[tips] Pet Peeve #74: Position Opening Announcements:

One of my pet peeves in these discussion groups involves the absence of relevant information in position announcements. I'm not on the job market and am, in fact, retired but I still keep in contact with my old colleagues & when I see a relevant position announcement I forward it to several dept

[tips] Text reviews

Carol Devolder asked, 'If a publisher pays me an honorarium to review a potential text, are they paying me to be honest or are they paying me to say only good things about the book?" I can't speak to the publishers' motivations. They may well think/hope they're paying you for a good review, o

[tips] Tenure Track Position in Clinical Psychology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Please share this position announcement with any qualified candidates. --- West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Clinical Psychology at the assis

RE:[tips] Grading improvement

And the slide toward rewarding mediocrity continues unabated.. We've already dumbed down so many of our intro courses and now we're looking for ways to moderate the effects of poor performance. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester Universit

Re:[tips] agnotology

I love this election cycle. It's allowed to make frequent use of the word, "Schadenfreude" and now I get to learn a new world that will, no word, be almost as useful to me as "schadenfreude" has been. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylva

[tips] Tenure Track Developmental Position at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position beginning August 2016 at the assistant professor level in developmental psychology with a specialty in autism spectrum disorders. Applicants must have a PhD in psychology with developmental specialization, an activ

[tips] Tenure Track I/O Position at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position beginning August 2016 at the assistant professor level in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in I/O psychology, an active program of research studying I/O-related topics, experience

[tips] Job ads with open areas of specialization: a question

Paula Waddill posted an ad for an "Assistant Professor of Psychology - Open Area of Specialization - Murray State Univ." Having been involved in dozens of searches over the years, I'm curious about these "open" searches. My department never did such a search because we assumed that it would res

RE:[tips] Addressing Student Questions in Introduction to Psychology

Am I the only one who finds this whole thing a bit distasteful? This just strikes me as a "Cliff Notes for Intro Psych Professors." Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Home page: http://www.docsbluegrass.net/

RE:[tips] Analyses support theory that Botox might alleviate depression

I agree, Annette,this is not really new. I remember listening to a paper, Perhaps 20 years ago at EPA. The authors used patients in therapy as subjects. All were instructed to discuss a recent incident that they found annoying, unpleasant, distressing. But 1/2 of the subjects were instructed to

[tips] Analyses support theory that Botox might alleviate depression

Holy cow, Batman. Bob Zajonc theory may have more relevance than we knew. And by extension, perhaps the James-Lange theory as well... Analyses support theory that Botox might alleviate depression http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APA/51696 Injections of b

RE:[tips] Student excuses

My very favourite student excuse: "I can't take the exam that day because it's my birthday." Talk about a feeling of entitlement! Argh. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Edi

Re:[tips] Evaluating Instructors By Successful Completions in Courses

Just look at any research in Depts. of Education where they've pretty much instituted a policy of "no grade lower than a C. When the Commonwealth of PA raised the GPA needed to student teach (I think to a 3.5), surprise, surprise, anything below an B was rarely given in their 1st year Educationa

Re:[tips] William James and Islam

On Mar 9, 2015, at 3:40 AM, michael sylvester asked, "Why do Moslem students have an aversion to Freud and Skinner?" Probably the same reason that my more religious Christan students object to Freud & Skinner, i.e., the emphasis on determinism (of any sort) and the difficulties that causes for

RE:[tips] Teaching Introductory without a required textbook?

Doug asked, " Has anyone tried teaching introductory psychology with either an optional textbook or without a required textbook at all? If so what was your experience? ." To which Karl replied, "A fair number of my undergrad students never buy the book. They tell me that they rely on my onlin

[tips] Tenure-track faculty position in social psychology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in social psychology, with an emphasis on multiculturalism, at the assistant professor level. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in psychology by August 2015, an active program of peer reviewed research that is grounded

[tips] Trial Of Polygraph Critic Renews Debate Over Tests' Accuracy

Trial Of Polygraph Critic Renews Debate Over Tests' Accuracy The federal government is throwing the book at one of the most vocal critics of the polygraph test. Doug Williams, a man who makes his living teaching people how to beat the test, will go on trial in January on charges of witness tamp

[tips] Help finding Boston area grad student or adjunct

I'm forwarding this position, first posted on another list. See below. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler, banjoist & biopsychologist...

