Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by the 2016 Spalding County SPLOST via the Flint River Regional Library System.
About Griffin daily news. (Griffin, Ga.) 1924-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1977)
Wt, 1 K^z-■ B ■" \ $y BLUE, the star rat of the Psychology Department at Georgia Southern College, makes a “dunk" shot. Rampant rodent makes his point STATESBORO-What is five inches long, has pink eyes, is white all over, has a blue streak down its back, and plays basketball? A rat! A rat? That’s right and Blue’s his name. A rat that plays basket ball? Yep! It began as a class assignment for two Georgia Southern College psychology majors, Glenn Fling of Savannah and Terry Can trell of Atlanta, in their Principles of Conditioning and Learning class. Ac cording to Richard Kleinginna, assistant professor of psychology at GSC, each student had to train an animal to perform different activities. Blue was taught to play basketball by the "shaping procedure” which entails reinforcing him for doing certain criteria by feeding him. “We chose to shape Blue by feeding him by hand instead of mechanically,” said Fling. “We feel that he has progressed faster because of this.” “Blue has to be ap proximately 85 percent below normal weight so that he’ll respond to training by feeding,” stated Cantrell. “Therefore, he has to be weighed before and after each performance.” “Blue was trained to run a straight line first," said Nancy Morris, a GSC lab assistant. “We started by Childfree life can be happy VALDOSTA, Ga. - As the patter of little feet is heard less and less in happy homes these days, the childless marriage is beginning to be termed “childfree,” ac cording to Dr. Bernard Cosneck of Valdosta State College. “The traditional view that every marriage, to be a happy one, must be blessed with children isn’t as widely held in this libertarian age as it once was,” Dr. Cosneck said. And the sociologist points out there are valid arguments to support the switch in attitude. “Many otherwise won derful people are very poor parents,” he said. “The mere biological act of giving birth doesn’t qualify a person to become an adequate parent. Nor does it give that person the ability to properly manage and rear children. “On the other hand, there are many people who would make superb parents who simply do not want children. They feel life is completely adequate, that they have an ideal relationship as a couple and they don’t want children ‘cluttering up’ their lives.” Such couples prefer to maintain what they call “childfree marriage,” which frees them for competition in the career world without the anxiety of parenthood. “Notice the term ‘childless’ is not used," Dr. Cosneck pointed out. “Some would call this avant garde approach selfish, but such •‘childfree’ couples are doing what every population ex pert says the human race must do: have fewer babies.” Dr. Cosneck cites a study conducted by the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan, which reports the happiest married couples polled were those without children. “According to this study, in 2,000 personal interviews putting strips of bright yellow and dark blue masking tape down on a table top,” continued Fling, “and Blue had to distinguish between the two. He would get reinforced for walking down the right color tape.” Since Blue had a natural tendency to play with balls in his cage, the next step was to teach him to put the “ball” a marble, on top of something. “We taught him to put the marble on top of a tuna can,” said Fling, “and then he graduated to soup cans, and finally to a basket.” At first the basket was placed in the middle of a circle, but "we found that Blue would put the marble in the basket better if the basket was up against a wall,” commented Morris. The entire procedure of training Blue to play “basketball” took ap proximately 15 hours. "At the present time, we have the basket up to seven inches high,” said Cantrell, "and we plan on raising it even further.” It’s quite a sight to see a rat pick up a marble in his moutn, scramble to the basket, and make a “ dunk” shot. Blue is definitely the star of the Psychology Department. A rat that plays basket ball. What will they think of next? among the childless married couples in the 18-29 age bracket, 88 per cent of the women and 72 per cent of the men said they were happy without children,” he said. “Among those couples over age 29,69 per cent of the women and 75 per cent of the men were content without children. The percentage decreases a bit as age ad vances but not enough to be considered significant.” But what of the so-called “empty nest” syndrome said to be suffered by couples whose children have left home because of marriage or a career? “The University of Michigan research indicates the opposite,” Cosneck smiled. The marriage counselor sociology professor feels strongly every child should be wanted but not born as a result of pressure from relatives. “One of the external pressures a young married couple faces is the wish of their own parents to become grandparents,” he said. "Peer pressure—keeping up with the Joneses who have several children—is another traditional motivation to produce children whether one really wants them or not ” The distinction between childless and childfree is an important one, he insists. “In the childfree situation, lack of children is volun tary,” he said. “But in the childless marriage, the lack of children may be due to sterility or some other medical (ciological) reason. Those having children merely because they think they should, that society expects it, are asking for trouble. There are marriage counselors who are saying divorce can begin with diapers.” ALBANY, Ga.- The State College Division of Nursing has been awarded a three year grant in the amount of $276,006. According to President Charles L. Haues, the grant was awarded to the SHOP FOR MOTHER'S DAY SAVE ON DISCOUNT FURNITURE J * II Cushioned Aluminum /i Breezeway Glider Group ' Rugged Aluminum frames with ’Satin-Lustre’ finish. 100 percent polyurethane foam /• cushions. Reinforced vinyl zippered covers in yellow floral and solid olive, green floral and solid olive or overall yellow floral o green floral. Expanded Wrought Metal SALE *ci’b aSr $ 178 00 Three Piece Patio Ensemble SALE 2 Chairs s ISB OO Aluminum Folding Chaise • 100% polyurethane foam cushions. 5 r'-f J • Reinforced vinyl zippered covers. ■'■’■■Tn 1\ • Back adjusts to 5 positions. /•. . * a • 26’/2” wide, 72” long. I :s■< ' "■ U Available in two-tone yellow floral and solid L* w vW H " * olive, green floral and solid olive or overall | L yellow floral or green floral. ■y, SXICOO Compact folding Expanded Wrought Metal 4U ° asys ° 9e Dinette Set ~“ Barrel Chairs and Umbrella Dining Table in choice of Outdoor Umbrellas Oak Wood Swings white or antique green weather-resistant finishes. SALE 5 199 00 4800 ’ lt " 16 Ml7 California Redwood 4 Piece Group Includes Loveseat, SftOOO * 2 chaire 41 End Tab,e *Mo A I—— ——— - ®\ <h Have Many CALIFORNIA At isl Other filfts 1\ REDWOOD That Will California Redwood ™ w ♦«-* 3 Pc. BARBECUE GROUP Please Includes Chaise. 2 Chairs & Table 11 11 Assembled & Delivered - Includes SIIOOO 70 " Table & 2 Benches ’ 2 ” stocL vU On Her Day! 4 WAYS TO BUY! Albany State gets money for nursing program college by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, for the purpose of providing educational opportunities for students from restrictive backgrounds. The first | Griffin 1 IfINEI SALES A SERVICE, INC. ■ |F URNITUftEI [■ twelve months cycle is f0r599,844, with $87,042 for the second twelve months and $89,120 for the third twelve months cycle. Mrs. Patricia L. Starck, Chairperson of the Division of Nursing, will serve as Program Director of the grant. According to Mrs. Starke, “The grant will also be used to promote cultural enrichment and increase self-esteem through Page 23 — Griffin Daily News Thursday, May 5,1977 collegiate experiences.” The objectives of the project are: to identify and facilitate entry of the educationally disadvantaged student; to provide op- portunities for the student who is educationally disadvantaged to achieve in a baccalaureate nursing program; to improve the record of Albany State College. FREE DELIVERY AND SET-UP!
