[tips] Nature vs nurture in sports (was: book recommendations)

[sblack]

Joan Warmbold boldly asserts about the development of talented 
athletes:

" The source of these high numbers of gifted children/young adults is 
not genetic folks".

Jim Clark demurs, and counter-asserts, "I would be very surprised if 
genes did not play some part in the radical sorting process that led 
some few to stardom".

Jim's is the more modest of the assertions, claiming no more than 
that genes "play some part", which is hard to argue with, and which 
leaves relative contributions of each up for grabs. Joan's seems to 
leave no room for genes at all.

So what we have here is a need for evidence. I search PubMed.

Exhibit 1

Lucia et al (2010). Elite athletes: are the genes the champions? 
International Journal of Sports Physiological Performance, 5, 98-102.

"Athletic champion status is a complex polygenic trait... we believe 
that factors beyond genetic endowment are likely to have a stronger 
influence in the attainment of athletic champion status.

Genes, yes, but they also suggest that "factors beyond genetic 
endownment" are stronger than genes. That "we believe"  is worrisome, 
'tho.

Exhibit 2

Macarthur, D. and North, K. (2005). Genes and human elite athletic 
performance. Human Genetics, 116, 331-9.

"Physical fitness is a complex phenotype influenced by a myriad of 
environmental and genetic factors, and variation in human physical 
performance and athletic ability has long been recognised as having a 
strong heritable component"

Exhibit 3

Brutsaert TD, Parra EJ. (2006). What makes a champion? Explaining 
variation in human athletic performance. Respir Physiol Neurobiol.  
28;151(2-3):109-23.

"Human physiological trait variance has both an environmental and 
genetic basis, although the classic gene-environment dichotomy is 
clearly too simplistic to understand the full range of variation for 
most proximate determinants of athletic performance, e.g., body 
composition. In other words, gene and environment interact"

Exhibit 4

Trent RJ, Yu B. (2009). The future of genetic research in exercise 
science and sports medicine.Med Sport Sci. 2009;54:187-95. 

"There are many interacting genes involved in athletic performance. 
This class of genes is often described as 'complex' and the mode of 
inheritance is called 'multifactorial"

Exhibit 5

Ostrander EA, Huson HJ, Ostrander GK. (2009).Genetics of athletic 
performance. Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 2009;10:407-29.

"Elite athletes, and what separates them from the average competitor, 
have been the subjects of discussion and debate for decades. While 
training, diet, and mental fitness are all clearly important 
contributors to achieving athletic success, the fact that individuals 
reaching the pinnacle of their chosen sports often share both 
physical and physiological attributes suggests a role for genetics"

Exhibit 6

Gonzalez-Freire M et al (2009).Unique among unique. Is it genetically 
determined? Br J Sports Med. 2009 Apr;43(4):307-9.

"A favourable genetic endowment, together with exceptional 
environmental factors (years of altitude living and training in this 
case), seems to be necessary to attain the highest possible level of 
running endurance performance."

Exhibit 7

This last one is of particular interest, because it's the only one to 
give a numerical value for the contribution of genes and environment. 
It's a study of MZ and DZ twins.

De Moor MH et al (2007). Genome-wide linkage scan for athlete status 
in 700 British female DZ twin pairs. Twin Res Hum Genet. 10(6):812-
20.

"Using structural equation modeling... the heritability of athlete 
status was estimated at 66%" [i.e. 2/3 genes; 1/3 environment to 
explain  variation in human athletic status]

Overall, the score is Jim 7, Joan 0 on the question of the existence 
of a genetic contribution to athletic performance. The last study 
cited provides data suggesting that the genetic contribution is the 
greater.

Stephen


Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.  
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus   
Bishop's University
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada   
e-mail:  
sblack at ubishops.ca

-

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[tips] Learning Outcomes: Face-to-Face vs Online #3

[Richard Hake]

Some subscribers to TIPS and TeachEdPsych might be interested in a 
recent post "Learning Outcomes: Face-to-Face vs Online #3" [Hake 
(2011)]. The abstract reads:

*
ABSTRACT: In an earlier post "Learning Outcomes: Face-to-Face vs 
Online" I responded to a question posed by STLHE-L's Martin 
Rosenzweig: "Does anyone know of any published studies comparing 
online to face-to-face instruction with regards to learning 
outcomes?" I wrote: "As far as I know the answer is 'NO.' The reason 
is [as pointed out in 'Can Distance and Classroom Learning Be 
Increased?' (Hake, 2008a)] 'scholars of teaching and learning 
continue to rely on low-resolution gauges of students' learning.' "

In response, several discussion-list subscribers called attention to 
"Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A 
Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies" [USDE (2009)] at 
, of which I had been unaware.

