem goes away. The two folks who sent attachments over the last two days are well aware of the problem, and we've been good at avoiding the problem for years. Incidentally, I've always deleted messages with attachments unless I was expecting one sent explicitly to me. But with Exchange server at my institution, the problem is far worse - I don't have any choice about the attachments. The entire attachment is downloaded to my computer right away as I check my email. I hate that with a passion. It means that I HAVE TO wait for the entire download just to have the opportunity to read my other mail. Thanks to Deanna Buck for suggesting a solution - but I still hope that we stop sending attachments. Paul Smith Alverno College Milwaukee
Student Question
Children born deaf and blind do, indeed, smile at the appropriate age. This fact is often cited as evidence that smiling and some other basic behavior patterns as "hard wired." Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, West Chester Univ. of PA, West Chester, PA 19383 Office: 610-436-3151; Home: 610-363-1939; Fax: 610-436-2846; Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8-9 and 11-12 and Mondays and Wednesdays 12-1 and by appointment, ~~~ Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, herpetoculturist and bluegrass fiddler If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning. --Catherine Aird
Student question - Developmental
I received this question via e-mail from one of my students. Is anyone familiar with articles that address these questions? "There has been a claim that classical music soothes the unborn child. At how many months would this be possible? How about other kinds of music? And will the child respond similarly to similar music after birth?" Thank you! Patti Price [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: student question
India, You are right, the student needs to rename her research hypothesis the "null" and her alternative hypothesis is what she is calling her research hypothesis - ie, there is a difference. Strictly speaking, the study she is doing is not a true experiment as she has no ability to manipulate the assigned sex of her subjects. It falls into the realm of the quasi-experimental. Nancy Melucci Los Angeles Harbor College
Re: student question (correction)
Listfolk, I am sorry, I was really unclear about null versus alternative. This is what I meant to say: Null = no difference hypothesis Alternative = there is a difference hypothesis I need to practice my proofreading. I do this way too often. Nancy M.
Re: student question
Hi India Tipsters- Just out of curiosity, where did your student get the idea? Was it from the original Stroop paper? My memory has it that the original Stroop paper reported gender differences in reading times but now I can't find the paper. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks Patrick Patrick O. Dolan voice: +1-314-935-8731 Psychology Department, Box 1125 fax: +1-314-935-7588 Washington University One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130 [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2000 8:37 AM Subject: student question I have a high school student who is doing the "Stroop" experiment for a research paper, and she is comparing the times for males / females. Her research hypothesis is "there will be no significant difference in time taken to read the list for males and females". Here is the question, wouldn't the null be basically the same thing, that there will be no correlation between the gender of the participant and the time taken to read the list of color words? I am sure I should know this, and probably do. These papers are sent away to someone else to grade, so I want to help the student before the paper is sent off. Thank you in advance! India Barrington [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: student question
Hi With respect to the Stroop, there are gender differences in colour-naming time. This has been known for some time. I don't have references handy, nor do I know about gender differences in actual Stroop effect. Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
Re: student question
What are the proposed underlying causes for this gender difference, I wonder? jim clark wrote: Hi With respect to the Stroop, there are gender differences in colour-naming time. This has been known for some time. I don't have references handy, nor do I know about gender differences in actual Stroop effect. Best wishes Jim James M. Clark (204) 786-9757 Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax University of Winnipeg 4L05D Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED] CANADA http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark
another student question
Hi everyone. Does anyone have any leads or suggestions for this question? Why do we sleep with our eyes closed? In other words, aside from the obvious, what biological factors are responsible for sleeping with our eyes closed. Thanks! Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html Personal Web site: http://www.nvo.com/scullari/door
Re: another student question
light destroys melatonin. Ron Blue - Original Message - From: "Salvatore Cullari" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 3:33 PM Subject: another student question Hi everyone. Does anyone have any leads or suggestions for this question? Why do we sleep with our eyes closed? In other words, aside from the obvious, what biological factors are responsible for sleeping with our eyes closed. Thanks! Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html Personal Web site: http://www.nvo.com/scullari/door
Night vision (Student question)
Folks, Are there any explanations for variations in the acuity of night vision from person to person (other than owning night vision goggles)? A student asked what the explanation would be, according to her, her brother and husband see better in the dark than she does . I also wonder since this is a subjective and ancedotal account, if night vision has been studied with this in mind (finding out who might have better than average night vision and what neuroanatomical or neurochemical conditions would make this so.) Thanks for any help you can give me. Nancy Melucci Los Angeles Harbor College
