Re: "Passive" Na+ channels

[SNRandall]

Hi-

I returned home late last night (after driving across the state to teach a 
class . . . OK I am exaggerating a bit !) to find this update from my 
neurobio colleague. Will keep those of you interested informed of the latest 
developments. 

Sandra Nagel Randall


In a message dated 10/26/99 4:38:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, writes:

> Subj:  Re: "Passive" Na+ channels 
>  Date:10/26/99 4:38:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>  From: (Richard Norman)
>  To:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>  
>  The fact is, I am having a great deal of trouble finding out exactly 
>  whether the "leak" ion channels responsible for the resting potential 
>  are the same as or different from gated ion channels which can turn 
>  on  and off.   Two books I referenced indicate that ALL ion channels 
>  are gated in some way, and have stable open and closed states.  They 
>  differ in what opens the gate.  However, I can find no reference at 
>  all to the details of the ion channels responsible for the resting 
>  sodium and potassium leak.
>  
>  I still think my argument is sound, that all cells have leak channels 
>  whereas not all cells have the type of gated channel that neurons use 
>  to produce action or synaptic potentials.  However, these channels 
>  also may well be gated -- where protein phosphorylation is 
>  responsible for opening the channel and where they are normally 
>  phosphorylated.
>  
>  So the answer is, I don't really know.
>  I'll keep looking.
>  
>  

Re: randomized block design

[Michael Sylvester]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Jim Clark wrote:

> Hi
> 
> On Tue, 26 Oct 1999, Michael Sylvester wrote:
> > is it still revelant to to use subject variables like gender and ethnicity
> >  in the randomized block design?
> 
> The answer would be: "it depends."  
> 
> (1) It depends on what you mean by "use."  A common problem with
> students is confusing the blocking or matching factor in a
> Randomized Block design versus the inclusion of an individual
> differences variable (e.g., Gender, Ethnicity) as a factor in a
> Factorial design.  Matching factors involve individual
> participants in one group being matched with individual
> participants in other groups (e.g., twins, litter mates, cases
> matched for some individual difference measure such as IQ or
> depression level).  So variables like Gender and Ethnicity do not
> make good blocking variables, although they can be included as an
> additional factor along with some other within-subjects factor
> (i.e., as part of a randomized block design). 
> 
> (2)  It also depends on what you want to find out from your study
> and whether it is reasonable to ask about the consistency of
> results across gender, ethnicity, or whatever.  If you are
> interested in whether the effect of Factor X (the within-subjects
> factor) is the same for Men and Women, for Canadians and Greeks,
> or whatever, then it is hard to answer this question without
> including the different groups.
> 
> Best wishes
> Jim

   I asked this because we keep on hearing about that famous aspirin study
that concluded that low dose aspirin taken daily could ward off heart
attacks. Dr.Judith Reichmann,a famous Gynecologist,who has published
 on menopause pointed out that this study did not include one single
woman because it was thought that heart attacks were the province of men.
She refers to that study as an example of gender bias in medical research.

Michael Sylvester
Daytona Beach,Florida

Re: randomized block design

[Jim Clark]

Hi

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999, Michael Sylvester wrote:
> is it still revelant to to use subject variables like gender and ethnicity
>  in the randomized block design?

The answer would be: "it depends."  

(1) It depends on what you mean by "use."  A common problem with
students is confusing the blocking or matching factor in a
Randomized Block design versus the inclusion of an individual
differences variable (e.g., Gender, Ethnicity) as a factor in a
Factorial design.  Matching factors involve individual
participants in one group being matched with individual
participants in other groups (e.g., twins, litter mates, cases
matched for some individual difference measure such as IQ or
depression level).  So variables like Gender and Ethnicity do not
make good blocking variables, although they can be included as an
additional factor along with some other within-subjects factor
(i.e., as part of a randomized block design). 

(2)  It also depends on what you want to find out from your study
and whether it is reasonable to ask about the consistency of
results across gender, ethnicity, or whatever.  If you are
interested in whether the effect of Factor X (the within-subjects
factor) is the same for Men and Women, for Canadians and Greeks,
or whatever, then it is hard to answer this question without
including the different groups.

Best wishes
Jim


James M. Clark  (204) 786-9757
Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax
University of Winnipeg  4L05D
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CANADA  http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark

How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Stephen Black]

Preparatory to a big song-and-dance (or dog-and-pony show, take your
pick) about the opponent-process theory of colour vision, I opened
with a demonstration of complementary after-images, using PowerPoint
to display them. It was underwhelming. Very few agreed that they saw
the "correct" complementary colour (red-green; yellow-blue).

I displayed them as a rectangle covering about 10% of the screen, on a
dark background, exposed for about 30 sec. They looked for the
after-image against a white screen. The room was dim.

Any suggestions as to how to get an optimum effect? Ideally, you might
suggest exactly what parameters to use, specifying the colours in
terms of PowerPoint numbers.

-Stephen


Stephen Black, Ph.D.  tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology  fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC   
J1M 1Z7  
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
   Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
   http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/

help:awareness/consciousness

[Michael Sylvester]

Although the terms are used interchangeably,I would like to know how to
explain the differences between consciousness and awareness.I was covering
the chapter on Altered States .I know the differences by examples,but
somehow it appears more difficult to come up with an operational
definition for "awareness" than it is for consciousness.

Michael Sylvester
Daytona Beach,Florida   "i get by with a little help from tipsters"

Re: Electroconvulsive therapy and placebo effect

[Tim Gaines]

>Does anyone know if the efficacy of ECT for the treatment of depression
>has ever been tested with a placebo control group? I don't know how one
>would perform such a test; but I do know that there are many people out
>there who are much smarter than I. Some such person might have designed
>a valid placebo for this treatment.
>
>Jeff
>
>--
>Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D.  Office Phone:  (480) 423-6213
>9000 E. Chaparral Rd.FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
>Psychology Department[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Scottsdale Community College
>Scottsdale, AZ  85256-2626
>
>"The truth is rare and never simple."
>   Oscar Wilde
>
>"[T]he more outrageous the myth, the more likely [it] is...that
>large numbers of people will cleave to it."
>   Paul Kurtz


Jeff,

I don't know about such a placebo, but I am about to pass on an
anecdote (second hand at that) which I think is related.  Twenty
years ago a psychologist who worked at a local mental health facility
described to me an incident which he says occurred when he worked in
England.  It seems that a 14-year old boy was undergoing a series of
ECS treatments and on one particular day had been prepped completely,
the only step left being the delivery of the shock.  The treatment team
was suddenly interrupted by a nurse who entered the room with an urgent
message.  Seconds later they were astounded to see that the boy was
showing seizure activity.  The psychologist who told me this story
firmly believed that they had classically conditioned the seizure, and
he speculated about the possibility of obtaining beneficial treatment
effects without always employing the shock (the UCS).

Now, I didn't really know this fellow very well, and he had a couple of
other interesting things to tell me, so I can't vouch for his credibility.
I remember looking briefly for references to such things in the literature
many years ago without success, but I haven't even thought of the story
for many years now, and I haven't tried a computer search.  I may do so
when I get a little time, but in the mean time, has anyone ever heard of
such a thing?

