Of bread, circuses, and alpha machines.

Abstract

A few years ago, an undergraduate was brought by his roommate to the college counseling center where one of the present writers was working as a trainee. The student was agitated, repeated apparently meaningless words, and showed common signs of an acute schizophrenic reaction. Part of the conversation, as best as it can now be recalled, went as follows: Counselor: Have you been eating OK? Student: Harvard Union [name of a dining hall]. Counselor: No, have you been to all the meals? Student: [No answer]. Roommate: He's missed some. Counselor: How many? Roommate: Lunch, and I don't know about breakfast for sure-I don't think he got dressed in time. Counselor: Why no lunch? Roommate: [Long pause, glances at troubled friend] They wouldn't let him in. Counselor: What?! Roommate: [Confidingly] He ate his meal tickets.People who confuse symbols with their referents, or secondary reinforcers with primary ones, are likely to be headed for trouble. Semanticist Alfred Korzybski popularized the distinction between the map and the territory. Psychology, as an academic and professional enterprise, measures productivity principally by words rather than by experience. Hence psychology seems to value an original hypothesis or an elegant theory more than it values a practical tool that can alter experience.

Legal issues and behaviour modification: A Canadian perspective.

“…Because behaviour modification techniques are derived from a learning theory rather than a medical model, arguments have been advanced (Schwitzgebel, 1975) that behavioural treatment contracts between patient and practitioner rather than informed consent from the patient would be more appropriate to use with behaviour modification techniques. However, as Friedman (1975) points out, courts have the power to review contracts and to declare such contracts void in cases where bargaining was between parties of unequal status and/or power, where coercion was involved, where inaccurate information was given or where minors or legally incompetent individuals form one of the parties (also see Corbin, 1952, in this regard).…”

Ethical and Professional Issues for Psychologists and Counselors Employing Biofeedback in Counseling Settings

“…The Medical Devices Amendments of 1976 have made biofeedback instruments medical devices, to be regulated by the federal government. These amendments are primarily concerned with the safety and effectiveness of biofeedback instruments, so practitioners currently seeking to select or buy biofeedback equipment must still rely on studies that compare or rate the specifications of various companies that produce biofeedback instruments (Girdano, 1976;Schwitzgebel & Rugh, 1975). Also, consulting with legitimate biofeedback practitioners may be helpful in finding guidance in selecting the proper equipment.…”

Computers in biofeedback research and therapy

“…Biofeedback devices also differ with respect to input impedance characteristics (Schwitzgebel & Rugh, 1975). It is generally agreed that the input impedance of a bioelectric amplifier should be at least 10 times greater than the electrode impedance (Geddes, 1972).…”

“…The earlier devices were especially plagued by poor technical quality and wide variability in functional characteristics. In an examination of 13 of the early EEG feedback devices, Schwitzgebel and Rugh (1975) reported that input impedance ranged from 500 ohms to greater than 2 megohms. alpha filter bandwidths ranged from .9 to 16.5 Hz, and 5 of the 13 devices did not employ differential input amplifiers and were subject to 60-Hz interference.…”