Re: [tips] The compassion of Braveheart
On 25 August 2009 Paul Brandon wrote: Please note that Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was not convicted of _committing_ mass murder. He was convicted on the grounds that a Maltese shopkeeper said that he had purchased a shirt whose remnants were found wrapped around the bomb http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111881314. I'll leave alternative explanations to the readers. Paul, I don't understand this. You've conflated what Megrahi was convicted of, and the evidence on which he was convicted. As the Scottish Daily Record says: In January 2001, Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. http://tinyurl.com/n88a9p Incidentally, the cited NPR article does not say quite what Paul states above. It says largely on the grounds of that evidence. My recollection of seeing a TV programme about the evidence some years ago is that there was considerably more to it than that. (A first appeal by Megrahi was turned down by the appeal court.) Nevertheless I am of the view that the conviction was unsafe, on the grounds that a major item in the evidence was the Maltese shopkeeper's identification of Megrahi, and that such witness identification is inherently unreliable. I was of the opinion that, had the second appeal gone ahead, significant information about the episode might well have emerged. This is not the view of Professor Peter Duff, who spent three-and-a-half years reviewing the case as a member of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission: I think it highly unlikely that the truth is out there and would have emerged as a result of the appeal. I don't know if it's out there any more. http://tinyurl.com/n88a9p Incidentally, I wonder how those in the Libyan welcome home crowd who waved Scottish flags got hold of them. I find it difficult to imagine that Scottish flags are obtainable by individuals at short notice in Libya. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] First use of term alpha for most dominant
On 24 Aug 2009 at 14:17, kmorgan wrote: I am looking for a citation that indicates the first use of the term alpha to refer to the most dominant individual in a group. Anyone have any ideas on this? I'll take replies off line. And thanks!:-) As off-line replies spoil the fun and discourage others from joining in, I'll pretend I didn't notice that part of the request. The great Oxford English Dictionary (the OED) on-line gives the earliest use of the term alpha male as the dominant (male) individual in a group as occuring in an article in _Science_, June 5, 1954, p. 1179 as follows: Such an animal is definitely an alpha male in the dominance hierarchy. Alas, the citation is incorrect, as there is no June 5 issue of Science, and no p. 1179 in 1954. There is a June 4, 1954 issue, but it does not include the term alpha male. The OED's next citation is to a 1977 entry, which I didn't check. Searching all of _Science_ back to 1880 results in an earliest hit for alpha male to an article by U. Cowgill, Visiting in Perodicticus, November 27, 1964, p. 1183. Cowgill discusses the behaviour of an animal called a potto, an African lemur, of which he says The alpha male eats his banana, takes a walk, and visits the P. potto in the trunk. The quotes around alpha indicate that he is using the term in an unusual sense but as he does not define it, presumably he felt the usage was well- known to his readers. Later in the article he drops the quotes, as for example in this sentence. It is interesting that the alpha male initiates the visiting. Curiously, Google News Archive turns up an earlier use of the term: Clarke Gable epitomised Rhett Butler, the ultimate alpha male, in the screen version of Gone With The Wind. The source is given as Magnum Photos - HighBeam Research - Jan 1, 1960 Byline: Baz Bamigboye This suggests that the term originated in Hollywood. As it is again not defined, presumably it was already familiar to readers by that date. One possibility, I speculate, is that it entered the language as a result of Aldous Huxley (in _Brave New World_, 1932) using the term alpha to designate the genetically intellectually superior class of individuals in his science fiction dystopia. But current usage is that alpha refers not to intellectual ability but to dominance. Stephen - Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: sbl...@ubishops.ca 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Subscribe to discussion list (TIPS) for the teaching of psychology at http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/tips/ --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] But they still call it multitasking?