Tim




 Tim Gaines [EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Professor of Psychologyphone:  864-833-8349
 Presbyterian College   fax:  864-833-8481
 Clinton, SC  29325

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Bob Keefer]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Stephen Black wrote:

> I displayed them as a rectangle covering about 10% of the screen, on a
> dark background, exposed for about 30 sec. They looked for the
> after-image against a white screen. The room was dim.
> 
> Any suggestions as to how to get an optimum effect? Ideally, you might
> suggest exactly what parameters to use, specifying the colours in
> terms of PowerPoint numbers.

I don't use PowerPoint (don't have the equipment readily available), but
I do use this demonstration.  I have a heart and an American flag in
'opponent' colors on overheads.  One thing I know you need to do is to
make sure they're staring at a fixed point in the middle of the field
you want show the effect.  My overheads have a black dot in the middle
where the student focus for at least 30 seconds (I have a little
explanation I do while they're staring so as to help the time pass).
Then I tell them to keep staring at the exact same spot, and then zip
the overhead off the projector.  It's very effective.  If you're not
including the fix point, that might be a problem.

Another thing; why the dark background?  I think it might work better on
a light background (at least, that's how it works using the overhead
projector).

Hope this helps.

bob k.

--- -  
Robert Keefer   Associate Professor
Psychology Department   Office Phone:
Mt. St. Mary's College  (301) 447-5394, Ext. 4251
Emmitsburg, MD  21727   e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   
[Speaking for myself.]  fax: 301-447-5021
--- -  

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[John Serafin]

--
>From: Stephen Black <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: TIPS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?
>Date: Wed, Oct 27, 1999, 9:12 AM
>

> Preparatory to a big song-and-dance (or dog-and-pony show, take your
> pick) about the opponent-process theory of colour vision, I opened
> with a demonstration of complementary after-images, using PowerPoint
> to display them. It was underwhelming. Very few agreed that they saw
> the "correct" complementary colour (red-green; yellow-blue).
>
> I displayed them as a rectangle covering about 10% of the screen, on a
> dark background, exposed for about 30 sec. They looked for the
> after-image against a white screen. The room was dim.
>
> Any suggestions as to how to get an optimum effect? Ideally, you might
> suggest exactly what parameters to use, specifying the colours in
> terms of PowerPoint numbers.

Stephen,

You _probably_ did something like the following, but since you didn't
specifically say so, I'll bring it up...

Did you instruct students to fixate on a specific point, rather than letting
their gaze wander over the image? I've found it helpful to put a small mark
of some kind on the image (a dot or cross, e.g.) which helps them fixate on
that point.

The other things I usually do differently are use a longer
exposure--generally about 60 sec--although I would think that 30 sec would
be sufficient to produce a noticeable after-image; and use a white
background (I use white simply because I do this with overhead
transparencies, rather than PowerPoint).

John

--
John Serafin
Professor of Psychology
Saint Vincent College
300 Fraser Purchase Rd.
Latrobe, PA 15650
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Donald H. McBurney]

If you didn't get any images, I would suspect the power point presentation
did not have enough brightness.  I would use an overhead projector with one
of the slides that come with many intro books (in fact, I do).  If you got
afterimages but of the "wrong" color the reason is that the "correct" color
isn't necessarily what the book says.  After red you would see blue-green,
pure yellow gives a greenish blue, etc.

don
Donald McBurney
Who has never used Power Point because he has more important things to do
(he thinks, but is willing to be convinced).

Stephen Black wrote:

> Preparatory to a big song-and-dance (or dog-and-pony show, take your
> pick) about the opponent-process theory of colour vision, I opened
> with a demonstration of complementary after-images, using PowerPoint
> to display them. It was underwhelming. Very few agreed that they saw
> the "correct" complementary colour (red-green; yellow-blue).
>
> I displayed them as a rectangle covering about 10% of the screen, on a
> dark background, exposed for about 30 sec. They looked for the
> after-image against a white screen. The room was dim.
>
> Any suggestions as to how to get an optimum effect? Ideally, you might
> suggest exactly what parameters to use, specifying the colours in
> terms of PowerPoint numbers.
>
> -Stephen
>
> 
> Stephen Black, Ph.D.  tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
> Department of Psychology  fax: (819) 822-9661
> Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Lennoxville, QC
> J1M 1Z7
> Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
>Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
>http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
> 

Statistics statistic

[Beth Benoit]

Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially in Statistics
and
Methods classes:

Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?

Beth Benoit
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Re: Electroconvulsive therapy and placebo effect

[Jeff Ricker]

Tim Gaines wrote:

> It seems that a 14-year old boy was undergoing a series of
> ECS treatments and on one particular day had been prepped completely,
> the only step left being the delivery of the shock.  The treatment team
> was suddenly interrupted by a nurse who entered the room with an urgent
> message.  Seconds later they were astounded to see that the boy was
> showing seizure activity.  The psychologist who told me this story
> firmly believed that they had classically conditioned the seizure, and
> he speculated about the possibility of obtaining beneficial treatment
> effects without always employing the shock (the UCS).

A very interesting anecdote. I'm skeptical (as you seem to be), but it is
interesting. It does suggest that an adequate placebo might be simply to do
all the prep work but give no shock. If I remember correctly, patients are
given a short-acting general anesthetic before the treatment begins. Thus,
they might not be aware of whether they have received the treatment or not.
One could make this a double-blind by having independent evaluators estimate
the amount of symptom improvement.

Does anyone know if this has been done?

Jeff

--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D.  Office Phone:  (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd.FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ  85256-2626

"The truth is rare and never simple."
   Oscar Wilde

"[T]he more outrageous the myth, the more likely...that large
numbers of people will cleave to it."
   Paul Kurtz

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Jeff Bartel]

In defense of PowerPoint, I have used an afterimage demonstration using a
PowerPoint presentation.  I have one slide that is the "standard" American
Flag (in "opponent" colors) with a dot in the middle.  The flag takes up
the entire slide.  After the students have fixated on the dot for 30
seconds or so, I flip to the next slide--a plain white box that also takes
up the entire slide.  

Although the projector is not especially bright, I am able to dim the room
lights slightly (which I do for the entire lecture).  Perhaps that led to
my success.

Jeff
 
  
Jeff Bartel Grad Student in Social Psyc  |  Manhattan >
[EMAIL PROTECTED]  Dept of Psychology  |   x\_
www-personal.ksu.edu/~jbartel   Kansas State U.  |  |
 Syllabi page for psychology instructors:|  |
  www-personal.ksu.edu/~jbartel/syllabi.html |KANSAS|
 |__|

Reading an email message about a new email virus?  Getting a note that's
been forwarded to a dozen other people?  Before you pass it along, drop by
http://www.US.datafellows.com/news/hoax/ for a list of recent hoaxes and
chain letters.

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Kenneth M. Steele]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999 10:29:48 -0400 (EDT) Bob Keefer 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> 
> I don't use PowerPoint (don't have the equipment readily available), but
> I do use this demonstration.  I have a heart and an American flag in
> 'opponent' colors on overheads.  One thing I know you need to do is to
> make sure they're staring at a fixed point in the middle of the field
> you want show the effect.  My overheads have a black dot in the middle
> where the student focus for at least 30 seconds (I have a little
> explanation I do while they're staring so as to help the time pass).
> Then I tell them to keep staring at the exact same spot, and then zip
> the overhead off the projector.  It's very effective.  If you're not
> including the fix point, that might be a problem.
> 

I do what Bob does and it works very effectively. 

