Sippi Lovin'

Well, another week has eclipsed and I’m only slightly worse for the wear. Intramural basketball had begun and our clinical psychology program is fielding yet another minacious fivesome. In actuality, the team has never won a game and I doubt there exists a defensive scheme, not even the “box in one” (sup Klink), that could save us from ourselves. Worth noting, it’s not for lack of effort that we continue to fall short of the “W,” we just can’t seem to put the ball in the basket.

Michelle will be gracing the Deep South with her magnetic presence this Friday and I look forward to that with great anticipation. We feel somewhat spoiled having seen each other one “short” month ago. Unfortunately, our plans for the week haven’t always melded especially well. You see, while I was instructed to clear my schedule, I suggested she bring several novels in anticipation of long hours in the library. Funny, I just noticed I wrote, “instructed” for Michelle’s plea and “suggested” for mine…I’ll let you guess who wins out here. Her trip will overlap with Marti Gras, however, and if we can find a ride down to New Orleans, we may just check that out. If not, there will be many more years to look forward to.

Life in the classroom has been pleasant thus far. I’m presently enrolled in four classes: Introduction to Clinical Skills, Research Evaluation, Quantitative Methods II, and Advanced Social Psychology. It should be no surprise to most of you that my least favorite is Quant. II. Fortunately, the other three classes are well taught and interesting. I was thinking the other afternoon about YOUR (my friends and family) familiarity with the field of psychology and what it is that I’m studying down here. I’m fairly confident everyone knows why I’m here, but the field itself, how much DO you know about it? (And yes, I understand that’s a difficult question to answer.) I like to think I don’t know the answer to my own question because I spend the majority of my time listening and learning from the rest of y’all.

Hopefully without offending anyone, allow me to reference a few of the cornerstone studies in psychological research. Interestingly enough, these studies coincide with a list of unacceptable, by today’s standards, studies outlined in an “Ethics & Research” lecture I sat through in Research Evaluation. I’ll start with two:

The Stanford Prison Experiment is an infamous study exploring how good people act when placed in an evil place. Many parallels with the recent abuse of Iraqi prisoners can be drawn and while many of you are undoubtedly familiar with the study, I’m guessing/hoping that few are cognizant of its finer points. Attached in an informative link constructed by Philip G. Zimbardo himself.
http://www.prisonexp.org/

Milgram’s Obedience Experiment was inspired by Hitler’s regime and consisted of a series of experiments on obedience to authority, which he conducted at Yale University in 1961-1962. He found, surprisingly, that 65% of his subjects, ordinary residents of New Haven, were willing to give apparently harmful electric shocks-up to 450 volts-to a pitifully protesting victim, simply because a scientific authority commanded them to, and in spite of the fact that the victim did not do anything to deserve such punishment. The victim was, in reality, a good actor who did not actually receive shocks, and this fact was revealed to the subjects at the end of the experiment. But, during the experiment itself, the experience was a powerfully real and gripping one for most participants. Attached is the link where I drew my synopsis:
http://www.stanleymilgram.com/milgram.html

On a slightly unrelated note, while the Tuskegee Syphilis Study wasn’t a part of psychological research, it was highly unethical and if perhaps you weren’t already familiar with it, read on! Beginning in 1932, 600 low-income African-American males, 400 of which were infected with syphilis and monitored for 40 years, even though a proven cure (penicillin) became available in the 1950s. The study was designed to document the natural history of the disease and as incentive, these men were offered free health care and told that they were being treated for "bad blood." This unfortunately was untrue and government officials went to extreme lengths to insure that they received no therapy from any source. The study was finally stopped by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1972 only after its existence was leaked to the public and it became a political embarrassment. Feel free to reference the attached link if you’re so inclined:
http://www.med.virginia.edu/hs-library/historical/apology/report.html