Re: Night vision (Student question)
Nancy Melucci wrote: Are there any explanations for variations in the acuity of night vision from person to person (other than owning night vision goggles)? See: http://web.utk.edu/~wverplan/biblio10.html for the full article, by William S. Verplanck from University of Tennessee, Knoxville. * "Night Blindness and Nyctalopia. "Some persons report consistent difficulties in seeing at night, even when they are fully dark-adapted. They cannot detect objects readily visible to others and show both confusion and slow recovery after brief exposure to relatively bright light sources. Maneuvering in dimly illuminated spaces and driving or flying at night present serious problems to these individuals. The presence of such a history, whether the disturbance in sight is of recent appearance or long-standing, is usually taken as prima facie evidence of night blindness. "However, a sharp distinction must be made between night blindness as indicated by such reported difficulties and nyctalopia, or true night blindness, which may be diagnosed only on the basis of an accurate measurement of retinal sensitivity. Many, if not most, of those individuals who report difficulty in seeing at night prove to be psychoneurotic. Many who have unusually insensitive retinas, on the other hand, do not report special difficulties in seeing at night, either because they assume that others have the same difficulties, or because they fail to note them in out well-illuminated urban culture, which offers few situations in which intact rod function is required. To establish the presence of nyctalopia, it is essential to use an instrument of established validity for the measurement of retinal sensitivity. "Incidence of Nyctalopia.--No definitive data on the occurrence of nyctalopia in the population are available, since measurements have never been made on a representative sample of the population. From the studies which have been made of selected groups (e.g. school children, service men), it is known that the normal population will include a small percentage of persons of low visual sensitivity whose performance will be as poor as or poorer than that of many individuals whose nyctalopia is associated with disease or degenerative processes. About 2 per cent of the Navy men were disqualified for night duties as "night blind" on this basis. Those so disqualified seldom if ever showed symptoms other than a relatively high absolute terminal threshold, and their reduced sensitivity must be taken as the consequence of the normal variability in the density in the retinal rods and the efficiency of the process whereby rhodopsin, the visual purple, is regenerated. "The incidence of nyctalopia as part of a distinct clinical pattern is not well understood. It has been observed frequently in several diseases, and may appear in certain unusual conditions such as: "(1) Idiopathic Nyctalopia.--Idiopathic nyctalopia is an hereditary absence of rod function, which has been traced through several generations of certain families. Although typically it appears alone, it may be associated with color blindness and myopia. There is no effective treatment. "(2) Oguchi's Disease.--This rare hereditary syndrome, first reported in Japan and later observed in Europe, has its primary symptom nyctalopia with marked contraction of the visual field under low levels of illumination. Ophthalmoscopic examination shows a remarkably gray appearance of this fundus which disappears with dark-adaptation. Day vision is not affected. No treatment as proved of value. "(3) Retinitis Pigmentosa.--Nyctalopia is the first and invariable symptom of retinitis pigmentosa. In the early stages of the disease, dark adaptation takes place, but at a retarded rate. As the disease advances, rod function is progressively lost, and the absolute terminal threshold is elevated. Diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa is based upon ophthalmoscopic examination. "(4) Glaucoma.--Early impairment and progressive loss of rod sensitivity is observed in glaucoma. "(5) Retinitis Punctata Albescens.--The earliest symptom of this disease is the complete absence of rod function. Often nyctalopia is the only symptom associated with the altered state of the retina. "(6) Other syndromes of the Visual System.--Nyctalopia has been observed as one symptom of each of the following pathologic conditions: myopia, disseminated chorioretinitis, pregnancy, nicotine poisoning, the Lawrence-Moon-Biedl syndrome, gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina, choroideremia and atrophy of the optic nerve. Nyctalopia may be simulated by opacities of the ocular media. "(7) Overexposure to Sunlight.--Mild transient nyctalopia may appear in persons who have been overexposed to bright sunlight for several days. It will disappear within a few days if the persons will protect their eyes from the sun wither by remaining indoors or by the use of dark sun glasses. "(8) Avitaminotic Nyctalopia.--Epidemics of night blindness have
Re: Night vision (Student question)
What I have read is the opposite - Males appear to have better visual acuity under photopic conditions, while females have lower absolute thresholds under scotopic - and can be seen in childhood. Females also may dark adapt faster. There are other gender differences as well related to acuity. I'm pulling this information from: Coren, Ward, Enns (1994) Sensation and Perception (4th ed.) At 06:15 AM 11/6/00 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Folks, Are there any explanations for variations in the acuity of night vision from person to person (other than owning night vision goggles)? A student asked what the explanation would be, according to her, her brother and husband see better in the dark than she does . I also wonder since this is a subjective and ancedotal account, if night vision has been studied with this in mind (finding out who might have better than average night vision and what neuroanatomical or neurochemical conditions would make this so.) Thanks for any help you can give me. Nancy Melucci Los Angeles Harbor College Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB
