h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As a sophomore at a Junior college, I took a psychology course. My teacher was also in her first year of teaching. One day she asked for a volunteer. At the time I was still extremely shy, but I volunteered anyway. I knew no one in the class and had no reputation yet, so, "why not?" I said to myself.

So, my teacher takes me out in the hallway and explains that when she asks me to come back in, I should not speak to anyone, but other than that, I should just do anything that comes to me.

So, after a few minutes of discussion in the class, she asks me back in.

I proceed to do some random things.

As I walk past her desk, I notice the other students begin smiling at me. As I walk a bit further, I notice the students begin giggling in a lighthearted manner. I walk over to the far wall, a row of windows, and the students seem really pleased and interested in what I'm doing. I raise the first row of blinds, I get a light "golf clap". I close the second set of blinds. I get a more confident, but still light round of applause. I raise just one side of the third set of blinds and get a rousing round of applause with some students on the edge of their seats.

I look at the last set of blinds, but turn and walk back to the front of the room.

The applause dies.

I draw a picture on the chalk board. The reactions don't change.

I walk to the middle of the chalkboard and notice that as I pass the corner of the teacher's desk, the light but supportive giggling stops. I step back. The giggling resumes. I walk forward. The giggling stops. I hop back and forth across this line and the class makes very odd sounds as they try to alternate between just smiling and lightly giggling.

I then draw a verticle line on the chalk board. I write "OK, I found that one" beside the line. I then proceed to do further random things but never cross that line again. At one point I find the "boo" line in the back of the room opposite the windows.

At this point, my teacher ends the experiment.

Apparently I was the worst subject EVAR for a demonstration of classical conditioning through positive and negative reinforcement.

Verry good Psychology is a fascinating subject when actual humans are involved.

In JC I took a night course in abnormal psychology. The first night the professor asked if anyone were named 'Ichabod' or 'Imogene', or knew someone that was. When no hands were raised he explained that he often used these names to illustrate situations, and he wanted to make sure we all knew these two people were only used for examples.

Years latter I drove a co-worker home, a very proper former pastor. He invited me into his house and introduced me to his wife - Imogene

I did manage to suppress most of my giggles

F S

My psych teacher had an interesting history. Whe was previously a nun. She renounced her vows after losing her kneecaps in a tragic accident. She was in the church choir at a performance and the risers collapsed and she fell a dozen or so feet to her knees. While recovering she questioned her faith and her faith lost.

How can anybody think of leaving h2g2 when there are stories like this being told?

That was a great story BG. In fact it was so good I assumed it was Paulh until I rechecked the poster's name. Yes, that good.

Ooo... storey time!
*reads with interest and a packet of sweets*

I never got to study psychology at school, or Uni, which is a pity... I seem to spend half my time now reading articles about it, on the net None of which have revealed anything otterly revealing about my own psychology... though I can hazzard a few guesses - psychologists seem not to pay suffecient attention to butter related analagies, or expliations, so I often turn to philosophy instead... Was reading an interesting one the other day... by... damn must have bookmarked it on the otter computer ... all about ego and the 'idea' of 'self'... but... but.... really... a lot of ... it... sounds like an aweful lot of 'effort' for disentangling ego from 'self'.... I'm fairly sure the slightly quicker methods I've found, for me at least, achieve it with somewhat less effort, if slightly more... err bruising

Mind, none of which goes even half way to explaining the price of potatos...

Baron Grim, do you think your teacher stopped being a nun because she really lost her faith, or just because she couldn't do the kneeling any more?

I didn't realise nuns had legs. I thought they just sort of... hovered.

Thanks for your confidence, pebblederook, but I can't top that story about the nun's accident. The closest I can come is the fairy godfather who gave Cinderella cement slippers.

Nuns hoover?

I guess they probably do. Unfortunately, all I can think of is J Edgar Hoover in a nun's habit, and that's an unsettling thought./

My uncle was a nun... Well, every time he was in the whitness box, and they asked him his profession, he said 'nun'....

Are you sure it wasn't a witless box?

looks like a Dalek to me...

Hey, there should be a smiley. I can't believe I never noticed the glaring omission before.

I remember having that conversation with Jimster, he said the dalek is property-something, I don't recall the exact words, but he did go off and make a

GB

Maybe we could have a dustbin smiley that just so happens to look a lot like a dalek but definitely isn't one!

>> thought they just sort of... hovered. <<

There are supposed to be two Os in nighthoover.


~jwf~

Does anyone else get the feeling that this thread is going backwards?

Post 194 looks like it's an answer to Post 195