In my opinion, the USDE (2009) study is yet another example of 
reliance on low-resolution gauges of students' learning. On pages 
11-12 it is stated that examples of learning outcome measures 
included: (a) scores on standardized tests, (b) scores on 
researcher-created assessments, (c) grades/scores on teacher-created 
assessments (e.g., assignments, midterm/final exams), and (d) grades 
or grade point averages.

But among lessons of the physics education research effort [Hake 
(2002)] are that: (1) "c" and "d" are *invalid* measures of students' 
*higher-order* learning, and (2) analyses of "a" and "b" are best 
carried out in terms of the average *normalized* gain , ignored in 
USDE (2009).

Furthermore, on page 18 of  the USDE report 
states: "The mean effect size for all 50 contrasts of online vs 
face-to-face instruction was +0.20."

Contrast the above with the effect size d = +2.43 for the superiority 
of <> for 48 face-to-face "interactive engagement" physics courses 
vs 14 face-to-face "traditional" introductory physics courses [Hake 
(1998a,b; 2002; 2008b)]. I suspect that similar large effect sizes 
would be found for the superiority of online "interactive engagement" 
courses vs online "traditional" courses.

In my opinion it makes little sense to meta-analyze online vs 
face-to-face instruction without taking into account the relatively 
large effects on higher-order learning of "interactive-engagement" vs 
"traditional" instruction.
*

To access the complete 20 kB post please click on .


Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the
   Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)






"Physics educators have led the way in developing and using objective 
tests to compare student learning gains in different types of 
courses, and chemists, biologists, and others are now developing 
similar instruments. These tests provide convincing evidence that 
students assimilate new knowledge more effectively incourses 
including active, inquiry-based, and collaborative learning, assisted 
by information technology, than in traditional courses."
  Wood & Gentile (2003)

REFERENCES [URL's shortened by  and accessed on 05 Jan 2010.
Hake, R.R. 2002. "Lessons from the physics education reform effort," 
Ecology and Society 5(2): 28; online at .

Hake, R.R. 2008a. "Can Distance and Classroom Learning Be Increased?" 
IJ-SoTL 2(1): January; online at .

Hake, R.R. 2011. "Learning Outcomes: Face-to-Face vs Online #3" 
online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at . Post 
of 5 Jan 2011 13:54:14 -0800 to AERA-L and  Net-Gold.  The abstract 
and link to the complete post are being transmitted to various 
discussion lists are also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at 
 with a provision for comments.

Wood, W.B., & J.M. Gentile. 2003. "Teaching in a research context," 
Science 302: 1510; 28 November; online to subscribers at 
. A summary is online to all at 
.
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[tips] British autism/vaccine study a fraud it seems

[Michael Smith]

see:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/05/autism.vaccines/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

-- 
-- Mike

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.
(Hemingway)

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Re: [tips] Book Recommendations

[Joan Warmbold]

Daniel Coyle makes a convincing case for otherwise.  He noted over and 
over again the so-called hot beds had two crucial elements: a) a person 
who provided inspiration, or in his words, "ignition,"; and then, b) 
opportunity for lots of deep practice.  What was fairly unique to Brazil 
was that from the age of 5 to 10 or so the boys play an alternate 
version of soccer called futsal.  It's indoors with a field have the 
size and so provides the players 6 times the opportunity to 
practice--i.e., far more intense and engaging.  He also cites a study of 
157 randomly chosen children who were planning on taking musical lessons 
and followed them from a few weeks before they started their lessons 
through high school. The factor that best predicted who would end up at 
the top were the answers they gave to the question, "How long do you 
plan to play this instrument?"  The researcher then organized the 
answers into three groups: low/medium/high level of and it was the 
children who had the high level commitment that consistently came out on 
top.  He also notes a number of times that teachers predictions of who 
will come out on top relative to their apparent gift or talent does not 
correlate well at all with who does end up at the top.  His contention 
is that kids who are ignited by a role model (Anna Kournikova in Russia; 
Andruw Jones-correct spelling-from small island of Caracao who each 
ignited a passion for tennis and baseball, respectively.  Jim, your 
point certainly sounds logical as, with all the competition, how could 
genetic potential not be part of the equation.  But what Coyle does make 
a very convincing case for is that children's environmental experiences 
are the most important part of the formula.  He does go further to make 
the case that genetic predisposition is not part of the equation at all, 
or if so, a very small part.  Have you read the entire book?  I was 
impressed with the role of the growth of the myelin tissue that occurs 
when a child practices intensely for that required 10,000 hours.

