My Library

Chapter 47 WHAT DOES ONE USE FOR EYES IF ONE IS OUT OF BODY? What with all of the socializing, parties, lionizing, meetings and the hints of secret activity going on, it might seem as if no RESEARCH was getting done. This was not the case at all. I was, and am, a workaholic, demanding perfection or at least the best possible -- as was Janet Mitchell, Dr. Schmeidler, and, in a somewhat lesser sense, Dr. Osis. And with a sort of renewed enthusiasm, we proceeded to produce experiments of several kinds at the ASPR. In order to throw my weight around within my newfound glory, I suggested that we meet and TALK about what we were doing. Here was a subtle shift -- because experimenters typically DID NOT talk about experiments with subjects any more than experimenters would discuss experiments with rats or guinea pigs. As I explained (and was also later to explain in far more impressive surroundings), it was one thing to set up experiments merely to see if certain phenomena existed. But something else was involved IF researchers wanted performance from their subjects. How could a subject really attempt something if the subject had no idea of what was involved? Running a rat through an experiment designed to reward the rat with food if it did what was wanted -- well that was one kind of experiment.