Effect of anesthetic drugs on time production and alpha rhythm

Ss produced time intervals before and during inhalation of low concentrations of anesthetic gases. The drugs increased time productions by raising the slope of the line representing produced against objective time. Alterations in time production were not accompanied by consistent changes in alpha rhythm, respiratory rate, heart rate, or body temperature. The findings argue against the’ alpha rhythm’s acting as the biological pendulum for the internal clock.     

Observing behavior in squirrel monkeys under a multiple schedule of reinforcement availability

Observing behavior of two squirrel monkeys was examined under a multiple schedule of four components. Lever (observing) responses produced either a stimulus indicating the availability of food or another stimulus indicating food was not available. Key responses in the presence of the food-available stimulus produced food on a continuous reinforcement schedule. In the absence of food-available stimuli, responding on the key had no scheduled consequences. Observing responses produced food-available stimuli according to three different random-interval schedules with mean interstimulus availability times of 1, 2, and 4 min. In the fourth component of the multiple schedule (observing extinction) food-available stimuli never occurred. Each component of the schedule was correlated with a distinctive auditory stimulus. Observing rates decreased with decreasing frequency of the food-available stimulus. Observing rates during extinction continued decreasing when the brief stimulus indicating food unavailability was no longer produced by lever pressing. When the brief stimulus was reinstated response rates increased abruptly.     

Position,direction, and their perceptual integrality

Subjects were shown an arrow inside a rectangle and were asked to decide on either its vertical direction (up vs. downl or its height (high vs. low) as quickly as possible. Whenever vertical direction was criterial, height was irrelevant, and vice versa. In four conditions, the irrelevant dimension (1) did not vary, (2) covaried positively with the criterial dimension, up with high and down with low, (3) covaried negatively with the criterial dimension, up with low and down with high, or (4) varied orthogonally with the criterial dimension. Height and vertical direction satisfied one of W. R. Garner’s prerequisites for “integral” dimensions in that Condition 4 took longer than Condition 1. But Condition 2 was faster than 1, and 3 was slower than 1, a pattern unlike those of other known integral dimensions. The positive correlation in Condition 2 facilitates, and the negative correlation in 3 interferes, it is argued, because height and vertical direction have interpretations with components in common or in conflict. This research was supported in part by Grant MH 20021 from the National lnstitute of Mental Health.     

Apparatus for measuring and recording path velocity and direction characteristics of human locomotion

A measuring system using electromechanical transducers and optional computer or electronic signal processing has been developed to determine characteristics of human mobility. The apparatus measures body position over a laboratory area of 80 m2 with a position error less than 2.5 cm. The basic measuring system provides plots of path, and when used with a computer allows higher order measures based on velocity and acceleration.     

THE USE OF IMPOSED AND SELF-SELECTED TRAINING PACKAGES TO ESTABLISH CLASSROOM TEACHING SKILLS1

Although much is known about techniques for teaching elementary pupils in the classroom, no procedures have been consistently effective in training teachers to use these techniques. In the present study, six teacher trainees were observed individually and trained sequentially to use a variety of teaching skills: praise for academic responses, praise for appropriate classroom behavior, correction procedures for incorrect academic responses, and token fines. These skills were examined under four conditions: (1) baseline sessions were taught by the trainees before any instructions on the use of the teaching skills. (2) Instruction sessions were taught by the trainees after they were given instructions describing the use of several teaching skills. (3) During each Imposed-Package session, the trainees received modelling, verbal feedback, graphic feedback, and grade and quiz contingencies on their use of a particular teaching skill. (4) During each Self-Selected Package session, a grade contingency was in effect with the trainees choosing the components (modelling, verbal feedback, graphic feedback, quiz contingency) they wanted included in their training package for a particular skill. The effects of instructions were quite varied. Large increases on three of the four skills occurred with one trainee; almost no changes occurred with another trainee; and changes with the remaining four trainees fell within these extremes. The Imposed and Self-Selected Packages reliably increased the use of teaching skills, including those skills for which instructions had not been effective. The Self-Selected Package was considered to be as effective as the Imposed Package, since the time required for training a teaching skill varied from two to nine sessions with both packages. Under the Self-Selected Package, the trainees chose from modelling, verbal feedback, and graphic feedback, but none chose the quiz contingency. Questionnaire data collected after training showed that all six trainees preferred the Self-Selected Package to the Imposed Package. The effectiveness of the Self-Selected Package, together with the trainees' preference for it, suggests that it may be desirable for teacher training programs to specify the teaching skills, arrange a contingency for performance, and allow trainees to choose which additional components are to be used in each training session.     

Acceptance of Help as a Function of Similarity of the Potential Helper and Opportunity To Repay1

College students were given the task of making an object from balloons while being observed by someone who they were told had highly similar values (similar conditions) or highly dissimilar values (dissimilar conditions). Later they were to observe while the other made an object from wire coat hangers that were already unwound (no opportunity to repay conditions) or were not unwound (opportunity to repay conditions). In preparation for the subject's task, the balloons had to be blown up and the other offered to help. The number of balloons the subject gave the other was the measure of acceptance of help. An interaction between similarity and opportunity to repay was found. As hypothesized, acceptance of help was greater when the potential helper was similar than when he was dissimilar only when the opportunity to repay was anticipated; when no opportunity to repay was expected, the reverse was found.