Does anyone remember a cartoon in which, as I recall, a couple of scientists are standing outside of a room talking to each other and the room itself is totally empty except for a "subject" who I think is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room all by himself. The scientists say something to the effect that they don't understand why the subject isn't acting naturally. The idea was to point out that in very controlled circumstances it's impossible to observe naturally occurring behavior. I'd like to point out that this can be a weakness of the experimental method - that in our attempt to control all possible confounds we wind up with a highly unnatural setting. I just can't figure out how/where to find the cartoon.
Anyway, help is much appreciated if this rings a bell with anyone. Michael -- Michael Britt, Ph.D. Host of The Psych Files podcast www.thepsychfiles.com [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