Night vision (Student question)
Nancy Melucci asks: Are there any explanations for variations in the acuity of night vision? Visual sensitivity under low light conditions depends on several factors, all of which might vary among individuals. Dark adaptation (recovery of sensitivity following exposure to bright light) depends on the speed with which the visual pigment rhodopsin is regenerated in the rods. Rhodopsin is formed from vitamin A (which is why severe deficiencies of vitamin A produce deficits in night vision). I don't know whether individual differences in vitamin A would be manifested as differences in quality of night vision - it generally takes a severe deficit to show up as impaired night vision. Any one know whether there are differences in the speed of the regeneration process? Several other factors might vary enough between individuals to create differences in quality of night vision: Clarity of the cornea (people with cataracts will have worse night vision), the lens, or of the viteous humor will determine how much light actually stimulates the retina. Less light transmitted, less to reach the retina to be detected. The size of the pupil when it is fully dilated might vary - the bigger the opening, the more light the eye can gather. Animals that have excellent night vision (like owls) have large eyes and pupils that are capable of great dilation. As we age, we accumulate pigments in the foveal region of the retina (which also reduce our sensitivity to blue light) and these will filter out light and affect vision under low-light conditions. (This has been suggested as the reason why little old ladies like those blue rinses - to them their hair looks white, without them their hair might have a dingy, yellowed cast.) Two other possibilities that are far more speculative: Are there large enough individual differences in amount of convergence among receptors in the periphery to produce differences in sensitivity? There are some variations in the chemical composition of the photopigments for color vision and these have slightly different sensitivity contours (thus, there are different varieties of red-green anomolous color vision, depending on which variant of the red/green photopigment the person has). I suppose it is possible that there might also be variants in rhodopsin, but I don't know of any research on that. Claudia Stanny Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D.e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of PsychologyPhone: (850) 474 - 3163 University of West Florida FAX:(850) 857 - 6060 Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Web:http://www.uwf.edu/psych/stanny.html
Re: Night vision (Student question)
Lots of possibilities -- distribution/density of rods, level of and rate of regeneration of rhodopsin (possibly related to diet -- eat carrots), clarity of any tissue through which light must pass on way to retina. Or, maybe the brother and husband are just better guessers on the SAT. ;-) What most people describe as guessingyields betterperformance than would be expectedbytruely random guessing, and this applies to perceptual phenomena too (signal detection theory and all that). - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000 6:15 AM Subject: Night vision (Student question) Folks, Are there any explanations for variations in the acuity of night vision from person to person (other than owning night vision goggles)?
Re: Student Question
OK, I'm an optimist here. I assume that people are not going to steal even when something is open and available. David is constantly telling me to lock stuff up, but I don't. In my world, if it's mine, then no one has the right to get in my office, car, etc., and take it locked or unlocked. And (thank goodness) I'm right over 99% of the time. Our university is obsessive about locking doors to computer labs, classrooms, etc. that don't have a prof in them for fear that someone will come in and steal the equipment. Yes, we have had major thefts. But, quite frankly, if someone is able to get out of the building with over a dozen computers that are still in the box, I really don't think that it is the students taking them. Oh, sure there are a few students that would take anything that wasn't nailed down, but most of my students would be appalled at the thought (I know this, because they are upset that they can't get into a room unless they are supervised - and indignant that the university would think they would do something to the equipment). I'm sorry that those students at your university think that is OK, but I really don't believe that all of them think in that way. At 12:18 AM 11/1/00 -0500, Rick Adams wrote: Recently an incident occurred in which a student in one of my classes was caught stealing a computer chair from the IT lab. He wasn't arrested, but he was expelled from the school for violation of the honor code. It should also be pointed out that he is not an poverty level student who could not afford to purchase such a chair if he wanted to do so. Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB
Re: Student Question
I had a student laughingly tell the class about taking toilet paper from store and restaurant bathrooms because she and her apartment mate did not have much $. I told her that I hoped no one was stealing from my store bathroom. (I own a retail store.) I was providing a bathroom as a customer service and that taking more toilet paper than was needed to wipe yourself was no different than shoplifting a piece of jewelry or a blouse from the sales floor. I think I got my point across. And this is one of the top psych students! Molly Straight, MA Alderson-Broaddus College Philippi, WV OK, I'm an optimist here. I assume that people are not going to steal even when something is open and available.
