Wilse Bernard (Bernie) Webb (1920-2018).

Presents an obituary of Wilse Bernard (Bernie) Webb (1920-2018). Webb was an effective researcher and administrator but also an overall colorful personality. His evolving research career was highlighted by work on learning mechanisms and studies of aircraft accidents. He became most widely known for his important early work on biological rhythms, individual difference, effects of sleep deprivation, and theories of sleep. In 1958 Bernie was appointed psychology chair at the University of Florida, which was developing as a research university. During his years as chair, the size and scope of the department increased, graduate research professorships were established, and plans were laid for a new psychology building. In addition to receiving various awards, he served as president of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, the Southeastern Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Teaching, as well as its Division of the History of Psychology. He also served two terms on the APA Board of Directors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The History of Psychology Newsletter, 1969-1997: History and index.

During 1968-1997, Division 26 of the American Psychological Association, now the Society for the History of Psychology, and its predecessor, the History of Psychology Group, published a series of some 101 newsletters. These are a form of gray literature unfamiliar to some historians of psychology. I provide both an overview of the newsletters and their history and some highlights of the 153 substantive articles appearing in the newsletter through its run. Many issues of both sets include features such as a Notes and News section, a President's Message, Membership Lists, assorted division business items, and other items of potential interest to members of the division. However, many issues, especially the later ones, also contained substantive articles that are of broader interest. These materials provide a potentially valuable source for historians of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

A history of the behavior program at the Jackson laboratory: an overview.

The behavior program at the Jackson laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME, flourished from 1945 through the late 1960s and was unique in the history of comparative psychology. The canine project was conducted on ~300 dogs of five purebred breeds reared under controlled conditions and tested on a predetermined schedule. This enabled a detailed study of genetic and environmental effects and their interaction as well as a variety of other problems in midsized mammals. I provide a comprehensive, though brief, overview of the origins, development, operation, and decline of the program. Although it was begun within a genetic framework, the role of both genetic and experiential influences came to be emphasized. An important additional part of the program entailed extensive studies of inbred strains of house mice (Mus musculus) and of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). The work at the Jackson Laboratory had a significant impact on various aspects of comparative psychology.

Samuel Fernberger's rejected doctoral dissertation: a neglected resource for the history of ape research in America.

I summarize a never-completed 1911 doctoral dissertation on ape behavior by Samuel Fernberger of the University of Pennsylvania. Included are observations on many behavioral patterns including sensory and perceptual function, learning, memory, attention, imagination, personality, and emotion in an orangutan and two chimpanzees. There are examples of behavior resembling insight, conscience, tool use and imitation. Language comprehension was good but speech production was minimal. The document appears to contradict a brief published article on the project by William Furness in that punishment was frequently used. The document is important for understanding Fernberger's early career, for anticipations of later research, and for understanding the status of ape research at the time.

Charles Darwin and psychology at the bicentennial and sesquicentennial: an introduction.

This article provides an introduction to the special issue on Darwin and psychology at the bicentennial of his birth and the sesquicentennial of his publication of On the Origin of Species. His core contributions, as viewed today, were his theory of natural selection, his naturalistic philosophy, and his mass of evidence for evolutionary change. A brief summary of Darwin's life is also presented. Among Darwin's contributions to psychology were his demonstration of the continuity of species, a model for the study of instinct, a book on the expression of the emotions, and a baby biography. Previous celebrations of Darwin and the changing perceptions of his work since its publication are described. Darwin's theory remains an important part of psychology.

Origins of behavior genetics: the role of the Jackson laboratory.

The field of behavior genetics as an entity developed during the middle of the twentieth century. Developments at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine played an important role in this process. The role included an important conference, education and training, research, and publications, included Thompson and Fuller's (1960) Behavior Genetics, the book that is often credited with establishing the field.

The Lashley Award.

The Karl Spencer Lashley Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Neurosciences has been bestowed upon 50 of the world's leading neuroscientists of the last half century but is not well known. It originated in 1953 when Lashley accumulated excess stock holdings and established a Fund for Neurobiology with 52,000 dollars to provide small grants for neurobiological research. Several years later the assets were transferred to the American Philosophical Society to administer and convert to an award for achievement in neurobiology The nature, amount, and format of the award have evolved ever since. These changes in the award and the characteristics of its recipients are described.

The darwin-bateman paradigm in historical context.