Joan
jwarm...@oakton.edu

Jim Clark wrote:
> Hi
>
> One of the "hot spots" mentioned is Brazil and soccer players.  Here's a 
> passage from a site celebrating Brazilian soccer.
>
> "The majority of the people living in Brazil are in deep poverty. Soccer is 
> the one ticket out of that lifestyle if the talent is learned early enough. 
> Many of the popular soccer players on the Brazil soccer team came from very 
> poor backgrounds, learning soccer at a very young age."
>
> The emerging superstars, relatively numerous at the star level, would be a 
> very tiny proportion of all the poor kids playing soccer in Brazil.  I would 
> be very surprised if genes did not play some part in the radical sorting 
> process that led some few to stardom and the rest to whatever miserable fate 
> awaits them once their dreams of glory are shattered by reality.
>
> Take care
> Jim
>
>
> James M. Clark
> Professor of Psychology
> 204-786-9757
> 204-774-4134 Fax
> j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca
>
>   
 "Joan Warmbold"  05-Jan-11 1:12 PM >>>
 
> Thanks for your book recommendation Carol--sounds very interesting if not
> upsetting.  Two books I would highly recommend (or have I already--yikes)
> are: Talent Code by Coyle--incredible book on the hot spots around the
> globe that have produced extraordinary numbers of very gifted and highly
> motivated children in soccer, the arts, tennis, etc.  And the source of
> these high numbers of gifted children/young adults is not genetic folks.
>
> http://www.thesimplerlife.net/2010/05/22/book-review-the-talent-code/ 
>
> The second book that's a must read is "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals." 
> Peter Pronovost.  A review is below--and I now will only go to a hospital
> that uses the team and check-list system described in this book if I need
> care for any type of serious health issue.
>
> http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594630644,00.html 
>
> Hmmm. . . this is ringing too many bells so sorry for the redundancy--but
> they are really good! Would love to hear from others recommended good
> reads!
>
>
> Joan
> Joan (Warmbold) Boggs
> Professor of Psychology
> Oakton Community College
> jwarm...@oakton.edu 
>
>
>   
>> In a tangentially related vein (or maybe completely unrelated), I just
>> finished reading _The Warmth of Other Suns_ about the Great Migration of
>> African Americans from the South during the first half of the 20th
>> century. I think what shocked me most of all was how naive I had been
>> growing up during a portion of that time period. I was and am dismayed
>> about how strongly I believed in a just world as a young person. Now I'm
>> just an older cynic. I wholly recommend the book.
>>
>> Carol
>>
>>
>> 
>
>
>
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>  
> or send a b

Re: [tips] Book Recommendations

[Mike Palij]

On Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:41:44 -0800, Jim Clark wrote in response to Joan
Warmbold's recommendation of the "Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle:
>Hi
>One of the "hot spots" mentioned is Brazil and soccer players.  Here's a 
>passage from a site celebrating Brazilian soccer.
>
>"The majority of the people living in Brazil are in deep poverty. Soccer is 
>the 
>one ticket out of that lifestyle if the talent is learned early enough. Many 
>of 
>the popular soccer players on the Brazil soccer team came from very poor 
>backgrounds, learning soccer at a very young age."
>
>The emerging superstars, relatively numerous at the star level, would be a 
>very tiny proportion of all the poor kids playing soccer in Brazil.  I would 
>be 
>very surprised if genes did not play some part in the radical sorting process 
>that led some few to stardom and the rest to whatever miserable fate awaits 
>them once their dreams of glory are shattered by reality.

Jim's comments triggered my memory for why the Dominican Republic (cited 
on the website as an example of a source of "talent") produces such 
extraordinary
baseball players.  It's not a pretty picture, similar to what Jim describes for
the pool in Brazil, but is given in more detail in the following article:

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1028-25.htm

I am frequently confused when a person uses the word "talent" because it is
not clear what they mean by it.  Often it is a fundamental attribution error,
that is, it seems to be more valid to explain a person's behavior by focusing 
on 
dispositional variables (e.g., "native intelligence","native skill", "heart", 
desire or
motivation or other personality or person-based variables instead of (a) the
environment in which the behavior is observed or an individual-environment
interaction and/or (b) a history of training and development under a number 
of wise and intelligent mentors).  Like the Just World Hypothesis, many people
like to think that a person's achievements reflect solely on their efforts and
"talents" while in truth the achievement probably could not have been made
without the assistance/input of a large number of people (just watch the ending
credits of a movie to get a sense of how many people need to be involved
in that enterprise).

