Are You Conditioned?

If Skinner is correct, you might as well GIVE UP!

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In This Issue...

2) Studies (claims) In Psychology:
Operant Conditioning - Whatever!

3) Entertainment Peck Of the Month:
Carefree

4) Interview of the Month:
Antony Street, an average guy discusses his scientific lineage.

5) They Said - She Said:
Dr. Julia takes on B.F. Skinner

6) What's New On Advice with Dr. Julia.com

7) Something About A Contest Winner?
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.

8) Why Two Issues?

September's Funny Advice

Pet peeves, those "little" things that drive us crazy! Just remember, there's a world of trouble out there that is a whole lot worse than...

• The way "they" tap their fingers on the desk
• Slurp their tea
• Blink their eyes that way

They're just doing their thing. Why not let them enjoy themselves...
even if it entails a repetitive nursery rhyme?

Studies (claims) In Psychology

Burrhus Frederic Skinner an American psycho (that's short for psychologist - well, that's what Dr. J said anyway) had a theory that you could change the world if you simply "conditioned" people.

Skinner was of the mind that if you "rewarded" people accordingly, they would do basically whatever you wanted them to do.

You could end wars, crime, bickering, even get kids to do their schoolwork, if you only would use praise and positive reinforcement as incentive!

He "proved" this theory with his little box. You see, a rat or pigeon placed in a box (equipped with little trapdoors and lights and other whatnots) would quickly be "conditioned" to tap or ring a bell in order to be "rewarded" with food.

So, clearly this means that we can train (Skinner calls it condition) people through positive reinforcement, doesn't it?

You hear this "positive reinforcement" phrase a lot now a days. They use this psychology in both schools and the workplace.

An example; Tell little Jimmy how wonderful he is and what a great job he does - whether or not it's true. Then maybe he'll really do a good job and really be wonderful. Pretty much ignore bad behavior, but praise the daylights out of the good.

Skinner said that people that are conditioned with positive reinforcement (or rewarded positively for their actions) will continue on to do more of the same. The flip side is that negativity or punishment would condition the individual to do poorly and behave badly.

I guess on the surface this sounds fine and dandy, but really it's hogwash.

I don't know why anyone would need a box and several years of research to obtain a slight amount of common sense.

Two things quickly disprove this "Operant Conditioning" malarkey.

• See how long it takes a teenager to clean their bedroom after you have offered them "positive reinforcement".

  I don't care if you put them in a box and reward them with a driver's permit and two tickets to a rock concert, that room will remain a pigsty until the day you kick them out.

• "Never, Never try again" would be known as an old saying, not our infamous "Try, try again". Our failed attempts would surely cause us to give up all hope, no?

  "Edison, how's that light bulb coming along?"

  "Ehh, it didn't work. I didn't feel all happy and giddy with the failed experiment, so I trashed the idea."

Fact is, you just can't put people in a box. True, everyone likes to be rewarded or praised for a job well done.

But you can't create a utopia by conditioning people with positive reinforcement. Just as difficulties, failures, lack of recognition, or even being out numbered in a fight for freedom could cause folks to give up or give in.

Click on the picture of B.F. Skinner below where you can see this box experiment in action.

Entertainment Peck of the Month

I love Fred Astaire. I love Ginger Rogers. Put those two together and you've got a winner! They were only in ten movies together, yet most folks can't think of one without the other. I can, but most folks can't.

Carefree is right up Dr. Julia's alley with all the misdiagnosing (and dancing) that goes on.

Dr. Tony Flagg (Astaire) is a psychiatrist that sets out to help his best friend with some romance trouble.

Steve (Ralph Bellamy) wants to know why his fiance Amanda (Ginger Rogers) won't commit and just set the date for their wedding already.

Dr. Tony wisely suggests that maybe Amanda simply doesn't want to get married. But Steve is convinced that Amanda truly does - it's just that she has some deep subconscious fear.

Dr. Tony does get to the bottom of it all... after quite a few sessions of "dream interpretations" and "hypnosis".

Fun Irving Berlin songs, great dancing, and lots of comedy will keep even young children captivated. Case in point, even though my children hadn't seen this film in over a year, they were quick to act out several scenes when I told them that I was writing about Carefree. But then again, my kids don't get out much.

***Video will only work for the month of September!***

Interview of the Month: Antonio Street

Well, Dr. Julia totally agrees. So we, also, will not be interviewing the average Joe anytime in the future.

However, we are here today with Antonio Street, an average rat. Not only is his name not Joe, but he also has a very interesting lineage.

Lora: Mr. Street, how are you? Please have a seat.

Antonio: Aw, call me Tony. I guess I can't complain.

Dr. J: Oh no, you can complain. I heard you do it myself.

Antonio: Heh! You're such a kidder, Dr. Julia. Ain't she just a kidder?

Lora: Yeah. A heck of a sense of humor, I would say.

Dr. J: Tony, I found our conversation that night by the manhole most fascinating.

Lora: Manhole?

Dr. J: Basically, I'd like us to have that conversation again - right here, while what's her name jots it down.

Lora: Lora.

Antonio: I'd love to, Dr. Julia. Most of the fellas in the sewer are sick a me talkin about it - sick a hearin about it.

Lora: Sick a, I mean, sick of what?

Dr. J: Just jot, dear. This is a good one! So, Tony, you work in the sewer with what, a million other rats?

