On Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:06:27 -0400, Stephen Black wrote: > On 8 Apr 2009 at 10:05, Claudia Stanny wrote: > > I have a vague recollection of references to yellow Volkswagen > > detectors, too. > > Barlow attributes this to Harris (1980) > > Yet first Doug Wallen, and then Mike Palij, who bears responsibililty > for first inflicting pedantic thoughts of yellow Volkswagens on us,
Ouch! > instead maintain that it was Naomi Weisstein who originated this pithy > term. Careful there: who said that she had coined the term? > MIke cites: > > Weisstein, N. (1973). Beyond the yellow-volkswagen detector and the > grandmother cell: A general strategy for the exploration of operations > in human pattern recognition. Contemporary issues in cognitive psychology: > The loyola symposium. (Robert L. Solso, Ed.). Oxford, England: V. H. > Winston & Sons. > > 1973 beats 1980, so it's Weisstein's baby, right? *Sigh* To clarify things for TiPS and retired psychology professors who have too much time on their hands but no easy access to a college library, if one looks at the above reference, on page 29, Weisstein says: |As a general system, this scheme--whereby the firing of a |particular unit which is maximally sensitive to a particular stimulus |is equated with the perception of that stimulus--would lead to the |assumption of the existence of what Harris (1971) calls the "yellow |Volkswagen detector" (and what others have called the "grandmother |cell"). The Harris citation is to the following reference: Harris, C.S. (1971) Orientation-specific colour adaptation: A consideration of 4 possible models. Paper presented at the meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, St. Johns, Newfoundland. So, what should we conclude: (1) Weisstein correctly cites Harris as the source for the "yellow Volkswagen detector", however, because the Harris paper is what we used to call a "fugitive document" (i.e., a reference that is hard to hunt down), Weisstein is often credited with the use of the term (though some retirees initially were unaware of it, possibly confusing it with a related concept, the "yellow submarine detector"). (2) I'm not exactly sure what the big deal is about who used the term first since no one actually claimed that Weisstein coined it. I would have cleared up this point sooner but the Solso volume seems to have disappeared from my home library and I had to check the NYU library's copy to see what Weisstein actually said. Oh! If only books.google.com allowed full access to its digitalized version of this book and/or certain Canadians lived closer to a college library! (3) I'm hoping that spring comes soon to the Great White North and some people start spending more time outside, oh, enjoying the spring weather and watching the grass grow. ;-) By the way, in case I forget, Happy Bunny Day! And other seasonal greetings too! -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
