Re: Your Thoughts [about make-up exams]

2001-09-27 Thread Jeff Ricker
Payam Heidary wrote: how do most of you handle situations where students are absent on the day of exams and when assignments are due. For examinations: I always allow a student to take exams BEFORE the scheduled time. That way, if they know something is coming up for them, they can plan on

Re: Law of Parsimony, Reductionism, and Complexity

2001-09-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
In addition to what I stated and the article I included in my last post, I also wanted to send you links to two other articles relevant to Phillipe's questions: Lloyd Morgan’s Canon: A History of Misrepresentation by Roger K. Thomas (2001)

RE: Richard Dawkins on Suicide Bombings

2001-09-20 Thread Jeff Ricker
.FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology Department[EMAIL PROTECTED] Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS) http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html Jeff Ricker forwarded the following

The (possible) myth of the vestigial appendix

2001-09-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
As I was going through the Sci Am web site, I stumbled across the following discussion about a possible function of the human appendix. That is, we may be wrong when we say that the appendix is a vestigial part of our anatomy. Since we sometimes discuss common scientific myths on this list, I

Gallup data on effects of NYC disaster

2001-09-18 Thread Jeff Ricker
Given the discussion of the last several days, I thought the following item of information from the Gallup organization (http://www.gallup.com/tuesdaybriefing.asp) might be of general interest: A majority of Americans favor having Arabs, even those who are U.S. citizens, being subjected to

Re: Student Question (sleep disorder)

2001-09-09 Thread Jeff Ricker
Nancy, This sounds like Kleine-Levin Syndrome. According to information on the "Kleine-Levin Syndrome Foundation" web site (http://www.KLSFoundation.org/), the disorder is defined in the following way: "Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by the need for excessive amounts of

Re: Spectacles and IQ

2001-08-23 Thread Jeff Ricker
Here are some other articles I have just found on this topic. Some of them reproduce the ones that Stephen Black cited. Jeff --- Belkin, M. and M. Rosner. Intelligence, Education, and Myopia in Males, Archives of Opthamology (November 1987) 1508-11. Benbow, C.P. Physiological

Schools' Backing of Behavior Drugs Comes Under Fire

2001-08-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
August 19, 2001 Schools' Backing of Behavior Drugs Comes Under Fire By KATE ZERNIKE and MELODY PETERSEN Children return to classrooms this fall amid an increasingly pitched battle over Ritalin and other drugs used to treat millions with behavioral and emotional problems in school. Some of

Re: Scientology Web Sites

2001-08-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
Harry, I believe that this may be one such site: Say No To Psychiatry: The Dangers and Harm of the Modern Sham Pseudoscience Known as Psychiatry http://www.sntp.net/ Jeff Harry Avis wrote: This semester I am trying something new (for me). In addition to using Infotrac, I am requiring that

The Quantitative Study of Dreams

2001-08-17 Thread Jeff Ricker
I found a web site on dream research at http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/ called, The Quantitative Study of Dreams. After a brief look, it seems to be a very good site. I found the following article on this site. It describes research on a subject that has come up on TIPS before: what people who

More College Students Drop Out Than Graduate

2001-08-15 Thread Jeff Ricker
Wednesday August 15 More College Students Drop Out Than Graduate By Leslie Gevirtz BOSTON (Reuters) - Fewer than half of U.S. college students make it to graduation, which means that Americans have a better chance of getting an accurate weather report than they have of getting a university

The secret to academic success: hours--and hours--of study

2001-07-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
The secret to academic success: hours--and hours--of study COLUMBUS, Ohio - Improving a lackluster grade point average takes more than a few extra hours of study each week. In fact, a study of 79 college students found that a one-letter-grade increase in quarter GPA was associated with a 40-hour

Damaged Brains and the Death Penalty

2001-07-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/21/arts/dailyarts/21LEWI.html JUL 21, 2001 Damaged Brains and the Death Penalty By LAURA MANSNERUS You don't have to be a psychiatrist, Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis says, to know that something was terribly wrong with Ricky Ray Rector, who before his execution in

Misconceptions about abnormal psychology

2001-07-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
I was wondering if anyone had some examples of common student misconceptions about the field of abnormal psychology. I would like to address some of these misconceptions when I teach the course. Jeff -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd.

