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Psychology Experiments as Interbeha Vioral Systems: A Case Study from the Soviet Union

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Abstract

This paper reviews a research project conducted at Pavlov’s laboratory at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. The paper’s primary objective is to present a formal, quantified account of both experimenter and subject behavior as they interact during a dynamic learning experiment. The analysis focuses on a prominent Soviet paradigm, the Kupalov “situational-place reflex,” which combines elements of classical Pavlovian stimulus pairings (experimenter-paced stimuli) with subject-paced arrangements that involve a variety of behavioral prerequisites. Discussions and conclusions focus on (a) the operational aspects of the Kupalov paradigm and their implications for current learning typologies, (b) cultural differences in viewing experiments, and (c) the strengths of the Soviet experimenters’ sensitivity to individual differences.

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This research was supported by the US-USSR Health Professional Exchange Program, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the USSR Ministry of Health. Additional funding was made available through grants from the Rollins College Faculty Research Fund and from the National Science Foundation’s College Science Improvement Program (CoSIP) Grant GY 9325 to Rollins College.

I am indebted to M. R. Ray and D. A. Brown for their comments on various versions of this article. A very special note of gratitude is due M. M. Khananashvili and his colleagues in the Pavlov Department of Physiology, Leningrad, especially v. I Silakov, M. M. Bogoslovsky, N. S. Burakova. L. S. Chkhoubianishvili and E. Petrov.

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Ray, R.D. Psychology Experiments as Interbeha Vioral Systems: A Case Study from the Soviet Union. Psychol Rec 27, 279–306 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394446

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