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Gallistel’S The Organization Of Learning: This Is Not Creation Science, James Dougan
Gallistel’S The Organization Of Learning: This Is Not Creation Science, James Dougan
Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Connections, Symbols, And The Meaning Of Intelligence, Peter M. Asaro '94
Connections, Symbols, And The Meaning Of Intelligence, Peter M. Asaro '94
Honors Projects
More recently, debates in AI have focused on the implications of Connectionism. Connectionism is the hypothesis that distributed computations are capable of instantiating intelligent functions without relying on the representational character of symbols, but rather on the computational states themselves which are cal1~ distributed representations (Haugeland, 1991). This distinction puts connectionism at odds with symbolic theory. The current debates tend to be over which theory will yield intelligent systems--symbolic or connectionist? But as we will soon see, this really amounts to a debate over which representational scheme is required for general intelligence.
The Effects Of Social Competition Of The Economic Behavior Of Rats, Jennifer D. Johns '94
The Effects Of Social Competition Of The Economic Behavior Of Rats, Jennifer D. Johns '94
Honors Projects
Recent studies have shown that the law of supply and demand describes behavior on simple Variable Interval (VI) schedules. When the quantity of reinforcement supplied is large, animals will "pay" less for the reinforcer than when quantity supplied is small. These studies, however, feature organisms responding alone in operant chambers, without the social competition which economists argue drive the law of supply and demand. The present series of experiments examine the effects of social context on the economic behavior of rats on VI schedules. Rats responded on a pseudo-randomly assigned sequence of VI schedules differing in reinforcement rate. During half …
Toward An Understanding Of Alzheimer's Disease: The Effects Of B-Amyloid(1-42) And Ibotenic Acid On The Retention Of A Spatial Learning Task In Rats F:Ollowing Multiple Injections Into The Hippocampus, Jason Pequette '94
Honors Projects
Neuropathologically, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Evidence has suggested that a protein called B-amyloid (BA) is a major component of the neuritic plaques and may playa role in the neurodegeneration seen in AD. The cellular mechanisms by which BA induces neurotoxicity, however, are still unclear. Recent evidence suggests that the aggregational state of BA may be relevant to its neurotoxicity. Whether portions of the BA protein or the entire sequence produces neurotoxicity in neurons, however, remains a controversy. Still another controversy is whether BA is directly neurotoxic to neurons or whether it increases the …
An Investigation Of A Shift In Thought Content In Sexual Dysfunction, Marygrace E. Yale '94
An Investigation Of A Shift In Thought Content In Sexual Dysfunction, Marygrace E. Yale '94
Honors Projects
The present study was an extension of a study by Bruce, Barlow, and Jones (1989), and examined whether a cognitive shift from on-to-off-task thought occurred during sexual arousal, accounting for dysfunctional performance. This study examined the thought content and sexual response of sexually functional (SFs; N = 10) and sexually dysfunctional (SDSi N = 10) subjects during three levels of distraction, (no distraction, first level of distraction and second level of distraction). As hypothesized, under no distraction, SFs exhibited the highest level of sexual arousal and greatest number of on-task thoughts. As distraction increased, SFs showed a decrease in sexual …
The Effect Of Exposure To Glucocorticoids On The Retention Of A Spatial Task In Rats Injected Bilaterally With Beta-Amyloid Into The Hippocampus, Harinie Wijeweera '94
The Effect Of Exposure To Glucocorticoids On The Retention Of A Spatial Task In Rats Injected Bilaterally With Beta-Amyloid Into The Hippocampus, Harinie Wijeweera '94
Honors Projects
The pathology of Alzheimer's disease is characterized by neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The core component of the plaques is an amino acid named Beta-amyloid (AB). A recent study done by Dornan, Kang, McCampbell, and Kang (1993) reported that bilateral injections of AB along with a subthreshold dose of ibotenic acid (IBO) into the hippocampus significantly impaired the acquisition of a spatial learning task in rats. Dornan et al suggest that the results seen in their study maybe due to AB+IBO working synergistically via NMDA receptors to cause calcium dyshomeostasis. Another way that calcium dyshomeostasis occurs in the brain is …
A Pilot Study On The Use Of Alprazolam-Assisted Exposure And Response Prevention In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Julie A. Reinlasoder '94
A Pilot Study On The Use Of Alprazolam-Assisted Exposure And Response Prevention In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Julie A. Reinlasoder '94
Honors Projects
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a behavior disorder characterized by recurrent, intense thoughts and repetitive ritualistic acts. Treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder typically consist of either exposure and response prevention or pharmacotherapy. particularly benzodiazepines. Combinations of these two types of treatment could lead to three possible outcomes. First, the combination of exposure and response prevention and benzodiazepines may show no better results than exposure and response prevention alone. Second, combination therapy may result in a better effect than exposure and response prevention alone--the drug will decrease anxiety during exposure without increasing the relapse rate after treatment. Third, combination therapy could have worse …
The Effect Of Premium Offers And Consumer Buying Decisions, Amy R. Parker '94
The Effect Of Premium Offers And Consumer Buying Decisions, Amy R. Parker '94
Honors Projects