[tips] Why Brain Does Not Equal Mind

So because the brain is more complex & dynamic than a toaster it can't be "mind"? That could be the single weakest argument I've ever heard. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, gra

RE:[tips] quick question about wipe-off markers

I, too, have had (idiot) faculty use permanent markers on white boards. But there's a simple solution. I used to keep a big bottle of rubbing alcohol in my office and sometimes a small one in my briefcase. It's very effective in getting the permanent markers off of white boards. Pill vials or s

[tips] A new entry in the category of "Well, Duh!" Catsharks have individual personalities, study suggests

A new entry in the category of "Well, Duh!" How do people think behaviour can evolve without individual variation? I'd like to see a study in which they find no (consistent) variability in behaviour among individuals. That would pose some interesting theoretical quandaries. It used to drive me

Re:[tips] Teach statistics before calculus

Claudia Stanny wrote, "I once served on a committee for a master's thesis in which the student, disappointed that his findings produced non-significant p-values, tried some alternative analyses in SPSS. He showed up one day, beaming, with an output that he thought indicated he had a "significant

[tips] * Tell me about who you are. Forget and make no reference to all your personal roles such as father, friend, husband (wife), son (daughter), forget and make no reference to all your profession

Louis suggested the following interview question: * Tell me about who you are. Forget and make no reference to all your personal roles such as father, friend, husband (wife), son (daughter), forget and make no reference to all your professional roles, your past and present titles, forget and ma

[tips] Funny example of extinction

My favorite clip for illustrating a variety of concepts in learning has always been this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_0bhT98g9Y. Students LOVE it. Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, schedule of reinforcement, etc. This one has it all. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. P

[tips] On The Dangers of Pseudoscience

Nice timing. The wife & I just returned from a tour of the National Parks (don't ask!) and ended up in Las Vegas. We caught Penn & Teller's show there. Penn Gillette gave and fairly long rant on his belief that ALL mediums, psychics, ESPers, etc. are naught but charlatans & crooks. (Interestingl

[tips] David Hubel, RIP

I partially credit Torsten & Wiesel with my choice of biopsychology as my field. As a junior I wrote a paper on their work & it got me hooked. Of course, my interest was first piqued by a NY Times article on Jose Delgado's stunt with implanted electrodes & a charging bull! http://www.youtube.co

[tips] Education isn't about teaching facts (yes, we know)

I'm sorry but I don't understand how one can "think critically" without knowing a lot facts. I've had too many experiences with 1st year students thinking that their thoughts, based on a lack of facts, is as valid as anyone else's opinion. My experience is that once you have learned the basic (a

[tips] Do Orthodox Jews Believe in Vaccination?

Michael asked if there was an Orthodox Jewish position on vaccinating one's children and Where in the Torah, Talmud, or Pentateuch (sic) are medical issues addressed? (Just FYI, Michael, the Torah IS the Pentateuch.) But if you really want to know the answers to your question, just do a Google

[tips] Tenure Track Opening: Adult Clinical

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Clinical Psychology at the assistant professor level. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in psychology, an active program of research with an adult population, and the ability to mentor undergraduate and graduate stude

[tips] Princess of whales: How a naked female scientist tries to tame belugas in the freezing Arctic

(I'm not sure about the scientific utility here but the pictures are truly stunning. Ed) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004042/Naked-female-scientist-tries-tame-beluga-whales-arctic.html Braving sub-zero temperatures, she has thrown caution — and her clothes — to the wind to tame

[tips] clinical Ph.Ds?

Our last few clinical hires resulted in some really amazing candidates, all of who accepted our offers. But we are located about 25 mi. west of Philadelphia so we attract candidates who were raised in the area & who want to return. We get people coming off post docs & internships in area Ph.D. g

re:[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

OK, Mike has convinced me that he's correct. There are disorders which have nothing to do with the nervous system and are, in fact, the product of an incorporeal mind. except, perhaps for those caused by evil spirits. It seems eminently reasonable to me that if I can't find any biologic

re:[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

Mike Palij wriote, "I'm having a hard time understanding Ed's post. Perhaps he is saying "Hey, the movement/muscle disorder either it has a neurological basis in the brain or it is psychological based (i.e., psychogenic) and that's too is in brain! It's all in the brain!" Which is a pretty trivial