Student Question
Recently an incident occurred in which a student in one of my classes was caught stealing a computer chair from the IT lab. He wasn't arrested, but he was expelled from the school for violation of the honor code. It should also be pointed out that he is not an poverty level student who could not afford to purchase such a chair if he wanted to do so. Other students in the class (all of whom knew of the incident) raised the point in discussion the next day that the punishment was too harsh--and that such behavior was "just a prank" and common among college students--that in fact the "average" traditional student would behave in that manner. I stated that it was very definitely NOT "typical" of the average student and that only a very small percentage of college students would steal from the institution--if for no other reason than that they would be jeopardizing their academic futures and, as a consequence, their future career chances. Many of the students disagreed quite strongly insisting that this was common behavior among most student on campuses. It should be noted that I teach at a rural community college, and that the students are basing their views on impressions they have of major institutions. I would _definitely_ appreciate some feedback from colleagues at other institutions on this matter. Do your schools have high rates of student theft of property--and if so, do the thefts seem limited to a small group of dishonest students or are they more generalized to the entire student body? What percentage of students on your campuses would you estimate to be willing to participate in such theft (the chair was valued at $259.00, making the offense Grand Larceny, not petty theft) for personal gain? How would you define the difference between actual crime and "student pranks" which are, of course, somewhat common on campuses? Since this will be a weak spot in my class until I can provide some pretty strong arguments (or citations from others, such as the members of TIPS) to back my claim (or refute it, if I'm wrong), responses from as many instructors as possible would be greatly appreciated. In order to keep from tying up TIPS, responses to my personal email address ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) would be preferred. If you can include your academic affiliation in your sig line it would help in establishing for the class that the answers are coming from a wide range of institution--and therefore represent a more balanced (if not quite random) sampling. Thanks in advance, Rick -- Rick Adams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Social Sciences Jackson Community College 2111 Emmons Rd. Jackson, MI 49201
Student Question: Learned helplessness
Hello, This student question came up during the chapter on learning. I don't have the original article and can't find further discussion of LH in any of my texts. Following Seligman's original experiments, were there conditions under which the learned helplessness behavior was extinguished? If so, how many unpaired trials before the dogs regained escape behavior? Were there attempts to carry the dogs over the divider to "teach" the benefits of escape? Thanks, Pam
RE: Student Question: Learned helplessness
As I recall, he had to drag dogs to the other side with the barrier completely down. Other attempts, such as calling them and putting Hebrew National franks on the safe side did not work. It took a number of times for some of the dogs. Michael B. Quanty, Ph.D. Psychology Professor Senior Institutional Researcher Thomas Nelson Community College PO Box 9407 Hampton, VA 23670 Phone: 757.825.3500 Fax: 757.825.3807 -Original Message- From: pamela [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 8:35 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Student Question: Learned helplessness Hello, This student question came up during the chapter on learning. I don't have the original article and can't find further discussion of LH in any of my texts. Following Seligman's original experiments, were there conditions under which the learned helplessness behavior was extinguished? If so, how many unpaired trials before the dogs regained escape behavior? Were there attempts to carry the dogs over the divider to "teach" the benefits of escape? Thanks, Pam
Re: Student question about blondes and hyperactivity
On Thu, 19 Oct 2000, Weisskirch, Rob wrote: A student said today that she heard that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes were more hyperactive. Does anyone know anything about this? My suggestion is a bit far-fetched, but at least possible. The genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) involves dysfunction of the phenylalaninetyrosine biochemical pathway. An end-point of this pathway is the synthesis of melanin. Consequently, people with uncontrolled PKU have decreased melanin, and tend to be blonde and blue-eyed. They also exhibit hyperactivity and agitated behaviour. This could be the origin of this claim. However, dietary treatment for PKU is strikingly successful, and I doubt that there exist any such cases today, except for those unfortunate enough to have been born (40+ years ago?) before this treatment was discovered. Still more speculatively, the PKU example does suggest a link between decreased melanin and hyperactivity. As being blonde and blue-eyed indicates decreased melanin production, this suggests a possible link to hyperactivity. But while it's nice to have a plausible explanation, we need to know whether the claim it explains (blondes are more hyperactive) is, in fact, true. -Stephen (once blonde, still somewhat blue-eyed, but never noticeably hyperactive) Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
RE: Student question about blondes and hyperactivity
I have not heard specifically about hyperactivity, but a pediatric allergist told me first-born, blonde, blue-eyed boys are the most prone to allergies of all children. Related??? Margie Stinson Adjunct Faculty -- Lee College Huntxville, Texas -Original Message- From: Weisskirch, Rob [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2000 6:35 PM To: TIPS (E-mail) Subject: Student question about blondes and hyperactivity TIPSters, A student said today that she heard that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes were more hyperactive. Does anyone know anything about this? The balding brunette but blue-eyed, Rob Weisskirch Rob Weisskirch, MSW, Ph.D. Department of Child and Adolescent Studies California State University, Fullerton P.O. Box 6868 Fullerton, CA 92834-6868 (714) 278-2896 http://faculty.fullerton.edu/rweisskirch
RE: Student question about blondes and hyperactivity
On Thu, 19 Oct 2000, Weisskirch, Rob wrote: A student said today that she heard that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes were more hyperactive. Does anyone know anything about this? Actually, Kagan has some data that suggest just the opposite might be true. Rosenberg and Kagan (1987) report that their inhibited (shy) children are more likely to have blue eyes than the uninhibited children in their sample. Rosenberg, A., Kagan, J. (1987). Iris pigmentation and behavioral inhibition. Developmental Psychobiology, 20, 377-392. Dennis Dennis M. Goff Dept. of Psychology Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA 24503
