January 2011

96% of Some Bee Species Gone

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Does knowing that at least four species of common US bees are approaching extinction make you a bit uncomfortable? It should. According to Albert Einstein, humans could not survive without bees for more than four years; and while many modern scientists disagree (there have been a few advances, after all, following his death), we won’t really know until it happens, will we?

90% of what we grow—from our food to our clothing—does require pollination from these bees. Relying on other insects that are helpful pollinators isn’t going to work, either, as many of those species—such as moths and hoverflies—are declining substantially as well.

Human Cannibals

 

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Jonathon Swift joked in “A Modest Proposal” about eating a certain percentage of the babies being born. Dutch artist Gerard David painted three children jumping into a tub next to a religious figure—also a scene depicting cannibalism. A Facebook friend recently asked the time-old question, “If you were trapped on a desert island, which Facebook friend would you eat and why?”

(Predictably, the responses were more about the condiments—no one was brave enough to answer the question correctly.)

 

Want Less Traffic on the Streets? Be a Team Player.

According to Craig Davis, a physicist at the University of Michigan, if everyone would simply slow down and actually obey traffic signs, traffic would essentially be nonexistent on our roads.

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On the streets of the US, people drive aggressively, they drive defensively, and they drive according to their own agenda. Davis calls it “the science of complexity.” When you have a large group (which, essentially is what traffic is: a collective of people) the group dynamic is affected when each person in the group is trying to maximize their own benefit.

The Modeling Process of Social Learning Theory

Today, the Social Learning Theory proposed by Albert Bandura is usually grouped with behavioral theories in most psychology textbooks. Bandura thought his Social Learning Theory wasn’t behavioral, but rather a ‘social cognitive theory’.

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Aside from the first two premises with, one, people learn through observation and two, mental state affects learning, there is a third premise that states the way someone learns something may not necessarily affect their behavior. Most behaviorists believed that learning directly caused a lasting change in behavior. Bandura believed otherwise.

The Premises of Social Learning Theory

In 1977, Albert Bandura proposed the Social Learning Theory. The basic premise was that people learn new behaviors through observational learning. That is, they will model the behaviors of others, especially if they observe those behaviors to be positive or encouraging.

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However, Bandura devised the famous “bobo doll” studies. In this study, children would directly imitate the behaviors adults showed towards a bobo doll. In the study, Bandura noted that they would imitate the same behavior after they witnessed adults acting aggressively towards the dolls.