[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

WE HAVE A WINNER for the biggest "Well, Duh" of the century Ed Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain People who suffer from little-known movement and muscle disorders comm

[tips] To Good Ole Boys in Tipsville

Rick asked, "So this raises the question: What is (are) your favorite song(s) to play? And, for bonus psychological relevance, why? " And Gary asked, "how about foggy mountain breakdownDixie Darlin? Down the Road?" Foggy Mountain Breakdown is still OK although also massively over-played

[tips] To Good Ole Boys in Tipsville

As luck would have it, I recently returned Florida, having been on a bluegrass cruise to the Bahamas. (Really.) And aside from having no interest in watching auto racing, I have even less interest in playing "Dueling Banjos." One can't play a bar gig without someone calling for the band to play

[tips] "BANG With Academics"?

Mike Palij asked about "hook up sites" for psychologists, et al. I'm not sure about APA but the New Scientist web site has a dating service for scientists. See. http://dating.newscientist.com/s/a/17833 Maybe I could find my own "Amy Farrah Fowler." (For those who don't get the reference, see h

[tips] Joint Search by Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology Primatologist

Position Advertisement for Joint Search by Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology Primatologist 2012-2013 Join a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty joint appointment (

[tips] Groundhog day (teaching related)

"A popular myth in USA connected with the 2nd of February (groundhog day) says: If a groundhog (Marmota Monax) sees his shadow while peeping out of his burrow on 2nd of February, winterly weather will continue for 6 weeks." As a professor emeritus I have little to do on this list but pi

[tips] Drug Actions: Mouse Party

The recent discussion on SSRIs remind me of a great little interactive animation that describes the action of various drugs. It only deals with drugs of abuse and might be a tad dated but it's still great & students love it. See http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html

[tips] Evidence of Premonitions Discovered in New Study

Here we go again! Evidence of Premonitions Discovered in New Study http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/10/22/evidence-of-premonitions-hinted-at-in-new-study/ Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/

[tips] FW: Wetakeyourclass.com

ber 13, 2012 12:55 PM To: Pollak, Edward (Retired) Subject: RE: Wetakeyourclass.com Oh, boy…… If this is a hoax, it’s a really elaborate one. And someone got upset that they scammed him… http://we-take-your-class.pissedconsumer.com/917-300-9820-wetakeyourclass-com-

[tips] A Szaszian View of Death

This is obviously the perfect time to re-read the very entertaining article, "A Szaszian View of Death." See http://www.szasz.com/vatzremarks.html. The thesis leads to the suggestion that Szasz is not truly dead because death is a myth. Indeed, the decedent is merely trying to communicate in

[tips] Rat Race

Anyone who doubts the ubiquity of Rattus norvegicus in psychological research needs to (re-)read Frank Beach's class paper, The Snark was a Boojum." See http://www.sfn.org/skins/main/pdf/HistoryofNeuroscience/FrankABeach.pdf Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester

[tips] Whatever happened to

In"Michael Sylvester asked, "Whatever happened to Comparative Psychology? As one of the owner/editors of the Comparative Psychology Newsletter (on YahooGroups) I think I can answer that question but it's complex. One the one hand, it is often said to be subsumed under the banners of "animal be

[tips] 20th ANNIVERSARY GREATEST TIPSTER

Rick Froman wrote: "('Omnicentric') is something of an oxymoron (everything can't actually be at the center at the same time) but it seems from context to be the antonym of 'ethnocentric'. The closest word I can find in the dictionary to 'omnicentric' is 'polycentric' meaning having multiple cen

[tips] Pinterest - a "girl" thing?

Is it too obvious to suggest that the skewed ratio might be due to the fact that psych majors (at least at my school) are overwhelmingly female? Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, gra

[tips] What's that called?

Michael Britt asked, "What's the psychological principle called when one person breaks off from the group and the other group members start to follow this dissenter?" Christianity? ;-o Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home

Re:[tips] depression as "crutch"

You might check out the evolutionary/sociobiological approaches to depression. e.g., see http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary and http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/the-evolution-of-depression/. If your student decides it's relevant, she can dig de

[tips] Little Albert

As reported in Today’s Chronicle of Higher Education . . . . . A New Twist in the Sad Saga of Little Albert January 25, 2012, 5:12 pm By Tom Bartlett

[tips] (New) Atheism, Scientism and Open-mindedness Workshop

Michael Sylvester alerted us to the upcoming workshop on "(New) Atheism, Scientism and Open-mindedness Workshop" There's no need to attend this workshop as I just received the link to the following short video that explains it all. And there's also relevance to the "are Jews smarter" thread.