> Another thing; why the dark background?  I think it might work better on
> a light background (at least, that's how it works using the overhead
> projector).
> 

I agree with Bob, go to a white background.

Also I have noticed that the effect seems strongest at a 
chromatic border.  Why not try a gigantic plus or x, which will 
help the observers keep their fixation steady.

We just got some Epson projectors so I will try the PowerPoint 
technique sometime in the Spring.

Ken


--
Kenneth M. Steele[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Associate Professor
Dept. of Psychology
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA 

Re: Statistics statistic

[Rick Froman]

Beth Benoit writes on 27 Oct 99,:

> Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially in
> Statistics and Methods classes:
> 
> Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
> 
> Beth Benoit
> University of Massachusetts Lowell

I think the correct  ;-}  number is 79.48% (this made up statistic is attributed to 
John 
Allen Paulos as in the tagline of my sig file). 

Rick


Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548

"79.48% of all statistics are made up on the spot." - John A. Paulos 

Re: help:awareness/consciousness

[Deb Briihl]

I view awareness as one component of the definition of consciousness.
Here's how I define it to my students in cogn (NOTE: I summarized this from
a number of different books, but I don't remember right off the top of my
head which ones).
It brings information into awareness - what you are thinking of at this
moment, working memory, or absolute threshold
Shifting from automatic to controlled (executive function)
It helps with focus and clarity (attention)
I also define unconsciousness in terms of studies
Priming
Focusing of attention on an object
Implicit vs Explicit memory (encoding without retrieval?)
Tip of the tongue (knowing you know)
Automaticity
Anterograde Amnesia - learning of procedural memories, difficulty with
declarative
Blindsight
Split brain
Visual Neglect
Sleep walking and talking


At 08:32 AM 10/27/99 -0400, Michael Sylvester wrote:
>
>Although the terms are used interchangeably,I would like to know how to
>explain the differences between consciousness and awareness.I was covering
>the chapter on Altered States .I know the differences by examples,but
>somehow it appears more difficult to come up with an operational
>definition for "awareness" than it is for consciousness.
>
>Michael Sylvester
>Daytona Beach,Florida   "i get by with a little help from tipsters"
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Deb

Deborah S. Briihl   There are as many
Dept. of Psychology and Counseling  ways to live as 
Valdosta State University   there are people in
Valdosta, GA 31698-0100 this world and each
[EMAIL PROTECTED]deserve a closer
Now in new Assoc. size! look..
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl


You got so many dreams you don't know where to put them, so you better turn
a few of them loose... Fire

Creative and Imaginative Curricula

[Jessica Le and Luke Dalfiume]

Fellow Tipsters,

We have a new Academic Dean at my institution, and one of his initiatives is 
curricular reform.  I am on a subcommittee with the following charge:

What are the most creative and imaginative undergraduate curricula in America, 
what are their components, and how is their impact on students measured?

What are some creative and imaginative curriculum ideas at your institutions, or that 
you are aware of at other institutions?  How is the 'success' of the curriculum 
evaluated?

Thank you in advance.

Luke Dalfiume, Ph.D.
Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois 

Department Mission Statement

[K Jung]

Hi All,

I assume this has already been a topic of discussion, however I can't seem 
to get the TIPS archives site to search.  Our department has decided to 
define our mission and I was hoping we could glean from all of the brilliant 
academics on TIPS their approach and actual wording of their statements.  
Thanks in advance!
Peace,
K
Kitty Jung, MA
Truckee Meadows Community College
Reno, Nevada


__
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Undergraduate research experiences?

[Crystal L.Park]

Hello Fellow TIPSters,

I am working with a colleague on gathering some information on the
experiences faculty members have with working with undergraduates.  Partly
borne out of our frustration with a few problems, we have been pulling
together some information on this topic, and I wondered if some of you
could be so kind as to share your experiences, whether you do research
which includes undergrads or not.  If you don't, it would be good to know
why you don't.  If you do, I would like to know what some of your best
experiences and worst fiascoes have been, and how you have responded to or
headed off these problems, or done things differently now to avoid them.
I
know everyone is crazy-busy, but if kyou have a moment to drop me a line,
I
would greatly appreciate it.

Please answer directly to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Thanks!
Crystal Park

RE: Statistics statistic

[Dennis Goff]

No! No! No!
The correct number is 67.943% 
Sitting alone in my office and looking for something productive to do in the
6.487  minutes before the start of my next class.
Dennis

Dennis M. Goff 
Dept. of Psychology
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Lynchburg, VA 24503


-Original Message-
From: Rick Froman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 1999 11:55 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Statistics statistic


Beth Benoit writes on 27 Oct 99,:

> Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially in
> Statistics and Methods classes:
> 
> Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
> 
> Beth Benoit
> University of Massachusetts Lowell

I think the correct  ;-}  number is 79.48% (this made up statistic is
attributed to John 
Allen Paulos as in the tagline of my sig file). 

Rick


Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548

"79.48% of all statistics are made up on the spot." - John A. Paulos 

Are you overweight?

[Kenneth M. Steele]

As you may have heard, the prevalence of obesity has increased 
and the JAMA article reporting these results refers to the 
change as an "epidemic."

The article can be found at:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v282n16/full/joc91119.html

The Charlotte Observer provides a formula to calculate the 
measure (Body Mass Index)used:

BMI = ((weight in lbs)/(height in inches)^2) * 704.5

Where a BMI score of 25-29 indicates you are overweight
and score > 30 indicates obesity.

I calculated my score conservatively (shrunk my self-reported 
height by 1/2 inch and rounded my weight up to the next 5-lb 
interval) and discovered that I was not overweight according to 
the formula.  However it was easy to see that a large variety of 
people that I would not have classified as overweight would be 
classed so by the formula.

Before I suggest to you that this can be turned into a teaching 
moment on operational definitions, can someone confirm that the 
formula is correct?  

Off to get some BBQ...

Ken

--
Kenneth M. Steele[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dept. of Psychology
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA 

Challenging behaviour

[g_ford]

We all know that people with Severe Learning Disabilities use challenging behaviour as 
a form of communication.  I think that as well as this they use it for manipulation of 
the people around them and not just to meed their basic needs.  Although people in 
this area of society perform poorly on 'IQ' tests I feel that they have some kind of 
intuition or perception that they are not given enough credit for.  I have experience 
of children that use 'challenging behaviour' and self injurous behaviour to amuse 
themselves by provoking or annoying other people.  Does anyone have experience or 
thoughts in this area.




talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at http://www.talk21.com

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[G. Marc Turner]

At 12:29 PM 10/27/1999 -0400, Kenneth M. Steele wrote:
>> Another thing; why the dark background?  I think it might work better on
>> a light background (at least, that's how it works using the overhead
>> projector).
>> 
>I agree with Bob, go to a white background.
>

Okay, now I'm curious... I do this using powerpoint with a dark background,
and actually turn off the lights in the room. This essentially make the
only light they see come from the image (a rough approximation of the
american flag I created myself). This isn't my area, so my thinking on this
could be off, but it seems like I get a more dramatic effect under these
conditions than I do if I have dim lights and a white background which
allows them to see other colors in the room (for example, that bright red
shirt on the person in front of them). Does my reasoning on this make any
sense at all? Or did I just latch on to doing something a certain way for
no good reason (this wouldn't be the first time) and created this
explanation to justify my methods to myself? 