Just another FYI- this could be both a great discussion starter and a great teaching moment! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32541721/ns/health-mental_health Those who multitask the most are the worst at it. But when they get into the chicken and the egg moment it is truly odd. Tim ___ Timothy O. Shearon, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Psychology The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID 83605 email: tshea...@collegeofidaho.edu teaching: intro to neuropsychology; psychopharmacology; general; history and systems You can't teach an old dogma new tricks. Dorothy Parker --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] Running head
I am using the 5th edition for Fall, and was planning on switching for Spring... But, hearing of these concerns, I will want an errata list before I switch. -- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA On 8/24/09 5:56 PM, Jean-Marc Perreault jperrea...@yukoncollege.yk.ca wrote: So any recommendation for institutions? Should we hold off and keep going with the 5th ed, or go with the 6th? I could not find anything online regarding the mistakes... but trust they are there if there is such chatter on TIPS. Cheers! JM -Original Message- From: Marc Carter [mailto:marc.car...@bakeru.edu] Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 12:47 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Running head A quote from the Editor's letter to an author of a paper I reviewed: _Psychological Science_ is not in the business of teaching APA format. Some do take it seriously (although this particular paper had far graver issues than the format). m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts Sciences Baker University -- -Original Message- From: Stuart McKelvie [mailto:smcke...@ubishops.ca] Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 2:30 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Running head Dear Jim and Tipsters, Perception Psychophysics returned a paper to me unread because it did not follow APA format. Sincerely, Stuart _ Floreat Labore Recti cultus pectora roborant Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D., Phone: 819 822 9600 x 2402 Department of Psychology, Fax: 819 822 9661 Bishop's University, 2600 rue College, Sherbrooke, Québec J1M 1Z7, Canada. E-mail: stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca (or smcke...@ubishops.ca) Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page: http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Floreat Labore ___ -Original Message- From: Jim Clark [mailto:j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca] Sent: August 24, 2009 3:26 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Running head Hi Has anyone ever had a manuscript rejected because of an APA style error? I haven't despite numerous violations. I wonder if we spend too much time on niceties of apa style given APA itself can't seem to get it correct, adherence does not really matter except for classwork, and clear communication is more important than style issues (I do appreciate the aspects of the APA manual that address writing clearly). Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca Deb Briihl dbri...@valdosta.edu 24-Aug-09 1:07:38 PM One of my coworkers contacted the APA gurus about the Running head. The sample paper is incorrect (why is this a theme?) - the running head is to be on each page to the left - the words Running head are not to be included. Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl/ Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto (e-mail) is sent by Baker University (BU) and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE: [tips] Running head
My main reason to switch as soon as possible was that I didn't see the point in spending another semester teaching a system I knew the students wouldn't use beyond that semester. In fact, I kind of felt sorry for those who learned the old system last year. I hope the current group can make it through grad school with the current system before another major revision (not including the errata which I would like to see as soon as possible). Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 rfro...@jbu.edu On 8/24/09 5:56 PM, Jean-Marc Perreault jperrea...@yukoncollege.yk.ca wrote: So any recommendation for institutions? Should we hold off and keep going with the 5th ed, or go with the 6th? --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] Question about research project in cognitive psych
I¹ve used Powerpoint to replicate illusory correlation in the classroom using the same type of stimuli as in the original study by Hamilton and Gifford (1979), I revised a version created by Jackson (2000). I may use it in my research methods class this semester. -- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA On 8/23/09 3:22 PM, Claudia Stanny csta...@uwf.edu wrote: You can implement many experiments as a Power Point presentation if you use the automatic slide advance function to control timing. Requires paper and pencil for responses and eliminates RT experiments, but you can still do a lot of interesting projects this way. I've implemented implicit and explicit memory tasks. I created a LOP task with one word presented per slide, using anagrammatic words as stuimuli (I found a list of words of 5 letters that are anagrams for one and only one word).I follow the LOP processing task with a filler task, then give an implicit test (solving anagrams that map onto the words in the lists plus some new anagrams that were not studied at all) followed by an explicit test (free recall of all the words presented for study. Students are biased to solve the anagrams with the words they studied (I have two versions of the LOP task so half study words for one solution and the other half study the words for other solution, the anagrams for the non-studied words serves as a control), but level of processing is irrelevant for this task. The LOP effect appears only in the free recall task. You can do an eyewitness experiment by creating a slide show in Power Point (a number of researchers have done their studies with this technology). Requires shooting a lot of digital pictures and there may be some issues in staging a crime (especially with a weapon!) for the stimuli. Students can avoid those issues and simply stage a non-violent event and look at eyewitness errors in the absence of a weapon (race bias in identification of the perpetrator is possible, but creates some problems for students who need to find people to serve as suitable foils in a photo lineup). One group of students stages an automobile accident (with and without an argument between those involved in the accident) by taking pictures of cars places strategically (the accident simply showed the two cars as if there had been an impact - they pulled them very close together but there was no actual damage to the cars). Then they staged mock arguments (gestures, facial expressions). One enterprising group staged a 2 or 3 minute video of an event for eyewitnesses. Harder to create a good manipulation with these unless the students are really good with editing and can insert a scene. Good luck! Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Associate Professor, Psychology University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Phone: (850) 857-6355 or (850) 473-7435 e-mail: csta...@uwf.edu -Original Message- From: Mark A. Casteel [mailto:ma...@psu.edu] Sent: Sat 8/22/2009 3:28 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Question about research project in cognitive psych Every year, I have my students replicate a classic study in the field in small groups of 2-3 students. Every year, I'm ecstatic with the amount of information they learn (as well as the experience of presenting their research to the campus community) but I also wish I could have them do research that would be more intrinsically appealing to most. We don't offer a psych major at my institution, so few of these students will pursue either cognitive or experimental psych. I've often wondered if anyone has had students try to research topics like (1) the negative effects of texting while performing other activities or (2) the influence of the presence/absence of a gun on memory for a simulated crime, without requiring working with experimental software like E-prime or PsyScope. In other words, has anyone thought of a fairly easy way that students could research a topic like this, and collect data that would be both meaningful and (to their way of thinking) more interesting? If I could provide guidance with something like this, so the students don't waste the entire semester simply coming up with a workable protocol, that would be fabulous. Any comments are welcome, including ideas for other topical issues. Thanks! Mark * Mark A. Casteel, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Penn State York 1031 Edgecomb Ave. York, PA 17403 (717) 771-4028 * --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] The compassion of Braveheart
On Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:22:13 -0700, Michael Smith wrote: Yes. Of course. The sum total of all the evidence that the authorities had to go on I'm sure. But, another internet source (Wikepedia) says You forget to mention that standard disclaimers apply, that is, Wikipedia is not a definitive source of information on a topic but only a starting point for a serious examination of sources of information on a topic, person, or event. On 31 January 2001, he was convicted, by a panel of Scottish Judges sitting in a special court at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands, of 270 counts of murder for his part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on 21 December 1988. It is also customary to provide the link to the Wikipedia article that one cites to allow readers to independently verify what is quoted and/or paraphrased (this may still lead to a Betsy McCaughey moment, that is, on a recent episode of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart had Ms. McCaughey, a proponent of the Death Panel interpretation of the U.S. health reform legislation, who claimed that the bill actually required death panels even though the phrase appears NOWHERE in the bill -- when pressed by Stewart to provide the text in the bill that she claims provides death panels, Ms. McCaughey could not locate the page even though she confidently said the page number [Stewart suggest the use of Post-Its to mark relevant pages in the fat binder she was relying upon] and when she finally found the page it was clear that she was providing a very tortured reading of the text; one can watch the show on the Daily Show website http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-17-2009/exclusive---betsy-mccaughey-extended-interview-pt--1 and here is one printed source on the episode -- news.google.com provides more: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/daily-show-exegesis-of-house-health-bill/ ) I presume that your leaving off a link/reference is an oversight (but how many points would you have taken off if a student had done this in an APA style paper in a course?) but it does leave the interested reader in a bind if they want to follow-up on what you say (I presume that the intellectually curious members of the list routinely follow-up by examining the sources cited in a post because this is one aspect of being a serious scholar). For example, I wanted to examine your source but was left to find it myself. I don't know if I came across the same entry as you on Wikipedia but here it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdelbaset_Ali_Mohmed_Al_Megrahi A couple of key points in the Wikipedia entry that Michael Smith does not mention (if indeed it is the one used) are: (1) Megrahi would become eligible for parole. Quoting from the Wikipedia entry: |Megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a recommendation |that he should serve at least 20 years before being eligible for parole. So, life imprisonment does not mean that one will be in prison for the rest of one's life if one meets the conditions for parole. In an appeal hearing, the judges extended the parole date to 27 years but back-dated it's start to 1999. (2) There is some question about whether Megrahi received a fair trial. Again, quoting from the entry: |Second appeal | |On 28 June 2007 the SCCRC concluded its four-year review and, |having uncovered evidence that a miscarriage of justice could have |occurred, the Commission granted Megrahi leave to appeal against |his Lockerbie bombing conviction for a second time.[20] The second |appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal was abandoned in August 2009, |as an impediment to the legal power to release him to Libya under the |Prisoner Transfer Scheme then operating in the United Kingdom. |Ultimately, he was not released under this scheme, rather, on compassionate |grounds due to his ill health. There was in the event, no requirement to |drop his appeal against conviction. | |New information casting fresh doubts about Megrahi's conviction was |examined at a procedural hearing at the Judicial Appeal Court (Court of |Session building) in Edinburgh on 11 October 2007: | |(1) His lawyers claimed that vital documents, which emanated from the |Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and related to the Mebo timer that |allegedly detonated the Lockerbie bomb, were withheld from the trial |defence team.[21] | |(2) Tony Gauci, chief prosecution witness at the trial, was alleged to have |been paid $2 million for testifying against Megrahi.[22] | |(3) Mebo's owner, Edwin Bollier, claimed that in 1991 the FBI offered |him $4 million to testify that the timer fragment found near the scene of the |crash was part of a Mebo MST-13 timer supplied to Libya.[23] | |(4) Former employee of Mebo, Ulrich Lumpert, swore an affidavit in July 2007 |that he had stolen a prototype MST-13 timer in 1989, and had handed it over to |a person officially investigating the Lockerbie case.[24] | |On 1 November 2007 Megrahi invited Professor