Hollywood puts the 'psycho' in psychologist

2001-07-17 Thread Jeff Ricker
I don't recall seeing anything about this study on TIPS when the following report came out last year. This news item describes an interesting investigation of the way that psychologists are often portrayed in the popular media. Jeff ---

Personal Life Towel Boy

2001-07-12 Thread Jeff Ricker
call Big-League Life, also have the services of your own personal life towel boy? Jeff Ricker Personal Life Towel Boy (in training) Certified Member of AAPLTB -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd.FAX Number: (480) 423-6298 Psychology

Re: Question #2

2001-07-10 Thread Jeff Ricker
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have seen demonstrations of those word lists that are organized around a central theme, but lack the most obvious word. They are read to a subject who then tries to recall them, usually giving the theme word as one of those read aloud, even though it wasn't. I have

Accurate dream recall unlikely

2001-06-17 Thread Jeff Ricker
I thought some of you might be interested in the following article. Jeff http://neurology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/06/06.12/20010611clin002.html Accurate Dream Recall Unlikely CHICAGO (Reuters Health) Jun 11 - Individuals are not very reliable

Re: Malnutrition

2001-06-15 Thread Jeff Ricker
I'm glad to be contributing to TIPS (haven't done so in a while). Probably someone else will send in the answer even before I finish typing this, but here goes anyways (I just won't read my mail until after I hit the send button). Jean Edwards wrote: I was asked by a student why kids who are

Culture and mental illness

2001-05-08 Thread Jeff Ricker
Here is an article from the most recent NY Times Magazine you may find interesting. Jeff - http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/magazine/06LATAH.html May 6, 2001 Regional Disturbances By LAWRENCE OSBORNE Americans get anorexia. Nigerians get 'brain fag.'

Capgras Delusion

2001-05-08 Thread Jeff Ricker
Some of you might find the following article to be of interest. Jeff http://www.dallasnews.com/science/columnists/346200_tomcol_23liv.html Scientists learn how familiarity breeds delusion 04/23/2001 By TOM SIEGFRIED / The Dallas Morning News The

Re: the face of a tipster

2001-05-02 Thread Jeff Ricker
OK, since there seems to be so much interest in this topic, here's the most recent photo of me. I'm a bit embarassed: the photo was taken just after I had jreturned home from a party in which I had had a little too much to drink. I'll never forgive my wife for taking it.

Re: the face of a tipster

2001-05-01 Thread Jeff Ricker
People tell me that I somewhat resemble a cross between the Elephant Man and Mickey Rooney, with just a dash of George Clooney thrown in (only my left nostril). I hope this helps you get a better idea of what I look like. Jeff -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213

Exorcising the Homunculus

2001-04-29 Thread Jeff Ricker
A good article in the current issue of Free Inquiry: Exorcising the Homunculus: There’s no one behind the curtain by David C. Noelle http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/noelle_21_2.html From the conclusion: The traditional view of the will as a kind of little man in your head needs to be

Why Johnny Can't Read, Write, Multiply or Divide

2001-04-26 Thread Jeff Ricker
An interesting article on educational standards from the NY Times. Jeff --- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/15/weekinreview/15ZERN.html April 15, 2001 Why Johnny Can't Read, Write, Multiply or Divide By KATE ZERNIKE The book I would like to write about is called Of

Re: That's it...we're done

2001-04-25 Thread Jeff Ricker
I wrote: A silly question occurred to me after I finished reading another paper... As I re-read my post, I realize that I meant the question more seriously than this statement suggests. A characteristic of science is that we express tentativeness regarding our conclusions because we understand

Re: The Lucifer Principle - redirect

2001-04-24 Thread Jeff Ricker
Beth Benoit wrote: I still think the topic would be good for TIPS but it sounds as if it's going to go off on a religious tangent again. Sorry everybody! It's alright, Beth, it's not your fault. In fact, maybe we can put all this religious talk to our advantage! Perhaps the Templeton Foundation

Nonacademic jobs for psychology Ph.D.s

2001-04-24 Thread Jeff Ricker
A recent Ph.D. in cognitive psychology is interested in looking for nonacademic positions. She asked me the following question: You don't happen to know a headhunter who works with PhDs out there, do you? Does anyone have an answer? Or is there any other relevant advice you can give to her?

