I remember talking to Miller after an APA presentation sometime in
the '70's.
As I recall, it was less a complete failure to replicate than a
gradually decreasing effect size.
Miller attributed it to progressive inbreeding in the strain of rats
that he was using.
I asked him why he didn't try some more robust hybrid rats.
He never really gave me an answer.
Personally, I suspect it was more an artifact of the conditionability
of graduate assistants.
On Apr 29, 2009, at 5:53 PM, William Scott wrote:
I have often covered the "origins" story of biofeedback in class
with the narrative of Miller and DiCara's work with curarized rats
that turned out to be not replicable. DiCara did not help with the
attempts at replication when he went to the University of Michigan
to set up his lab there. He, instead, committed suicide. Miller,
and none of his other graduate minions, ever replicated the M&D'C
outstanding results. Does anyone know anything about Leo DiCara's
suicide or the Miller replication results that are beyond the
Miller "failure to replicate" article that to my knowledge never
had a published reply?
Thanks to anybody. This is a good story for classes, but I need
resolution.
Paul Brandon
Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Minnesota State University, Mankato
[email protected]
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