Re: [tips] The compassion of Braveheart
Allen-- Mea Culpa -- I took a small leap there. My point was that, at least on the basis of the evidence that I've seen in the media, al-Megrahi's role was at best that of a minor contributer (like the driver of a getaway car in a bank robbery who's convicted of murder because someone was killed in the robbery). I suspect that he was simply the largest fish that they could catch, under considerable political pressure to come up with someone. There's no indication that anyone actually placed him and the bomb in the same location at the same time, much less that he was actively involved in planting it. Under these circumstances I find it hard to get upset about the Scots showing more compassion than al-Megrahi did. And remember that American Intelligence (sic) (I'm not sure who was the source of the evidence about al-Megrahi) has a record of alluding to information that either never materializes, or turns out to be less conclusive than the original allusion. And I don't argue that the Libyan government was involved in al- Megrahi's homecoming -- just that it may have been in fact a calibrated response. On Aug 25, 2009, at 1:16 AM, Allen Esterson wrote: On 25 August 2009 Paul Brandon wrote: Please note that Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was not convicted of _committing_ mass murder. He was convicted on the grounds that a Maltese shopkeeper said that he had purchased a shirt whose remnants were found wrapped around the bomb http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111881314. I'll leave alternative explanations to the readers. Paul, I don't understand this. You've conflated what Megrahi was convicted of, and the evidence on which he was convicted. As the Scottish Daily Record says: In January 2001, Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years. http://tinyurl.com/n88a9p Incidentally, the cited NPR article does not say quite what Paul states above. It says largely on the grounds of that evidence. My recollection of seeing a TV programme about the evidence some years ago is that there was considerably more to it than that. (A first appeal by Megrahi was turned down by the appeal court.) Nevertheless I am of the view that the conviction was unsafe, on the grounds that a major item in the evidence was the Maltese shopkeeper's identification of Megrahi, and that such witness identification is inherently unreliable. I was of the opinion that, had the second appeal gone ahead, significant information about the episode might well have emerged. This is not the view of Professor Peter Duff, who spent three-and-a-half years reviewing the case as a member of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission: I think it highly unlikely that the truth is out there and would have emerged as a result of the appeal. I don't know if it's out there any more. http://tinyurl.com/n88a9p Incidentally, I wonder how those in the Libyan welcome home crowd who waved Scottish flags got hold of them. I find it difficult to imagine that Scottish flags are obtainable by individuals at short notice in Libya. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org Paul Brandon Emeritus Professor of Psychology Minnesota State University, Mankato paul.bran...@mnsu.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Psychology and global climate change
Hi all, Last year APA created a task force whose goal was to describes the contributions of psychological research to an understanding of psychological dimensions of global climate change, provides research recommendations, and proposes policies for APA to assist psychologists' engagement with this issue. They just finished their report, and it is available for viewing here: http://www.apa.org/science/climate-change/ In short, they addressed these 6 questions: How do people understand the risks imposed by climate change? What are the human behavioral contributions to climate change and the psychological and contextual drivers of these contributions? What are the psychosocial impacts of climate change? How do people adapt to and cope with the perceived threat and unfolding impacts of climate change? Which psychological barriers limit climate change action? How can psychologists assist in limiting climate change? Is anyone interested in brainstorming ways some of the findings in this report could be incorporated into an Intro Psych course? Given that your institution may have a civic responsibility-related student learning outcome or standard, any suggestions on how the impact of incorporating this content could be assessed? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Sue -- Sue Frantz http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ Highline Community College Psychology, CoordinatorDes Moines, WA 206.878.3710 x3404 sfra...@highline.edu mailto:sfra...@highline.edu Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, Associate Director Project Syllabus http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA's p...@cc Committee http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/ptatcchome.html --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] Running head