Summer reading recommendations

2001-04-22 Thread Jeff Ricker
Somebody wrote: Whatever happened to summer reading list recommendations? I guess someone finally saw the light and is no longer recommending this type of bourgeois (sp) activity. Nope, your spelling is just fine. In fact, it suggests that, at some point in your life, reading may not have been

Suicide, dentists, and psychiatrists

2001-04-22 Thread Jeff Ricker
I think that it was someone on TIPS (probably Stephen Black...that's my recollection, at least) who turned me on to Cecil Adams and "The Straight Dope." Here is a recent column on a topic that may be of interest to some of you. Jeff -

Brain activity and religious experiences

2001-04-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
Given the extent to which religion gets discussed on TIPS in recent years, I thought that some of you might be interested in reading the following article from the current New Scientist. I have reproduced the first few paragraphs below. Jeff

Re: Faith-based TIPS? (Transpersonal Psychology)

2001-04-13 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jim Clark wrote: [B]elow are a small sampling of the readily attainable quotes that critique the methods of science. Having spent far too much time over the past 20 years reading critiques of science like this, I can affirm that the challenges are very deep (although vacuous) Although

Belief, Faith, and Science

2001-04-11 Thread Jeff Ricker
These discussions about religion that have arisen often on TIPS over the last year or so are always fascinating for any number of reasons. The latest discussion seems to be focused on the instrumental value of religion (specifically, the association of religious belief with moral behavior).

Re: class questions

2001-04-10 Thread Jeff Ricker
I just got back from the local convenience store where I invested a quarter of my pay check in lottery tickets: just preparing for my retirement. With my "9-commandments plaque" (there's one that I still have some questions about) firmly affixed to the wall next to my computer terminal, I now am

Using the number of Internet hits as data

2001-04-10 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jim Clark wrote: Personally, I am skeptical as to the need for religion in order to promote moral living, but other far more notable figures than I appear to believe otherwise. Below is a link to a paper by David Myers on the subject. http://www.christianityonline.com/ct/2000/005/6.94.html An

Interesting NY Times book review

2001-04-07 Thread Jeff Ricker
For those of you interested in sociological analyses of life in the US--especially those focused on issues of individualism and morality (which are of much interest to me)--then there is a NY Times book review for you: "Have a Nice Life: Alan Wolfe finds that in matters of morality, Americans

An update on John Gray's alma mater

2001-04-07 Thread Jeff Ricker
Students occasionally ask us about John Gray ("Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus"). Thus, his name has come up on TIPS before. At those times, we discussed Columbia Pacific University, the school where John Gray is said to have obtained his Ph. D. I thought that you might want an update on

Walloonphobia--fear of geography

2001-04-04 Thread Jeff Ricker
Yesterday, I wrote: Walloonphobia- Fear of the Walloons. (I don't know what a Walloon is, but I shrieked when I read the word.) Both Joe Hatcher and Philippe Gervaix informed me that Walloons are French Belgians. This makes sense to me since I also diagnosed myself with Dutchphobia and,

Be afraid . . . be VERY afraid

2001-04-03 Thread Jeff Ricker
I found a site that lists the terms for hundreds of phobias as well as their definitions (go to: http://www.phobialist.com/). I thought that it might be fun to hand out in your courses when you discuss anxiety disorders. Being someone who suffers from many anxiety problems, I examined the list

A student is not an input

2001-03-28 Thread Jeff Ricker
Here is an interesting commentary on the business model of higher education by Michele Tolela Myers, the president of Sarah Lawrence College. Jeff -- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/26/opinion/26MYER.html March 26, 2001 A Student Is Not an Input

The myth continues

2001-03-27 Thread Jeff Ricker
We have had discussions before on TIPS about the origins of what seems to be a myth regarding the need to drink eight glasses of water per day. For those who may discuss various myths in their courses, you may want to take a look at page 61 of the New Yorker. A cartoon on this page shows a man

Re: The myth continues

2001-03-27 Thread Jeff Ricker
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Jeff: Do you know if it's [the cartoon is] available online? thanks annette Yes, you can find it at: http://www.cartoonbank.com/cartoon_closeup.asp?pf%5Fid=45285dept%5Fid=1001mscssid=0K2LWUDDR6S92M5000GPBQXDM6E6B579 I'm thinking that you may have to register on

The purpose of education

2001-03-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
I have been thinking about the question posed by Pat Cabe the other day regarding the theme of a speech he is to give at his school's commencement: I've been thinking that it might be nice to talk about some of the correlates of obtaining a college education. Some of the possible correlates he

Re: The purpose of education

2001-03-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
I noticed that my last message was missing an important word, which I have placed in brackets, in the following sentence: Wisdom should allow one to make decisions "wisely"-- to make decisions informed by good judgement and a well-developed [MORAL] sense. Jeff -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D.

