Robert Mitchell | Eastern Kentucky University (original) (raw)
Papers by Robert Mitchell
In D. Brantz & C. Mauch (Eds.), Tierische Geschichte: Die Beziehung von Mensch und Tier in der Kultur der Moderne , 2010
Explores history of anthropomorphism in animal psychology studies.
Brown capuchin monkeys, like 4-year-old children and human-socialized chimpanzees, showed communi... more Brown capuchin monkeys, like 4-year-old children and human-socialized chimpanzees, showed communicative and deceptive pointing in experiments in which they benefited by indicating, accurately or falsely, the location of hidden food. All 3 capuchin monkeys tested (13,19, and 26 years old) pointed communicatively in the presence of a cooperative trainer. One human-reared monkey pointed without any training and frequently gazed at her human respondent; as with apes, extensive exposure to humans may promote some human-like responses in monkeys. Another capuchin withheld pointing when beneficial, whereas the 3rd learned to obtain the hidden food by pointing deceptively in the presence of a competitive trainer. Such deceptive pointing by one monkey and withholding of information by another suggest that primates' deceptive pointing in an experimental situation is explainable in terms of response inhibition and conditional discrimination learning.
Interaction Studies, May 26, 2008
During mammalian social play, players attempt to control the other player without being controlle... more During mammalian social play, players attempt to control the other player without being controlled. They do so by engaging in projects, which are repetitive goal-directed action sequences; players vary actions during repetitions to gain practice over these actions. As a consequence, unexpected behavioral possibilities arise that allow for innovative action. Projects enacted simultaneously by players in relation to each other are called “routines.” In this chapter, I examine one pair of dog–human players who engaged in a relatively unique routine based on the projects of fakeout and avoid fakeout. In this game, the man acted as if about to make the ball move, but often did not, thus trying to get the dog to act toward the ball before it was available: faking out the dog. The dog acted to avoid being faked out: he constrained his actions so as to move as little as possible toward the ball until it was completely free of the man’s control, whereupon the dog could gain control over the ball. Once the dog had the ball, he sometimes engaged in fakeout toward the man during the ball’s return, taking advantage of opportunities to move the ball before the man obtained it. Because the ball’s location was to some degree unpredictable at any given moment, players could react to this random process with novel actions to effect their project, using what is called tactical creativity in human sports. Like the creation of a sonnet, in which novel language allows for creativity within a prescribed framework, the pair created novel interactions within the restrictions of their coordinated projects.
... 502 sarah t. boysen and kim a. bard 23 The development of place learning in comparative persp... more ... 502 sarah t. boysen and kim a. bard 23 The development of place learning in comparative perspective 520 amy e. learmonth and nora s. newcombe 24 Spatial cognition and memory in symbol-using chimpanzees 539 charles menzel Index 565 Colour plates appear between ...
Primates, Oct 1, 1991
... predicted the gorilla data years ago." Another commentator suggested that the few instan... more ... predicted the gorilla data years ago." Another commentator suggested that the few instances of gorilla deception provided by DIAN FOSSEY were themselves ... Zoo in Seattle, Washington, and consisted of an adult male Kiki (10.5 years of age), a sub-adult male Pete (9.5 years ...
Sexuality and Culture, Jun 29, 2012
ABSTRACT We examined male college students’ attitudes toward sharing dormitory space with a male-... more ABSTRACT We examined male college students’ attitudes toward sharing dormitory space with a male-to-female (MTF) transsexual. Participants read three scenarios, in a sequence of either increasing or decreasing contact with the transsexual, in which they imagined sharing dormitory space with a MTF transsexual as a roommate, in the bathroom, and at a residence hall meeting, after each of which they answered open-ended questions about how they would feel or act, or what they would do if they were a resident advisor, in the imagined scenarios. Participants then rated statements measuring their attitudes toward transsexuals and toward masculine norms. Whether they imagined increased or decreased contact, participants expressed comparable transphobia, and made numerous negative and neutral statements and fewer positive statements about how they would feel or act. However, many students made positive statements about how they would act toward the transsexual, particularly in the roommate situation. Adherence to masculine norms and transphobia were so highly positively correlated that they apparently measured a common attitude, but regression analyses indicated that transphobia mediated the association between adherence to masculine norms and frequencies of positive, negative and neutral responses to the open-ended questions. Men who were Christian, from middle to high SES families, and heterosexual were more transphobic and adhered more to masculine norms than those who were nonChristian, from lower SES families, and gay, respectively. Black and white men were equally transphobic and adhered equally to masculine norms. The men’s recommendations when imagining themselves as a resident advisor typically concerned making connections between the men and the transsexual and controlling the situation.