-Mike Palij
New York University
m...@nyu.edu










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Re: [tips] Book Recommendations

[Jim Clark]

Hi

One of the "hot spots" mentioned is Brazil and soccer players.  Here's a 
passage from a site celebrating Brazilian soccer.

"The majority of the people living in Brazil are in deep poverty. Soccer is the 
one ticket out of that lifestyle if the talent is learned early enough. Many of 
the popular soccer players on the Brazil soccer team came from very poor 
backgrounds, learning soccer at a very young age."

The emerging superstars, relatively numerous at the star level, would be a very 
tiny proportion of all the poor kids playing soccer in Brazil.  I would be very 
surprised if genes did not play some part in the radical sorting process that 
led some few to stardom and the rest to whatever miserable fate awaits them 
once their dreams of glory are shattered by reality.

Take care
Jim


James M. Clark
Professor of Psychology
204-786-9757
204-774-4134 Fax
j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca

>>> "Joan Warmbold"  05-Jan-11 1:12 PM >>>
Thanks for your book recommendation Carol--sounds very interesting if not
upsetting.  Two books I would highly recommend (or have I already--yikes)
are: Talent Code by Coyle--incredible book on the hot spots around the
globe that have produced extraordinary numbers of very gifted and highly
motivated children in soccer, the arts, tennis, etc.  And the source of
these high numbers of gifted children/young adults is not genetic folks.

http://www.thesimplerlife.net/2010/05/22/book-review-the-talent-code/ 

The second book that's a must read is "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals." 
Peter Pronovost.  A review is below--and I now will only go to a hospital
that uses the team and check-list system described in this book if I need
care for any type of serious health issue.

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594630644,00.html 

Hmmm. . . this is ringing too many bells so sorry for the redundancy--but
they are really good! Would love to hear from others recommended good
reads!


Joan
Joan (Warmbold) Boggs
Professor of Psychology
Oakton Community College
jwarm...@oakton.edu 


> In a tangentially related vein (or maybe completely unrelated), I just
> finished reading _The Warmth of Other Suns_ about the Great Migration of
> African Americans from the South during the first half of the 20th
> century. I think what shocked me most of all was how naive I had been
> growing up during a portion of that time period. I was and am dismayed
> about how strongly I believed in a just world as a young person. Now I'm
> just an older cynic. I wholly recommend the book.
>
> Carol
>
>



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[tips] NYT's article on treatment of folks with dementia

[Joan Warmbold]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/01/health/01care.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

This article provides a fascinating new and certainly unorthodox
perspective on how to improve the mental health of those patients with
Alzheimer's. It's not giving them medication but lots of chocolate and
meeting their desires, regardless of how odd they might seem.  Certainly
won't appeal to all but the type of place I would like to have any of my
loved ones living, if need be.

Joan
jwarm...@oakton.edu



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[tips] Book Recommendations

[Joan Warmbold]

Thanks for your book recommendation Carol--sounds very interesting if not
upsetting.  Two books I would highly recommend (or have I already--yikes)
are: Talent Code by Coyle--incredible book on the hot spots around the
globe that have produced extraordinary numbers of very gifted and highly
motivated children in soccer, the arts, tennis, etc.  And the source of
these high numbers of gifted children/young adults is not genetic folks.

http://www.thesimplerlife.net/2010/05/22/book-review-the-talent-code/

The second book that's a must read is "Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals." 
Peter Pronovost.  A review is below--and I now will only go to a hospital
that uses the team and check-list system described in this book if I need
care for any type of serious health issue.

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781594630644,00.html

Hmmm. . . this is ringing too many bells so sorry for the redundancy--but
they are really good! Would love to hear from others recommended good
reads!


Joan
Joan (Warmbold) Boggs
Professor of Psychology
Oakton Community College
jwarm...@oakton.edu


> In a tangentially related vein (or maybe completely unrelated), I just
> finished reading _The Warmth of Other Suns_ about the Great Migration of
> African Americans from the South during the first half of the 20th
> century. I think what shocked me most of all was how naive I had been
> growing up during a portion of that time period. I was and am dismayed
> about how strongly I believed in a just world as a young person. Now I'm
> just an older cynic. I wholly recommend the book.
>
> Carol
>
>



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RE: [tips] Healing power of pets?

[Rick Froman]

Stephen Black wrote:

"One claim is that pets are good for people who like pets. Likely no myth 
there. Those who like to watch foreign films and do, undoubtedly find the 
activity rewarding; ditto for those who like broccoli and eat it. This is 
practically a tautology. "

I realize he used the weasel word "practically" here but I think a tautology 
would be "pets will be liked by people who like pets". The key is in the 
operationalization of the word, "good". If by "good" you mean "enjoyment of  
pets", that is circular. However, to say that pets have a positive effect on 
health is a more specific operationalization that can be tested.  It is not a 
tautology to say that broccoli has positive health effects for everyone but, of 
course, it will only be eaten by those who enjoy it and, therefore, it might 
make more sense to limit the test (and the generalization) only to those who 
like broccoli.

