[sci.psychology.digest] PSYCOLOQUY V1 #11

harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Stevan Harnad) (08/25/90)

PSYCOLOQUY                  Fri, 24 Aug 90       Volume 1 : Issue  11
      Archives and organization
      Dane's memory query

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: david%harald.ruc.dk DS Stodolsky, Roskilde U. Ctr. Roskilde, Denmark
Subject: Archives and organization

Archives and organization: The social potential of electronic publishing

I completely agree with William Gardner ["The Electronic Archive:
Scientific Publishing for the 90s" (Psychological Science 1990, in
press and PSYCOLOQUY, Volume 1: Issue 8] that:

> network discussions will be most fruitful if
> there are electronically archived references to serve as fixed of
> points of reference for the discussion.

While there are many functioning archives on the Internet and even a standard
archiving software package freely available, the integration of archived
articles with ongoing discussion on Usenet leaves much to be desired. One
problem is that from the users point of view, reading current articles and
retrieval of articles from archives are completely separate activities and
require different types of knowledge and skills (This has been remedied to some
degree in the latest version of nn, a news reading program). A proper
integration requires consideration of both human interface, and technical and
social factors. Such an integration may yield a media that is a mix of
electronic mail and electronic publishing which has no current equivalent (see
Stodolsky [1989], enclosed). The real question is whether efforts should be
limited to the standard model for information exchange currently used. The
alternative is that scientific societies play an active role in shaping the new
media. I believe it will be beneficial if they did so. And I would be willing to
argue it is their responsibility to do so, especially if the society claims
expertise in any way relevant to the new media.

I also agree that we need some central organization. However, the power of any
such central organization should be limited as much as possible. If we take
maximum advantage of the capabilities of network technology, central
organization could be limited to the registration of user names.

Another organizational question relates to what is the proper realm of activity
for a given organization. A scientific society can run an archive, but this is
not its central function. From an idealist's viewpoint, the scientific society's
major responsibility is the management of a dialogue process that leads to an
ongoing accumulation of knowledge. In the past, this function has been served by
the publication of journals. If the media situation changes, the central
function may be better served by new procedures for information exchange.

To say:
> Current electronic journal
> models (including USENET) will not work because the flat ascii file won't
> work.  We need hypertext and professional standard typography, and anything
> else is a step back from the utility available from print technology.

is to confuse functions that are increasing becoming independent. These function
are storage, distribution, and presentation. Usenet is primarily a distribution
system. Its only formal rules concern distribution. It distributes ASCII files,
hypertext documents, executable programs, and so on. Any form of information can
be distributed as long as it conforms to certain standards for "packaging". I
would prefer to say that Usenet is a medium in search of a model, rather than an
electronic journal model itself.

Archiving is logically and functionally independent. A given user may prefer to
archive articles locally, or may prefer to retrieve them from a central source.
This will be determined by personal work habits and by the relative cost of
storage versus transmission, among other things. Similarly, the presentation of
information is a separate function best controlled by the user. The adequate
presentation of information can be facilitated by the producer, but in the case
of computer networks, it is the user who determines, in the final analysis, what
expense and effort should be devoted to information presentation. I have found
the standard Macintosh (SE) computer to be an entirely adequate presentation
device. Unfortunately, many of the display systems currently in use do not reach
this standard and are not adequate for extended periods of reading. But it is
the end user who must determine whether to upgrade a display system, or to read
articles some other way.

The organization of information can be discussed in terms of the placement of
fonts on a page and the links between items in a hypertext document. It can also
be discussed in terms of who gets published and who benefits from the system for
scientific communication. Outrageous prices for journals are a well known
problem; one major publisher has even taken court action to prevent distribution
of a survey on the relative costs of journal publication (Holden, 1990).
Currently, the structure of scientific communication is distorted by commercial
interests. One example is the "star" system in which a very few scientists
achieve great fame. These stars can then be "bought" by publishers who place
their names on the mastheads of journals. Worse than the economic exploitation,
is the lack of recognition of many highly competent researchers and of really
innovative work. Innovative articles get published last, if at all (Dalton,
1988). I want to see questions relating to the social organization of science
included in any discussion about new media. Failure to do so could have dire
consequences for the both scientists and the general public.