Could this be an issue based on the medium of presentation? Perhaps the
lack of brightness from the projector for powerpoint creates a need for a
darker background than what is needed when using overheads? Could it have
to do with the screen refresh rate of the projector (which is continually
redrawing the image on the screen) versus the continuous image created by
an overhead?

Probably showing some of my ignorance on these matters...
- Marc

G. Marc Turner, MEd
Lecturer & Head of Computer Operations
Department of Psychology
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX  78666
phone: (512)245-2526
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] or ...

Re: Are you overweight?

[Stephen Black]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Kenneth M. Steele wrote:
> 
> The Charlotte Observer provides a formula to calculate the 
> measure (Body Mass Index)used:
> 
>   BMI = ((weight in lbs)/(height in inches)^2) * 704.5
> 
> Where a BMI score of 25-29 indicates you are overweight
> and score > 30 indicates obesity.
> 
> Before I suggest to you that this can be turned into a teaching 
> moment on operational definitions, can someone confirm that the 
> formula is correct?  
> 

_Science_ in 1998 (vol. 280, May 29 issue) ran a special section on
the regulation of body weight. They give BMI in metric units as:

weight in kg divided by the square of height in meters (on p. 1364).

They also give a handy table on p. 1366 so you don't have to go
through those nasty mathematics. However, if you read through the
article, you'll discover that there's lots of disagreement on the
meaning of those values.  Some people point out that it's unclear
whether moderately elevated BMI's do increase mortality and it's even
more unclear whether reducing weight actually does anything to
decrease the risk. This is not the party line, of course.

I also seem to recall that a recent big study (maybe it was that JAMA,
maybe another: for once, I'm at school and the report is at home)
actually showed a U-curve of risk with a large flat area at the
bottom. Risk was greater only for the seriously skinny and the
seriously fat; everone else could relax (literally). Unfortunately,
that's not the message that was being delivered about the results. And
it was all correlational, anyway.

-Stephen



Stephen Black, Ph.D.  tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology  fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC   
J1M 1Z7  
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
   Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
   http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/

APA style question

[Serdikoff, Sherry L.]

Tipsters: Here's one that has my Exp Psyc students, my TA and me stumped...

I have checked more than 5 websites on APA style and have The APA Manual, The 
Psychology Students Writer's Manual and 5 research methods texts sitting on my desk 
and still cannot I still cannot come up with a decisive answer regarding the content
of the Running head and Page header for an APA style manuscript. In the APA manual I
cannot find any discussion of the content of the Running head other than it should 
be no longer than 50 characters (but, if it is in there I trust someone on this list
will know and point it out ;-). One source suggests using as many full words from 
the full title, in order, as will fit within the 50 character limit; another says it 
should be "topical" and tell the reader what the paper is about. In contrast, the 
page header is supposed to be "the first two or three words from the title" (APA 
manual p. 241). But, in the two-experiment example paper (pp. 269-270) they use the 
third and fourth word as the page header -- perhaps these words match the first two 
words of the running head for that paper but, since no title page is provided for 
this example it is impossible to tell for sure. Other sources are not in agreement 
here either; some say is should be the first 2-3 words of the FULL title and other 
say the first 2-3 words of the running head. 

HELP?

+++
+__Sherry L. Serdikoff, Ph.D. +
+   *  *   School of Psychology   + 
+  * OO *  James Madison University   +
+  **  MSC 7401   {)__(}  +
+   *(.  .)*   Harrisonburg, VA 22807  (oo)   +
+ \  / E-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]  -o0o-=\/=-o0o-  +
+  \/  Telephone:  540-568-7089   +
+  FAX Number: 540-568-3322   +
+++

Re: How do I get those @#$%& complementary after-images?

[Rick Froman]

Stephen Black writes on 27 Oct 99,:

> Preparatory to a big song-and-dance (or dog-and-pony show, take your
> pick) about the opponent-process theory of colour vision, I opened
> with a demonstration of complementary after-images, using PowerPoint
> to display them. It was underwhelming. Very few agreed that they saw
> the "correct" complementary colour (red-green; yellow-blue).
> 
> I displayed them as a rectangle covering about 10% of the screen, on a
> dark background, exposed for about 30 sec. They looked for the after-image
> against a white screen. The room was dim.
> 
> Any suggestions as to how to get an optimum effect? Ideally, you might
> suggest exactly what parameters to use, specifying the colours in terms of
> PowerPoint numbers.

This may not be possible in the context you are describing.  The fact that the room is 
dim suggests that the power of your LCD projector is not strong enough to make a 
bright image in a well-lighted room (most aren't).  Which, of course, means that they 
were not perceiving a white screen on which they projected their afterimage but a 
greyish screen (color constancy has its limits).  I would suggest going low tech in 
one 
of the following ways.  1) Have the students look at the effect in their textbook in a 
well-lighted room.  2)  Present the stimulus on an old-fashioned (but bright) overhead 
projector in a well-lighted room.  3) E-mail your powerpoint as an attachment to 
students and have them try it in a well-lighted lab.  I am not sure what text you are 
using but the Myers text (I use Exploring Psychology) has a powerpoint of a flag if 
you 
have doubts about the specific colors.  It is available for download at:

http://www.worthpublishers.com/exploring/con_index.htm?04

(just click on Powerpoint slides).

Rick



Dr. Rick Froman
Psychology Department
Box 3055
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
Office: (501)524-7295
Fax: (501)524-9548
"I can't promise to try but I'll try to try."  --Bart Simpson

Perception and Illusion

[Erica Robitaille]

Hi, I am preparing for a presentation in my Sensation and Perception
class. I found a book that describes different illusions for all of the
senses. I was looking for some help relating these illusions to theories
in perception.

Here is examples of what I would like to demonstrate:

* Feelings: "No Sign of a Signature" - The class sits at their desk with
a pencil and paper. They will use their favorite foot to trace circles
on the floor. Once they get their foot going, they will watch it to make
certain it keeps moving in a circle. They will now try to sign their
name. The scawl they produce will make them feel helpless. If they do
succeed in signing their name fairly legibly, chances are that their
foot has traced similar motions.  They have not kept it moving in a
circle. The muscle-coordination problems here is similar to rubbing your
stomach and patting your head at the same time. With practice it is
possible to master this one.

* Hearing: "Sounds of the Sea" -  Hear the ocean roar in your own room
far from the sea. Listen to a seashell, or, if you haven't one handy,
put your ear against a jar. The sound of the surf crashing against the
shore is loud and clear. But it is only an illusion, noise from your
environment, including noise made from your environment, including noise
made by your ear brushing against the edge of the shell. These sounds
are reinforced by the vibration of the air within the shell or jar.