I know there are more than this, but just a few are don't use the words Running head, Abstract References are not bolded, and Figure captions go at the bottom of the figure not at the top. I also thought that figures don't have gridlines. The APA blog does comment on how these rules are more flexible (and does mention how the paper doesn't match), which has caused the following quote to be used frequently in our department (and any pirate movie quote just makes it better). From the Pirates of the Caribbean movie Barbossa: First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I must do nothin'. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the Pirate's Code to apply, and you're not. And thirdly, the Code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner. At 08:08 AM 8/25/2009 -0400, you wrote: I am using the 5th edition for Fall, and was planning on switching for Spring... But, hearing of these concerns, I will want an errata list before I switch. -- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA On 8/24/09 5:56 PM, Jean-Marc Perreault jperrea...@yukoncollege.yk.ca wrote: So any recommendation for institutions? Should we hold off and keep going with the 5th ed, or go with the 6th? I could not find anything online regarding the mistakes... but trust they are there if there is such chatter on TIPS. Cheers! JM -Original Message- From: Marc Carter [mailto:marc.car...@bakeru.edu] Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 12:47 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Running head A quote from the Editor's letter to an author of a paper I reviewed: _Psychological Science_ is not in the business of teaching APA format. Some do take it seriously (although this particular paper had far graver issues than the format). m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts Sciences Baker University -- -Original Message- From: Stuart McKelvie [mailto:smcke...@ubishops.ca] Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 2:30 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE: [tips] Running head Dear Jim and Tipsters, Perception Psychophysics returned a paper to me unread because it did not follow APA format. Sincerely, Stuart _ Floreat Labore Recti cultus pectora roborant Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D., Phone: 819 822 9600 x 2402 Department of Psychology, Fax: 819 822 9661 Bishop's University, 2600 rue College, Sherbrooke, Québec J1M 1Z7, Canada. E-mail: stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca (or smcke...@ubishops.ca) Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page: http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Floreat Labore ___ -Original Message- From: Jim Clark [mailto:j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca] Sent: August 24, 2009 3:26 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Running head Hi Has anyone ever had a manuscript rejected because of an APA style error? I haven't despite numerous violations. I wonder if we spend too much time on niceties of apa style given APA itself can't seem to get it correct, adherence does not really matter except for classwork, and clear communication is more important than style issues (I do appreciate the aspects of the APA manual that address writing clearly). Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca Deb Briihl dbri...@valdosta.edu 24-Aug-09 1:07:38 PM One of my coworkers contacted the APA gurus about the Running head. The sample paper is incorrect (why is this a theme?) - the running head is to be on each page to the left - the words Running head are not to be included. Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl/ Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto (e-mail) is sent by Baker University (BU) and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and
Re: [tips] Running head
Can anyone tell me whom we should contact about the shoddy editorial work on the manual. I do believe that if they were deluged with emails and other notifications from instructors and authors that something would have to be done, such as publishing an erratum document. We need to do and not just say it's good to do it; but where and how do we do it is my question? I'm in as soon as I where to direct my comments. Thanks Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 tay...@sandiego.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Placebos getting stronger?
Through the Improbable Research blog comes this article from Wired, Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why. http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?curr entPage=all An excerpt: Some products that have been on the market for decades, like Prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. In many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made Big Pharma more profitable than Big Oil. But if these same drugs were vetted now, the FDA might not approve some of them. Two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. One estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time. It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger. Additionally the article provides a nice history and overview of the modern placebo effect as well as some current applications, such as this (ethically suspect) one. One recent afternoon in [Fabrizio Benedetti's] lab [at the University of Turin], a young soccer player grimaced with exertion while doing leg curls on a weight machine. Benedetti and his colleagues were exploring the potential of using Pavlovian conditioning to give athletes a competitive edge undetectable by anti-doping authorities. A player would receive doses of a performance-enhancing drug for weeks and then a jolt of placebo just before competition. -- Sue Frantz http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ Highline Community College Psychology, CoordinatorDes Moines, WA 206.878.3710 x3404 sfra...@highline.edu mailto:sfra...@highline.edu Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, Associate Director Project Syllabus http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA's p...@cc Committee http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/ptatcchome.html --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] British launches shocking PSA
I thought Reefer madness was bad ,but the British have launched a Public Service Announcement to discorage TWD-twitting while drivivg.It is in a you tube format and shows very graphically a young driver being crushed over while twitting .I think the Brits should learn from the U.S experience that shocking episodes to alert drivers to pay attention to the road and become less distractible,and not to drive drunk have not been significantly effective.It is a very grahically shocking PSA. It is bloody. Michael Sylvester.PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE: [tips] Running head
