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   XPost: alt.autos.toyota, rec.autos.driving, alt.society.liberalism   
   XPost: alt.fan.michael-moore   
      
   TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher wrote:   
   > On Apr 19, 8:40 pm, Rita  wrote:   
   >> On Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:04:11 -0700 (PDT), "TibetanMonkey, the Beach   
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   >> Cruiser Philosopher"  wrote:   
   >>> On Apr 19, 1:19 pm, Rita  wrote:   
   >>>> On Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:55:53 -0700 (PDT), "TibetanMonkey, the Beach   
   >>>> Cruiser Philosopher"  wrote:   
   >>>>> I just found the perfect species for the human species. It came to me   
   >>>>> as was watching a nature program, something called "Twisted Tales."   
   >>>>> Anyway the animal in question is THE RAT. Hey, don't get squeamish   
   >>>>> about it. In the Orient they are held in high regard and thus we have   
   >>>>> the Year of the Rat. The rat is the worst predator to mankind and yet   
   >>>>> it can be tamed to be the perfect pet. Many psychological studies are   
   >>>>> done on the rat since they share our brain biology. And we can learn   
   >>>>> something unique about our two species: WE BOTH NEED THE WHEEL to keep   
   >>>>> our physical and mental balance, which means we can not be seating in   
   >>>>> a box and expected to be happy. No wonder people find the bicycle to   
   >>>>> be the perfect tool for happiness and well being. And we are social   
   >>>>> animals like rats, so we suffer from the same isolation. My campaign   
   >>>>> "Monkey out of the Cage" reflects that need.   
   >>>>> But that's only my humble opinion.   
   >>>> It is true that rats are used in laboratory experiments by behavioral   
   >>>> psycologists. I took a course in grad school but fortunately had to   
   >>>> run experiments using pigens and was spared the rats.   
   >>>> The problem in using data from such experiments -- using either   
   >>>> rats or pigeons  -- and using the results to predict behavior of   
   >>>> humans, is that we don't live or operate in a closed environment   
   >>>> and we deal with far, far more variables in our lives than the   
   >>>> rats and pigeons are subjected to in these experiments.   
   >>>> Think about it.  You can control the stimuli a rat or a pigeon   
   >>>> in a cage are exposed to.  Humans don't live in cages and we   
   >>>> are bombarded with competing stimuli and you can't replicate   
   >>>> the pigeon, rat experiments on humans.   
   >>> Seriously, I think our basic needs are the same, though there's a vast   
   >>> cultural difference. We still need FOOD, EXERCISE, HOME, COMPANY, etc.   
   >> In experiments with rats they are trained to press a bar in reaction   
   >> to certain stimuli.  Pigeons are trained to peck at stimuli. They are   
   >> rewarded by doing each proper peck with a food pellet for rats or   
   >> some corn for pigeons.  Out of the laboratory people with degrees in   
   >> behavioral psychology work   
   >> mostly with mentally challenged folks to try to change  unwanted   
   >> behaviors.  In my behavioral psycholoy class some students were   
   >> assigned to follow around on the bus and elsewhere a young man   
   >> who had the unfortunate habit of lifting up women's skirts and   
   >> peeking under them.  His parents were wealthy and paid the college   
   >> to have this retinue work with their son.  They gave him a lot of   
   >> attention and approval when he behaved normally and shunned   
   >> him when he didn't.  He was a lonely kid so he responded well   
   >> to this scenario but when  out of the presence of the students   
   >> he went right back to it.  One of the male students commented   
   >> his parents should simply hire a prostitute for the lad.   
   >>   
   >> Some of their methods do work well.  For example some   
   >> parents only pay attention to their kids when they are acting   
   >> up.  This attention reinforces the behavior because attention   
   >> from parents is a strong reinforcer for little kids.  So it is   
   >> effective to withdraw parental attention when a kid is   
   >> acting up by a time out --removing the kid to his or her   
   >> room for example.  But it is equally important give the kid   
   >> attention when he or she is behaving well.   
   >>   
   >> There are some things from rat/pigeon experiments in   
   >> behavioral pyschology that can be useful for human   
   >> behavior modification but they are limited largely to   
   >> small children and mentally limited adults.   
   >   
   > And this great wisdom is wasted if we fail to improve the lot of the   
   > cyclist/pedestrian. It seems to me that we are punishing good behavior   
   > and rewarding bad behavior. We should be punishing the bully and   
   > making sure that those who are trying to improve themselves and the   
   > world are safe from intimidation. It's like if we mix rats and mice   
   > and fail to provide separation. It's not a good idea.   
   >   
   > Driver behavior modification is possible if we use the right stimuli.   
   >   
      
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