[tips] Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Rats

Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Rats. Very interesting Who woulda thunk (sic) it? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6061/1427.full Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, fat

RE:[tips] Climbing Mount Everest

Annette Taylor wrote, "..(the) mere exposure effect is the tendency to like something better the more you've been exposed to it." And thank goodness for that! Without the "mere exposure effect" I'd have no friends at all!! ;-) Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psyc

[tips] Are Jews born smart?

Michael Sylvester asked "Are Jews born smart? No, Michael, we're not born smart. However, we get that way very early in life as the result of mandatory attendance at weekly classes in which we are taught how to manipulate the world monetary system, control the world media, and make a proper N

[tips] info:History of Psych

When discussing Lashley's "search for the engram," I would often describe it as testing a "connectionist" or "associationist" theory of learning as opposed to a more Gestaltist view. Of course, Lashley's laws of mass action & equipotentiality are decidedly Gestaltist in flavor. Ed Edw

[tips] contralateral organization

Nancy asked, "Are ALL human sensory systems organized contralaterally? Or just vision and the somatosenory system?" All of the "body senses" also exhibit contralateral dominance. That is certainly true for audition & vision as well. Olfaction, however, is primarily ipsilateral. Gustation s

[tips] Eyes Reveal True Hypnotic State for the First Time

See http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2011/10/one-word-technique-produces-first-physical-evidence-of-hypnosis.html But I remain unconvinced. There's too much evidence that hypnotic subjects display the traits that expect to display, whether the hypnotist specifies them or not. Ed E

[tips] Who Owns You?

Mike asked, "who owns you?" That's an easy one. The answer is "my wife." Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler & biopsychologist... in appr

[tips] Mosquitoes as transgender detectives?

Michael. you really need to stick to areas with which you have even a modicum of knowledge. First, "estrogen" is not a hormone. "The estrogens" are a class of steroid hormones with feminizing effects (in the the adult). As for "the estrogen feminizing hormone," I have no idea what that is. Dur

Re:[tips] Introductory psych transparencies

I threw out all of mine. And, Michael, why would you want to covert them to digital images when virtually every intro psych text on the market already gives you a free CD with the same (albeit updated) images? Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of

[tips] Are Psychiatric Medications Making Us Sicker?

Brandon, Paul K" paul.bran...@mnsu.edu wrote, "I think that Mike Williams' point is (at least it should be) that we should assume that a treatment is not effective until it has been proven to be effective. In the case of psychiatric treatment, this is a high hurdle

[tips] Sick body, vigilant mind

This is PRECISELY the sort of thing that drives me nuts. Here's a perfectly fine article, the content of which is distorted by the sensationalistic title into yet another example of the simplistic, naive mind-body dualism embraced by the masses. G. http://www.brightsurf.com/news/hea

[tips] Would you consent to this?

Michael Sylvester wrote: " A student wants to attend your class but it is too late to add and drop,so the student seeks permission to attend your class and wants you to transfer the grade to the other prof's class where he/she is lawfully enrolled.Btw,I have had to do this a couple of times.I

[tips] Declare major now or pay more

Michael Sylvester wrote " Florida educational officials are considering a proposal that would require students to declare a major during their freshperson year or pay more for courses. Apparently it is felt that undeclared majors are a burden to the system.(Not sure why). Can the Tips intelligen

Re:[tips] antidressants

a way out of a predicament. Do placebos yield any type of results in this type of research? How about "thought stopping"? Michael - Original Message - From: Pollak, Edward (Retired) To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 10:3

re:[tips] antidressants

I think you miss the point, Jim. Certainly there may be different causes for a depression. Some may be more closely associated with genetic, hormonal or other obviously biological factors. Stressful life events are also clearly associated with depression but those events cause depression ONLY by

[tips] Random Thought: On Retirement

I'm newly retired and loving it! Frankly, I felt myself losing my edge and new it was time. I've seen too many colleagues go through their later years blissfully unaware of their declining skills and passions for their professorial life. I now find that my passion is better and more usefully d

re:[tips] antidressants

Annette wrote, "Except in those cases where the problem may truly be neurochemical in origin." As noted earlier, this is the very worst sort of dualistic statement. Annette, you need to defend it or retract it! Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor emeritus Department of Psychology West Chester U

Re:[tips] crawling ability and reading

I don't have a reference & I don't have time to look for one as I have to leave in a few minutes to pick up the pizzas for my 2 YO granddaughter's birthday party. However, I remember a study from many years ago that reported a positive correlation between the duration of the crawling stage & IQ.