Dear Annette and Tipsters, Here are three people at APA who have replied to me: 1. Style Expert [styleexp...@apastyle.org] 2. VandenBos, Gary [g...@apa.org] Publisher, APA 3. Gasque, Anne [agas...@apa.org] Senior Editor, APA Style Sincerely, Stuart _ Floreat Labore Recti cultus pectora roborant Stuart J. McKelvie, Ph.D., Phone: 819 822 9600 x 2402 Department of Psychology, Fax: 819 822 9661 Bishop's University, 2600 rue College, Sherbrooke, Québec J1M 1Z7, Canada. E-mail: stuart.mckel...@ubishops.ca (or smcke...@ubishops.ca) Bishop's University Psychology Department Web Page: http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Floreat Labore ___ -Original Message- From: tay...@sandiego.edu [mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu] Sent: August 25, 2009 1:10 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Running head Can anyone tell me whom we should contact about the shoddy editorial work on the manual. I do believe that if they were deluged with emails and other notifications from instructors and authors that something would have to be done, such as publishing an erratum document. We need to do and not just say it's good to do it; but where and how do we do it is my question? I'm in as soon as I where to direct my comments. Thanks Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 tay...@sandiego.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] The compassion of Braveheart
���For those interested in the discussion about Megrahi, the man convicted for the Lockerbie atrocity, Mike Palij deserves thanks for his preliminary research into the matter. For those having less interest in the episode itself, these observations of Mike's (and, I hope, my follow-up to his request) should be of a more general interest: I assume that Tipsters in the UK might be able to give an opinion about how credible this and similar sources are. Perhaps it's a good time to remember that even experimental research only provides tentative knowledge subject to support through replication. All other knowledge is frequently of even less quality. Mike quotes from Wikipedia: Tam Dalyell, the former Labour MP for West Lothian has long believed Megrahi is the victim of a catastrophic miscarriage of justice, and has publicly stated that Megrahi is merely a scapegoat. [41] The footnote links to an article in The Times by Dayell himself. Dayell has a history of conspiracy claims, the most notorious of which is related here: The Home Office is investigating allegations by the Labour MP Mr Tam Dalyell, that a 78-year-old Shrewsbury woman died after a violent encounter with British intelligence officers she discovered searching her home for sensitive documents concerning the Belgrano affair. The claims, made in the House of Commons yesterday by the MP for Linlithgow, were denied 20by the police, whose own investigation into the mysterious death of Miss Hilda Murrell earlier this year is now in its ninth month. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/1984/dec/21/argentina.falklands The facts turned out to be a disappointment to the conspiracy theorists: Andrew George, a builder's labourer with previous convictions, was arrested and charged in June 2003, after his DNA was found to match samples taken from the scene. He had been in care at a children's home near Miss Murrell's house at the time of the murder. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/4469143.stm Mike links to an article on a blog called The Scottish Law Reporter. I'm inclined to take little notice of a blog that is an onymous, and does not have an About link. http://scottishlaw.blogspot.com/ Mike also links to an article by Dr. Hans Koechler, an international observer at the Lockerbie trial at the Hague held under Scottish law. http://i-p-o.org/nr-lockerbie-14Oct05.htm At first sight this seems impressive, and no doubt the article contains important points, but my confidence in Dr Koechler ebbed away the more I read around the subject. The article is on the website of the International Progress Organization, a non-governmental organization. I was prepared to be impressed until I looked into some of the articles on the website. When I see an article with the following concluding sentence I tend to look el sewhere for the facts about a given situation: Thus Congolese man and woman where you are stand [stand where you are?] and cut the string [held by international Capitalist Interests] that prevent each of you to transform this country into a land where flows milk and honey. http://i-p-o.org/congodem.htm More on Dr Koechler (a professor of political philosophy at Innsbruck University, not a legal expert), who is quoted as saying about the original trial: You cannot come out with a verdict of guilty for one and innocent for the other when they were both being tried with the same evidence. In my opinion there seemed [sic] to be considerable political influence on the judges a nd the verdict. My guess [sic] is that it came from the United Kingdom and the United States. This was my impression [sic]. How seriously can you take an assertion from someone who resorts to seems and guesses? From my own very limited knowledge of the case, I know that there was evidence relating to Megrahi that did not relate to the other defendant. More important is Koechler's ignorance of the independence of the judiciary in the UK. And the notion that *Scottish* judges would be influenced by behind-the-scenes representations from the *Westminster* government in London displays an ignorance of UK affairs of some magnificence! But let the Scottish Crown office speak for itself: =0 D A spokesman for the Crown Office in Edinburgh said… that Koechler's views were based on a complete misunderstanding of the function and independence of the judiciary. He added In particular he misunderstands that in Scotland, as in other English-speaking systems, criminal proceedings are adversarial, that is, involving a contest between prosecution and defence, rather than an enquiry carried out by judges. http://i-p-o.org/times.jpg I was not at the trial, nor followed details in the press at the time, so my previously expressed view that the verdict was unsafe on the grounds that one major element of the prosecution case was based on eye witness testimony is only very tentative. 20One adverse effect of the release of Megrahi is that
Re: [tips] Placebos getting stronger?
On Tue, 25 Aug 2009, Sue Frantz quoted _Wired_: the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) Ouch. _Wired_ is often really interesting, but I've found that you have to double-check most of what they say about science. --David Epstein da...@neverdave.com --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Errata for 6th edition?
This is what I received in reply to my query about a possible Errata for the 6th edition. -- Paul Bernhardt Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD, USA -- Forwarded Message From: Gasque, Anne agas...@apa.org Dr. Bernhardt: As with the fifth edition of the Publication Manual, we will post a list of reprint corrections on apastyle.org. These should be available in the next few weeks. Thank you, Anne Woodworth Gasque | Senior Editor, APA Style --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE:[tips] Placebos getting stronger?
