[From Bruce Abbott (950104.1635 EST)]
Rick Marken (960104.1210) --
Bruce Abbott (960104.1430)
Comments?
Looks very nice; a perceptual control system, if ever there was one.
This isn't the bombshell, is it? If so, I hope this is the only kind of
bombshell our troops can expect to encounter in Bosnia.
No, this isn't it. I wouldn't take of my flack jacket just yet!
Tick, tick, tick, tick . . . .
Regards,
Bruce
[From Rick Marken (960104.1600)]
Me:
This [gut fullness control model] isn't the bombshell, is it?
Bruce Abbott (950104.1635 EST) --
No, this isn't it. I wouldn't take of my flack jacket just yet!
Oops. I was in my swim suit. I'll change right way!
Tick, tick, tick, tick . . . .
This is pretty exciting. I couldn't help guessing what it might be. Here's my
top ten bombshell predictions for 1996:
1. You have found incontrovertible proof that perception is the control of
behavior.
2. You were unable to complete the pilot tests for your rat experiment
because all the rats ended up stuck to the bar, pressing like mad, victims
of the incredible strengthening effect of the reinforcers.
3. You won a MacArthur fellowship for innovative approaches to the study
of living control systems.
4. You have decided to use some of your MacArthur award for an all expenses
paid PCT conference on Maui for all your favorites on CSG-L (Powers, Bourbon,
Marken, etc) and their spouses.
5. You discovered that "control" means "kinky sex" in yiddish, accounting for
Marken's incredible dedication to doing experiments on control.
6. You read "Mind Readings" and plan to order 10,000 more copies (that
MacArthur money comes in handy) for shipment to experimental psychologists
who need a good laugh.
7. You found the PCT ride at Disney World.
8. You were able to leave Florida's strong, reinforcing pull by clicking your
heels together three times and repeating "there's no theory like PCT, there's
no theory like PCT".
9. You got hold of the last thing Skinner ever wrote, an enigmatic note
ending with the words "So I've finally realized that behavior involves the
control of something. But what, dammit! What is it that behavior controls?!"
10. You got the part of the down and out PCTer who is kept by the once famous
reinforcement theorist in Steven Spielberg's remake of "Sunset Boulevard".
Best
Rick
[From Bruce Abbott (960108.1055 EST)]
Rick Marken (960107.1130)
Is the Kileen model the bombshell?
Just checking for shrapnel.
Yes, but I think you were safe, even standing there in your swimsuit. The
blast seems to have destroyed someone else's analysis. (;->
Actually, my initial comment about a "small bombshell" came about because I
was staring at two systems equations for predicting B, one based on my
control model for food amount and the other based on Killeen's, and the two
equations were of almost identical form:
Control: B = gain/(1 - gain) * (n/m) * M-bar
Killeen: B = 1 * (n/m) * [M-bar - (n/v')]
where M-bar = d0/t - M. This suggested that at high loop gain and small
values of n/v' the two models would be empirically indistinguishable in
terms of fit. But these equations were developed following Killeen's
method, which turns out to be inappropriate.
When I said I had a little bombshell to present, I didn't mean something
that would challenge PCT, but only something that might be surprising given
the pronouncements you and Bill made about Killeen's model in December.
This is still true in that neither of you recognized the control system
implicit in this implementation.
Regards,
Bruce