I completely agree with Gardner that a large effort is required to move the
scientific communication system into the network environment. It will take a
major investment to free the system from the dominance of commercial interests,
but the benefits will outweigh the costs. Counteracting commercial interests
requires a massive, but decentralized investment. Democratization of scientific
communication is a solution to the domination of science by outside interests
and could lead to the achievement of real scientific freedom.

References

Dalton, R. (1988, August 29). Is anonymity essential to objective peer review?
Current Contents - Social and Behavioral Sciences, (35), 13-14. (Reprinted from
[1988, July 11]. The Scientist, 2[13], 5, 10.)

Gardner, William P.  <wpg@mendel.acc.virginia.edu> (1990, 25 May)
PSYCOLOQUY, Volume 1 : Issue  8.

Holden, C. (1990, April 20). Gordon & Beach impanels a journal jury. Science,
248(4953), 290-9.

------------------------------- enclosed article ----------------------

From: stodol@freja.diku.dk (David Stodolsky)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.groups
Subject: Re: Mutual Moderation (was: Semi-moderated newsgroups)
Keywords: moderation newsgroups semi-moderated peer review quality
Message-ID: <5058@freja.diku.dk>
Date: 17 Dec 89 22:30:51 GMT
Organization: DIKU, U of Copenhagen, DK


rayan@cs.toronto.edu (Rayan Zachariassen) writes in
<89Dec13.033005est.2334@neat.cs.toronto.edu>

>I was also
>worried about the immense added volume in just passing "I like this
>article" type control messages around the net.

This would be the first order effect. But consider the drop in volume that
would occur when certain people found out that they were getting negative
reputations from posting in certain groups. Or if they couldn't take the hint,
that no one was reading their postings. The overall objective of the
moderation is to give people enough feedback so that they will not post things
that are not worth reading.

If mutual moderation was generally adopted, then review messages would get net
wide distribution and referenced messages would be dynamically distributed.
That is, if a message got good reviews, then a lot of systems would ask for
it. Your software would always be looking at the review messages and when a
referenced message passed your criteria, it would be requested. Sort of what
happens manually with book reviews. Such a requested message could also go on
to disk of each system it passed through, where it would be retained for a
while. So if you were requesting a message that was already in demand, it
would probably be on the next system (or your own) already.

In _Babar: An Electronic Mail Database_ (SSL Technical Report [P88-00015],
Xerox PARC, April 1988) Steve Putz  said that mail management is faced with
the problems of how to handle the categorizing and shared access. These
problems also seem to be present in the Usenet news system. News and mail need
to be integrated in some way for mediated communication to function
effectively. Doing this would also probably eliminate the need for votes on
newsgroup creation, since newsgroups would not function much differently than
mailing lists.

I can see two extremes for document distribution, and both of these reduce
traffic. The first concerns documents that almost no one reads. These can fly
around on the author's disk as long as the electric bill is paid :-) in the
hopes of being discovered. The second concerns eternal gems of wisdom that are
constantly referred to. These would just sit permanently (except for the rare
update :-) on every machine's disk waiting to be read. So what is needed, for
an effective solution, is an integration of news, mail, and archives that
balances transmission and storage costs given the mix of messages and readers.

