The Irreducibility of Consciousness
Philosopher John Searle talks about reduction, and details a number of the scientific phenomena that are what he calls "textbook models of reduction." Some of these include color, light, and the heat of a gas. Professor ..
The Justification of the State
Philosopher John Searle rejects the idea of having to justify "the state" because he says we are not only biological "beasts" but social beasts as well, and can't live without some kind of institutional structure. He doe..
The Learning Machine: Applying Classical Conditioning to the Human Experience
Pavlov's work was important because it demonstrated that the processes of learning could be studied scientifically, and that the principles of conditioning were applicable to humans as well. One of the primary ways peopl..
The Learning Machine: Cerebral Cortex, a Learning Machine, The
The cerebral cortex, supported by subcortical machinery, is a learning machine, controlling, modulating and regulating those permanent changes in behavior brought on by experience. Inside the brain, information is proces..
The Learning Machine: Food Aversion Conditioning Research of John Garcia, The
In the mid-1970s, sheep ranchers in California's Antelope Valley were at war with wild coyotes destroying their herds. By feeding the coyotes mutton laced with lithium chloride which made them ill, even coyotes in the wi..
The Learning Machine: Mass Media as a Source of Observational Learning
Mass media provides potent role models that influence children, teens, and adults. Correlation studies link children's aggressive patterns of behavior with television. A diet of televised violence tends to reduce restrai..
The Learning Machine: Observational Learning: The Research of Albert Bandura
Observational learning is an important part of making us who we are. We are particularly attuned to the behavior of our peers-the way they talk, the clothing they wear, their tastes and values. In the 1960s research pion..
The Learning Machine: Operant Conditioning Techniques Help Victims of Brain Injuries
At the Taub Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Edward Taub and his team use operant conditioning to help victims of traumatic brain injuries. Virginia Garlitz is relearning to walk after he body was paralyzed by an AVM. ..
The Learning Machine: Persistence of Snake Fear, The
Evolution appears to have equipped us to learn some lessons more quickly than others. Human subjects who weren't afraid of snakes or spiders or flowers were presented with slides of spiders and snakes accompanied by a mi..
The Learning Machine: Use of Reinforcement and Punishment in Shaping a Child's Behavior, The
When a child throws a tantrum, a parent's sympathetic reaction may only serve to increase such outbursts. More appropriate behavior, though, can be strengthened through negative reinforcement, for example a reward for im..