Not really apropos, but interesting (to me, anyway). Someone (I forgot who; I'm sorry) said once that the entire history of medicine before 1900 is a history of the placebo effect. I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, but just a bit. m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts Sciences Baker University -- From: Frantz, Sue [mailto:sfra...@highline.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 12:22 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Placebos getting stronger? Through the Improbable Research blog comes this article from Wired, Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why. http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all An excerpt: Some products that have been on the market for decades, like Prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. In many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made Big Pharma more profitable than Big Oil. But if these same drugs were vetted now, the FDA might not approve some of them. Two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. One estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time. It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger. Additionally the article provides a nice history and overview of the modern placebo effect as well as some current applications, such as this (ethically suspect) one. One recent afternoon in [Fabrizio Benedetti's] lab [at the University of Turin], a young soccer player grimaced with exertion while doing leg curls on a weight machine. Benedetti and his colleagues were exploring the potential of using Pavlovian conditioning to give athletes a competitive edge undetectable by anti-doping authorities. A player would receive doses of a performance-enhancing drug for weeks and then a jolt of placebo just before competition. -- Sue Frantz http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ Highline Community College Psychology, CoordinatorDes Moines, WA 206.878.3710 x3404 sfra...@highline.edu mailto:sfra...@highline.edu Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, Associate Director Project Syllabus http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php APA's p...@cc Committee http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/ptatcchome.html --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto (e-mail) is sent by Baker University (BU) and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
You mean for participant pools? No longer permitted by whom? We have no-show penalties for our participant pool but still had a large no-show rate until we switch to SONA which uses automatic reminders. Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm -Original Message- From: Ken Steele [mailto:steel...@appstate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:36 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
Many schools are advocating a relaxation of mandatory attendance policies this fall in anticipation of significant numbers of students ailing from H1N1. See the CDC site http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/higheredguidance.html for guidelines for institutions of higher education. Here are the UWF guidelines: http://uwf.edu/cutla/campus_planning--emergency.cfm These are similar to those posted by a variety of institutions (U Michigan has a similar set of guidelines). May be much ado about not much, but we've had a few documented cases on our campus this summer and continuing cases in the local community. Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. Director, Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Associate Professor, Psychology University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 - 5751 Phone: (850) 857-6355 or 473-7435 e-mail:csta...@uwf.edu CUTLA Web Site: http://uwf.edu/cutla/ Personal Web Pages: http://uwf.edu/cstanny/website/index.htm -Original Message- From: Ken Steele [mailto:steel...@appstate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:36 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
FWIW we are keeping our no-show penalty; without it we found that student participants just blew off their appointments. We consider it a part of participant ethics to show up or cancel in a timely fashion, or understand that there is a consequence when a perfectly good space has been kept open that another participant could have signed up for, and for which researchers allotted time. It is punitive to a large number of individuals when someone takes a space and then doesn't use it for no good reason. (we do tend to be flexible with unforeseen events) Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 tay...@sandiego.edu Original message Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:36:20 -0400 From: Ken Steele steel...@appstate.edu Subject: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) tips@acsun.frostburg.edu It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
RE: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
They cannot consent to participate until they sign up and show up for the study. Once they have heard what they study is about (by showing up) they can decline to participate. If they don't want to hear what the study is about they must cancel the appointment. Thus, we consider signing up for a research appointment much like other obligations in which a penalty might occur if the obligation is not met (e.g., what happens when students turn in a paper late, miss class, etc.). The penalty thus has nothing to do with undue influence because they don't have to sign up for the study at all (they can do the alternative) and they do not have to complete the no-show penalty by participating in research (they can do the alternative). So research participation is never required. Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm -Original Message- From: Ken Steele [mailto:steel...@appstate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 4:10 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of HHS. There are two or three issues involved... 1. Do the extra-work consequences constitute undue influence or coercion? 2. The fuzzy legal-status of someone in a subject pool. They have not legally consented when they sign up for an experiment because they have not yet received and indicated informed consent. See, for example, the info in this question: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/informconsfaq.html#q9 Ken Helweg-Larsen, Marie wrote: You mean for participant pools? No longer permitted by whom? We have no-show penalties for our participant pool but still had a large no-show rate until we switch to SONA which uses automatic reminders. Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm -Original Message- From: Ken Steele [mailto:steel...@appstate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:36 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
Re: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use?
Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of HHS. There are two or three issues involved... 1. Do the extra-work consequences constitute undue influence or coercion? 2. The fuzzy legal-status of someone in a subject pool. They have not legally consented when they sign up for an experiment because they have not yet received and indicated informed consent. See, for example, the info in this question: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/informconsfaq.html#q9 Ken Helweg-Larsen, Marie wrote: You mean for participant pools? No longer permitted by whom? We have no-show penalties for our participant pool but still had a large no-show rate until we switch to SONA which uses automatic reminders. Marie Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm -Original Message- From: Ken Steele [mailto:steel...@appstate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:36 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] No-Show penalty -- still in use? It is the beginning of the semester and the faculty are hot to snuff the infamous no-show with various consequences like extra requirements, extra participations, loss of points, etc. I seem to remember a discussion that concluded that these kinds of consequences were no longer permitted. Can anyone point me to the definitive answer to this question (definitive for 9/25/09, speed of change may vary with location.) Ken --- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor and Assistant Chairperson Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Student's question.
