The Ridgerunner, Febhiary 24, 1967 Page 8
Guinea Pig Does
Experiments Provide Lab Learning
His Bit ForPsvch Students
The guinea pig is a furry
creature with sadder eyes than
a basset hound.
He Is also, at least according
to Psychology Bistructor Donald
McCrlmmon, often a better
teacher than both texts and lec
turer.
Eventually 40 white rats will
replace the guinea pigs, but for
now the guinea pigs are the
main attraction In the psychol
ogy labs. They are subjects
of behavioral and learning stud
ies at A-B — usually performed
by experimental psychology stu
dents.
McCrlmmon, who specializes
in physiological psychology, said
data obtained from lectures and
texts is too easily forgotten un
less bolstered by learning sit
uations which Involve actual stu
dent application of this data.
Asheville - Biltmore empha
sizes comprehensive under
standing and the psychology lab
work provides the 65 psychology
majors with an Interesting meth
od of achieving this goal, he
said.
Although psychology students
are not required to do lab work,
McCrlmmon strongly recom
mends that they do. Students
taking courses in learning theory
soon find the subject is not dry.
It’s as alive and exciting as ob
serving a sad-eyed, bewildered
guinea pig leam to run a T-
maze.
In concurrence with the be
havioral experiments, the psy
chology department is doing a
study of a drug called Inderal
which prevents a sharp increase
in heart rate when an animal
is stimulated.
The results of the experi
ments could be beneficial to
heart patients.
A heart weakened by loss of
blood from the heart muscle it
self cannot withstand the stress
of sudden increase in heart
rate. Inderal could hold the
rate in check.
The guinea pigs, highly ex
cited and not readily adaptable
to learning situations, became
more co-operative after injec
tion of Inderal. However, their
xearnmg processes seemed to be
slowed down. McCrlmmon and
his students will perform addi
tional experiments on rats In
jected with Inderal during the
fourth term.
Two-way avoidance learning
patterns also will be studied.
Second term students set uf
their own psychology experi
ments. One of the most inter
esting, according to McCrim-
mon, involved the use of the
"power of suggestion.”
A box which allowed a pin hol«
of light to beam through was
placed in a darkened room witl
several students. The experi
menter asked each student t(
indicate how far the light move
over a period of time.
After the experiment the stu
dents were instructed to “help”
the next experimental group of
students estimate how far the
light moved.
If a member of the original
group said that the light moved
one or five feet, members of the
second group would agree.
Actually, the light remainec
stationary during both experi
ments.
Injecting 80 proof (40 per cent'
alcohol into the intestines of ani
mals seems to retard the devel
opment of ulcers during stress
or conflict situations. This ob
servation will be the basis o
a future study to be made a
A-B.
Next year, McCrlmmon plans
an invitational course, for se
lected psychology majors, to di
studies in methodology, analysis
synthesis, and critical evalua
tion.
The psychology department ha
grown considerably since Dr
Sheldon Gardner was the Ion
instructor two years ago.
Today, the department includes
Dr. Kenneth Nickerson, head oX
the department; Dr. Lester Zer-
foss who specializes in applied
psychology, and Don McCrlmmon
who holds the MA degree.
Work in the three cubby-hole
labs In the basement of the Sci
ence Building is facilitated by
what McCrlmmon calls “a group
of students who are definitely
not mediocre.”
BHICATHMAL
ASHEVILLE-BILTMORE COLLEGE
MEMORANDUM December 16, 1966
To: Nowon Atall
From; Self-Study Committee, Standard 3.1416
Subject: Catalog Correction
Copies to; Southern Association Offices, Atlanta, Georgia
A proposal for faculty vote;
Motion that the Alms and Objectives of the College, pp. 13,
17, current catalog be amended in the ioltowing manner;
First paragraph, change first sentence to state: “The funda
mental aim of the College is to pay off the dormitory bonds.”
Second sentence Insert sould state; “Another important aim
is to provide for serious and able students a liberal education
of high quality.” '
The remainder of the catalog passage may stand as printed.
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One of the lab experiments
at A-B Is to observe and re
cord the number of trials it
takes a guinea pig to leaxn the
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Asheville - Biltmore
C6llej»e Students
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T-maze. Animals injected witn
Inderal, a heart-ratedepressant,
took more trials than animals
not injected. McCrimmor. and
siuaent Mary Jones work togeui-
er in a learning situation that
involves both student and the
cowering guinea pig.
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