* Tasting & Smelling "Name that Food" -  You can check your sense of
taste when it comes to telling the difference between Coke and Sprite. A
blindfold and nose clips make it almost impossible. The beverages taste
surprisingly alike. They are both lemon-lime based drinks although one
is sweeter than the other. You will have no problem telling the
difference with your senses of smell and vision operating. Your chemical
senses of taste and smell can be fooled. The receptors for taste are
located in bumps, called taste buds, on your tongue, along your throat,
and on the roof of your mouth. They fire when molecules from food in
your saliva come in contact with them. The receptors for smell are found
in the lining of the upper part of the cavity inside the nose. They also
fire when molecules come in contact with them. Smell and taste are very
closely associated. Without smell you would have very little
appreciation for fine cooking. Taste would be limited to the basic
flavors which are sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Remove smell, and you
can be fooled by taste alone.

 * Seeing:  I will have a variety of photo copies of different optical
illusions to pass out to the class. Such as, Alternating Forms, The
Herman Grid, First Impressions, Going Up, The Deception, and Crazy
Columns, etc.

Are these truly perceptual illusions

RE: Statistics statistic

[David Wasieleski, Ph.D.]

Did y'all know that 93% of individuals quoting this statistic cite a
different one each time?
(deciding to contribute to the useless fun... is it Thanksgiving Break yet???)
David W.

At 03:08 PM 10/27/99 -0400, Dennis Goff wrote:
>No! No! No!
>The correct number is 67.943% 
>Sitting alone in my office and looking for something productive to do in the
>6.487  minutes before the start of my next class.
>Dennis
>
>Dennis M. Goff 
>Dept. of Psychology
>Randolph-Macon Woman's College
>Lynchburg, VA 24503
>
>
>-Original Message-
>From: Rick Froman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 1999 11:55 AM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: Statistics statistic
>
>
>Beth Benoit writes on 27 Oct 99,:
>
>> Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially in
>> Statistics and Methods classes:
>> 
>> Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
>> 
>> Beth Benoit
>> University of Massachusetts Lowell
>
>I think the correct  ;-}  number is 79.48% (this made up statistic is
>attributed to John 
>Allen Paulos as in the tagline of my sig file). 
>
>Rick
>
>
>Dr. Rick Froman
>Psychology Department
>Box 3055
>John Brown University
>Siloam Springs, AR 72761
>[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
>Office: (501)524-7295
>Fax: (501)524-9548
>
>"79.48% of all statistics are made up on the spot." - John A. Paulos 
>
>
David Wasieleski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA 31698
912-333-5930
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski

"All my ideas are consistent; it is merely that
I cannot expound on all of them at the same time."
--Rousseau

Re: Undergraduate research experiences?

[Chuck Huff]

At 12:11 PM -0700 10/27/99, Crystal L.Park wrote:
>Hello Fellow TIPSters,
>
>I am working with a colleague on gathering some information on the
>experiences faculty members have with working with undergraduates.

I  recommend you contact the folks at the "Council on Undergraduate 
Research," CUR.  Their web address is:

http://www.cur.org/

Below I reprint the statement from their main page.  There are LOTS 
of folks in CUR who are good to talk to about how to sustain a 
research program at an undergraduate institution.  Highly 
recommended.  They have a section for Psychologists with some very 
good people in it.

-Chuck
- Chuck Huff; 507.646.3169; http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/
- Psychology Department, St.Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) helps to strengthen the 
research programs of faculty in predominantly undergraduate 
institutions and promotes research by undergraduate students in all 
settings of science, mathematics, and engineering education.  We 
believe that education is best served by faculty-student 
collaborative research combined with investigative teaching 
strategies.  CUR provides avenues for faculty development and helps 
administrators to improve and assess the research environments of 
their institutions.  CUR generates awareness and national support for 
undergraduate research.  We speak on behalf of primarily 
undergraduate institutions (PUIs).  We work with federal agencies and 
private and local organizations to develop and maintain 
research-based education opportunities.

Serving faculty and administrators at primarily undergraduate 
institutions, CUR has 3,500 members representing over 850 
institutions in eight academic divisions.

Members find CUR's wide range of services have a positive impact on 
undergraduate research programs at their individual institutions, and 
increase their connections with funding agencies and colleagues.

Re: Statistics statistic

[Annette Taylor]

I just saw this, today, in fact!

EXCEPT I saw it as "Did you know that 99% of all statistics are
made up on the spot?"

annette :-)

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Beth Benoit wrote:

> Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially in Statistics
> and
> Methods classes:
> 
> Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
> 
> Beth Benoit
> University of Massachusetts Lowell
> 

Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of PsychologyE-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice:   (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA  92110

"Education is one of the few things a person
 is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan

ECT and Placebo Effect

[Pollak, Edward]

>  Jeff Ricker wrote:
"oes anyone know if the efficacy of ECT for the treatment of depression
> has ever been tested with a placebo control group? I don't know how one
> would perform such a test..."
> 
I can't put my finger on the reference but 10-15 years ago there was a big
report on ECT (I believe by NIMH) and the conclusion was quite favorable.
One way to look at the placebo effect is to look at instances where the
current is passed but it's not adequate to elicit a seizure.  This can
happen with the use of muscle relaxants, anesthesia and unilateral ECT.
My understanding is that if you don't elicit the seizure, you don't get the
antidepressant effect.  That would seem to be one  answer the placebo
question.  But a better one might be the observation that ECT is just as
effective with anesthesia as when given "eyes-open."  If the placebo effect
was responsible I would expect "eyes-open"
 ECT to be quite effective and ECT given under general anesthesia to be
ineffective.  But in the words of Bix Beiderbeck, "'Tain't so, honey,
'tain't so." 

Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Office: 610-436-3151
Department of PsychologyHome: 610-363-1939
West Chester Univ. of PAFax: 610-436-2846
West Chester, PA 19383  www.wcupa.edu/academics/sch_cas.psy/
~~~
Husband, Father, Grandfather-to-be, Biopsychologist, Bluegrass Fiddler and
herpetoculturist.
~~~

Re: Creative and Imaginative Curricula

[Annette Taylor]

I think that schools like the Evergreen State College in Olympia (?)
washington and univ of california santa cruz come to mind.
Especially at TESC the majority of their classes are 'learning
communities' in which several instructors come together to combine
their discipline with others--this more than just 'linking' classes.
It is creative and imaginative in that no class is ever repeated!
Students are not ' graded'--they receive a written evaluation, and
from what I understand this in no way hampers their ability to get
into graduate programs. The same is true of UCSC.  I'd check their
websites.

annette

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Jessica Le and Luke Dalfiume wrote:

> Fellow Tipsters,
> 
> We have a new Academic Dean at my institution, and one of his initiatives is 
>curricular reform.  I am on a subcommittee with the following charge:
> 
>   What are the most creative and imaginative undergraduate curricula in America, 
>   what are their components, and how is their impact on students measured?
> 
> What are some creative and imaginative curriculum ideas at your institutions, or 
>that you are aware of at other institutions?  How is the 'success' of the curriculum 
>evaluated?
> 
> Thank you in advance.
> 
> Luke Dalfiume, Ph.D.
> Eureka College
> Eureka, Illinois 
> 

Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of PsychologyE-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice:   (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA  92110

"Education is one of the few things a person
 is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan

Fwd: position opening notice

[David Hogberg]

a re-posting of the position-opening notice




Albion College: The Psychology Department invites applications 
for a one-semester appointment in experimental psychology with a focus on cognition to 
begin January 10, 2000.  Applicants should provide evidence of excellence in the 
classroom and the laboratory. The successful candidate will be responsible for 
teaching three courses:  a laboratory course in cognition and two sections of Intro.  
The department consists of six full-time faculty representing a range of specialties 
and is housed in a spacious, well-equipped facility.  Albion College is a selective, 
small (1600 students), liberal arts college located in south central Michigan and is 
within an hour's drive of major universities.  Applicants should send a current CV, a 
statement of research interests and teaching philosophy, copies of graduate 
transcripts, and three letters of recommendation to Barbara J. Keyes, Ph.D., Chair, 
Department of Psychology, Albion College, 611 E. Porter Street, Albion, MI 49224.  
Review of completed applications will begin immediately and continue until the 
position has been filled.  For additional information, visit our web page at 
http://www.albion.edu/fac/psyc. 

