I remember someone telling me that the prof was conditioned to head to a window and then stopped just before he jumped out. Pretty sure that's a legend. I also remember the Skinner version and it was in an auditorium. cd
On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 4:52 PM, Beth Benoit <beth.ben...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > That's the version I'd read in an Instructor's Resource Manual from one of > my first Intro courses 22 years ago. I seem to recall there was a mention > of him reaching for the cords of a window shade and being positively > conditioned for it, but that's probably a Loftus-worthy false memory. > Beth Benoit > Plymouth State University > Plymouth NH > > On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 5:43 PM, Christopher Green <chri...@yorku.ca> > wrote: > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> I had not heard that one, Jim. the version I heard was that when the >> professor (Skinner) moved one direction across the front of the room, the >> student would attend to him interestedly, and that when he moved the other >> direction they would look away, read newspapers, etc. by the end of the >> class, he was lecturing from one corner of the room. I have no idea whether >> it is actually true, or just a case of "I bet you could..." which gradually >> morphed into and "actually happened," as seems to be the case so often with >> urban legends. >> >> Chris >> ....... >> Christopher D Green >> Department of Psychology >> York University >> Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 >> >> chri...@yorku.ca >> http://www.yorku.ca/christo >> >> On Jan 8, 2015, at 3:09 PM, Jim Matiya <jmat...@hotmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> That goes back many years ago...I seem to recall when the prof would >> bring his hand closer to the front chest area, the students would write >> more and more notes (do student still take notes today?). Then they began >> to "condition" more whenever he began to move his hand toward the opening >> of his shirt (read writing copious more notes...or at least appear to take >> more notes). The students got the prof to put his hand into his shirt >> (read, write more notes) Then after a few more classes, the students had >> conditioned him to walk in front of class and begin lecturing with his hand >> inside his shirt with a more or less Napoleon "look." >> >> Is it true or not? Chris Green would know more than I about history >> >> >> Jim >> >> Jim Matiya >> >> Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a >> listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of >> which have the potential to turn a life around...Leo Buscaglia >> >> >> > Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 11:22:06 -0500 >> > From: steel...@appstate.edu >> > To: tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> > Subject: Re: [tips] Behaviorist Prof Urban Legend >> > >> > >> > I do a variation of that story in my class on shaping. I have the >> > class discover a reinforcer that works with me, which turns out >> > to be their attentive looking and smiling. Then I take them >> > through the steps of shaping me to move to the side of the room >> > and turn off a light with my nose. >> > >> > --------------------------------------------------------------- >> > Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu >> > Professor >> > Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu >> > Appalachian State University >> > Boone, NC 28608 >> > USA >> > --------------------------------------------------------------- >> > >> > >> > On 1/8/2015 10:58 AM, Rick Froman wrote: >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > > I am preparing to teach Theories of Learning this semester and I >> > > remembered the story told during my graduate training about a >> > > professor being shaped by students to lecture toward the corner >> > > of the room. They evidently paid close attention or performed >> > > some other reinforcing stimulus whenever the professor moved in a >> > > certain direction until he was actually lecturing to the wall. >> > > >> > > It sounds like a clear urban legend (of the hoist of his own >> > > petard type) and Snopes >> > > <http://snopes.com/college/pranks/trained.asp> classifies it as a >> > > legend (of unverifiable nature) and concludes that, “Many people >> > > claim to have been in a class where such training took place (or >> > > to know someone who was); undoubtedly a few attempts have >> > > actually been made.” >> > > >> > > However, it appears from this site >> > > <http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00C0Tw> >> > > that the anecdote actually may be sourced to none other than B. >> > > F. Skinner himself. It is funny that the version I remember was >> > > the one described by Carl Rogers on that site: a behaviorist >> > > professor being manipulated by his students. In fact, according >> > > to Skinner, the classroom version of the story involved >> > > behaviorist students training a humanist professor and he also >> > > recounted a time he did the same to a speaker at a professional >> > > conference. >> > > >> > > This probably isn’t news to many of you but I thought it was >> > > quite an unexpected result to see that the story was not a pure >> > > legend or parable but was described as fact in two versions by B. >> > > F. Skinner himself. >> > > >> > > Rick >> > > >> > > Dr. Rick Froman >> > > >> > > Professor of Psychology >> > > >> > > Box 3519 >> > > >> > > John Brown University >> > > >> > > 2000 W. University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 >> > > >> > > rfro...@jbu.edu <mailto:rfro...@jbu.edu <rfro...@jbu.edu>> >> > > >> > > (479) 524-7295 >> > > >> > > http://bit.ly/DrFroman >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> > --- >> > You are currently subscribed to tips as: jmat...@hotmail.com. >> > To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13283.28aec02f231f4c4baa9a4a58ae139710&n=T&l=tips&o=41440 >> > or send a blank email to >> leave-41440-13283.28aec02f231f4c4baa9a4a58ae139...@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> >> --- >> >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: chri...@yorku.ca. >> >> To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62bd92&n=T&l=tips&o=41450 >> >> (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) >> >> or send a blank email to >> leave-41450-430248.781165b5ef80a3cd2b14721caf62b...@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> >> >> >> >> >> >> --- >> >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: beth.ben...@gmail.com. >> >> To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aaf72&n=T&l=tips&o=41453 >> >> (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) >> >> or send a blank email to >> leave-41453-13105.b9b37cdd198e940b73969ea6ba7aa...@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> >> >> >> >> > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: devoldercar...@gmail.com. > > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443341&n=T&l=tips&o=41454 > > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > > or send a blank email to > leave-41454-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > > > -- Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 563-333-6482 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@mail-archive.com. 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