State University of New York Press eBooks, 1986
In their introduction, the editors focus on the implications of the question: "What was this anim... more In their introduction, the editors focus on the implications of the question: "What was this animal doing and what was happening to it that tempts me to use the term 'deception'?" (p. xxiii). Under the label "deception," they classify a number of different activities arising from a variety of biological and psychological processes which lead to formally similar results. They use this framework as a vehicle for exploring and evaluating the "belief that one set of descriptive and perhaps explanatory structures is suitable for both biological and psychological problems" (pp. xxiii-xxiv). In Part I, Robert W. Mitchell, Lilly-Marlene Russow, and Nicholas S. Thompson set forth general conceptual frameworks for the interpretation of deception. Although the three chapters differ on some important points, the editors assert that, "taken together, these systems provide evidence for the assertion that mentalistic and teleological terms have objective meaning and can be useful in descriptions and explanations of animal behavior" (p. 2). Part II, "Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives," contains contributions by W. John Smith, Tex A. Sordahl, James E. Lloyd, and Roy L. Caldwell which are based primarily on research done on animals, such as fireflies and birds. The next section, entitled "Ethological and Psychological Perspectives," is devoted to a number of empirical research reports. Again, these are devoted primarily to animal research, including nonhuman primates.
Although much research focuses on human index finger pointing to hidden items for dogs in experim... more Although much research focuses on human index finger pointing to hidden items for dogs in experimental settings, there is little research about human pointing in naturalistic interactions. We examined human pointing to dogs during 62 dog-human play interactions, spanning 4.8 hours of videotape. Participants were 26 humans and 27 dogs. Humans played with their own dog(s) and, almost always, an unfamiliar dog. Seventeen people (16 players and one passerby) pointed for 20 dogs a total of 101 times (once with a foot) during 26 interactions. Most (49.5%) points were toward an object (almost always a ball), to direct attention or action toward the object; 36.6% were to the ground in front of the (almost always familiar) pointer, directing the dog to come, and/or drop a ball the dog held, here; 10.9% directed the dog toward the designated player and/or play area; and 3.0% directed the dog to move away from a ball the dog had dropped. Humans almost always pointed such that the dog could see the point, and pointed more frequently with their own dog than with an unfamiliar dog. Dogs responded appropriately to only 23% of the points, more often for points to the ground (to drop a ball) than for points to objects (to get the objects). The proportion of dogs responding appropriately to points was similar for both owners and strangers. Some dogs resisted responding to human gestural commands. Whether or not animals in other pointing studies resist human pointing requires examination
Poe studies/dark romanticism, Jun 1, 1996
This section is devoted to notes, coniment,s, and replies. We wish to provide here an outlet for ... more This section is devoted to notes, coniment,s, and replies. We wish to provide here an outlet for source studies and focused irit,erpretations that, do not feature the extended argument and proof customary in articles, for items of special intcrest that otherwise might not appear, and for fornial exchanges on relevant scholarly and critical issues. Contributions should generally be from one to four paragraphs in length, although notes extending to five typescript pages are acceptable; all docunientatiori should be in brackets within the text.
ABSTRACT Begins with a brief description of the ideas of early scientists who concerned themselve... more ABSTRACT Begins with a brief description of the ideas of early scientists who concerned themselves with understanding self-awareness in animals. The author then examines the self in animals in relation to 3 perspectives: subjective experience, self-recognition, and self-evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Feb 1, 1998
Heyes's literature review of deception, imitation, and selfrecognition is inadequate, misleading,... more Heyes's literature review of deception, imitation, and selfrecognition is inadequate, misleading, and erroneous. The anaesthetic artifact hypothesis of self-recognition is unsupported by the data she herself examines. Her proposed experiment is tantalizing, indicating that theory of mind is simply a Turing test.
British Journal of Development Psychology, Jun 1, 2005
... The numbers correct on false belief and pretence tasks are significantly correlated, r=.56, z... more ... The numbers correct on false belief and pretence tasks are significantly correlated, r=.56, z=3.79, N=39, p=.0002. Discussion. ... Table 6. Percentages (and Ns) of children passing false belief and pretence tasks evaluating another. ...
