That goes back many years ago...I seem to recall when the prof would bring his hand closer to the front chest area, the students would write more and more notes (do student still take notes today?). Then they began to "condition" more whenever he began to move his hand toward the opening of his shirt (read writing copious more notes...or at least appear to take more notes). The students got the prof to put his hand into his shirt (read, write more notes) Then after a few more classes, the students had conditioned him to walk in front of class and begin lecturing with his hand inside his shirt with a more or less Napoleon "look."
Is it true or not? Chris Green would know more than I about history Jim Jim Matiya Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around...Leo Buscaglia > Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 11:22:06 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [tips] Behaviorist Prof Urban Legend > > > I do a variation of that story in my class on shaping. I have the > class discover a reinforcer that works with me, which turns out > to be their attentive looking and smiling. Then I take them > through the steps of shaping me to move to the side of the room > and turn off a light with my nose. > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [email protected] > Professor > Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu > Appalachian State University > Boone, NC 28608 > USA > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > On 1/8/2015 10:58 AM, Rick Froman wrote: > > > > > > > > I am preparing to teach Theories of Learning this semester and I > > remembered the story told during my graduate training about a > > professor being shaped by students to lecture toward the corner > > of the room. They evidently paid close attention or performed > > some other reinforcing stimulus whenever the professor moved in a > > certain direction until he was actually lecturing to the wall. > > > > It sounds like a clear urban legend (of the hoist of his own > > petard type) and Snopes > > <http://snopes.com/college/pranks/trained.asp> classifies it as a > > legend (of unverifiable nature) and concludes that, “Many people > > claim to have been in a class where such training took place (or > > to know someone who was); undoubtedly a few attempts have > > actually been made.” > > > > However, it appears from this site > > <http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00C0Tw> > > that the anecdote actually may be sourced to none other than B. > > F. Skinner himself. It is funny that the version I remember was > > the one described by Carl Rogers on that site: a behaviorist > > professor being manipulated by his students. In fact, according > > to Skinner, the classroom version of the story involved > > behaviorist students training a humanist professor and he also > > recounted a time he did the same to a speaker at a professional > > conference. > > > > This probably isn’t news to many of you but I thought it was > > quite an unexpected result to see that the story was not a pure > > legend or parable but was described as fact in two versions by B. > > F. Skinner himself. > > > > Rick > > > > Dr. Rick Froman > > > > Professor of Psychology > > > > Box 3519 > > > > John Brown University > > > > 2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 > > > > [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > > > > (479) 524-7295 > > > > http://bit.ly/DrFroman > > > > > > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13283.28aec02f231f4c4baa9a4a58ae139710&n=T&l=tips&o=41440 > or send a blank email to > leave-41440-13283.28aec02f231f4c4baa9a4a58ae139...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=41450 or send a blank email to leave-41450-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