[tips] Do we need human jurors?

Michael Sylvester asked, "Why not feed the prosecutor's and defense data and let the computer decide guilt or innocence?" For one thing, the data are remarkably clear that human moral decisions are profoundly influenced by "gut feelings" and other non-factual considerations. The classic exam

[tips] cherokee shuffle.......oops

Oops. That was supposed to go to my fiddle-L list. Sorry. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor emeritus Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Subject: Re: Cherokee Shuffle question From: "Pollak, Edward" Date: Fri, 6 May 2011 03:48:38 + X-Message

Re:[tips] Cherokee Shuffle question

Jim Nelson wrote, "I've heard Cherokee Shuffle played in both keys. The melody is very imilar to the Tommy Magness piece "Lonesome Indian" which is in D. I suspect that the former was derived from the latter by Tommy Jackson ... Thatis, of course, why fiddle tunes have names, i.e.

[tips] Puzzling Alzheimers diagnosis

The appearances of the amyloid plaques & dendritic tangles would constitute a pre-clinical stage. Neural pathologies are present but obvious behavioral symptoms have not occurred. I see it as no different than saying that I have coronary artery disease even though I have not yet developed a

[tips] More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality

MEMPHIS - Jack London was the subject in Daterrius Hamilton's online English 3 course. In a high school classroom packed with computers, he read a brief biography of London with single-paragraph excerpts from the author's works. But the curriculum did not require him, as it had generations of En

RE:[tips] Anonymous Post

Robert Flint wrote, "It is a slippery slope! We have been asked/required to participate in an increasingly growing number of such events over the years. While I agree that some recruitment-/conversion-/retention-related activity is ok, we are now asked to cover approximately 7 3-hr accepted stud

[tips] No, No, Annette (was data usage)

Stephen Black wrote, "No, no, Annette, I think you've got it backward.." Is that a typo, Stephen? I thought you were referrring to an old musical... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No,_No,_Nanette) Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West

[tips] Data usage

Claudia Stanny wrote: "Speaking for myself, reading "the data is" makes me cringe, grind my teeth, and reach for a very sharp red pencil! . When I read "data" a part of me always substitutes words like numbers, observations, findings." Claudia, is it possible that you are a long lost

[tips] Help with teaching a large class

No matter what you talk about, take a few minutes before the lecture to get "psyched." You're an entertainer getting ready to do a stand up act in front of a large audience. Start with that mind set. You're an educator who entertains. or an entertainer who educates. And be as peripateti

Re:[tips] Tipster's 10 years old daughter plays jazz

Since the video was posted in 2008, I'm guessing that she 13 or 14. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Office hours: Mondays noon-2 & 3-4; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9:15 & 12:30-2 http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm ~

[tips] Sleepwalking

Joan asked, "Do you respond to your students in such a fashion when they ask a question Ed?" In fact, it is one of my cardinal rules to NEVER make a student question sound stupid. If necessary, I will go out of my way to rephrase the question in such a way that it actually makes it sound as

[tips] sleepwalking

Carla Grayson asked, "I'm looking for some information about sleepwalking. A question from one of my students: If sleeping is defined as being nonreactive to the environment, how are sleepwalkers able to engage in complex tasks (e.g., driving)?" Where did you ever get the idea that sleeping i

[tips] Rene Descrates (was It's Official: World ENDS in 2012)

Ken Steele wrote ". Rene Descartes was sitting at the bar, drinking a berr. The bartender came over to him and asked whether he would like another. Descartes replied "I think not" and, immediately disappeared.." And in the same vein... Cogito ergo spud (

Re:[tips] testing again--please ignore (and I apologize)

Michael Sylvester wrote "Maybe someone is trying to get you off the list. It is like a prof who finds that his/her office is being moved closer to the parking lot every year." That's quite odd. I've found the exact opposite. The older I get, the farther my office seems to be from the parking

RE:[tips] Healing power of pets?