What Stephen considers the "more significant claim" is "whether pets are good 
for people, like them or not." 

This is what I consider a good example of how internal and external validity 
sometimes interact. It appears that, in order to increase internal validity, 
you need to institute a situation that is unlike what most people will 
experience (being given a pet whether you like it or not) which is low in 
external validity. What I would do to satisfy both internal and external 
validity is identify your population (to which you will generalize your 
results) as people who are interested in having a pet and then randomly assign 
some to have a pet and others not to (or, in a nursing home, randomly assign 
some pet-loving patients to interact with pets while others are assigned some 
non-pet treatment activity). If your outcome was enjoyment, of course those who 
have pets will have more enjoyment than those who do not. However, if your 
outcome is a physical measure of health, you can see if those pet-lovers 
exposed to pets have better health outcomes than those not exposed to pets. 

In the case of Stephen's daughter and her cat, all four things he listed are 
objective measurable outcomes, three of them health-related. The fact that she 
loves her cat is not the same as saying the cat is good for her health (or 
finances) as measured by the four outcomes. It is theoretically possible to 
love something or someone that is not "good for you" in various ways (supply 
your own examples here taken from the long history of human experience or note 
the lyrics of this song: http://tinyurl.com/286rwkw). 

Rick


Dr. Rick Froman, Chair
Division of Humanities and Social Sciences 
Professor of Psychology 
Box 3055
John Brown University 
2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR  72761 
rfro...@jbu.edu
(479)524-7295
http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman

"The LORD detests both Type I and Type II errors." Proverbs 17:15




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Re: [tips] morning laugh

[Beth Benoit]

Ha...maybe you should be a comedy writer.  They missed the chance to talk
about "bugs"!
Beth

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 10:42 AM, Gerald Peterson  wrote:

>
>
> Loved it Beth...all that tech stuff IS a bit fruity. Surprised they didn't
> find more bugs.  Gary
>
>
> GPeterson
> SVSU
> Gary's iPad
>
> On Jan 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Beth Benoit  wrote:
>
>
> I see that lots of TIPSters are using Blackberries, but I promise that,
> even if you don't have one, you'll love this:
>
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI
>
> Beth Benoit
> Granite State College
> Plymouth State University
> New Hampshire
>
> ---
>
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> peter...@svsu.edu.
>
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>
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Re: [tips] Healing power of pets?

[sblack]

On 5 Jan 2011 at 0:17, Jim Clark wrote:

> 1. Although not clear from the article, presumably much of the research is 
> nonexperimental in nature.  One
> should be cautious about causal conclusions whether results are positive 
> (benefits of pets) or negative (no
> benefits of pets).  Not hard to imagine, for example, that people who acquire 
> pets might be less well off if
> they had not done so, because of some selection bias. 

> 2. As one comment noted, randomly assigning pets to some people is hardly the 
> prototypical way that pets
> come into people's lives, raising questions about the generalizability of the 
> results to more natural
> acquisition of pets.  Random assignment, however, would be more 
> characteristic of "therapeutic" use of pets. 

I'd like to follow Scott Lilienfeld's two-category typology of myths 
with a two-category typology of claims about the value of owning 
pets.  

One claim is that pets are good for people who like pets. Likely no 
myth there. Those who like to watch foreign films and do, undoubtedly 
find the activity rewarding; ditto for those who like broccoli and 
eat it. This is practically a tautology. 

The more significant claim is whether pets are good for people, like 
them or not. That's like saying "I know you hate broccoli, but it's 
good for you, so you'd better eat it".  "I know you hate doing 
crossword puzzles, but they stave off Alzheimer's, so you'd better do 
them". 

The first claim requires no more than correlational research. Check 
out people who have pets. Are they happy about having them? You bet, 
in most cases. Case closed. 

But the second claim requires random assortment of pets to people. 
That's not easy to do, and so rarely done. And that's where the 
evidence is murky. Yet, as the reader comments following the article 
I flagged show, people believe passionately that pets are good for 
people, mostly because they're good for them.  That's what I call a 
myth: an unsupported yet widely-accepted belief (an epistemic myth, 
in Scott's terminology).

Now for the anecdote which of course you should immediately ignore. 
My daughter likes cats. She just got one for her small apartment.