David S. Stodolsky                  Office: + 45 46 75 77 11 x 21 38
Department of Computer Science                Home: + 45 31 55 53 50
Bldg. 20.2, Roskilde University Center        Internet: david@ruc.dk
Post Box 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark        Fax: + 45 46 75 74 01

------------------------------

From: andrew%rick.doc.ca@pucc (Andrew Patrick)
Subject: Dane's memory query

| From: jean%mcc.com@pucc (Jean McKendree)
| Subject: A response to Frank Dane's memory query
|
| In response to Frank Dane's question about studies of the problem
| of not being able to retrieve something from memory:
|
| A related topic is problem-solving and creativity as related to
| "incubation", i.e. putting aside the task for awhile and coming
| back later.  There are a number of papers on this phenomenon,
| some even arguing that it doesn't happen.  Some recent papers have
| found evidence that it is indeed a reliable phenomenon and they
| attempt to develop a theory of the cognitive mechanisms that underlie
| it, usually centering on priming effects.  One very interesting and
| imaginative dissertation is:
|    C. Kaplan, "Hatching a Theory of Incubation: Does putting a problem
|    aside really help?", Carnegie-Mellon Psychology Department, Pittsburgh,
|    PA, 1989.
|
| I think he is revising it now for publication.

Never miss an opportunity to plug your own work :-)

See:
Patrick, A.S.  (1986).  The role of ability in creative
    'incubation'.  PERSONALITY & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, 7, 169-174.

More relevant to the study of memory is:
Read, J.D., & Bruce, D.  (1982).  Longitudinal tracking of difficult
    memory retrievals.  COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, 14, 280-300.


--
Andrew Patrick, Ph.D.               | Old Address: andrew@dgbt.crc.dnd.CA
andrew@dgbt.doc.CA                  | Alternate Address: andrew@doccrc.BITNET
Dept. of Communications, Ottawa, CA | Slow Address: andrew@dgbt.UUCP
         "Creativity is a function of the tools you work with."

------------------------------

                             PSYCOLOQUY
                           is sponsored by
                     the Science Directorate of
                the American Psychological Association
                           (202) 955-7653

                              Co-Editors:

(scientific discussion)         (professional/clinical discussion)

    Stevan Harnad          Perry London, Dean,     Cary Cherniss (Assoc Ed.)
Psychology Department  Graduate School of Applied   Graduate School of Applied
Princeton University   and Professional Psychology  and Professional Psychology
                            Rutgers University           Rutgers University

                           Assistant Editors:

     Malcolm Bauer                               John Pizutelli
  Psychology Department                      Psychology Department
  Princeton University                         Rutgers University

End of PSYCOLOQUY Digest
******************************

harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Stevan Harnad) (08/25/90)

PSYCOLOQUY                  Fri, 24 Aug 90       Volume 1 : Issue  11
      Action Alert
      IAPSY-L, Interamerican Psychologists List
      Postmodern Culture
      COMPSYCH Information Service

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: APA Science Directorate <APASDCF%GWUVM.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU>
Subject: Action Alert

                   APA Science Directorate Action Alert

NOTE FROM:  Lewis P. Lipsitt, Ph.D., APA Executive Director for Science

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR YOU TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS ABOUT RESEARCH FUNDING
CUTS NOW BEING CONSIDERED TO MEET THE CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED GRAMM-RUDMAN
DEFICIT TARGET.  BECAUSE YOU RECEIVE THE SCIENCE DIRECTORATE'S RESEARCH
FUNDING BULLETIN AND HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST IN RESEARCH FUNDING, IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS CRITICAL SITUATION AND TO RESPOND TO
IT BY WRITING OR CALLING YOUR SENATORS.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

URGENT!! CUTS IN FEDERAL RESEARCH SPENDING OF UP TO 32% ARE CONTEMPLATED!!
THE SCIENCE DIRECTORATE URGES YOU TO WRITE YOUR TWO SENATORS TODAY!!

    Richard Darman, Director of the Office of Management and Budget,
directed federal agency heads this week to submit contingency plans for a
31.9% cut in domestic discretionary spending.  The National Institutes of
Health, the National Science Foundation, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental
Health Administration, and the Office of Educational Research and
Improvement are all considered discretionary programs under the Gramm-
Rudman Deficit Reduction Act.  If both Houses of Congress do not approve a
budget that meets Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction targets, discretionary
programs are automatically cut until the programmed reduction is achieved.