What is the best way to study for the test? Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
[tips] Pitfalls in academic literature
���In his 24 August posting on the Lockerbie affair, Mike Palij wrote: Perhaps it's a good time to remember that even experimental research only provides tentative knowledge subject to support through replication. All other 'knowledge' is frequently of even less quality. [My scare quotes!] I'd like to broaden the discussion to academics and academic literature, mostly out of my own experience. First consider Dr. Hans Koechler, an academic with the impressive credentials of being a professor of political philosophy at Innsbruck University: http://hanskoechler.com/index.htm In relation to the original Lockerbie trial Dr Koechler stated: In my opinion there seemed [sic] to be considerable political influe nce on the judges and the verdict. My guess [sic] is that it came from the United Kingdom and the United States. This was my impression [sic]. http://i-p-o.org/times.jpg A professor of political philosophy offers his considered opinion in terms of seems and guesses, while displaying a colossal ignorance of UK affairs! Would I buy a used car from Dr Koechler? Only after it had been checked very carefully by an expert. My first close encounter with academic literature occurred in the field of Freud studies. It rapidly became obvious that 'facts' in wide circulation in psychology texts and the academic literature required only the merest examination of original sources (namely Freud's=2 0own writings) and of the work of a few independently minded researchers to demonstrate that they were either false, or at the very least grossly misleading: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v22/n08/print/borc01_.html More recently I have found a similar uncritical recycling of dubious 'facts' in relation to Einstein (e.g., about his supposedly poor educational prowess), and, especially, concerning the claims that his first wife Mileva Maric collaborated on (indeed was the co-author of) the celebrated 1905 epoch-making papers. I'm no longer talking about feminist academic literature, where unfortunately one has come to expect such things, but in mainstream serious literature. In a book by Ruth H. Howes and Carolin e L. Herzenberg, who both have held distinguished academic positions in physics, we find Mileva Maric hailed as one of the five Founding Mothers of nuclear physics (pp. 20, 26-28): http://tinyurl.com/l4c97m In *Creativity and the Brain* (eds. Mario Tokoro, Ken Mogi), Luc Steele, professor of computer science at the Free University of Brussels, writes that [Einstein's] first wife, Mileva Maric, … is actually credited now with having worked out the mathematics of special relativity, and was a joint author of other important papers (p. 116). In *Alfred North Whitehead on learning and education: theory and application*, Franz G. Riffert (Department for Educational Research and Cultural S ociology at Salzburg University) likens the alleged Einstein/Maric collaboration to that of Whitehead and Russell's joint authorship of *Principia Mathematica* (!) : The second type of collaboration is typified by the collaboration of a team, such as Whitehead and Russell's collaboration in creating the magnus opus, Principia Mathematica, or that of the young Einstein and his wife Mileva Maric-Einstein, in pondering the questions of light that led to relativity theory. (p. 170) http://tinyurl.com/ldbvup These academic authors show a colossal ignorance of basic facts, such as that Einstein had virtually acquired the knowledge of the rather elementary mathematics required for his 1905 special relativity 20paper by self-study by the age of 15, and that Maric twice failed exams for a diploma to teach mathematics and physics in secondary schools, with a dismally poor grade in the basic mathematical component, theory of functions. So where do they get their 'information' from? They are recycling 'facts' that they read in a book (of which there are now several perpetuating the mythical story). It takes a bit of effort to track down the original sources for these claims, a book and an article by Desanka Trbuhovic-Gjuric and Senta Troemel-Ploetz respectively, both of which display abysmal scholarship, and a lack of understanding of basic notions of scholarly historical research: http://www.bu tterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=218 However, with a bit of Googling there can be found references to scholarly refutations of the claims by knowledgeable historians of physics, such as Gerald Holton and John Stachel. See also Alberta A. Martinez, Handling Evidence in History: The Case of Einstein's Wife: http://tinyurl.com/2dzrmo So what general conclusions can be drawn from all this? Don't accept a supposed 'fact' on the basis of its being found repeatedly in serious/academic literature. And, above all, don't be overly impressed by the academic credentials of an author (not even by my B.Sc from University College London!). Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark
Re: [tips] The compassion of Braveheart
Mike Palij replied to my latest email with a bunch of stuff. Phew! Suffice it to say that the entire response completely misses the only point I have illustrated in all of my posts with regard to this issue. --Mike --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