Re: APA style question

[Annette Taylor]

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Serdikoff, Sherry L. wrote:

> Tipsters: Here's one that has my Exp Psyc students, my TA and me stumped...
> 
...snip

  In contrast, the 
> page header is supposed to be "the first two or three words from the title" (APA 
> manual p. 241). But, in the two-experiment example paper (pp. 269-270) they use the 
> third and fourth word as the page header -- perhaps these words match the first two 
> words of the running head for that paper but, since no title page is provided for 
> this example it is impossible to tell for sure. Other sources are not in agreement 
> here either; some say is should be the first 2-3 words of the FULL title and other 
> say the first 2-3 words of the running head. 

In my copy of the APA manual, the sampe paper does have the first
2 words (individual differences) of the full title as the short title
For the 2-study case I think they took the 2nd and 3rd substantive
words--omitting the first substantive and nonsubstantive words (Effect of)
since the logic is that should the manuscript pages become disorganized,
as when a Klutz walks by and the entire stack of manuscripts is tossed
to the floor unintentionally, then the manuscripts can be reassembled.
It would be impossible to do if too may of them had "effects of" as the
short title :-)

I'm not sure where I got the idea that it's the first 2-3 substantive
words, as opposed to the exact first 2-3 words except it makes
good sense. I just checked the APA manual so maybe I had made
a personal interpretation that works.

annette

> 
> HELP?
> 
> +++
> +__Sherry L. Serdikoff, Ph.D. +
> +   *  *   School of Psychology   + 
> +  * OO *  James Madison University   +
> +  **  MSC 7401   {)__(}  +
> +   *(.  .)*   Harrisonburg, VA 22807  (oo)   +
> + \  / E-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]  -o0o-=\/=-o0o-  +
> +  \/  Telephone:  540-568-7089   +
> +  FAX Number: 540-568-3322   +
> +++
> 
> 

Annette Taylor, Ph. D.
Department of PsychologyE-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
University of San Diego Voice:   (619) 260-4006
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA  92110

"Education is one of the few things a person
 is willing to pay for and not get."
-- W. L. Bryan

Re: Review of Bystander Video

[Michael Hulsizer]

Tipsters,

While I agree with the posted review.  The piece was very powerful. I
think the history channel video tends to focus a bit more on the murder
suspect and the reasons why he committed the murder and less on the
issues surrounding bystander intervention.  Plus at 50 minutes it may be
a bit long to devote time to in a social class.  I give it a thumbs up
as a general interest piece and would show it
in a class devoted specifically to helping behavior or a social class
where I had lots of time (does anyone have a class like that?).
However, I give it a marginal thumbs up for showing during a typical
social psychology class where one has limited time.  Mainly due to the
length.

As an alternative, I have a not so good copy of the Dateline NBC piece
that aired a few years ago called "Brother's Keeper" (I would love to
get a better copy!!! Hint to anyone willing to tape one for me!).  The
Dateline piece discusses the Kitty Genovese incident and also a recent
incident that took place on the Detroit bridge.  Unfortunately it is not
available for sale.  More than likely it is due to
the fact that Darley  conducts a bystander experiment on the show (a
great experiment).  The video is only 13 minutes long and tends to
produce great discussion.  If you can get it I strongly recommend it
over the more current history channel piece.  More bang for your time.

Happy Halloween!

Mike Hulsizer

Cheryl A Rickabaugh wrote:

> Ann Weber has posted a review of the video that has been discussed
over
> the past few days. With her permission, I'm posting to this list (see
> below). Hope folks find it helpful.
>
> Cheryl R.
>
___

> Cheryl A. Rickabaugh Phone: (909) 793-2121, ext.
3866
> Associate Professor and Department Chair Fax:   (909) 335-5305
> Dept. of Psychology
> University of Redlands   e-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Redlands, CA 92373-0999
> http://newton.uor.edu/FacultyFolder/Rickabaugh/Rickabaugh.html
>
___

> -Original Message-
> From: Ann Weber [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Monday, October 25, 1999 4:04 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Kitty Genovese Murder story on The History Channel, 10/22/99
>
> Thanks to Tricia J. Yurak of Rowan University for alerting us to the
History
> Channel's recent broadcast of a one-hour program on the murder of
Catherine
> "Kitty" Genovese over 35 years ag.  The program was terrific, grim and

> surprisingly powerful for a reenactment with interviews.  It included
info
> I had never read or heard.  The only major flaw I detected was the
> mispronun-
> ciation of Bibb Latane's name (they pronounced it luh-TAYNE, when of
course
> it is more like LATT-uh-nay).
>This is to let you know that you can order a video of the program
for
> only
> $20 + shipping from the History Channel if you go to their Web
site--they
> allow you to order online or over the phone with a 1-800 number.
Their
> Web site URL is:  
>I strongly recommend this video (50 min.) for social psych
classes.  It
> is
> sure to provoke discussion, and stimulate thinking about prosocial
behavior.
>Best,
>Ann Weber
>Dept of Psychology CPO#1960
>UNC at Asheville
>Asheville NC  28804-8508
>(828) 251-6833


--
Michael Hulsizer
Webster University

mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Can theories be true?

[Jeff Ricker]

We have had this discussion before on TIPS: can theories (explanations
of something) ever be considered "true," or are they only more or less
"supported" by evidence. Levy (1997) makes a distinction between two
kinds of theory--event theories versus construct theories--that might
help us to address this question better in our courses. An event theory
is an explanation of a particular set of related occurrences (such as
"why does Bill usually laugh at Tom" or "did human beings evolve from
ape-like creatures"), whereas a construct theory is an explanation of a
particular idea that integrates a large number of occurrences (such as
explanations of happiness or evolution). In other words, an event theory
is an explanation of something tangible whereas a construct theory is an
explanation of an intangible. Thus, event theories can be true or false
whereas construct theories cannot be thought of in this way "because the
explanations are, in themselves, intangible abstractions" (p. 10). In
other words, with regard to construct theories, "although the phenomena
under investigation may be observable, their underlying explanations are
not" (p. 10). Because of the difference between the two kinds of theory,
event theories should be evaluated in terms of their accuracy (their
truth), whereas construct theories should be evaluated in terms of their
utility (their usefulness for some set of goals--typically the
prediction and control of observations).