    How did this happen?  Since May 15, Congressional leaders have been
meeting with Administration leaders to reach an agreement on a combination
of spending cuts and potential new revenues to meet the Gramm-Rudman target
deficit of $64 billion for the 1991 fiscal year, which begins October 1.
Under economic projections made early in the year, $37 billion in cuts,
revenues or both were needed to meet the target.  But the mounting costs of
the federal savings and loan bailout, the potential cost of U.S. troop
support in Saudi Arabia, and the expected rise in fuel costs due to the
Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, have pushed up the projected deficit, and
increased the amount of spending cuts and revenues necessary to reach the
$64 billion target number.  Because the negotiators have not reached
agreement, the process established by the Gramm-Rudman Act will make a
31.9% cut mandatory unless the stalemate is broken soon.

    Congressional leaders may think that some mandatory cuts are needed
for the federal government to meet the $64 billion target.  The Science
Directorate strongly believes that ANY cut under the Gramm-Rudman framework
will adversely affect federal research, particularly psychological
research.  We urge you to contact your two Senators today either by phone
or by sending a letter similar to the sample letter that follows.  Your
Senators must hear from their constituents who depend on federal research
dollars!  Otherwise they may assume that spending cuts are the lesser of
two evils (and chances are that they are not anxious to vote for revenue
increases in an election year).  Modify the sample letter to reflect your
own research and your university's circumstances; those points will carry
the greatest weight.  Send the Science Directorate copies of your letters,
either via Bitnet (APASD@GWUVM) or mail (address below).  We urge you,
also, to contact others in your department and urge your colleagues or
students to write.  This issue is too important for us to sit on the
sidelines and hope the outcome is one we can live with.  If you have
questions or comments, please contact either of us or Pat Kobor,
Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer.

Yours in support of research,

Barbara J. Calkins                           Lewis P. Lipsitt, Ph.D.
Director, Legislative & Federal Affairs      Executive Director for Science
APASDBJC@GWUVM                               APASDLPL@GWUVM

Science Directorate
American Psychological Association
1200 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC  20036
SAMPLE LETTER     SAMPLE LETTER     SAMPLE LETTER     SAMPLE LETTER

The Honorable
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator             :

    As a research psychologist, I am very concerned about reports of a
possible 32% cut in federal 1991 research spending to meet the Gramm-Rudman
deficit target.  Such cuts would be devastating to my department and to the
important research conducted at my institution.

    (Insert your own paragraph here, describing your research.)

    I understand that the savings and loan bailout and events in the Middle
East combined make this a stringent year for federal spending.  But
resorting to mandatory Gramm-Rudman cuts would be very damaging to the
ongoing research at this university, for which, in many cases, multi-year
funding commitments have been made.  In some instances, lost jobs would
result, and research could be interrupted that could not later be salvaged.

    I am sure I do not need to convince you of the value of federally-
funded research.  It is imperative that you communicate with budget
negotiators the need to work out a solution that will not jeopardize
research goals.  The federal government has made a commitment to this
institution, not only by helping train young psychological scientists but
by funding basic and applied research to help solve national problems
(e.g., mental illness, Alzheimers, learning disabilities, exposure to
environmental toxins, low productivity in the workplace).  Each year in
which such major societal problems are NOT solved, it becomes more and more
costly to our society.  Cutting research is a false economy and it must not
happen this year.

    Please let me know what steps you are taking to urge an end to the
stalemate among the congressional and administration negotiators.  Please
work with your colleagues to reach an agreement that does not rely on
heavy-handed Gramm-Rudman research cuts.  I am very eager to receive your
response.

