Technology transfer at Harvard University

This memorandum was prepared by Daniel Steiner, General Counsel to Harvard University on behalf of the President's Office and distributed to the faculty in October, 1980. It reviews recent Harvard policy with regard to patents and technology transfer. Spurred by recombinant DNA research, at Harvard and elsewhere, benefits and pitfalls of the University's participation as a minor shareholder in a company engaged in research and development are identified. The author notes that “The memorandum has benefited from numerous discussions with members of the faculty and administration and in particular from the comments of President (Derek) Bok and Dean (Henry) Rosovsky.”     

BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND THE CONDITIONING MODEL OF NEUROSIS

The methods of applied science are usually based on the findings of pure science, and the discovery of successful methods of therapy for the neuroses is dependent on the formulation of appropriate theories for these disorders. It is argued that the only viable theory about neurosis at the moment is an adaptation of the Watsonian conditioning model, suitably altered to fit in with more recent discoveries in the fields of the formation and extinction of conditioned responses. Such a model has important relevance to behaviour therapy and the various methods for treating neuroses falling under that heading, and indeed for an explanation of the apparent effectiveness of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and whatever events mediate spontaneous remission.     

Accents in equitone sequences

Equitone sequences are defined as sequences of tones that are identical in all respects: frequency, spectral composition, intensity, and duration. The only parameter varied in these sequences is the time-interval between tones. In such sequences, clear accents are perceived. This paper describes accent perception in equitone sequences containing two alternating intervals; such sequences are perceived as consisting of repeating groups of two tones. An accent is heard on the first tone of a group if the difference between the intervals is about 5% to 10%. If the difference is made bigger, the accent is heard on the last tone of the group; this latter accent is considerably stronger than the accent previously heard on the first tone. In a number of experiments, the conditions under which the two types of accents occur were investigated. From these experiments, it was tentatively concluded that the accent on the last tone is heard because that tone, since it is followed by a longer interval, can be processed more completely. This “intervalproduced” accent indeed occurs only if the between-group interval is considerably longer than the within-group interval and if the latter does not exceed a duration of about 250 msec. The effect is slightly dependent on tone duration. The interval-produced accent can be balanced if the nonaccented tone is increased by about 4 dB in intensity. This shows that the effect is quite robust. The specific type of accentuation reported here might explain some rhythmical phenomena, examples of which are given.     

A characterization of stochastic independence by association,with an application to random utility theory

A characterization of stochastic independence in terms of association of random variables is given. The result is applied to yield a simple proof of the Sattath-Tversky inequality without continuity assumptions.     

Lesions of the basal ganglia, thalamus, and deep white matter: Differential effects on language functions

Forty-five patients with unilateral demarcated vascular lesions in the basal ganglia, the thalamus and the deep white matter were investigated with an "aphasia battery." Patients with basal ganglia lesions performed worse than both other groups in tests of articulation, syntax, and lexical functions. The deficit of patients with basal ganglia lesions on all expressive language modalities was lateralized to the left hemisphere. Patients with left thalamic lesions showed impairments of speech fluency and in the Token Test. Patients with white matter lesions alone showed no effect of laterality in tests of language functions. The results are discussed on the basis of a recent theory of the participation of the deep nuclei in language processing.     

Freud,Piaget and Macmurray: A theory of knowledge from the standpoint of personal relations

The following comparisons between Freud's and Piaget's concepts are proposed: eros drive = constructive assimilation = direction toward the object in the sense of love for newness and otherness; death drive = constrictive assimilation = direction away from or destruction of the object out of fear for self to preserve the system. Eros and assimilation drive combine in the developing object and symbol formation to transform personal relations and knowledge. These psychological theories are further confirmed by evolutionary considerations about human social relations and by Macmurray's philosophy of personal relations as the primary function of reason.     

Evidence for the Altruistic Personality from Data on Accident Research

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to test whether the concept of an altruistic personality was valid for first aiders who intervened to help the victims of a traffic accident. We derived a number of relevant personality variables that should be related to the willingness to administer first aid. These include locus of control, social responsibility, belief in a just world, empathy, and instrumentality. We obtained data from proven first aiders who had intervened after a traffic accident. Thirty-four of these first aiders were matched to respondents from a subject pool on the basis of sex, age, and socioeconomic status. In addition, the willingness of these respondents to offer help after a traffic accident was taken into account. Only people who indicated that they had witnessed an accident and had not helped were included in the control group. Multivariate analyses of variance and covariance indicated that proven first aiders deviated from the control group on several dimensions: They described themselves as more internal, believed more in a just world, and emphasized more social responsibility and empathy.     

Personality as a risk factor in coronary heart disease

The pioneering work of the authors of the Type A personality concept has now been shown to be seriously flawed, with only the traits of anger, aggression, and hostility remaining as risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). There is now evidence for a much stronger relationship between CHD and personality involving a rather different set of concepts and theories. The evidence for such a relationship is summarized, and a causal link suggested. It is also shown that the CHD-prone type of behaviour can be changed by behaviour therapy, decreasing considerably the risk of dying from CHD.     

Adaptation in distance perception with head-movement parallax serving as the veridical cue

When head-movement parallax functioned as the sole veridical distance cue during exposure to spectacles that altered the eyes’ oculomotor adjustments, sizable adaptation was obtained. This result showed that a discrimination of the distances of 60 and 30 cm can be based on head-movement parallax. Using adaptation in demonstrating that head-movement parallax can serve as a distance cue circumvents the problem that the presence of accommodation normally presents when such a demonstration is attempted. The usual contamination of head-movement parallax with accommodation is avoided, because accommodation is altered by the spectacles and does pot function as a veridical cue along with head-movement parallax.