crown@dukempd.UUCP (Rick Crownover) (04/08/88)
Regarding the question of whether "any" behavior is hard wired. I recall reading about behavior-response pairings which were apparently not possible. Something about rats being able to associate electric shocks with a visual stimulus, but not nausea with a visual stimulus? Some of you "cognitive psych" people must be familiar with the experiment. If no one has heard of it, I'll dig out a reference. The conclusion drawn by the people who did the experiment (I'm going to find the reference anyway-- the frustrations of distant memory!) was that some stimulus-response (that is what I meant in the second line) pairings were hard wired in some cases. Their intent seemed to be demonstration of an Achilles heel in Skinner's theory of behavior. Anyone heard of this experiment, and remember the details? Aloha, Rick ~ -- Rick Crownover 1-919-684-8279 Duke University Dept. of Physics crown@dukempd.uucp Durham, N.C. 27706 mcnc!duke!dukempd!crown
ems@Apple.COM (Mike Smith) (04/12/88)
In article <2495@geac.UUCP> sigrid@geac.UUCP (Sigrid Grimm) writes: > >The whole Conditioning-Only argument as "proof" that an animal has not >exhibited intelligence behaviour is also becoming a tired one (in my humble >opinion). ... >I mean every single one of us only understands and does what we do because of >the example set by some other human(s) at some time in our life. Does this mean Bingo! Seems to me that much of what happens in elementary school (and beyond, for that matter...) can be explained as Conditioned Response. I know that the multiplication tables are for most folks. And dates in history. And answers to all sorts of 'factual' questions ... Does this mean that elementary and high school students lack human intelegence? Proof at last!!! :-) The fact that my ducks liked to run onto the patio when I wasn't around to chase them off, but went JUST TO THE EDGE of the patio to quack at me when I would appear; the fact that my dog SLINKS out the open gate and acts guilty when caught, but goes boldly through when on a leash; and many other similar events all lead me to believe that they have lots of intelegence and use it much as a child does. Speach is not language, ask any signing deaf person. 'Body language' and posturing is widely used among mammels and birds; so are 'calls and crys'. They have language, it's just a question of complexity and form. E. Michael Smith ...!sun!apple!ems 'If you can dream it, you can do it' Walt Disney This is the obligatory disclaimer of everything. (Including but not limited to: typos, spelling, diction, logic, and nuclear war)