RE: Student question about blondes and hyperactivity
Rob Weisskirch wrote: TIPSters, A student said today that she heard that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes were more hyperactive. Does anyone know anything about this? The balding brunette but blue-eyed, Rob Weisskirch and Margie replied I have not heard specifically about hyperactivity, but a pediatric allergist told me first-born, blonde, blue-eyed boys are the most prone to allergies of all children. Related??? Margie Stinson Rob, Margie and other Tipsters: Research by Jerome Kagan and colleagues which may be what your student is referring to. As Kagan has done temperament research over the years he's identified a number of correlates with inhibited and uninhibited temperaments. As I recall, children who are inhibited tend to be blue-eyed, be blonde, and be prone to allergies. Kirsten Kirsten L. Rewey Department of Psychology St. Mary's University of Minnesota 700 Terrace Heights, Box 1464 Winona, Minnesota 55987 Office: (507) 457-6991 Fax: (507) 457-1633
Student question about blondes and hyperactivity
TIPSters, A student said today that she heard that boys with blonde hair and blue eyes were more hyperactive. Does anyone know anything about this? The balding brunette but blue-eyed, Rob Weisskirch Rob Weisskirch, MSW, Ph.D. Department of Child and Adolescent Studies California State University, Fullerton P.O. Box 6868 Fullerton, CA 92834-6868 (714) 278-2896 http://faculty.fullerton.edu/rweisskirch
RE: student question
In addition to choking in the social cognition literature, there is the clinical psych literature on cognitive-behavioral approaches. For example, the cognitive-behavioral perspective generally refers to it as catastrophizing, though there are minor differences in usage by various folks (e.g., Beck, Ellis). In David Burns' (1980) listing of specific cognitive distortions (derived from Beck's work), the definitions overlap to some degree. Nevertheless, your example seems most consistent with either "catastrophizing" or "jumping to conclusions." Of the two most common examples of jumping to conclusions, the "fortune teller error" applies to the situation you describe. (The other common example, mind-reading, applies to interpersonal situations.) That's my prediction, at least. g -Original Message- From: Carla Grayson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2000 8:22 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: student question Tipsters, I got this question in the midst of a lecture about schemas. What would you call the phenomenon when a student gets the first few problems on a test wrong and then falls apart on the rest of the test? The idea here is that they think, oh, I didn't get the first couple of questions right, I must not know the material. I think this is some kind of self-perception phenomenon. I know it's not self-fulfilling prophecy (which requires 2 people). Can somebody jog my memory? Thanks! Carla Grayson
Re: student question
Research on neurotransmitters on memory performance supports the arousal theory of memory consolidation: increased levels of acetylcholine and norepinephrine are associated with higher levels of neural activity and better memory performance. Are there increased levels of neurotransmitter production during REM sleep? A question asked by one of my high school students?
Re: student question
Self-efficacy problem??? How about it being a test anxiety problem? I am known throughout the psych majors as the See's candy stick person because I always pass out candy sticks--a measly 30 calories for those who are counting, but I always tell students that we can take a lesson from babies--when stressed, they suck. So I pass out something to suck on. Since only a few really have test anxiety, the rest just enjoy trading flavors and their 30 calorie treat. They are also cheap--within my personal budget :-) annette On Tue, 17 Oct 2000, Carla Grayson wrote: Tipsters, I got this question in the midst of a lecture about schemas. What would you call the phenomenon when a student gets the first few problems on a test wrong and then falls apart on the rest of the test? The idea here is that they think, oh, I didn't get the first couple of questions right, I must not know the material. I think this is some kind of self-perception phenomenon. I know it's not self-fulfilling prophecy (which requires 2 people). Can somebody jog my memory? Thanks! Carla Grayson Annette Taylor, Ph. D. Department of PsychologyE-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of San Diego Voice: (619) 260-4006 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 "Education is one of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get." -- W. L. Bryan
Re: student question
Paul: Good question and I anxiously await the answer as well.. in the meantime I had always thought that it was the increased neural activity in general during rem sleep that affects memory. I have no references handy --do any other tipsters? -- but I have read/heard that if you wake individuals during REM sleep that they will have a detrimental effect on a memory task learned just before going to sleep. those left to sleep through REM sleep but periodically awakened in other sleep stages perform as well as individuals who are allowed to sleep all night undisturbed. sometimes, after teaching for nearly 15 years now, it is hard to track down where and when I learned somethingso if I am wrong I'd like to be corrected. annnette On Wed, 18 Oct 2000, Paul Leiberton wrote: Research on neurotransmitters on memory performance supports the arousal theory of memory consolidation: increased levels of acetylcholine and norepinephrine are associated with higher levels of neural activity and better memory performance. Are there increased levels of neurotransmitter production during REM sleep? A question asked by one of my high school students? Annette Taylor, Ph. D. Department of PsychologyE-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] University of San Diego Voice: (619) 260-4006 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 "Education is one of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get." -- W. L. Bryan
student question
Tipsters, I got this question in the midst of a lecture about schemas. What would you call the phenomenon when a student gets the first few problems on a test wrong and then falls apart on the rest of the test? The idea here is that they think, oh, I didn't get the first couple of questions right, I must not know the material. I think this is some kind of self-perception phenomenon. I know it's not self-fulfilling prophecy (which requires 2 people). Can somebody jog my memory? Thanks! Carla Grayson
