** High Priority ** Doesn't the research of Miller and DiCara provide the basis for Biofeedback training? mlavin
=============================== Michael J. Lavin | 716-375-2488 Department of Psychology St. Bonaventure University 14778 [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Fax: 716-375-7618 http://web.sbu.edu/psychology/lavin/ Listen to: http://www.pagoo.com/signature/mlavin =============================== >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 4:46:28 PM >>> At 4:15 PM -0500 12/18/01, Stephen Black wrote: >I find this startling. One of the >hottest areas of research at one time now appears to have >disappeared without a trace. Does this mean that no one cares >whether operant conditioning of autonomic responses is possible >any more? Is this what the DiCara-Miller debacle has done to the >field? > >I have one recent textbook of learning (Leahey & Harris, Learning >and Cognition, 4th ed. 1997) on my shelf. It has only a brief, >confusing, and unconvincing discussion of the issue. OK, here's >another: Pierce & Epling _Behavior Analysis and Learning, 2nd ed. >1999. Amazingly, they cite the DiCara/Miller work almost entirely >uncritically, reproducing the discredited Miller and DiCara >(1967) figure showing heart-rate conditioning. All they say about >the issue is that there have been "difficulties" and "Miller has >even had problems replicating the results" (cite Miller & >Dworkin, 1974, but not Dworkin & Miller, 1986!). They then >conclude by affirming that operant conditioning of reflexive >responses is possible. > >This seems an unsatisfactory account to me. It's beginning to >look as though there's no acceptable evidence of operant >conditioning of autonomic responses. Certainly not if a 1999 >textbook has to go back to Miller and DiCara for support. I'm ashamed to admit that I missed the lack of a citation to Dworkin and Miller (1984) in Pierce and Epling. I've used the text for a number of years, and have some input into it. I'll ask the author (Dave Pierce) whether there will be a change in the next edition. * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Dept Minnesota State University, Mankato * * 23 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 ph 507-389-6217 * * http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/psych/welcome.html * --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