The moral for Levy is this:

"[W]e create nothing but conceptual (not to mention methodological)
havoc for ourselves when we confuse these two types of theory. In
particular, we must be especially careful not to reify Construct
Theories by treating them as if they were Event Theories For
instance, because we can neither prove nor disprove directly the
existence of the unconscious, it is inappropriate to ask wehether
Freudian theory is true or false One very unfortuante consequence of
this confusion is that the field of psychology is teeming with outdated
and empirically unsupported theories that have long overstayed their
welcome. Why do such theories persist? Perhaps the most important reason
is that they have never been directly disproven, which most people take
as evidence for their veracity [I would say, "for their POSSIBLE
veracity"]. Could it be that these theories are, in fact, true? Not once
we realize that they are, by and large, Type C [Construct} Theories and
thus are not _capable_ of being proven or disproven They should be
judged, instead, solely in terms of their usefulness (or lack thereof),
an endeavor that is all too rare." (p. 11)

Levy is making here a simple and straightforward distinction that seems
to me to be correct; and the implications of this distinction are very
important. But it is a distinction, I think, that many of us forget when
we talk about theory-testing in our courses. Well, at least I do; and so
I offer this discussion to those of you who tend to make the same
omissions as I do.

Jeff

Reference: Levy, D. A. (1997). _Tools of critical thinking: Metathoughts
for psychology_. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D.  Office Phone:  (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd.FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ  85256-2626

"The truth is rare and never simple."
   Oscar Wilde

"[T]he more outrageous the myth, the more likely...that large
numbers of people will cleave to it."
   Paul Kurtz

Creative and Imaginative Curricula

[Faith L Florer]

Sarah Lawrence College has imaginative courses. For example, the
reading list for the Research Methods course in the psychology dept.
includes Gould's _Mismeasure of Man_, Hernstein & Marray's _The Bell
Curve_ and Kuhn's _The Structure of Scientific Revolutions_. The way that
they structure courses seems unusual too i.e., year-long courses. 
Their URL is http://www.slc.edu/undergrad/index.html



On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Jessica Le and Luke Dalfiume wrote:

> Fellow Tipsters,
> 
> We have a new Academic Dean at my institution, and one of his
initiatives is curricular reform.  I am on a subcommittee with the
following charge:
> 
>   What are the most creative and imaginative undergraduate curricula
in America, 
>   what are their components, and how is their impact on students
measured?
> 
> What are some creative and imaginative curriculum ideas at your
institutions, or that you are aware of at other institutions?  How is the
'success' of the curriculum evaluated?
> 
> Thank you in advance.
> 
> Luke Dalfiume, Ph.D.
> Eureka College
> Eureka, Illinois 

Re: Undergraduate research experiences?

[Jim Clark]

Hi

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Crystal L.Park wrote:
> I am working with a colleague on gathering some information on the
> experiences faculty members have with working with undergraduates.  Partly
> borne out of our frustration with a few problems, we have been pulling
> together some information on this topic, and I wondered if some of you
> could be so kind as to share your experiences, whether you do research
> which includes undergrads or not.  If you don't, it would be good to know
> why you don't.  If you do, I would like to know what some of your best
> experiences and worst fiascoes have been, and how you have responded to or
> headed off these problems, or done things differently now to avoid them.

We are an undergraduate institution dependent on undergraduate
students as research assistants, as the only people available to
voluntary participate in the collection of data, and so on.  It
turns out, I believe, to be a highly beneficial experience for
both faculty and students.  Not that there aren't some negative
consequences (which I suspect also happen with graduate
students).  I believe that historical data suggests that graduate
scientists disproportionately come from small institutions,
perhaps because of their "graduate-like" experiences there.  I
would be interested in hearing why you ask this question.

Best wishes
Jim


James M. Clark  (204) 786-9757
Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax
University of Winnipeg  4L05D
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CANADA  http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark

Fwd: How to Improve Grades

[hackneya]

** Forwarded Message Follows ***
>Hi Tipsters,

I received this note from an unknown source (presumably a student).  My initial
reaction is to be very skeptical of this "study-aid."  But before I jump to
conclusions, has anyone heard of this website before or heard any stories from
students who ordered this book?

Amy Hackney
St. Louis University
>
>Hey,
>
>Just thought I'd send you a quick message to let 
>you know about a site designed to help college
>students improve their grades and get more out 
>of the college experience.
>
>You can find out how to learn more efficiently, 
>improve study skills, have more free time, 
>conquer test anxiety, win scholarships and 
>much, much more.
> 
>For more details, visit:
> 
>http://www.make-the-grade.net/  
> 
>Regards,
>
>J.
>
>

Re: APA style question

[Jim Clark]

Hi

On Wed, 27 Oct 1999, Serdikoff, Sherry L. wrote:

> I have checked more than 5 websites on APA style and have The
> APA Manual, The Psychology Students Writer's Manual and 5
> research methods texts sitting on my desk and still cannot I
> still cannot come up with a decisive answer regarding the
> content of the Running head and Page header for an APA style
> manuscript. In the APA manual I cannot find any discussion of
> the content of the Running head other than it should be no
> longer than 50 characters (but, if it is in there I trust
> someone on this list will know and point it out ;-). One source
> suggests using as many full words from the full title, in
> order, as will fit within the 50 character limit; another says
> it should be "topical" and tell the reader what the paper is
> about. In contrast, the page header is supposed to be "the
> first two or three words from the title" (APA manual p. 241).
> But, in the two-experiment example paper (pp. 269-270) they use
> the third and fourth word as the page header -- perhaps these
> words match the first two words of the running head for that
> paper but, since no title page is provided for this example it
> is impossible to tell for sure. Other sources are not in
> agreement here either; some say is should be the first 2-3
> words of the FULL title and other say the first 2-3 words of
> the running head. 

I think this is a good time to suggest to students that there is
not always a "correct" answer and to suggest "who would really
care?"  My experience in publishing papers is that the editors
don't really care all that much about the minutiae of APA style
and that it is the content that is more important.  Perhaps we
should try to communicate the importance of content and effective
communication to students.

Best wishes
Jim


James M. Clark  (204) 786-9757
Department of Psychology(204) 774-4134 Fax
University of Winnipeg  4L05D
Winnipeg, Manitoba  R3B 2E9 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CANADA  http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~clark

Fw: Can theories be true?

[Gary Peterson]

