Book reviews

Studies in Religious Fundamentalism. Ed. L. Caplan The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1987 ISBN 9 78033 419748 £29.50(h/b).

Trying Trialogues: Pluralism and Prejudicial Pluralism. David Kerr and Dan Cohn‐Sherbok (editors). Christians, Muslims and Jews, Conference of Christians, Muslims and Jews, Birmingham, 1984, no price given. pp.IV, 384     

Unavoidable gridshock without scrambling circuitry from a faradic source of low-radio-frequency current

A high-voltage radio-frequency stimulator was used as a source of motivational footshock in studies of conditional suppression. The circuit of the stimulator is presented schematically, then discussed in terms of affect induced by, gross behavioral response to, and electrical characteristics of, the stimulus. Near daily use of the stimulator across 6 months of formal assessment revealed that nonscrambled presentations of footshock via a grid of aluminum bars invariably resulted in stimulation of rat Ss and generated highly efficient conditional suppression of operant responding. While the stimulator was primarily designed to permit unconfounded presentation of gridshock in a 2,450-MHz microwave field, its simplicity and reliability suggest application in other situations requiring motivational shock.     

Consistency between motor activity and perceived direction of rotation

Three experiments were conducted to test the proposition that engagement in motor activity in a given direction favors the perception of stimulus movement consistent with that direction. Ss simultaneously turned a crank and viewed a stimulus capable of apparent reversal of direction.Experiments 1A and 1B demonstrated that the perceived initial direction of rotation was more stable when it was consistent with the motor activity of the viewer than when it was inconsistent. Experiment 2 demonstrated that when Ss were instructed to perceive a particular direction of rotation for a period of time they tended to engage in motor activity consistent withthatdirection.The results were interpreted as supporting an efference theory of perception.     

Book reviews

Nervous and Hormonal Mechanisms of Integration: Symposia of the Society for Experimental Bilogy, No. 20. Edited by G. M. Hughes. London: Cambridge University press. 1966. Pp. viii + 553. 75s.

Essential Works of Pavlov. Edited with an Introduction by Muchael Kaplan. New York: bantam Books. 1966. Pp. xiii + 392. $1.25.

Psycholinguistic Papers. Proceedings of the Edinburgh Conference 1966. Edited by J. Lyons and R. J. Wales. Edinburgh University Press. 1966. Pp. 243. 42s.

On Human Communication. By Colin Cherry. 2nd edition. London and Cambridge, Mass.: M.I.T. Press. 1966. Pp. xiv + 337. 80s.

Psycholigical Principles Appropvite to Socal and Cinical Problems. By John C. Raven. London: H. K. Lewis. 1966. Pp. xx + 187. 25s.     

An infrared device for detecting locomotor activity

An electronic device for detecting locomotor activity in the home cage of small animals is described. The system involves a dense array of infrared (IR) beams designed to function as switches and capable of penetrating plastic walls of standard rodent cages without operational decrement. The device is reasonably inexpensive, is simple to calibrate, can be used with groups of animals, may be used for extended periods without maintenance, and is reliable with different cages.     

Book reviews

Metaphysics in Midwestern American by M.B. Wagner Ohio State University Press, S17.50 ISBN 0–8142–0346–9. pp229

The Religious Roots of Rebellion. Christians in the Central American Revolution by Philip Berryman. SCM Press, London. 1984, pp452, ISBN 334 00206 0 £12.50     

Aggressive and affiliative behavior in green monkeys with differing housing complexity

Eleven green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) were combined into three social groups (two heterosexual, one all-male) in enclosures with similar volume but different levels of environmental complexity (two or four compartments). Agonistic and affiliative interactions were recorded over a 21-week period. The two heterosexual groups had their environmental complexity reduced (number of compartments reduced by one-half and volume/floorspace reduced by one-third) for a 5-week period in the middle of the study. Rates of contact aggression were low throughout the study. In the group with complexity reduced to one compartment, rates of noncontact aggression and affiliative behavior increased, and remained high after complexity was restored. In the group reduced to two compartments, rates of affiliative behavior increased but rates of noncontact aggression decreased, trends which continued after complexity was restored. The all-male group exhibited low rates of affiliative behavior throughout. Two compartments appear to foster successful group formation, but any change in a group's enclosure can have long-term effects on rates of aggression. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.