Press the Lever, Get the Pellet.

Today in neuropsychology we spoke of substance abuse, a field that has always fascinated me greatly.
Did you know that rats will self-administer cocaine til death?
What I didn't know was that all lever presses have a 'breaking point,' where its not worse the number of presses to get the reward.
With most substances of abuse the number eddied out at about 300.
It made me wonder what my breaking point was.
How much work and pain will I go through to get that one scrap of paper in my hands??
Way more than this, I'd wager.
The reinforcement stakes are so great that I'd probably work myself silly to get what I want... is this what life is?
One giant delayed-reinforcement paradigm?
I think Skinner may have had it more right than you think when he hit upon the fact that all human nature is essentially created. We may have a biological predisposition towards certain characterisitcs, but the enviornment all but molds them for us.
This is what Phil Zimbardo speaks of in his book "The Lucifer Effect," when he speaks of situational morality and its effects on others. Did Jim Jones really intend for the People's Temple to fall? Was he a doomed man or did his situation corrupt him beyond measure?
I suppose we shall never really know, but its questions like these that make psychology worth studying for me.

...Grad School Trauma Slowly Sets In!

These past couple weeks have been busy.
Really, really, REALLY busy.
The new house is lovely, my flatmates and I are getting along really well, which always makes me happy.
My health is improving, sloooowly but surely. I feel like physical therapy is getting me down the right track, even though it is tough at times to do the exercises.
But sadly, if it isn't one thing it's another, and right now its GRAD SCHOOL!
After recovering from one huge bastard of a presentation I now have another one on Thursday, and then a midterm on Friday!!
Mom was right when she said I would never work so hard in my life.
In addittion I've got the office, and pleasing my academic supervisor, and getting my data in on time.
Wish me luck, people, Decemeber never seemed so far away.

XO,

Rach