The use of the pig as an experimental fmimfti in physiological or psychological research, though infrequent, is not a recent innovation. Yerkes and Coburn in 1015 used two Chester White pigs in a multiple choice problem. Hie feasibility of using the pig as a subject for experimentation is expressed by them as follows: "Although the experimenters had expected much of the pigs because of the indications from casual observation of their behavior, it may be said at once that they proved far more satisfactory subjects than we had dared to hope. Indeed they worked so steadily and uniformly through the investigations that there was practically no loss of time" (23, p. 187). In conclusion they state that "... the pig has proved itself an ideal subject for studies in adaptive behavior" (23, p. 224). It should be noted, however, that this statement refers to pigs that were only five to six months old-young, small, and not very strong.Pavlov ( 15), in a seminar in 1934, summed up his attitude regarding the use of pigs for experimental subjects as follows: "From those pigs from which I wished to obtain gastric juice I obtained nothing.... We spent almost a month on it without obtaining any results and at last had to give it up." In 1934 Liddell, James and Anderson (14) established positive and negative conditioned motor reflexes based on electric shock to the foreleg of the young pig, but with difficulty due to its intractability in the conditioning frame. In 1938 Curtis (3) reported on the development by Sutherland and himself of an inhibitory form of experimental neurosis in the pig, resulting from a complex discrimination procedure; and in 1939 Sutherland (19) established positive and negative salivary conditioned responses.The use of pigs as subjects in the present study was prompted by a number of considerations. The hysteria and temper-tantrums reported of the pig. are of interest to the investigator of experimental neuroses. Furthermore, it was supposed that the stubborn, independent nature of the pig would result in a different type of rapport between subject and experimenter than that found when the friendly or submissive dog or the easily dominated sheep was used. Finally, it was believed that by recording more fully than in previous studies the physiological patterns of the animals' behavior further data could be added to the findings on the comparative physiology of the conditioned reflex.Early indoctrination is a prime requisite in all fl-nifrifti training. This is especially true of the pig, where the rapid growth in strength, height and weight 1 The expenses of this investigation were defrayed in part by a grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation to H. S. Liddell. 1 * Critical ratio of percent difference is 3.4. * Critical ratio of percent difference is 9.9. * Critical ratio of difference is 12.8.
A social psychology or generalized conclusion based on experimental investigations of freshmen or sophomores in college is highly debatable. Use of volunteers from such freshmen or sophomore classes is even more debatable for it may represent a selection within a selection. In experimental work it is also a wise precaution to know as many characteristics as possible of the group being investigated.Studies have been made of the scores of volunteers on visuo-motor learning (4), the type of person requesting volunteers (5), marital adjustment of volunteers (15), as well as the nature of the volunteering act itself (2, 9, 10, 11). Maslow and Sakoda (8) found volunteers to be higher in a scale of self-esteem than nonvolunteers and, as a result of their findings, concluded that the Kinsey data on sex (6, 7) should allow for volunteer error. Siegman (12), however, using a number of personality variables, as well as the self-esteem scale used by Maslow, found no differences between volunteers and nonvolunteers for a Kinsey-type interview.The present study proposed to examine the personality characteristics of volunteers and nonvolunteers for different experimental situations. Reliability of the volunteering act was also to be examined.
ProcedureApproximately 400 introductory psychology students at the State College of Washington
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