I introduce the term "Darwin-Bateman Paradigm" to include several proposals stemming from the writings of Charles Darwin and A. J. Bateman, including the notions that (a) male reproductive success is more variable than that of females, (b) males gain more in reproductive success from repeated matings than do females, and (c) males are generally eager to mate and relatively indiscriminate whereas females are more discriminating and less eager. I trace this paradigm from Darwin's The Descent of Man through Bateman's research and beyond. I try to clarify the terminology used in applying Bateman's results and discuss both the impact and the criticisms the paradigm has engendered. I then broaden the context of the Darwin-Bateman Paradigm to show related conceptions in disparate fields that evolved in parallel with it. I conclude that gender stereotypes appear to have influenced these conceptions. The paradigm has been of great heuristic value but is in need of further empirical investigation in view of numerous exceptions to these general rules.

The 1973 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine: recognition for behavioral science?

The Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for 1973 was awarded to 3 ethologists: Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, and Nikolaas Tinbergen. This was a landmark event in the history of the field of ethology and potentially for the behavioral sciences more broadly. For the first time, the prize was awarded for research of a purely behavioral nature. The language used in making the award emphasized the implications of ethological work for human health and appeared to suggest that more such awards might be forthcoming; few were. The author provides an overview of the 3 men, their work, the events surrounding the award, the controversy that arose, and the significance of the award as viewed in contemporary perspective.

The conference on reproductive behavior: a history.

The Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology was, in part, an outgrowth of the Conference on Reproductive Behavior, which was, in turn, an outgrowth of the West Coast Sex Meetings. In this article I trace the history of these organizations. The West Coast meetings provided an opportunity for free and informal exchange among west coast researchers studying sexual behavior. The 29 meetings of the Conference on Reproductive Behavior began with a similar format that evolved as success and growth forced numerous changes. With time, the meetings became more structured and more dependent on time limits, and added invited addresses, symposia, workshops, roundtables, posters, tours, and papers presented by abstract only. The administrative structure was kept as simple as possible. With changing times, these informal meetings eventually were superseded by the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.

Conflicting approaches: operant psychology arrives at a primate laboratory.

During a brief period, from 1955 to 1957, behavior analysts, primarily Charles Ferster, Roger Kelleher, and John Falk, conducted research on chimpanzees at the Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology in Orange Park, Florida. This was a time of conflict between operant conditioners and more traditional experimental psychologists at the national level, and there was a similar conflict at the local level in Orange Park. The principal overt issues concerned the use of deprivation procedures, the apparatus utilized, and the naming of animals, although more fundamental differences probably set the occasion for the disputes. The conflicts in Orange Park can be seen as a microcosm of the broader conflicts that occurred during a period when the operant approach was being extended and applied more broadly than before.

Constructing representations of Karl Spencer Lashley.

I compare, contrast, and analyze two published constructions, a straightforward approach and a social constructivist perspective, of the life and work of psychobiologist Karl S. Lashley (1890-1958). Although it is clear at a general level that scientific endeavors are affected by extrascientific factors, particular concern is directed at the issues involved in demonstrating that the scientific work of an individual, in this case Lashley, is affected by specific extrascientific influences. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that Lashley's work was driven predominantly by racial and genetic determinist positions and that he was something other than the scientist he represented himself as being. I then discuss an unpublished personality theory approach to Lashley that suggests the influence of some personality characteristics on his work and helps to provide balance and perspective in constructing representations of Lashley.

Differences in affiliative behavior, pair bonding, and vaginal cytology in two species of vole (Microtus ochrogaster and M. montanus).

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and montane voles (M. montanus) display marked differences in social organization in the field. Trios of 1 male and 2 females were studied in a large enclosure for a 10-day period. Prairie voles spent 59% of the observation time in side-by-side contact, whereas montane voles spent only 7% of the time in contact. Vaginal smears indicated female-female suppression of estrus in prairie voles; female montane voles appeared to cycle in the presence of males. Male prairie voles preferentially paired and nested with 1 of the females, and vaginal estrus generally followed pair formation by 2 days. Male montane voles did not spend time preferentially with either female, even after mating. These results suggest that the contrasting mating systems of these species result from differences in the propensity for affiliative behavior and social bonding rather than from mate availability or female receptivity.

Copulatory patterns of primates as viewed in broad mammalian perspective.

The goals of this review are to classify the patterns of copulatory behavior displayed by various species of primates, to compare them to the patterns of nonprimate mammalian species, and to search for correlates of the various patterns. Copulatory patterns are classified in relation to the presence or absence of four defining attributes: a lock, thrusting during intromissions, multiple intromissions, and multiple ejaculations. Literature on copulation in 67 primate species is reviewed, and a tentative classification is proposed for 33 primate species. Although neither social organization nor genital morphology provides a fully satisfactory relationship, there are indications that variations in copulatory behavior are related to variations in genital morphology.