>Jeff,  while I agree with Levy's initial point about the problem of
>reification, his distinction between so-called "event theories" and
>construct theories seems unnecessarily confusing, and potentially
>misleading.  What he terms event theories, in my view, are empirical
>assertions not formally organized, nor intended as theories in themselves.
>As he himself notes, if verified they then cease to exist as theoretical
>statements but become facts.  I consider them best understood as general
>research questions or empirical statements.
>He then speaks of Construct theories (actual theories these) as not
>really capable of being "proven."  This "p" word is taboo in my methods
>classes for reasons he would probably agree with.  But he presumes that
this
>is accurate about construct theories! and thus sets up a straw-man
argument,
>for science does not consider theories proven absolutes, but rather
>organized frameworks that account for facts as known, with propositions to
>develop and extend our knowledge (i.e. generate further empirical
>questions).  When he begs the questions about his Construct theories---that
>is, that they require Proof, he then quickly states that of course, they
are
>not capable of meeting such a criterion.  What does he argue for next?
>Utility.  Scientific utility in furthering knowledge or usefulness in
>explaining the facts?  Unfortunately, no.  He now means that such theories
>must be social relevant, or practically useful.  While we all may applaud
>such ganz Amerikanisch value, such meanings of utility ignore the most
>valuable function of scientific theory--namely, providing the better fit
>with the facts!  In other words, Levy ends up arguing for a kind of
>post-modern conception of theory evaluation where accuracy and generation
of
>objective knowledge is neatly ignored (not argued against, but presumed
>irrelevant)!  No wonder our scientific colleagues consider psychology a
sham
>science.  If theory development should only meet the criteria of utility,
>and utility means mundane usefulness, then surely, if people feel good
about
>it, or psychologists can find some way to confirm is potential application
>(regardless of its truth value), then it satisfies Levy?!  Humbug!  Unlike
>Levy, I argue that Correctness IS an important criterion of a scientific
>theory.
>I tell my students that a good scientific theory accounts for, helps
>explain the facts and leads to its own revision with the development of new
>propositions that garner new knowledge.  I usually point to Piaget's ideas
>as having had this kind of "utility" in that his theory promoted new
>knowledge while also being revised considerably. Scientific theories are
not
>accurate just because they are proposed, but they should be proposed in
ways
>to facilitate their empirical demise or revision. The theory of natural
>selection best accounts for the facts of evolution, though it is revised
and
>being critically investigated by serious scientists.  It IS the correctness
>of a theory that provides for its potential utility in science, and there
>are reliable criteria by which such correctness can be judged; such as the
>fit with more basic principles, the development of testable predictions
that
>are supported, integration/explanation of new findings, etc.
Psychologists
>don't usually confuse Event theory with Construct theory.  Psychologists
>like Levy, seem confused about science itself.   Just my .02,Gary
>Peterson
>
>
>-Original Message-
>From: Jeff Ricker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: TIPS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: Wednesday, October 27, 1999 5:07 PM
>Subject: Can theories be true?
>
>
>>We have had this discussion before on TIPS: can theories (explanations
>>of something) ever be considered "true," or are they only more or less
>>"supported" by evidence. Levy (1997) makes a distinction between two
>>kinds of theory--event theories versus construct theories--that might
>>help us to address this question better in our courses. An event theory
>>is an explanation of a particular set of related occurrences (such as
>>"why does Bill usually laugh at Tom" or "did human beings evolve from
>>ape-like creatures"), whereas a construct theory is an explanation of a
>>particular idea that integrates a large number of occurrences (such as
>>explanations of happiness or evolution). In other words, an event theory
>>is an explanation of something tangible whereas a construct theory is an
>>explanation of an intangible. Thus, event theories can be true or false
>>whereas construct theories cannot be thought of in this way "because the
>>explanations are, in themselves, intangible abstractions" (p. 10). In
>>other words, with regard to construct theories, "although the phenomena
>>under investigation may be observable, their underlying explanations are
>>not" (p. 10). Because of the difference between the two kinds of theory,
>>event theories should be evaluated in terms of their accuracy (their
>>truth), wherea

Re: APA style question

[G. Marc Turner]

Okay, here's my understanding of the situation:

There is one item called the "Running Head" that appears on the title page.
This is the part that consists of a 50 character limit. It is used at time
of publication for a heading on pages in the journal.

There is another item called the "manuscript heading" which appears at the
top of all pages of the manuscript. This is different from the running head
and consists of the first 2-3 words of the title.

I believe this to be a change from the 3rd edition that I only recently
became aware of (when I was going over APA format this semester in class).
My memory of being taught the format was that the running head and what is
now called the manuscript heading were the same thing. However, in the
fourth addition this has changed. Unfortunately my copy of the pub. manual
is in my office so all I have to go by is the Bordens & Abbott text I have
with me at the moment.

Hope this helps...
- Marc
G. Marc Turner, MEd
Lecturer & Head of Computer Operations
Department of Psychology
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX  78666
phone: (512)245-2526
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] or ...

Death and the fatty

[Stephen Black]

Re my previous post in response to Ken Steele. I now have the study I
had in mind before me, and it's the New England Journal of Medicine,
not JAMA (Calle et al, October 7, 1999). It's based on a self-report
prospective study of over a million people, and it's got more numbers
than a bookie. There's lots of data to poke around in.

For otherwise healthy non-smokers, porky guys are most at risk. But
even for them, the curve only starts to turn up sharply towards higher
relative mortality at a BMI (eyeballing Fig 1) above 35, which is
getting pretty heavy. Smokers seem at less risk from obesity, I guess
because their risk is already elevated. It's the same for women, only
the rise is less steep.

Table 2 gives a breakdown by race. Among Black men (that's skin
colour, not surname), risk is a bit lower at the high end than for
Whites, although they didn't have enough really fat guys enrolled. For
Black women, risk remains moderate even out to a BMI of more than 40.

Now the conclusions of the authors emphasize increased risk at
somewhat lower values of BMI than my eyeball estimates above. But even
large increases in relative risk (i.e. compared to those with the
lowest risk) don't mean too much if the absolute risk is low. For
example, for White men relative risk rises by 66% from a BMI of 25 to
a BMI of 32, which sounds scarey. But in terms of absolute deaths, it
rises from 2 per 200 to 3 per 200, one extra death in about 200 cases
(hope I'm reading this stuff off right). That's not so bad.

Add to that the fact that, as I said before, there's no proof that
reducing weight will do anything to lower those risks. It might, but
it remains unproven, which hasn't stopped millions of health workers
from telling people to reduce. It's quite possible, for example, that
obesity has already done its dirty work, and has caused damage not
reversible by weight loss. Or the obesity may be merely an indicator
of an underlying factor such as genetics which weight loss can't
affect.

So the conclusion I draw is that most of the health advice today on
obesity is going way beyond its data.

-Stephen

Reference

Calle, E. and friends and relations (1999). Body-mass index and
  mortality in a prospective cohort of US adults. The New England
  Journal of Medicine, 341, 1097--


Stephen Black, Ph.D.  tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology  fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's Universitye-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC   
J1M 1Z7  
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
   Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
   http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/

Re: Statistics statistic

[Ron Blue]

The correct number is 1/137 (our quantum universe signature) times
50%.  The number is different for those out there in different quantum
universes.

Ron Blue

- Original Message -
From: Dennis Goff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 1999 3:08 PM
Subject: RE: Statistics statistic


> No! No! No!
> The correct number is 67.943%
> Sitting alone in my office and looking for something productive to
do in the
> 6.487  minutes before the start of my next class.
> Dennis
>
> Dennis M. Goff
> Dept. of Psychology
> Randolph-Macon Woman's College
> Lynchburg, VA 24503
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Rick Froman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 1999 11:55 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: Statistics statistic
>
>
> Beth Benoit writes on 27 Oct 99,:
>
> > Thought this fun "fact" might get a chuckle in class, especially
in
> > Statistics and Methods classes:
> >
> > Did you know that 47.8% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
> >
> > Beth Benoit
> > University of Massachusetts Lowell
>
> I think the correct  ;-}  number is 79.48% (this made up statistic
is
> attributed to John
> Allen Paulos as in the tagline of my sig file).
>
> Rick
>
>
> Dr. Rick Froman
> Psychology Department
> Box 3055
> John Brown University
> Siloam Springs, AR 72761
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych
> Office: (501)524-7295
> Fax: (501)524-9548
>
> "79.48% of all statistics are made up on the spot." - John A. Paulos
>