Premiums programs are common promotional tools, but have received very little empirical study. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of a premium program done by Beer Nuts, Inc. A mail survey was sent to the first 250 respondents to the premium offer. Results indicate that most of the respondents were previous Beer Nuts consumers, would switch brands to receive a premium, would pay more for a product to obtain a premium, will continue to purchase the product after receiving the premium, and will use cents-off coupons. Additionally, results show that the average premium consumer is …
The Implications Of Cognitive Change In The Treatment Of Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia, Lisa M. Nowak '94
The Implications Of Cognitive Change In The Treatment Of Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia, Lisa M. Nowak '94
Honors Projects
This study was an extension of a previous study done by Spiegel, Bruce, Falkin-Gregg, and Nuzzarello (in press), the latter of which tested whether cognitive behavior therapy assisted alprazolam discontinuation in panic disorder patients. The focus of cognitive behavior therapy in relation to benzodiazepine discontinuation placed great emphasis on changing cognitive biases during th~ treatment process. The present study investigated whether groups differed on cognitive factors associated with panic disorder (e,g. catastrophic misinterpretations, sensitivity to bodily sensations, and a feeling of lack of control over emotions and situations) and whether that change predicted discontinuation. The results showed the alprazolam plus …
The Inhibition-Deficit Hypothesis: A Possible Neurological Mechanism For Age-Related Changes In The Formation Of Problem-Solving Set, Elizabeth J. Meinz '94
The Inhibition-Deficit Hypothesis: A Possible Neurological Mechanism For Age-Related Changes In The Formation Of Problem-Solving Set, Elizabeth J. Meinz '94
Honors Projects
In the process of problem-solving, a limiting of possible solutions often occurs which causes subjects to prematurely narrow their problem-solving options. This tendency is called problem-solving set. It is possible that there is an underlying neurological mechanism which regulates this process. It has been shown that the frontal lobes play a role in the inhibition of irrelevant information, suggesting that they may be involved in the formation of set. Because the frontal lobes are suspected to degenerate somewhat with age, the elderly may have less of a tendency towards problem-solving set than young adults. In the current study, set was …
Types Of Stress Associated With The Onset Of Panic Disorder And Social Phobia, Diana L. Johnson '94
Types Of Stress Associated With The Onset Of Panic Disorder And Social Phobia, Diana L. Johnson '94
Honors Projects
The present study examined the association of different types of stress with the onset of both panic disorder and social phobia. Twenty-three subjects who met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder and twenty-three subjects who met the DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia were matched on the variables of sex, race, level of education, and time of retrospection. Data related to circumstances surrounding onset were. collected from semi-structured initial diagnostic interviews. Descriptions of the circumstances were then rated and classified by blind independent raters into categories of no stress/stress, conditional stressor/background stress, and evaluation related stress/not evaluation related stress. Results indicated …
Developmental Factors In Visual Search: The Inhibition Deficit Hypothesis In A Feature-Integration Task, Stacy M. Forbes '94
Developmental Factors In Visual Search: The Inhibition Deficit Hypothesis In A Feature-Integration Task, Stacy M. Forbes '94
Honors Projects
One of the most robust findings in cognitive functioning is that the elderly are more easily distracted by irrelevant information. This inhibition-deficit hypothesis may be useful in explaining older adults' deficits in visual search tasks. Treisman's Feature Integration Theory suggests that there are two ways to visually process information: parallel processing, an automatic process that does not require directed attention, and serial processing, which does. This study provides evidence for the role of inhibitory processes (and therefore frontal lobe involvement) in serial, but not parallel search. Six and ten year old children, undergraduate students, and elderly subjects participated in the …
Behavior And Thought Change After A Self-Improvement Program: Studying The Effects Of Environmental And Other Factors On The Transfer Of Training, Jennifer Bernstein '94
Behavior And Thought Change After A Self-Improvement Program: Studying The Effects Of Environmental And Other Factors On The Transfer Of Training, Jennifer Bernstein '94
Honors Projects
This study tested the attitude-behavior relationship and transfer of training on a specific training program -The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a self-improvement program designed to improve. such things as: interpersonal relationships, time management skills, and concentrating only on what one can change. The subjects were 84 BroMenn Healthcare employees signed up to take the training program. Both groups were given a pre-and post-test consisting of four parts: one's behaviors and thoughts (including questions on locus of control), countertraining, and two parts of the Personal Strain Questionnaire. It was found that a low pre-test countertraining score did …
Burnout, Social Support, And Coping In Crisisline Volunteers, Lisa Beal '94
Burnout, Social Support, And Coping In Crisisline Volunteers, Lisa Beal '94
Honors Projects
This study examined the relationship among burnout, social support, and coping in volunteers. In this study, 30 volunteers from Rape Crisis Center of Bloomington, Illinois, anonymously completed four questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the UCLA Social Support Inventory, a coping survey, and a demographic survey. The Maslach Burnout Inventory contains three subscales, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment. A question is asked on the demographic questionnaire regarding the respondent's perception of the turnover rate among the volunteers of the group. This response was correlated with the three subscales of the burnout measure in order to establish if perception of turnover …