Notable results:

1) She is sleep-deprived, because the cat, being nocturnal, keeps her 
awake at night
2) She is stressed out when she has to travel, because she first has 
to ensure that someone will take care of her cat
3) Have you checked out the cost of kitty litter lately?
4) And we won't mention the risk of diseases such as toxoplasmosis, 
allergies, ebola, halitosis, and hairballs (men only).

But she loves her cat. Me, I like dogs (but I don't have one).

Stephen


Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.  
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus   
Bishop's University
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada   
e-mail:  sblack at ubishops.ca
-

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Re: [tips] Is the sodium-potassium pump real?

[Steven Specht]

LONG post...

It's interesting to entertain the notion of squelching of unconventional claims 
in science. And I have no doubt that this happens on a somewhat regular basis. 
Part of this arises from the fact that null results are typically not published 
(even if they may shed light on the state of the universe as much as 
statistically significant results, IN SOME CASES). This approach leads to far 
fewer Type II errors as Type I (which is science is seen as the more serious, 
as we all know). The logic of inference, however, should prevent some of the 
problems in scientific decision-making in the long-run. Let's take the work 
that was being done in prenatal cocaine exposure in the 80s and early 90s 
(i.e., rat models of "crack babies"), and heavily funded by NIH and NIDA. MANY 
scientists were finding null results and thus the work was not getting 
published (reasonably). The few who were finding detrimental effects of 
prenatal cocaine exposure (Type I errors?) were publishing and thus creating a 
"bias" in the literature. Presently, the "myth" of "crack babies" has been 
well-documented. BTW, I can provide references if you would like. That is, we 
now "know" that the "crack baby" syndrome is probably more a result of 
malnutrition and poor prenatal care (along with concurrent use of a variety of 
other drugs including alcohol and cigarettes) than actual cocaine exposure (and 
I am certainly NOT suggesting that that exposure is a good thing). It's really 
an interesting story in the history of psychopharmacology and experimental 
research and modeling (I use it in my methods class every semester). 
For a more personal story, I remember when I was in graduate school, I was told 
by my advisor that we couldn't possibly publish my dissertation... because the 
results conflicted with something already published "from the lab". There's 
more to that story, but I'm not really interested in "going there".

But I digress from the primary point I would like to raise. There is always an 
additional possibility -- that a very intelligent and legitimately accomplished 
individual might also be experiencing some kind of psychiatric disorder. I 
always assume that this happens rarely... but I acknowledge it as a 
possibility. I'm sure we've all seen it, albeit infrequently, in our students.

I read through the Ling "letter" in its entirety. Very interesting (especially 
with the caveat that many of the cited research is from a single author... the 
letter writer himself). It's also interesting that not only was he the editor 
of the journal from which many of his cited research come, but his funding 
source is also associated with another disgruntled Nobel Prize NON-winner. I am 
certainly NOT suggesting that Ling has any kind of psychiatric disorder, but I 
found the following passages from his letter most interesting:

Thus, unbelievable as it is, we find Nobel Laureate Skou also in the role of 
victim- (unknowing) perpetrator of this global information embargo.

 

the Nobel Committee members and their favorite advisors are themselves part of 
the victim-(unknowing) perpetrator network.

 

Next I fill in the historical details of the en masse exodus of my students. 
The story really began at a much more honest time in the history of biomedical 
sciences.

 

Then the lion’s teeth and claws were suddenly upon us and upon all those who 
have come to share my scientific view. A coordinated siege began. As an 
example, NIH program director, Dr. Paul Bowman told me that our NIH support 
might be terminated permanently.

 

But the harm was already done. During the 20 years, when I was not aware of 
Gena Kolata’s manuscript switching and therefore could not have rebutted its 
falseness, she, Friedman and Miller as well as Science magazine have all become 
a part of the victim- (knowing or unknowing) perpetrator of the network of 
global deception.

 

Next, I share with you what I dug out further: a pair of upstart “big-time” 
players in the global information embargo.

 

The key question is has cell physiology been always like this? The answer is a 
decidedly No. The deception began not much longer than half of a century ago, 
when a few misguided individuals took over the helm. Soon the absolute power 
they wielded corrupted them.