In D. Brantz & C. Mauch (Eds.), Tierische Geschichte: Die Beziehung von Mensch und Tier in der Kultur der Moderne , 2010
Explores history of anthropomorphism in animal psychology studies.
Brown capuchin monkeys, like 4-year-old children and human-socialized chimpanzees, showed communi... more Brown capuchin monkeys, like 4-year-old children and human-socialized chimpanzees, showed communicative and deceptive pointing in experiments in which they benefited by indicating, accurately or falsely, the location of hidden food. All 3 capuchin monkeys tested (13,19, and 26 years old) pointed communicatively in the presence of a cooperative trainer. One human-reared monkey pointed without any training and frequently gazed at her human respondent; as with apes, extensive exposure to humans may promote some human-like responses in monkeys. Another capuchin withheld pointing when beneficial, whereas the 3rd learned to obtain the hidden food by pointing deceptively in the presence of a competitive trainer. Such deceptive pointing by one monkey and withholding of information by another suggest that primates' deceptive pointing in an experimental situation is explainable in terms of response inhibition and conditional discrimination learning.
Interaction Studies, May 26, 2008
During mammalian social play, players attempt to control the other player without being controlle... more During mammalian social play, players attempt to control the other player without being controlled. They do so by engaging in projects, which are repetitive goal-directed action sequences; players vary actions during repetitions to gain practice over these actions. As a consequence, unexpected behavioral possibilities arise that allow for innovative action. Projects enacted simultaneously by players in relation to each other are called “routines.” In this chapter, I examine one pair of dog–human players who engaged in a relatively unique routine based on the projects of fakeout and avoid fakeout. In this game, the man acted as if about to make the ball move, but often did not, thus trying to get the dog to act toward the ball before it was available: faking out the dog. The dog acted to avoid being faked out: he constrained his actions so as to move as little as possible toward the ball until it was completely free of the man’s control, whereupon the dog could gain control over the ball. Once the dog had the ball, he sometimes engaged in fakeout toward the man during the ball’s return, taking advantage of opportunities to move the ball before the man obtained it. Because the ball’s location was to some degree unpredictable at any given moment, players could react to this random process with novel actions to effect their project, using what is called tactical creativity in human sports. Like the creation of a sonnet, in which novel language allows for creativity within a prescribed framework, the pair created novel interactions within the restrictions of their coordinated projects.
... 502 sarah t. boysen and kim a. bard 23 The development of place learning in comparative persp... more ... 502 sarah t. boysen and kim a. bard 23 The development of place learning in comparative perspective 520 amy e. learmonth and nora s. newcombe 24 Spatial cognition and memory in symbol-using chimpanzees 539 charles menzel Index 565 Colour plates appear between ...
Primates, Oct 1, 1991
... predicted the gorilla data years ago." Another commentator suggested that the few instan... more ... predicted the gorilla data years ago." Another commentator suggested that the few instances of gorilla deception provided by DIAN FOSSEY were themselves ... Zoo in Seattle, Washington, and consisted of an adult male Kiki (10.5 years of age), a sub-adult male Pete (9.5 years ...
Sexuality and Culture, Jun 29, 2012
ABSTRACT We examined male college students’ attitudes toward sharing dormitory space with a male-... more ABSTRACT We examined male college students’ attitudes toward sharing dormitory space with a male-to-female (MTF) transsexual. Participants read three scenarios, in a sequence of either increasing or decreasing contact with the transsexual, in which they imagined sharing dormitory space with a MTF transsexual as a roommate, in the bathroom, and at a residence hall meeting, after each of which they answered open-ended questions about how they would feel or act, or what they would do if they were a resident advisor, in the imagined scenarios. Participants then rated statements measuring their attitudes toward transsexuals and toward masculine norms. Whether they imagined increased or decreased contact, participants expressed comparable transphobia, and made numerous negative and neutral statements and fewer positive statements about how they would feel or act. However, many students made positive statements about how they would act toward the transsexual, particularly in the roommate situation. Adherence to masculine norms and transphobia were so highly positively correlated that they apparently measured a common attitude, but regression analyses indicated that transphobia mediated the association between adherence to masculine norms and frequencies of positive, negative and neutral responses to the open-ended questions. Men who were Christian, from middle to high SES families, and heterosexual were more transphobic and adhered more to masculine norms than those who were nonChristian, from lower SES families, and gay, respectively. Black and white men were equally transphobic and adhered equally to masculine norms. The men’s recommendations when imagining themselves as a resident advisor typically concerned making connections between the men and the transsexual and controlling the situation.
