[From Bill Powers (960407.0900 MST)]
RE: tickle
Lars Christian Smith (960407 15:40 CET) --
Chris Kitzke (960405 1600 EST) --
Come on, guys, it's not that hard to figure out a possible answer. What
is the variable that is being disturbed? What disturbs it? What action
does the person take to counteract the effects of the disturbance? What
aspect of the control process is different when you try to tickle
yourself as opposed to when someone else does it to you? How much of
your "reaction" to a tickle is actually an action designed to make it
stop? When you do it to yourself, are you trying to make it stop?
···
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This sort of question is what I think of as "pitching curves." The
questioner throws the question, and waits to see if the batter, using
PCT, can hit it out of the ballpark. As any pedagogue knows, this is no
way to learn something. It's like asking the teacher the answers to the
homework questions. If you try to apply the theory and come up with an
answer, and justify it on basic principles, your answer may not agree
with what the teacher might say. But it's always possible that you are
right and the teacher is wrong, and anyway the effort will strengthen
your grasp of the theory.
You can't learn to play the piano just by watching someone else do it.
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Best to all,
Bill P.
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 1996 15:46:00 MET
Subject: Tickle
[Lars Christian Smith (960407 15:40 CET)]
To: Chris Kitzke (960405 1600 EST)
Subject: Tickle
No, it is not a trick question, I would like to know why one can't tickle
oneself. Why can't people produce this particular perception? Is there
a HPCT explanation? Or an explanation not incompatible with HPCT? Is the
concept of surprise essential to the explanantion? If so, what is
"surprise" in HPCT terms?
Lars
Random Thoughts on Tickle
Our input systems seem to be set up with expectations of usualness and
ordinariness .... somewhat similar to the set of set points on controlled
variables. As soon as some input is detected as varying from these
expectations, there is an alerting function. The Russian psychologists long
ago researched what they labelled the orienting reflex. As soon as a tiny
bug crawls on our skin, even when we are asleep, we typically react with
alarm. I suspect that the tickle response bears some resemblance to these
other response systems. What escapes me is any clue to why tickle works
best in certain bodily areas and can proliferate paroxysmally. What does
seem crucial is the tickler's unpredictability. Any serious study is faced
with the challenges of the laughter response. I can vaguely recall some
research, mostly speculation, being done. It included measures of the
easily monitored physiological variables. The musical elements were ignored.
I have often been disturbed to watch films of African children with flies
crawling all over their faces and no response. My early farm days bring
back memories of cow and horse tails continually chasing flies on their
bodies. I haven't been tickled in years and I miss it.
David Wolsk
Victoria, BC Canada
···
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 96 20:30 West Coast Time
From: David Wolsk
From: Lars-Christian SMITH +352 67287 <LCSMITH@RESTENA.LU>