Ig Noble prize for MRI coitus photos

2001-03-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
What a title! Some time ago, I believe it was Stephen Black who mentioned an article by W. W. Schultz, P. van Andel, I. Sabelis, and E. Mooyaart in the British Medical Journal (Vol. 319, 1999, pp 1596-1600) called, "Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Male and Female Genitals During Coitus and Female

Re: Correlates of a college education

2001-03-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
How about emphasizing the enormously positive effects on the economy of having a group of young people with a great deal of disposable income stuck at school for four years with little to do but spend money (assuming that their studies take up little of their time)? Also, how about mentioning the

Re: Oliver Sacks on autism

2001-03-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jeff Ricker wrote: ...there is an article by Oliver Sacks in which he reviews a book written [BY] an autistic person I meant to say ABOUT instead of BY. The book was written by the person's mother. Jeff -- Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213 9000 E. Chaparral Rd

Oliver Sacks on autism

2001-03-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
Hello all, In the current issue of the NY Review of Books, there is an article by Oliver Sacks in which he reviews a book written by an autistic person. I have excerpted the first paragraph, but I just noticed that you can get the entire article at

Article on evolution and creationism

2001-03-18 Thread Jeff Ricker
Here is an article from The Scientist 15[6]:1, Mar. 19, 2001. I send this because of the discussion that occurred recently here on TIPS regarding this topic. Jeff - http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2001/mar/russo_p1_010319.html

Re: abnormal psychology

2001-03-12 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jim Guinee wrote: Jeff Ricker wrote: I have had several students develop psychotic episodes during the semester (and sometimes show up for class during them) How do you know they had developed a psychotic episode? Doesn't that sound more like the power of suggestion -- what kind

Re: pests-l need critical thinking video

2001-03-12 Thread Jeff Ricker
Annette Taylor wrote: So I'd like to know what all of you tipsters and/or pests use for teaching critical thinking. Which videos have you seen/shown that were good, and which were not so good. Annette, You can find on the PESTS web site a listing of videos that subscribers have found useful

Re: Abnormal Psychology

2001-03-09 Thread Jeff Ricker
Beth Benoit wrote: I worry a lot, when teaching abnormal psych., that having the students attempt to apply abnormal psychology concepts to themselves can be dangerous. They don't have the expertise, of course, and they're very vulnerable. My comments are somewhat tangential to the original

Re: Abnormal Psychology

2001-03-09 Thread Jeff Ricker
Regarding an assignment she gives to students in her abnormal-psychology course, the ever-informative Beth Benoit wrote: So I often have them select a character from a book or movie (preferably with an obvious diagnosis, such as Glenn Close's "Fatal Attraction" character, who was a borderline,

Re: Nobel prize; psychologists [and others]

2001-03-05 Thread Jeff Ricker
Dap Louw wrote: I'm looking for info on psychologists who have made important research contributions . For example, as far as I know two trained psychologists have received the Nobel Prize: Roger Sperry for his split-brain research, but I don't know who the other person and what his

Re: Student goals, expectations

2001-03-01 Thread Jeff Ricker
Back on Feb. 21st, I sent a post to TIPS relevant to this thread. Among other things, I said the following: One thing that has struck me this semester is that many of my students seem to take little pride in their work in my courses. I began to wonder about what it is that causes us to take

Preventive lobotomies?

2001-02-23 Thread Jeff Ricker
Last night, a student mentioned that a previous psychology teacher ("Professor Bob") had told his class that, during the 1940s, people without any mental disorder sometimes had lobotomies done as a sort of preventive measure--or perhaps to improve their mental functioning, I wasn't sure from her

Re: Student question

2001-02-22 Thread Jeff Ricker
The infamous Dr. Nanjo wrote: "Is it true that when someone is asked a question and they look up and to the left, that they are accessing the visual cortex of their brain indicating that they are telling the truth, and that if they look up and to the right that they are accessing the creative

Re: Brain-Net

2001-02-22 Thread Jeff Ricker
It sounded to me as if this was a form of patterning therapy, but I am not sure. If this is a form of "patterning," then yes, there are reasons to be very wary: "Patterning is a series of exercises designed to improve the 'neurologic organization' of a child's neurologic impairments. It requires