Rick Froman wrote, ". 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." Rick makes a point that we need to impress on all our students, i.e., the importance of interaction

[tips] Healing power of pets?

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

[tips] Bye,bye,Black bird

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://

[tips] Placebos: stirring the pot

No one has really addressed my question as to why any classically conditioned stimulus could not be viewed as a placebo (or nocebo). Humans are remarkable in a) the speed with which they can learn associations b) our ability to learn by observing others, and c) our ability to learn associations

[tips] Sham pills may help us—even without the sham

This is not surprising to me given that classical conditioning can produce a "placebo effect" in rats. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, why can't any (classically) conditioned stimulus but regarded as a placebo? Ed Sham pills may help us—even without the sham Sham pills, known as p

[tips] Hypnotist warms up workers

I only wish there was a follow up to this story. >From http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Hypnotist_warms_up_workers Hypnotist warms up workers A cobbler who won't buy heaters for his freezing staff has had them hypnotised into thinking they're warm. Martin C

Re:[tips] Minds of Mnemonists: Thanks to Beth

Beth Benoit wrote "I thought it was of particular interest that none of the subjects interviewed had ever been married, except for Marilu Henner, who had been married three times. The poiAnd thnks nt was made that perhaps not being able to forget (arguments, hurt feelings, etc.) may make a lon

RE:[tips] Phantom (cell phone) vibrations?

I experience these all the time. I keep my cell phone in my breast pocket and it's a bit disconcerting given my cardiac history! It happens all the time when I'm lecturing, playing fiddle, driving, etc. But I'm not convinced that it doesn't also occur at time when I'm not carrying a cell p

RE:[tips] Let the Countdown Begin

The "light up tracing board" to which my wonderful daughter, Sara, refers is her old Barbie Doll Illuminated Tracing Desk. For many years I would use it to grade multiple choice exams rather than shlepp across campus to drop them off at the computer center, have them run through the grading mach

[tips] Let the Countdown Begin

I expect to retire at the end of the spring, 2011 semester, Next semester, I will be teaching my very last courses (1 section of Animal Behavior & 2 sections of Intro to Biopsychology). This past Monday night I gave my very last Intro Psych lecture... ever! And tonight at 6 p.m. I give my la

[tips] The state of American Education

There's a very important report on the state of education published at: http://www.theonion.com/articles/department-of-education-study-finds-teaching-these,18461/ I present it without comment. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home

[tips] Question on sleep

I distinctly remember reading that there are some (very few) people for whom it is normal to get an hour or less sleep per night. I remember one case cited in which the subjected needed only 15 minutes and reported resenting having that "little slice of death" intrude on his day. A colleague I a

[tips] Colors affecting behavior

Kimberly C. Patterson asked "Does anyone know of a study where colors of a room affect students?" When a student asks me such a question I tell them to do a Google or Google Scholar search. I try to help them [pick out the best key words but I much prefer they learn how to do it themselves. In

[tips] FW: Rising to the Occasion: Pornography and Politics

Rising to the Occasion: Pornography and Politics Complete article at http://ow.ly/32w4G from the Economist When Barack Obama won the American presidency in 2008 his supporters cheered, cried, hugged--and in many cases logged onto their computers to look at pornography. And, lest Republican

Re:[tips] Who's on first?

1) Chimps are apes. They are NOT monkeys 2) They were eating termites (more closely related to cockroaches than to ants) 3) The young female Japanese macaque who invented potato washing also invented a technique for separating wheat from sand. She was something of a monkey genius. 4) The NOVA pro

[tips] Tenure Track Position in Biopsychology/Animal Behavior, West Chester Univ. of Pennsylvania

PLEASE, forward this as widely as possible. We've had surprisingly few applicants thus far. Ed Biological Psychologist Tenure Track Assistant Professor Description: Join a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University (WC

RE:[tips] diploma mills

Annette Taylor wrote, "Well, I did not get the message without the telephone number so something else must be rotten. Darn. Now I'm really dying to know what's in it." The obvious answer is that your spam filters have free will and have now decided to use that free will to perplex you. Ed Edw

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