 

By recording only publications in favor of the membrane pump hypothesis and 
ignor- ing all opposed, Glynn and followers have done away with the search for 
truth as the goal of science and have installed in its place the perpetration 
and glorification of the status quo right or wrong. And over the long run, the 
sin/crime of the deception is going to be paid in the lives and suffering of 
countless innocent men, women and children. Just take one incurable disease, 
cancer as an example

In America alone, 1990 innocent men, women and children died of cancer everyday 
in the year 2000. Put differently, cancer kills more innocent Americans on any 
two ordinary days (3980) than on th

Re: [tips] morning laugh

[Gerald Peterson]

Loved it Beth...all that tech stuff IS a bit fruity. Surprised they didn't find 
more bugs.  Gary

 
GPeterson
SVSU
Gary's iPad

On Jan 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Beth Benoit  wrote:

>  
> 
> I see that lots of TIPSters are using Blackberries, but I promise that, even 
> if you don't have one, you'll love this:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI
> 
> Beth Benoit
> Granite State College
> Plymouth State University
> New Hampshire
> ---
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Re:[tips] morning laugh

[Beth Benoit]

Oh, and "Orange" is a British phone company...

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 10:29 AM, Beth Benoit  wrote:

> I see that lots of TIPSters are using Blackberries, but I promise that,
> even if you don't have one, you'll love this:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI
>
> Beth Benoit
> Granite State College
> Plymouth State University
> New Hampshire
>

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[tips] morning laugh

[Beth Benoit]

I see that lots of TIPSters are using Blackberries, but I promise that, even
if you don't have one, you'll love this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI

Beth Benoit
Granite State College
Plymouth State University
New Hampshire

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Re: [tips] Healing power of pets?

[Michael Britt]

This discussion reminds me of a wonderful poem I heard on the Writer's Almanac 
on cats.  Friends of mine recently lost their cat of 14 years to a brain tumor 
and the sadness over their cat's loss was powerful.  I've never thought of 
myself as a "cat person", but we've got three of them now.  My wife and I 
thought the cats might calm our kids during rough times and help them develop a 
sense of responsibility.  I don't know if it has "worked", but I enjoy having 
them around.  Here's the poem:

exactly right

by Charles Bukowski

the strays keep arriving: now we have 5
cats and they are smart, spontaneous, self-
absorbed, naturally poised and awesomely 
beautiful.

one of the finest things about cats is
that when you're feeling down, very down,
if you just look at the cat at rest,
at the way they sit or lie and wait,
it's a grand lesson in persevering
and
if you watch 5 cats at once that's 5
times better.

no matter the extra demands they make
no matter the heavy sacks of food
no matter the dozens of cans of tuna
from the supermarket: it's all just fuel for their 
amazing dignity and their
affirmation of a vital
life
we humans can
only envy and
admire from 
afar.


"exactly right" by Charles Bukowski, from The Night Torn with Mad Footsteps: 
New Poems. © Black Sparrow Press, 2001.

  
Michael



On Jan 5, 2011, at 9:52 AM, Pollak, Edward wrote:

>  
> 
> This article is most timely for me, Stephen. I am thinking about getting 
> another dog (our last one died about 10 years ago) after I retire in May. 
> Given that the little regular exercise I get involves walking to class, I'm 
> thinking that perhaps having a dog to walk will force me to at least do a 
> little walking. Of course, that prospect loses some of its appeal when I look 
> out the window & see my neighbor walking his shih tsus in the cold, slush, 
> snow, and rain while carrying a little plastic bag of dog feces.
>  
> Ed
>  
>  
> Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
> Department of Psychology
> West Chester University of Pennsylvania
> http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm
> 
> Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler.. in 
> approximate order of importance.
>  
> Subject: Healing power of pets?
> From: sbl...@ubishops.ca
> Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:35:23 -0500
> X-Message-Number: 23
> 
> Not so much.
> 
> One more for the annals of psychological myth.
> 
> See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/opinion/04herzog.html 
> 
> ---
> You are currently subscribed to tips as: michael.br...@thepsychfiles.com.
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[tips] STP Small Grants Award Winners

[Penley, Julie]

Last fall, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology Small Grants--Promoting 
Partnerships Committee announced a call for proposals to support collaborative 
projects in the 2011 calendar year.  After reviewing a record number of 
proposals, the Committee is pleased to announce the 2011 Award Winners:

Wendy Close (Wisconsin Lutheran College) and the 16 other members of the 
Intercollegiate Capstone Project Research Team.  Capstone Courses and Program 
Portfolios in Undergraduate Psychology.

Lisa Dinella, Natalie Ciarocco and Gary Lewandowski (Monmouth University). 
Atlantic Coast Teaching of Psychology Conference.

Robyn Kondrad (University of Virginia) and David Daniel (James Madison 
University).  Graduate Teacher Training Collaborative for the Teaching of 
Psychology.

Christine Smith, Kathleen Burns, and Melissa Schnurr (University of 
Wisconsin‹Green Bay); Lee McCann (University of Wisconsin‹Oshkosh), and Jeff 
Norby (De Pere High School).  UWGB Enhancing Teaching of Psychology Conference.