Pride in education

2001-02-21 Thread Jeff Ricker
One thing that has struck me this semester is that many of my students seem to take little pride in their work in my courses. I began to wonder about what it is that causes us to take pride in something. It seems to me that we take pride in something when we consider it to be a valued

RE: Pride in Education

2001-02-21 Thread jeff . ricker
Louis, This answer is much more useful to me. Thank you for sending it. I accept your apology and understand that you meant no offense. I am sorry if I misunderstood your original intentions. Jeff Ricker -- Original Message -- Dave, thank you for your words. I can understand what you

Re: psychology vs philosophy

2001-02-20 Thread Jeff Ricker
Philippe Gervaix wrote: The definitons given have all been given in the singular, as though there was one recognised and admitted definition of what psychology and what philosophy is. It would be clearer to me if we admitted that the definitions given are those of scientific psychology on

Psychic parrot

2001-02-15 Thread Jeff Ricker
The following is from Michael Shermer's e-skeptic list. I send it because the subject of the "psychic parrot" recently came up on TIPS. Jeff E-SKEPTIC MAGAZINE FOR FEBRUARY 14, 2001 Copyright 2001 Skeptic magazine, Skeptics Society, Michael

Re: Cheesy debate

2001-02-02 Thread Jeff Ricker
Oh, no!! I'm having a paradigmatic identity crisis! I am a boomer (born 1957: rock on, dead Elvis) and the parent of a 12-year-old daughter. You would think that this is all you'd need to know about me to know where I stand on the issue of "The Nurture Assumption." Blaming my daughter's

Re: Netiquette and introductions

2001-01-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
Stephen Black wrote: While introductions are interesting and welcome, there`s nothing either in the the TIPS guidelines (see the TIPS website at the url in my signature file) or in our general practice which requires this. Many of us (ahem!) have never done so. So the blunder concern is

Re: The 5% solution

2001-01-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
I received several replies to my post yesterday, both on- and off-list, that contained references. I thought that some of you might be interested in getting the complete list. Thanks to all who responded; and especially to those who provided the following references (Paul Smith, Ken Steele, and

The 5% Solution

2001-01-30 Thread Jeff Ricker
I just finished reading a paper by Camac (1995) titled "Public perceptions of psychology" (an interesting paper: I recommend it). In a section in which she was discussing difficulties that arise in the teaching of psychology, she mentioned a finding reported in Ellis Rickard (1977): "Even if we

Re: mind/body/spirit

2001-01-29 Thread Jeff Ricker
It seems like ages ago that Kitty Jung posted the following message: A student looking towards research in mind/body/spirit asked which universities would be best for her to apply to in terms of who(m) is doing the most work in this area. I suggested doing a focused web search in the meantime

Re: Alzheimer's question

2001-01-13 Thread Jeff Ricker
The infamous Dr. Nanjo wrote: Does aluminum in drinking water really have an effect on Alzheimer's? Does it effect ACH levels? Or is it a myth that the environment can have much to do with this disease? There is an article on Alzheimer's in the December issue of the Scientific American. I read

An educational premonition?

2001-01-03 Thread Jeff Ricker
I am reading a book by Walter Gratzer (2000) called "The Undergrowth of Science: Delusion, Self-deception and Human Frailty" (Oxford University Press). In a chapter on Lysenko and Soviet "science" of the Stalin era, Gratzer gave an example of one of the effects of the promotion of pseudoscience

Re: teaching brain parts/functions

2000-12-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
Marcia McKinley-Pace wrote: I'm preparing for next semester and am trying to figure out how I want to present brain parts and functions. In the past, I have lectured (briefly) about this and then asked the class to play neuroscientist and identify damaged brain parts from Sacks' work. The

Cross-cultural Abnormal Psychology

2000-12-17 Thread Jeff Ricker
Joe Hatcher referred me to an interesting textbook called "Social Psychology: Exploring Universals Across Cultures" by F. M. Moghaddam (1998). The text integrates cultural issues well with the traditional subject matter of social-psychology courses. I wondered if there might be a similar kind of

Head Physician

2000-12-15 Thread Jeff Ricker
A couple years ago, a question was asked about whether or not the head remains conscious for a time after an execution by beheading. David Likely provided an example from the history-of-psych textbook by Hergenhahn. The other day, an article from the New Scientist was posted on the BP/BNnews