State University of New York Press eBooks, 1986
In their introduction, the editors focus on the implications of the question: "What was this anim... more In their introduction, the editors focus on the implications of the question: "What was this animal doing and what was happening to it that tempts me to use the term 'deception'?" (p. xxiii). Under the label "deception," they classify a number of different activities arising from a variety of biological and psychological processes which lead to formally similar results. They use this framework as a vehicle for exploring and evaluating the "belief that one set of descriptive and perhaps explanatory structures is suitable for both biological and psychological problems" (pp. xxiii-xxiv). In Part I, Robert W. Mitchell, Lilly-Marlene Russow, and Nicholas S. Thompson set forth general conceptual frameworks for the interpretation of deception. Although the three chapters differ on some important points, the editors assert that, "taken together, these systems provide evidence for the assertion that mentalistic and teleological terms have objective meaning and can be useful in descriptions and explanations of animal behavior" (p. 2). Part II, "Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives," contains contributions by W. John Smith, Tex A. Sordahl, James E. Lloyd, and Roy L. Caldwell which are based primarily on research done on animals, such as fireflies and birds. The next section, entitled "Ethological and Psychological Perspectives," is devoted to a number of empirical research reports. Again, these are devoted primarily to animal research, including nonhuman primates.
Although much research focuses on human index finger pointing to hidden items for dogs in experim... more Although much research focuses on human index finger pointing to hidden items for dogs in experimental settings, there is little research about human pointing in naturalistic interactions. We examined human pointing to dogs during 62 dog-human play interactions, spanning 4.8 hours of videotape. Participants were 26 humans and 27 dogs. Humans played with their own dog(s) and, almost always, an unfamiliar dog. Seventeen people (16 players and one passerby) pointed for 20 dogs a total of 101 times (once with a foot) during 26 interactions. Most (49.5%) points were toward an object (almost always a ball), to direct attention or action toward the object; 36.6% were to the ground in front of the (almost always familiar) pointer, directing the dog to come, and/or drop a ball the dog held, here; 10.9% directed the dog toward the designated player and/or play area; and 3.0% directed the dog to move away from a ball the dog had dropped. Humans almost always pointed such that the dog could see the point, and pointed more frequently with their own dog than with an unfamiliar dog. Dogs responded appropriately to only 23% of the points, more often for points to the ground (to drop a ball) than for points to objects (to get the objects). The proportion of dogs responding appropriately to points was similar for both owners and strangers. Some dogs resisted responding to human gestural commands. Whether or not animals in other pointing studies resist human pointing requires examination
Poe studies/dark romanticism, Jun 1, 1996
This section is devoted to notes, coniment,s, and replies. We wish to provide here an outlet for ... more This section is devoted to notes, coniment,s, and replies. We wish to provide here an outlet for source studies and focused irit,erpretations that, do not feature the extended argument and proof customary in articles, for items of special intcrest that otherwise might not appear, and for fornial exchanges on relevant scholarly and critical issues. Contributions should generally be from one to four paragraphs in length, although notes extending to five typescript pages are acceptable; all docunientatiori should be in brackets within the text.
ABSTRACT Begins with a brief description of the ideas of early scientists who concerned themselve... more ABSTRACT Begins with a brief description of the ideas of early scientists who concerned themselves with understanding self-awareness in animals. The author then examines the self in animals in relation to 3 perspectives: subjective experience, self-recognition, and self-evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Feb 1, 1998
Heyes's literature review of deception, imitation, and selfrecognition is inadequate, misleading,... more Heyes's literature review of deception, imitation, and selfrecognition is inadequate, misleading, and erroneous. The anaesthetic artifact hypothesis of self-recognition is unsupported by the data she herself examines. Her proposed experiment is tantalizing, indicating that theory of mind is simply a Turing test.
British Journal of Development Psychology, Jun 1, 2005
... The numbers correct on false belief and pretence tasks are significantly correlated, r=.56, z... more ... The numbers correct on false belief and pretence tasks are significantly correlated, r=.56, z=3.79, N=39, p=.0002. Discussion. ... Table 6. Percentages (and Ns) of children passing false belief and pretence tasks evaluating another. ...