Re: "Passive" Na+ channels
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
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
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?
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
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
>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?
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 @#$%& complementary after-images?
-- >From: Stephen Black <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: TIPS <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: How do I get those @#$%& 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?
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
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
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?
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?
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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?
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
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?
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?
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
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?
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
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
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?
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
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
> 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
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
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
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
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?
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
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?
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
** 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
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?
>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
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
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
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 >