Re: Professor (?) Freud

2000-12-13 Thread Jeff Ricker
David Likely wrote: History Question: Was Freud a Professor? It's long been textbook wisdom that some professions, including the academic, were "closed to Jews" in Austria and other European countries in the 19th century. That's why Freud, a relatively poor man, took a medical degree and

If only there were extra credit for everything

2000-12-13 Thread Jeff Ricker
I know that I haven't been a very good teacher this semester. I've been having some personal problems, my car got a flat tire just before an important lecture, I graded one of the tests after drinking a few glasses of wine, and, well, I guess I just wasn't trying as hard as I could have. Is

Re: Professor (?) Freud

2000-12-13 Thread Jeff Ricker
Stephen Black wrote: The actor who plays Freud has lines which I'm certain are taken verbatim from his writings, although there are no references. At one point the video has this (exclusive transcription I've just made exclusively for the benefit of TIPS): Voiceover: It was not until he

Re: office hours

2000-12-07 Thread Jeff Ricker
Dr. Joyce Johnson wrote: 2) Arrange the office furniture so that the student's (visitor's) chair is on the same side of the desk as the teacher's (authority's) chair. Be aware that the desk is seen as a fortress or barrier. Place the desk in such a position that it does not separate you

Re: culture-bound mental disorders

2000-12-07 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jean Edwards wrote: Does anyone have any info regarding culture-bound mental disorders? I've found TKS, Koro, and Windigo but would like a few more examples. Any help would be appreciated. The DSM-IV has a glossary of culture-bound syndromes that begins on page 844. There also is a good book

Re: Yawning and its function(s)

2000-07-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
The infamous Dr. Nanjo wrote: 1) What exactly is the role of yawning in the course of human physiological functioning? Is there any truth to that "yawning is contagious" business? According to Baenninger (1997), yawning probably functions to increase arousal in situations of low stimulation,

Here I go again

2000-07-28 Thread Jeff Ricker
I constantly am disturbed by what I see to be a conflict in the goals held by many of us teachers, on the one hand, and many of our students, on the other. As we have discussed in the past, many students are in college because they have been told that this is the path to a career that will give

Tickling question

2000-07-20 Thread Jeff Ricker
Dr. Nanjo wrote: Is there any comprehensible explanation available for why it is impossible to tickle oneself? Not that I am aware of. There was an article last summer in the American Scientist by Christine Harris entitled "The mystery of ticklish laughter." One possibility that she

Re: sneezing

2000-07-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
In order to get to the page that Mike Kane mentioned, you'll need to add an "l" at the end of "htm,": http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_304.html There are also a couple of other interesting columns on sneezing at this site: (1) Why do I sneeze after every orgasm?

Research on happiness

2000-07-08 Thread Jeff Ricker
Stuart Mckelvie wrote: You may or may not be aware of fellow-tipster Dave Myers work in this area (see his introductory text, book on the psychology of happiness and recent contribution to the American Psychologist special issue. He shows that when income level and subjective happiness are

Re: Observational learning (and those damned cetaceans confuse me)

2000-06-29 Thread Jeff Ricker
I see that I was wrong: I believed that the number of species having the ability to learn through observation was fairly small. Probably a vestige of my desire to believe in some version of a "chain of being," with us, of course, being near the top (just below the angels). Thank you all--Susan

[Fwd: observational learning]

2000-06-29 Thread Jeff Ricker
Dan Willingham had difficulty sending the folowing message to TIPS Jeff Ricker Jeff tried to send this to the list and it got bounced back. . . Marc Hauser's book "Wild Minds" has a chapter full of interesting cases of observational learning, including the classic of of so

What's in a name?

2000-06-14 Thread Jeff Ricker
TIPSies, I'm not sure why I'm sending you this. It just seems like such a silly story, I couldn't resist. -- http://chronicle.com/daily/2000/06/261407n.htm Beaver College to Change Its Name and Seek University Standing By

Re: Let's help Beaver College find a new name

2000-06-14 Thread Jeff Ricker
Stephen Black wrote: So I suggest they advertise that fact with the following trend-setting name for their proud institution: Inter-Course College They'll never be subject to ridicule again. Well, I think that they should keep the animal motif. Perhaps a fish that is common in the area.

James Braid did not coin the term hypnosis?

