Microcomputers for experimental psychology

The design and use of CPUs on a single inexpensive circuit are discussed. Necessary additional equipment is noted, and the potential for using the microcomputer in the laboratory is explored.     

Implications of Microcomputers for Counsellors

The microcomputer and anxieties associated with it are beginning to impinge on the lives of many clients and counsellors. A number of possible relationships to the computer are outlined. People can interact with the micro as a toy, as a way of escape from everyday life, as an assistant, and as an expert: each of these aspects is explored.     

Assessing and Facilitating School Readiness for Microcomputers

Microcomputers represent a complex educational innovation requiring a planned change approach to program implementation. In this paper, the AVICTORY approach, a framework for assessing organizational readiness for microcomputers, is delineated. A case illustration is presented to demonstrate the relevance of the approach and a strategy for operationalizing and measuring organizational readiness is provided. Activities which may facilitate school readiness for microcomputers are also discussed.     

Microcomputers and Psychometric Assessment

A general overview is presented of recent developments in the field of automated psychometric assessment, with special emphasis on microcomputer-based systems. The potential advantages and disadvantages of computerised assessment in comparison to more traditional methods are discussed in some detail, and particular reference is made to a recent large-scale validation study of a microcomputer-based system. Minimum system requirements for this type of application are briefly outlined and a number of example applications are listed. Finally, consideration is given to likely future trends in this area.     

Microcomputers in social psychophysiological research: An overview

Microcomputer systems have become commonplace in the psychophysiological laboratory during the past 5 years and are currently used in all phases of data acquisition, experimental control, and data analysis. In the past year, however, advances in microprocessor technology and scientific software have greatly extended the capabilities of these desk-top systems. Small laboratories now can afford an integrated laboratory microcomputer system and both the high-fidelity data acquisition hardware and the sophisticated analysis capabilities traditionally found in large minicomputers. We briefly describe the demands that social psychophysiological research can place on computer systems, the system presently employed in our laboratory, and a system being installed to overcome limitations on sampling rate, sampling periods, and waveform analysis.     

Low-cost laboratory computing: Microcomputers in British psychology departments

Over 25% of the 80 British psychology departments use microcomputers. This paper summarizes the types of processor, level of system integration, applications, and problems of these users. The Motorola 6800 is by far the most popular processor, but there is a growing number of Z-80 users. Useful microcomputers have been developed from chips, single-board evaluation kits, hobby products, and manufacturers’ development systems. Applications include front-end processing, networking, and stand-alone uses for data logging, process control, and the development of intelligent laboratory tasks. Emphasis is placed on the need to match system packaging and support facilities to the application.     

The Purposes of Torture

Abstract

In this essay, I take seriously Jeremy Bentham’s caution against treating torture as though it were a single phenomenon, susceptible to moral justification or condemnation independently of the purposes for which it is used. My aim is to identify the types of torture that occur nowadays. I discuss a number of forms of violence that have recently been identified as types of torture, including interrogational, terroristic, dehumanising and sadistic torture, as well as torture as a form of punishment. To this list of types I add a further, often overlooked, type: ‘spectacular’ torture as described by Michel Foucault. Rather than obsolete, as Foucault’s Disciple and Punish might suggest, I argue that there is no reason why a form of spectacular torture could not take place today. I consider the possibility that the torture that has taken place at Guantanamo Bay is of this kind.     

Microcomputers in psychology laboratory courses

The implementation of a microcomputer-based laboratory curriculum is described and analyzed in terms of general guidelines for introducing computer-based instruction. Procedures are suggested for analyzing need, choosing a system, and implementing the project. Pedagogical considerations arising from the use of computer technology are also discussed.     

Microcomputers big and little: Selecting a low-cost laboratory computer network

Characteristics of microcomputers are described affecting suitability for low-cost laboratory network use. Assuming a network of small microcomputers with interfaces for applications and a larger one for program development, 6502-based hobbyist computers appear cheapest at this time, while microcomputers imitating minicomputers have the best hardware and software support.     

Nature's Purposes: Analyses of Function and Design in Biology

Book Information Nature's Purposes: Analyses of Function and Design in Biology. Edited by Allen Colin, Bekoff Mark and Lauder George. MIT Press. Cambridge. 1998. Pp. vi + 597. Paperback, US$31.50.     

Microcomputers in undergraduate laboratory training in psychology

Goals for undergraduate training in psychology are reviewed, and a survey is reported to suggest ways in which computers are being used to meet these goals. Currently computers primarily aid data collection and analysis. Computer-based literature searching and word processing are becoming more common. The true challenge of laboratory training, however, is inquiry training: helping students generate and frame research questions and interpret their results. Are we using the time we have gained through computer data collection and analysis to meet these goals? Are there ways in which the computer can directly help us meet these goals? The new generation of flexible experiment-generator software may provide direct help of this sort, as may effective simulations of theory.     

No One Has Ever Seen God: The Use of Religious Archives for Nonreligious Purposes

Abstract

The area of women and religion is a rapidly expanding field of study for which an up-to-date research guide would be a useful tool. This annotated research guide covers traditional resources, such as reference books, general monographs, periodicals, associations, and audiovisual material. It also contains entries which annotate important Internet resources, such as academically oriented Web sites and electronic discussion lists. Resources chosen for inclusion were produced since 1996 in North America and emphasize the study of women and religion with the Judeo-Christian traditions.     

Microcomputers in schools: Impact on the social life of elementary classrooms

Microcomputers are becoming increasingly available to schools, but little research is available concerning the impact of this technology for children. Two studies were conducted to examine some possible social effects of the use of microcomputers in elementary school classrooms where children are learning to program in LOGO. First, the task-related interaction that children engaged in with each other was observed and recorded in two classrooms (8- to 9-year-old s, and 10- to 11-year-olds) as the children worked on both computer and non-computer tasks. The children in both classrooms were significantly more likely to collaborate with each other when they worked with the computers, when compared with their interaction over other classroom tasks. The second study examined children's perceptions of their peers as resources for help with a variety of classroom tasks. When compared with other work, the computer context was the one where children more consistently identified certain of their peers as resources for help.