[From Bob Clark (930424.08:45 PM EDT)]
It has occurred to me that Dag's Demo's includes a demonstration of
"learning" -- the acquisition of a small number of rather simple skills
using already established even more simple skills.
The Volunteer is forming a combination of systems for controlling the
ball's perceived position. Control, here, includes using a rubber band.
On perceiving the rubber-band-ball combination, the volunteer is puzzled,
as his face and movements demonstrate. He is quickly shown by Dag how to
hold his end of the assembly. He is then requested by Dag to select a
point in front of the sheet of paper as the "target" for the ball. Until
Dag requested it, he didn't know what to do with the device. Then Dag
suggests a way to use the equipment. He is to select a "target." Dag did
not specify the target -- he indicated a need for arbitrary selection of a
target. Although momentarily puzzled again, a target was quickly found.
Successful learning was demonstrated by Dag's moving his end and the
Volunteer's successfully keeping the ball in place. Over-all, this
demonstrated that the volunteer could, on request, select a target and act
to keep the specified item near it. Note that the process of selecting a
target was suggested by Dag.
Somewhat later, Dag provided a specific target in the form of a circle on
the paper and suggested the volunteer use the circle as his target. Again,
after some hesitation for learning, the volunteer successfully demonstrated
his ability to control the position of the ball. By introducing a barrier
-- more learning -- it was demonstrated that the ball itself was being
controlled. Otherwise the controlled variable might have appeared to be
the relation between Dag's hand and that of the volunteer. Another barrier
-- more learning -- demonstrated the necessity for the volunteer to
perceive the momentary position of the ball.
By privately asking the volunteer to select a target position a bit above
the circle, -- more learning -- the volunteer's control of the ball with
the new target was demonstrated.
Throughout these remarks, I am interpreting the Volunteer's brief
hesitation, associated with trial and error experimentation, as indicating
a "learning process" in action. I am not here attempting to discuss the
Volunteer's internal view of his actions -- I think most anyone can imagine
V's internal experiences as he examines his current perceptions, compares
them with remembered experiences, visualizes "how the equipment works," and
assembles the systems needed for the skills required. All of this took him
less time than it did for me to write it out -- his skills became adequate
very quickly.
Does all this involve a Reorganizing System, Intrinsic Errors, DME, or what?
How would you describe these events in PCT terms?
Regards, Bob Clark