                                             Sincerely yours,

                               SENATORS

(Room numbers beginning with SR are in the Russell Building, SD are in
the Dirksen Building and SH are in the Hart Building)

                                        SUITE            TELEPHONE
                                        NUMBER

Vice President Quayle, Dan (IN)         SD-202           42424
ADAMS, Brock (WA)                       SH-513           42621
AKAKA, Daniel (HI)                      SH-109           46361
ARMSTRONG, William L. (CO)              SH-528           45941
BAUCUS, Max (MT)                        SH-706           42651
BENTSEN, Lloyd (TX)                     SH-703           45922
BIDEN, Jr., Joseph R. (DE)              SR-221           45042
BINGAMAN, Jeff (NM)                     SH-524           45521
BOND, Christopher S. (MO)               SR-293           45721
BOREN, David L. (OK)                    SR-453           44721
BOSCHWITZ, Rudy (MN)                    SH-506           45641
BRADLEY, Bill (NJ)                      SH-731           43224
BREAUX, John B. (LA)                    SH-516           44623
BRYAN, Richard H. (NV)                  SR-364           46244
BUMPERS, Dale (AR)                      SD-229           44843
BURDICK, Quentin N. (ND)                SH-511           42551
BURNS, Conrad (MT)                      SD-183           42644
BYRD, Robert C. (WV)                    SH-311           43954
CHAFEE, John H. (RI)                    SD-567           42921
COATS, Dan (IN)                         SR-411           45623
COCHRAN, Thad (MS)                      SR-326           45054
COHEN, William S. (ME)                  SH-322           42523
CONRAD, Kent (ND)                       SD-361           42043
CRANSTON, Alan (CA)                     SH-112           43553
D'AMATO, Alfonse M. (NY)                SH-520           46542
DANFORTH, John C. (MO)                  SR-249           46154
DASCHLE, Thomas A. (SD)                 SH-317           42321
DeCONCINI, Dennis (AZ)                  SH-328           44521
DIXON, Alan J. (IL)                     SH-331           42854
DODD, Christopher J. (CT)               SR-444           42823
DOLE, Robert (KS)                       SH-141           46521
DOMENICI, Pete V. (NM)                  SD-434           46621
DURENBERGER, Dave (MN)                  SR-154           43244
EXON, J. James (NE)                     SH-330           44224
FORD, Wendell H. (KY)                   SR-173A          44343
FOWLER, Jr., Wyche (GA)                 SR-204           43643
GARN, Jake (UT)                         SD-505           45444
GLENN, John (OH)                        SH-503           43353
GORE, Jr., Albert (TN)                  SR-393           44944
GORTON, Slade (WA)                      SH-730           43441
GRAHAM, Bob (FL)                        SD-241           43041
GRAMM, Phil (TX)                        SR-370           42934
GRASSLEY, Charles E. (IA)               SH-135           43744
HARKIN, Tom (IA)                        SH-316           43254
HATCH, Orrin G. (UT)                    SR-135           45251
HATFIELD, Mark O. (OR)                  SH-711           43753
HEFLIN, Howell (AL)                     SH-728           44124
HEINZ, John (PA)                        SR-277           46324
HELMS, Jesse (NC)                       SD-403           46342
HOLLINGS, Ernest F. (SC)                SR-125           46121
HUMPHREY, Gordon J. (NH)                SH-531           42841
INOUYE, Daniel K. (HI)                  SH-722           43934
JEFFORDS, James M. (VT)                 SD-530           45141
JOHNSTON, J. Bennett (LA)               SH-136           45824
KASSEBAUM, Nancy Landon (KS)            SR-302           44774
KASTEN, Jr., Robert W. (WI)             SH-110           45323
KENNEDY, Edward M. (MA)                 SR-315           44543
KERREY, J. Robert (NE)                  SH-302           46551
KERRY, John F. (MA)                     SR-421           42742
KOHL, Herbert (WI)                      SH-702           45653
LAUTENBERG, Frank R. (NJ)               SH-717           44744
LEAHY, Patrick J. (VT)                  SR-433           44242
LEVIN, Carl (MI)                        SR-459           46221
LIEBERMAN, Joseph I. (CT)               SH-502           44041
LOTT, Trent (MS)                        SR-487           46253
LUGAR, Richard G. (IN)                  SH-306           44814
MACK, Connie (FL)                       SH-517           45274
McCAIN, John (AZ)                       SR-111           42235
McCLURE, James A. (ID)                  SH-309           42752
McCONNELL, Mitch (KY)                   SR-120           42541
METZENBAUM, Howard M. (OH)              SR-140           42315
MIKULSKI, Barbara A. (MD)               SH-320           44654
MITCHELL, George J. (ME)                SR-176           45344
MOYNIHAN, Daniel Patrick (NY)           SR-464           44451
MURKOWSKI, Frank H. (AK)                SH-709           46665
NICKLES, Don (OK)                       SH-713           45754
NUNN, Sam (GA)                          SD-303           43521
PACKWOOD, Bob (OR)                      SR-259           45244
PELL, Claiborne (RI)                    SR-335           44642
PRESSLER, Larry (SD)                    SH-133           45842
PRYOR, David (AR)                       SR-267           42353
REID, Harry (NV)                        SH-324           43542
RIEGLE, Jr., Donald W. (MI)             SD-105           44822
ROBB, Charles S. (VA)                   SR-493           44024
ROCKEFELLER, IV, John D. (WV)           SH-724           46472
ROTH, Jr., William V. (DE)              SH-104           42441
RUDMAN, Warren (NH)                     SH-530           43324
SANFORD, Terry (NC)                     SH-716           43154
SARBANES, Paul S. (MD)                  SD-332           44524
SASSER, Jim (TN)                        SR-363           43344
SHELBY, Richard C. (AL)                 SH-313           45744
SIMON, Paul (IL)                        SD-462           42152
SIMPSON, Alan K. (WY)                   SD-261           43424
SPECTER, Arlen (PA)                     SH-303           44254
STEVENS, Ted (AK)                       SH-522           43004
SYMMS, Steven D. (ID)                   SH-509           46142
THURMOND, Strom (SC)                    SR-217           45972
WALLOP, Malcolm (WY)                    SR-237           46441
WARNER, John W. (VA)                    SR-225           42023
WILSON, Pete (CA)                       SH-720           43841
WIRTH, Timothy E. (CO)                  SR-380           45852