Re: student question
At 9:21 PM -0600 10/17/00, Carla Grayson wrote: I got this question in the midst of a lecture about schemas. What would you call the phenomenon when a student gets the first few problems on a test wrong and then falls apart on the rest of the test? The idea here is that they think, oh, I didn't get the first couple of questions right, I must not know the material. I think this is some kind of self-perception phenomenon. I know it's not self-fulfilling prophecy (which requires 2 people). Can somebody jog my memory? Its called choking. Arousal gets in the way of performance. It works better on skills that are not well rehearsed. There is a long history of research on it by social psychologists. Two names that come immediately to mind are Bob Zajonc (original work on social facilitation) and Roy Baumeister (self-awareness and choking). -Chuck - Chuck Huff; 507.646.3169; http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/ - Psychology Department, St.Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057
Student question - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Hello, Does anyone know what the current state of thought and research is about the above mentioned? A student asked if it had been termed a psychosomatic rather than purely a biologically or physiologically based ailment. Or is it something in between? Thanks for any help or references you can give. Nancy Melucci Los Angeles Harbor College
Student question (transexuals)
Friends, Are there any ideas regarding the possible causes of transsexualism? I am referring here to persons who actually want to change sex assignment, not to the behavior of cross-dressing. Thanks for your help. Nancy Melucci
Student question: Parkinson
On Wed, 11 Oct 2000, Michael Sylvester wrote: who was Parkinson? Like Alice's Restaurant, you can get anything you want on the web. Here's what it says about the eponymous Dr. Parkinson. DR. JAMES PARKINSON (1755 - 1828) James Parkinson was born in London, and in his early education studied Latin, Greek, natural philosophy and shorthand which he considered as proper basic tools for a physician. Early on he assisted and then took over the practice of his father in general medicine. At the end of the 18th century, he was already established as a social reformer and voiced his opinions openly on war, the military establishment, on the causes for poverty, on civil disobedience, on revolution and even on medical education. His hobbies included geology and paleontology. He wrote a little known medical monograph on "Observations on the Nature and Cure of Gout" in 1805. But his "ESSAY ON THE SHAKING PALSY" published in 1817 gained him immortality in the annals of Medicine.There is no likeness ever found of James Parkinson. Source: http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcne/founders/page0071.html -Stephen Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
RE: neurotransmitters and food student question
Kitty, I can tell you something about three of the transmitters in your list. Tyrosine is the essential amino acid for dopamine and norepinephrine. This amino acid is available in many sources of protein. Tryptophan is the essential amino acid for serotonin and it is available from dairy products, bananas, and corn among others. The story is not as simple as ingest these foods and increase the levels of these transmitters. The amount of transmitter produced in each cell is limited by the availability of these essential building blocks and other enzymes. More importantly, the amount of the essential amino acid that cross the blood brain barrier is determined by the amount that is present in the blood stream and other nutritional factors. For example, I remember that the amount of tryptophan that crosses is in part dependent on the carbohydrate load in the blood stream at the time. I hope this is helpful. Dennis Dennis M. Goff Dept. of Psychology Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA 24503 -Original Message- From: K Jung [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 6:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: neurotransmitters and food student question Might anyone know which foods affect which neurotransmitters, esp. the "popular" neurotransmitters, ie, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, endorphins, norepinephrine? I vaguely remember dairy and acetylcholine going together. A student stumped me on this one and a search on my part has turned up nothing remarkable. peace, K Kitty K. Jung, MA Lecturer Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, Nevada [EMAIL PROTECTED] 775.673.7098 _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.
RE: neurotransmitters and food student question
= Original Message From "K Jung" [EMAIL PROTECTED] = Might anyone know which foods affect which neurotransmitters, esp. the "popular" neurotransmitters, ie, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, endorphins, norepinephrine? TIPsters - Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember that L-tryptophan (a component of milk and turkey) is a precursor to serotonin. Large doses of L-tryptophan (e.g., warm milk at bedtime, turkey dinner) have been linked to onset of sleep. Kirsten Kirsten L. Rewey Department of Psychology St. Mary's University of Minnesota 700 Terrace Heights, Box 1464 Winona, Minnesota 55987 Office: (507) 457-6991 Fax: (507) 457-1633
RE: neurotransmitters and food student question
When discussing neurotransmitters, I usually mention these: acetylcholine - foods high in choline (enhance memory), esp. fish meat, eggs serotonin - warm milk, turkey, foods high in tryptophan I too would be interested in additional information on this subject. -Original Message- From: K Jung [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 6:09 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: neurotransmitters and food student question Might anyone know which foods affect which neurotransmitters, esp. the "popular" neurotransmitters, ie, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, endorphins, norepinephrine? I vaguely remember dairy and acetylcholine going together. A student stumped me on this one and a search on my part has turned up nothing remarkable. peace, K Kitty K. Jung, MA Lecturer Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, Nevada [EMAIL PROTECTED] 775.673.7098 _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.
neurotransmitters and food student question
Might anyone know which foods affect which neurotransmitters, esp. the "popular" neurotransmitters, ie, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, endorphins, norepinephrine? I vaguely remember dairy and acetylcholine going together. A student stumped me on this one and a search on my part has turned up nothing remarkable. peace, K Kitty K. Jung, MA Lecturer Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, Nevada [EMAIL PROTECTED] 775.673.7098 _ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.