2000-06-02 Thread Jeff Ricker
In virtually every book I have ever read that has discussed hypnosis, it has been stated that James Braid coined the term. In a book that I have just about finished (Macmillan, 1997), it seems that another claim is being made. Let me quote from Note #1 on page 666 of Macmillan (1997): "Like many

Why did Freud lie?

2000-06-01 Thread Jeff Ricker
I saw an interesting review of a book about Sigmund Freud in The _London Review of Books_ (go to: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v22/n08/borc2208.htm). The review, entitled "How a Fabrication Differs from a Lie" was written by Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen. He reviews a book by Han Israëls, which was published

Hypnotherapy for smoking

2000-05-31 Thread Jeff Ricker
I often get questions from students about the use of hypnosis as a treatment for smoking and as an aid in weight loss. Given that I present the "Spanosian" social-cognitive view of hypnosis in my courses, I often tell them that, based on what I have read, there is no controlled research

Re: Psychology and the Unabomber

2000-05-26 Thread Jeff Ricker
Jeffrey Nagelbush forwarded something from (I believe) _The Chronicle of Higher Education_ about Ted Kaczynski's participation in a study by Henry Murray at Harvard. I wrote the following this morning while reading the original article published in _The Atlantic Monthly_

Re: test anxiety

2000-05-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
Rod Hetzel wrote: What DSM-IV diagnosis would you give for test anxiety that has been impairing academic performance? Specific Phobia? Anxiety Disorder NOS? V-Code? I'm going to give this a try (I'm bored with working on other things and I want a diversion). I'm not a clinician although my

Re: test anxiety

2000-05-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
ble consequence." (p. 151) Thus, test anxiety would be seen as being more reasonable than the fears of the phobic disorders. I have not looked carefully at this book in a long time. But if you want to know more about test anxiety, this would be a good place to look. Jeff Ricker wrote (an incomple

Re: test anxiety

2000-05-19 Thread Jeff Ricker
I was looking through Beck, et al. (19) for more information on Rod Hetzel's question about the relation of test anxiety to anxiety disorders. It seems that these authors distinguish test anxiety from the phobias proper. "Hetzel, Roderick" wrote: What DSM-IV diagnosis would you give for test

Re: Conventional view of placebos

2000-05-10 Thread Jeff Ricker
I wrote: Because I was in a rush, I was not careful to describe precisely what Harrington was arguing. Sorry. She is arguing that it is science that has created an unnecessary dichotomy between the body and the mind. That is, she states that the conventional view has been that placebo

Re: Defining placebo

2000-05-05 Thread Jeff Ricker
Speaking of placebos, there is a very interesting article in _Cerebrum_ (Vol. 2, No. 1, Winter 2000) by Anne Harrington entitled "The whiteness of lies: Swallowing the placebo effect" (pp. 71-86). The theme of the article involves the following: "What placebo effects challenge us to ask is: How

Re: Defining placebo

2000-05-05 Thread Jeff Ricker
Sorry, I sent my previous post off by accident. I hadn't finished writing it, yet. Let me try again. Speaking of placebos, there is a very interesting article in _Cerebrum_ (Vol. 2, No. 1, Winter 2000) by Anne Harrington entitled "The whiteness of lies: Swallowing the placebo effect" (pp.

Re: Defining placebo

2000-05-05 Thread Jeff Ricker
Gary, Because I was in a rush, I was not careful to describe precisely what Harrington was arguing. Sorry. She is arguing that it is science that has created an unnecessary dichotomy between the body and the mind. That is, she states that the conventional view has been that placebo effects are

History of ADD

2000-05-04 Thread Jeff Ricker
The most recent issue of _The Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (Vol. 36, No. 2, Spring 2000) has an article by Andrew Lakoff entitled "Adaptive will: The evolution of attention deficit disorder." The abstract: "The increasing prevalence of attention-deficit disorder among

Re: History of ADD

2000-05-04 Thread Jeff Ricker
Louis_Schmier wrote: So, Jeff are you saying that there are cultural influences at work that influence our understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of ADD that operate on all involve? No, I'm saying this (i.e., I wrote): The most recent issue of _The Journal of the History of the Behavioral

Grandmother back in town, please excuse my absence

2000-05-04 Thread Jeff Ricker
Dear TIPSters, I'm sorry to say that I will not be able to send any messages to TIPS for the rest of today and probably tomorrow, too. My grandmother has risen from the dead and we are busy preparing a welcome-back party. Since she has been dead for quite a long time, I'm sure you can understand

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