NOTE:  Insert the room and Senate office building in the address of
your letter.  Write, for example, Senator Brock Adams, United States
Senate, 513 Hart Building, Washington, DC 20510.  All phone numbers
begin with 224; thus Senator Adams's is (202) 224-2621.

------------------------------

From: "Bernardo M. Ferdman" <BMF13%UACSC2.ALBANY.EDU@pucc>
Subject: IAPSY-L, Interamerican Psychologists List

A new LISTSERV-based group for psychologists, IAPSY-L is based at
ALBNYVM1.  The list is intended to link psychologists throughout the
Americas.  Anyone interested in joining or in further information
should write to the list co-ordinator, Bernardo Ferdman (BMF13@ALBNYVM1).

*  El proposito de IAPSY es facilitar y fomentar la comunicacion
*  y la colaboracion entre los psicologos de todas las Americas y
*  el Caribe, y ayudar en el trabajo de la Sociedad Interamericana
*  de Psicologia.  Los idiomas de la lista son espan~ol, frances,
*  ingles, y portuges (los idiomas de la SIP).
*
*  IAPSY is intended to facilitate and encourage communication and
*  collaboration among psychologists throughout the Americas and the
*  Caribbean, and to aid the Interamerican Society for Psychology/
*  Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia in its activities.  The
*  languages of the list are English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
*  (the languages of the ISP).