Antonio: Ha! That's only in the movies! Truth is, there's only a couple hundred of us per square city block. These are tough times. Work is hard to come by.

Lora: Are you saying that you're a sewer worker?

Dr. J: It's good to see that you're paying attention.

Lora: I guess that wasn't really my question. What I meant is, why is work hard to come by?

Antonio: Well, a few years back, a fella could make a decent wage workin' in restaurants. Oh, not now! They don't even want us workin the dumpsters! Where's that leave us? All scrambin and competin for the same job - sewer sanitation.

Dr. J: And isn't it true, Tony, that only a few decades ago, rats had tremendous opportunity?

Antonio: Oh, we was just like anybody else. We was the doctors, lawyers, and the Indian chiefs! Now all we have is sewer workers and lawyers. Not that there's anything wrong with sewer work.

Dr. J: That's what caught my attention during our conversation, Tony - the role that rats once played as scientists. You were saying how that your great, great grandfather foiled B.F. Skinner during his experiments with the "box".

Antonio: Ya see, my grandfather and a couple of his buddies were trying to prove that crazy box of his was no use. And they did too. Skinner threatened them - when bribing them didn't work. But My grandfather wouldn't budge from the true results of that experiment.

Lora: Wow! Now I see what was going on in that "Skinner's Box" video that we have this month!

Antonio: Yeah... and why do you think Skinner started working with pigeons? Because they were "yes" men - that's why! Not that I have anything against pigeons. Some of my best friends are pigeons. But those lab pigeons were scoundrels!

Lora: How so?

Dr. J: Eh, they did whatever Skinner wanted, Ring a bell, tap on colored squares. Then, once they had Skinner eating out of their wing, they made their move. They wanted to guide missiles. Missiles! I shudder to think what this country would have become if they got their way!

Lora: Okay, this is scary.

Dr. J: It's all true. Pigeon guided missiles.

Antonio: Yeah, and it wasn't long after that when rats were blacklisted. It became impossible to get a job anywhere near a lab. If anybody asked why, "rat cruelty" or "rat rights" were sold as the answer.

Lora: Why, Dr. Julia! It's like your raising awareness of this very unjust treatment of rats.

Antonio: Hopefully it'll do us rats some good, Dr. Julia. Thanks for helpin get the word out.

Dr. J: It has to start somewhere.

Lora: Well, that's about all the time we have, Tony.

Dr. J: We ran out of time because you type so slowly.

Antonio: Thank you for havin me.

They Said - She Said

Dr. Julia said...

"The only person that belongs in a box is Jack... and maybe one other guy that I can think of."

What's New On Advice with Dr. Julia

Check out Dr. Julia Chicken's Store at Zazzle! I can assure you, merchandise will be limited. Dr. Julia wants no part of having her figure plastered all over the place. "You know what that did to Marilyn Monroe, don't you?" says Dr. J.

So, we will be selective - very selective. I did order two things from Dr. J's store. If you want to know what I thought about them you can see the rating and review I wrote in the product's comments HERE.

And don't forget to sign up for the Humorous Advice Blog to receive updates throughout the month (just in case we add something new). Don't laugh. We might add something new. And when we do, I forget what it was... like now! So don't trust my memory! Subscribe!

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For...

Caption Contest Winner! by DrJuliaChicken

It Went Like This...

Third Place... Julia

Second Place... Chicken Whisperer

First Place... Carloline!

For the longest time I thought that the Chicken Whisperer had it in the bag. Then, Caroline came from behind and zoomed passed, getting 32 percent of the votes!

Caroline, send me your address here on my contact form and we'll get that MUG right to ya! Yippeeee!

Why Two Issues?

You see, the template that I use to record all of Dr. J's musings requires a "mail out date" in order to be "saved". Don't choose a date - work doesn't get saved.

I chose a date that I thought gave me plenty of time. Then, I had the brilliant idea that I would wait to send out September's issue so that I could announce our Caption Contest winner at the same time - thinking that you three would be the first to know... being the privileged subscribers that you are.

Do I even need to tell you that I forgot that I had that stupid date set? I check my email and there is the most ridiculous ezine - Skinner/Pavlov, Eagleburt/Antonio - it just doesn't get worse.

Now, if that's not a reason to subscribe! Name me one other ezine, newsletter, anything, that can bring you such diversity straight to you inbox on a willy-nilly basis. You can't!

I probably would have been embarrassed if I had more than three subscribers. Let's just keep this little mishap betwixt us, shall we?

Why so late into the 14th? You sure want answers!

Because my dentist (Dr. Leardi) insisted on chiseling away at my teeth today. I must say, if there's one thing that I envy Dr. Julia, it's her lack of teeth.

Along with numbing the entire right side of my head and neck, Dr. Leardi found further amusement in adding his ideas for the mug (he knew Caroline won BTW).

Dr. Leardi's Late Entries...

"I like big shells and I can not lie!"

"I'm too sexy for this shell."

Judging from these captions I think it's safe to say that Dr. Leardi's private music collection differs entirely from his office music.

That's it for this issue of Behind the Scenes with Dr. Julia. Tune in next month for more of the same - only better, of course. And make sure you recommend Dr. Julia to all those individuals that desperately need help.

Until next time,

Lora and Dr. Julia

PS.

Dr. Julia and I would love to know your thoughts on this issue of Behind the Scenes with Dr. Julia, tell us about them here and Dr. Julia herself just might answer you back!