Student Question
A student asked the following question and I wonder if any of you have any explanations and/or can suggest some sources for me to pursue. Thanks in advance! I used to have insomnia for my whole life and jealously wondered how others went about falling asleep. What do you 'do' to fall asleep? I used to lie in bed for hours with my eyes closed wondering what was missing, even if I was exhausted. Someone recommended that I actively watch the spots and patterns on my eyelids after I go to bed and it would cause some sort of 'feedback loop' with my brain that would trigger a sleep state. I have tried many things, including reading books by Dement, self-hypnosis, sunlight, fingers in the ears, and melatonin, and this is the only thing that really works every time within 5 minutes. Why? The phosphenes quiet down to almost nothing right before it works. I doubt this is related to relaxing, as I can achieve a wonderful floating feeling that does not induce sleep for me. (end) Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html Personal Web site: http://www.nvo.com/scullari/door
student question
One of my students stumped me yesterday and I am in need of some help. During what stage of sleep does talking in one's sleep occur? Why do some people talk in their sleep? Please reply off list, as I am not getting a digest every day. This is my first semester teaching full time. So I do not have much time to figure out why my mailings are sporadic. :-) Many, many thanks in advance! Joe Horton [EMAIL PROTECTED] Instructor of Psychology Lock Haven University Lock Haven, PA
student question about lying
Hi all. After we discussed ways of detecting deception in class, one of my students asked me the question below. Does anyone know if this is true or a myth? (Personally I've never heard of it). Thanks for any responses. I have a question concerning how you can tell if people are lying or fact vs myth ways that you can tell. Would it be true that if you asked someone a question about something visual and their eyes went up and to the left, acessing the visual cortex of the brain, then they would be telling the truth. And if their eyes went up and to the right, acessing the creative centers of the brain, then they would be lying? Helen Helen C. Harton Department of Psychology University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0505
RE: student question about lying
Hi Helen! I never heard about that one, but there is a long line of neuropsych research, mostly from the 1970's, that showed differential contralateral eye movement as a function of which hemisphere was thought to be relatively more activated when answering a given question (e.g., people would move their eyes to the right when answering verbal questions and to the left when answering spatial questions). I've always been interested in this line of research, but a little skeptical. Please let me know what you find out. Marty Bourgeois University of Wyoming -Original Message- From: Helen C. Harton [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 8:57 AM To: TIPS Subject: student question about lying Hi all. After we discussed ways of detecting deception in class, one of my students asked me the question below. Does anyone know if this is true or a myth? (Personally I've never heard of it). Thanks for any responses. I have a question concerning how you can tell if people are lying or fact vs myth ways that you can tell. Would it be true that if you asked someone a question about something visual and their eyes went up and to the left, acessing the visual cortex of the brain, then they would be telling the truth. And if their eyes went up and to the right, acessing the creative centers of the brain, then they would be lying? Helen Helen C. Harton Department of Psychology University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0505
student question
Question: What happens to endorphins during sleep? Does anyone have any information about this? Thanks in advance. Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html Personal Web site: http://www.nvo.com/scullari/door
Re: student question
On Thu, 11 Nov 1999, Salvatore Cullari wrote:
Question: What happens to endorphins during sleep?
Does anyone have any information about this? Thanks in advance.
Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I guess the question is:
Do endorphins dream of neurochemical sheep?
With tongue firmly in cheek, ;-{^)
-Max
Maxwell Gwynn, PhD [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology(519) 884-0710 ext 3854
Wilfrid Laurier University
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 Canada
Re: [Fwd: Criminal Behavior] Student Question
On Sat, 16 Oct 1999, John W. Nichols, M.A. wrote: I thought some TIPSters might like to take a shot at this. Note that the "Reply All" function will send a copy directly to the student, as well as to the list. -- --== ô¿ô ==-- John W. Nichols, M.A. Assistant Professor of Psychology Computer Science Tulsa Community College 909 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119 (918) 595-7134 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/home.html MegaPsych: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/megapsych.html From my reading of the literature some symptoms to look for are: -plays with fire -mean and cruel to animals -hate girls -uncontrolled impulsivity - anti-social and anti-authority one assumption is that those individuals are born with a lack of cortical restraining power (poor cortical brakes) on the emotive brain centers. Michael Sylvester,Ph.D Daytona Beach,Florida
[Fwd: Criminal Behavior] Student Question
I thought some TIPSters might like to take a shot at this. Note that the "Reply All" function will send a copy directly to the student, as well as to the list. -- --== ô¿ô ==-- John W. Nichols, M.A. Assistant Professor of Psychology Computer Science Tulsa Community College 909 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119 (918) 595-7134 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Home: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/home.html MegaPsych: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/megapsych.html My name is Cori Cummins and I attend Gonzaga University located in Spokane, Washington. I am writing an article on criminal behavior for a journalism class and was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. I happened to stumble across your e-mail address while searching the net. Questions: Is it possible to identify or recognize behavior that may indicate that the person might be a killer? For example, People say that Buford Furrow should not have had the opportunity to murder innocent children because he should have been locked up according to his prior behavior and comments. If it is possible to predict behavior is there ways to imprison people legally, based on assumption? What is your personal take on the prediction of behavior and the imprisoning of people based on "abnormal" behavior? Thank you for your time and I would appreciate any insights that you could offer me. Cori Cummins [EMAIL PROTECTED]