                            Bernardo M. Ferdman
                    ______  Dept. of Psychology
                  /       | Dept. of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
                 |        | State University of New York at Albany
      _________ /         | Albany, New York 12222   U.S.A.
      >                   |
     /                  * |  E-mail:     bmf13@albnyvm1.bitnet
    |_______________      |  Telephone:  (518) 442-4839
                    `_    |  Fax:        (518) 442-4867
                         |
                       `__|

------------------------------

From: Eyal Amiran <EAEG@ncsuvm.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Postmodern Culture

<Postmodern Culture>, a new electronic journal of interdisciplinary
studies, will come out in September.  <PMC> is a juried, scholarly
publication, and is available free on email.  To subscribe write
pmc@ncsuvm.bitnet or pmc@ncsuvm.ncsu.edu and ask to be subscribed.
The journal solicits submissions--essays, reviews, fiction, scripts,
poetry--relevant to contemporary literature, theory, and culture.
I hope to hear from you soon.  Virtually, Eyal Amiran, <PMC>.

------------------------------

From: COMPSYCH%SNYPLAVA.BITNET@pucc
Subject: COMPSYCH Information Service

        COMPSYCH - the computerized software information
                service for psychologists.

      COMPSYCH, developed by Margaret Anderson & Peter Hornby
at SUNY Plattsburgh and David Bozak at SUNY Oswego, answers
the need for up-to-date information about psychology software
for instruction, research, and practice.  The system provides
four major services: (1) a catalog of descriptive information
about available software, (2) a directory of software users,
(3) a message system for sharing information among users, and
(4) an announcement service for conferences, job openings, and
other information.  COMPSYCH is accessible via modem, electronic
mail or by hard-copy request.  There is no charge to users or to
software developers or publishers.   The following is a more
complete description of the system.

     The Software Catalog

   - Provides information about currently available software
     (both commercial and freeware) of interest to psychologists for
     instruction, research, and practice.
   - Contains product description, publisher, price,
     hardware requirements, user comments, and sources of
     published reviews.

     Directory of Software Users

   - Lists individuals involved in using and/or developing
     psychology software.
   - Contains name, address (including electronic),
     phone number, hardware in use, nature of software use,
     and software development interests.

     The Message System

   - Provides interactive communication among users of
     COMPSYCH as well a means of inputing information to
     the COMPSYCH system operators.
   - Messages can be directed to all users or selected
     individuals and can be password protected.
   - Can be used to comment on software, request or provide
     information, and exchange ideas.

     Announcement Service

   - Provides information of general interest to COMPSYCH
     users in specified bulletins.
   - Software information acquired during the previous
     thirty days will be listed in a specified bulletin.
   - Users are encouraged to submit comments to the system
     operators for inclusion as announcements.

                     HOW TO USE COMPSYCH

     Access Using a Modem

   - Phone (518) 564-3372 (24 hr service).
     COMPSYCH operates at 1200 baud using 8 data bits, no
     parity, and 1 stop bit.

   - This is the preferred method of access and the only
     method which allows users to view and download all
     information contained in COMPSYCH and use the
     interactive message system.

   - No pre-registration or assigned password is required.

   - System is menu driven, easy to use, with HELP screens
     available for all functions.

   - Users may input comments for the system operators
     regarding new software for inclusion in the catalog,
     material for the announcement bulletins, reviews of
     software, or suggestions regarding the system.

     Access Using Electronic Mail
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   - COMPSYCH@SNYPLAVA.BITNET

   - A registration form will be sent to all users
     contacting COMPSYCH by E-mail.

   - Users may leave plain language requests for files to be
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     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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------------------------------
                             PSYCOLOQUY
                           is sponsored by
                     the Science Directorate of
                the American Psychological Association
                           (202) 955-7653

                              Co-Editors:

(scientific discussion)         (professional/clinical discussion)

    Stevan Harnad          Perry London, Dean,     Cary Cherness (Assoc Ed.)
Psychology Department  Graduate School of Applied   Graduate School of Applied
Princeton University   and Professional Psychology  and Professional Psychology
                            Rutgers University           Rutgers University

                           Assistant Editors:

     Malcolm Bauer                               John Pizutelli
  Psychology Department                      Psychology Department
  Princeton University                         Rutgers University
End of PSYCOLOQUY Digest
******************************

harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Stevan Harnad) (08/25/90)

PSYCOLOQUY                  Fri, 24 Aug 90       Volume 1 : Issue  11
      APA Press Release: B.F. Skinner

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: APASDCF%GWUVM.BITNET@VTVM2.CC.VT.EDU
Subject: Press Release on B.F. Skinner

                                               Date: August 24, 1990
                                            Contact: Public Affairs Office
                                                     (202) 955-7710

   RENOWNED PSYCHOLOGIST B.F. SKINNER'S LAST SPEECH WAS TO HIS COLLEAGUES

       Delivered Keynote Address to American Psychological Association
                       Annual Convention Last Weekend

     WASHINGTON -- Well aware that he had only a short time to live, B.F.
Skinner, Ph.D., widely considered to be America's pre-eminent psychologist,
made a considerable personal effort to address his professional colleagues at
the 98th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in
Boston on August 10.  It was his last public appearance.

     Agreeing to be the keynote speaker at the convention was, according to
Raymond D. Fowler, Ph.D., APA chief executive officer, a generous and
courageous act on Dr. Skinner's part.  "He was in the last stages of his
illness," Fowler noted, "and very limited in strength, but he accepted our
invitation to speak and chose that occasion to make a very important
statement about his views of psychology as a discipline."

     Dr. Skinner, an APA member since 1926, was given a special Presidential
Citation for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology at the opening session of
the convention.  He addressed an overflow ballroom audience of his
professional colleagues for about 15 minutes.  In his remarks, Dr. Skinner
described the APA citation as "probably the greatest honor in my life."  But
he also offered some characteristically sharp words for cognitive science,
which he dubbed "the creationism of psychology."

     Dr. Skinner concluded his remarks by once again contrasting the
cognitive approach which focuses on thinking and his own approach which
emphasizes the analysis of behavior:  "Looking back on my life -- sixty-two
years as a psychologist -- I would say that what I have tried to do, that
what I have been doing is to make that point clear...Any evidence that I've
been successful in that is what I would like to be remembered by."

     Commenting on Dr. Skinner's death last Saturday at the age of 86, Dr.
Fowler of the APA said, "While his loss is great, we are very fortunate to
have had him as a brilliant and creative contributor to psychology for over
half the history of our discipline."

     Lewis P. Lipsitt, Ph.D., APA executive director for science, added that
"perhaps Professor Skinner's greatest contribution to the science of
psychology was his articulation of the principle that behavior has
consequences, and that these consequences, called reinforcement, can have
important and lasting effects on subsequent development and behavior.  He
collected systematic data relating to this principle, and believed that a
humane approach to training children, and to human problems, must take into
consideration the reality of rewards in shaping behavior."

     (A full transcript of Dr. Skinner's remarks is available from the APA
Public Affairs Office.)

     The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the
largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in
the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists.
APA's membership includes more than 102,000 clinicians, researchers,
educators, consultants, and students.  Through its divisions in 46 subfields
of psychology and affiliations with 55 state and Canadian provincial
psychological associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as
a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare.

------------------------------
                             PSYCOLOQUY
                           is sponsored by
                     the Science Directorate of
                the American Psychological Association
                           (202) 955-7653

                              Co-Editors:

(scientific discussion)         (professional/clinical discussion)

    Stevan Harnad          Perry London, Dean,     Cary Cherniss (Assoc Ed.)
Psychology Department  Graduate School of Applied   Graduate School of Applied
Princeton University   and Professional Psychology  and Professional Psychology
                            Rutgers University           Rutgers University

                           Assistant Editors:

     Malcolm Bauer                               John Pizutelli
  Psychology Department                      Psychology Department
  Princeton University                         Rutgers University

End of PSYCOLOQUY Digest
******************************