Julie

Julie A. Penley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Special Assistant to the Dean
El Paso Community College
PO Box 20500
El Paso, TX 79998-0500
Office phone: (915) 831-3210
Department fax: (915) 831-2324
email: jpen...@epcc.edu
webpage: http://dnn.epcc.edu/facultywebpages/jpenley

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[tips] Healing power of pets?

[Pollak, Edward]

This article is most timely for me, Stephen. I am thinking about getting 
another dog (our last one died about 10 years ago) after I retire in May. Given 
that the little regular exercise I get involves walking to class, I'm thinking 
that perhaps having a dog to walk will force me to at least do a little 
walking. Of course, that prospect loses some of its appeal when I look out the 
window & see my neighbor walking his shih tsus in the cold, slush, snow, and 
rain while carrying a little plastic bag of dog feces.



Ed



Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm

Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler.. in 
approximate order of importance.

Subject: Healing power of pets?
From: sbl...@ubishops.ca
Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:35:23 -0500
X-Message-Number: 23

Not so much.

One more for the annals of psychological myth.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/opinion/04herzog.html

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[tips] Bye,bye,Black bird

[Pollak, Edward]

I was quite appalled yesterday when I saw the eminent physicist & science 
popularizer, Michio Kaku, on TV (I think is was CNN) making the analogy between 
the red-wing black birds & lemmings. Arg.

Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm

Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler.. in 
approximate order of importance.

From: David Hogberg 
Date: Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 4:17 PM
Subject: Fwd: [tips] Bye,bye,Black bird
To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <
t...@acsun.frostburg.edu>


The myth about lemmings jumping of cliffs began when it was portrayed in a
1958 Walt Disney film.  (snopes.com)


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RE: [tips] Healing power of pets?

[Lilienfeld, Scott O]

Having gotten my hands dirty in the mythbusting business for a number of years, 
it's long struck me that there are two rather different types of myths that are 
often not clearly distinguished.  We might call one type "ontological myths" 
(admittedly, I"m just making up the name; there are probably better names) - 
myths about the nature of reality (i.e., "Claim X is not true"), whereas others 
are closer to "epistemic myths" - myths about our knowledge of the nature of 
reality (i.e., "The Claim that X is well established is not true").  The myth 
about the physical and psychological health benefits of pets would seem to fall 
into the latter category: I agree with Jim Clark that the evidence here isn't 
conclusive (largely because most of the evidence is 
correlational/quasi-experimental), but it seems clear that the anecdotal claims 
of pet owners greatly outstrip the strength of the evidence.  Herzog (author of 
the column) would appear to hold the same view, if I'm understanding his 
position correctly.

Thanks to Stephen Black for noting the unsolicited endorsement in Herzog's 
piece, although most of the credit goes to my Emory colleague Lori Marino.

...Scott


From: Jim Clark [j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 12:17 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: Re: [tips] Healing power of pets?

Hi

Some cautionary notes about calling this a myth?

1. Although not clear from the article, presumably much of the research is 
nonexperimental in nature.  One should be cautious about causal conclusions 
whether results are positive (benefits of pets) or negative (no benefits of 
pets).  Not hard to imagine, for example, that people who acquire pets might be 
less well off if they had not done so, because of some selection bias.

2. As one comment noted, randomly assigning pets to some people is hardly the 
prototypical way that pets come into people's lives, raising questions about 
the generalizability of the results to more natural acquisition of pets.  
Random assignment, however, would be more characteristic of "therapeutic" use 
of pets.

3. A very large percentage of people (at least in USA) appear to have pets of 
one kind or another ... see

http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/ownership.asp

What motivates this behavior and the cost if not some benefit?  Although the 
benefits need not be limited to physical well-being (i.e., health), of course.

4. If the people who commented on the article are representative of these many 
pet-owners, we certainly have a striking example of contrast between 
science-based conclusions and anecdotal evidence.  Virtually all comments 
espoused the benefits of pets for mental and physical well-being.

5.  How many other "popular" human activities would stand up to rigorous 
scientific scrutiny?  getting married?   having children?  ...

Take care
Jim



James M. Clark
Professor of Psychology
204-786-9757
204-774-4134 Fax
j.cl...@uwinnipeg.ca

>>>  04-Jan-11 10:35:23 PM >>>
Not so much.

One more for the annals of psychological myth.

See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/opinion/04herzog.html

And if you're observant, you'll notice a reference to the work of a
well-known TIPster, although regrettably unnamed in the article.

Stephen

Stephen L. Black, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus
Bishop's University
Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
e-mail:  sblack at ubishops.ca
-

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