student question
Does anyone have any ideas or sources for this question? Thanks in advance. When experimental data is collected on the EEG readings of brain activity how is this data transformed in order to calculate descriptive statistics such as correlation dimension or Lyupanov exponents? I understand that time recordings are broken down into time series and that the EEG measures voltage of action potentials but how is the data combined in order to come up with one statistic that represents all included time series? Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html
Color blindness - Student Question
Tipsfolks: Though the tenor of the recent discussion may have caused some to delete this message (believing it to be about skin-color, off-color humor, colorforms, or some other socially relevant color issue) I am hoping that someone with physio background who did not hit "delete" might provide me with an suitable explanation of the cause of color blindness to give to an intro psych student. TIPS forever, Nancy Melucci Cranky etc. Adjunct SoCal
student question
did Al Gore invent the internet? Michael Sylvester Daytona Beach,Florida
Re: student question
On Thu, 27 May 1999, Michael Sylvester wrote: did Al Gore invent the internet? Well, there was a news item not too long ago in _Science_ (note the precision of that reference, if you will) which, surprisingly, defended Gore. He certainly didn't invent the internet, but informed opinion seemed to be that he did help its development. Thanks, Al. -Stephen Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
RE: student question
Michael wrote: did Al Gore invent the internet? No, he just invented Al Gore. Rick
RE: student question
Stephen Black wrote: Well, there was a news item not too long ago in _Science_ (note the precision of that reference, if you will) which, surprisingly, defended Gore. He certainly didn't invent the internet, but informed opinion seemed to be that he did help its development. His help was _political_, though, not intellectual. The impression is being given in the media that Al Gore has a strong technical background in networking. He doesn't. He did, however, have the political influence necessary to provide a lot of funding support. The actual Internet was an expansion of the ARPANet, which originated in the late seventies as a way of linking research universities with the military. The work was done at such institutions as MIT, Stanford, etc. and it was not (unless you had a friend with the computer science department of a participating university--as I, and many others did who could give you an account--or unless you hacked into it, as many did, of course) available to the public. The actual Internet was born in the early 1980s as a result of funding from the government which established a backbone and provided grants for academic institutions to develop access to the backbone. Of course, given the character of the net (and the invasion of the commercial providers such as aol and prodigy), I don't know if it's much of a compliment to Al Gore to say he "invented" it, but . . . Rick -- Rick Adams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Social Sciences Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI "... and the only measure of your worth and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when you're gone." Michael Callen, the Flirtations, "Everything Possible"
Re: student question
On Sat, 15 May 1999, Salvatore Cullari wrote: Here's a question that I was asked by a student. Does anyone know of any research in this area? Thanks for your help. As a general rule, are men more inclined to listen to song lyrics and women are more inclined to just listen to the beat when deciding if they like a song or not? Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley CollegeFax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html As a mobile disc jockey who play for a variety of people,this is not easy to decipher. I suspect that males are more likely to go by the beat.However alot depends on the type of music.it appears that in general women may enjoy both the beat and the lyrics.I get lots of request by women for sentimental songs . On the other hand,if it is a country and western fan,both beat and song seem to matter.Country and Western fans do not seem to care as long as it is CW. But the Rock crows usually like it upbeat. FRom a cross-cultural perspective,it appears that Whites orientate towards the upbeat and blacks toward the downbeat.Hence the significance of the "bass" in black music. Bruce Sprinsteen jumps up ,but Tu-Pac ,Willie Smith gets down. Hope this helps. Michael Sylvester,Ph.D Daytona Beach,Florida
student question
Here's a question that I was asked by a student. Does anyone know of any research in this area? Thanks for your help. As a general rule, are men more inclined to listen to song lyrics and women are more inclined to just listen to the beat when deciding if they like a song or not? Salvatore Cullari, Ph.D.E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Professor Chair, Psychology DepartmentVoice: 717-867-6197 Lebanon Valley College Fax: 717-867-6075 Annville, Pa. 17003 Moderator, Psy-PA Department's Homepage: http://www.lvc.edu/www/psychology/index.html
student question: texture of food
Can some Jungian/Freudian Tipster (or maybe some other type?) help me out with this one? I know I heard something pretty interesting about this topic many, many years ago, but I can't quite bring it above threshold, nor can I find anything relevant. What might it indicate about someone's personality if she/he has a strong preference for soft, moist foods, as opposed to hard, dry foods? From my own observations, whichever the direction, this preference does indeed seem to be very pronounced and stable in most people. Larry Dickerson (a soft and gooey type) Selkirk College Castlegar, BC Canada
