Hull Theory Research Articles

Why Falsification is the Wrong Paradigm for Evolutionary Epistemology: An Analysis of Hull's Selection Theory

Contemporary empiricism has attempted to ground its analysis of science in a falsificationism based in selection theory. This paper links these evolutionary epistemologies with commitments to certain epistemological and ontological assumptions found in the later work of K. Popper, D. Campbell, and D. Hull. I argue that their assumptions about the character of contemporary empiricism are part of a shared paradigm of epistemological explanation which results in unresolved tensions within their own projects. I argue further that their claim to be doing a science of science is not defensible. Hull's selectionism is analyzed to show how this epistemological agenda has played itself out in late empiricism. I suggest some directions that Hull might take toward an historical epistemology.

Contributions to the History of Psychology: LXXXVI. Hull and His Critics: The Reception of Clark L. Hull's Behavior Theory, 1943–1960

In the twelve-year period following the publication of Principles of Behavior in 1943, Clark L. Hull was regarded as a leading proponent of systematic behavior theory. By the end of the 1950s, his visibility in the psychological literature had greatly diminished and his contributions to psychological theory were judged by many to have been misguided. Drawing from reviews and assessments of Hull's theorizing which appeared in the period 1943–1960, this paper treats Hull's impact and subsequent decline as inevitable outcomes of the programmatic nature of Hull's behavior theory.

Selection and Science: Critical notice of David Hull's Science as a Process

An examination of Hull's claims about the nature of interactors, replicators and selection, with special attention to how the genetic material realizes the first two types, and a critique of Hull's attempt to apply the theory of natural selection to the explanation of scientific change, and in particular the succession of theories. I conclude that difficulties attending the molecular instantiation of Hull's theory are vastly increased when it comes to be applied to “memes.”

THE HISTORY OF IMITATION IN LEARNING THEORY: THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROCESS

The concept of imitation has undergone different analyses in the hands of different learning theorists throughout the history of psychology. From Thorndike's connectionism to Pavlov's classical conditioning, Hull's monistic theory, Mowrer's two-factor theory, and Skinner's operant theory, there have been several divergent accounts of the conditions that produce imitation and the conditions under which imitation itself may facilitate language acquisition. In tracing the roots of the concept of imitation in the history of learning theory, the authors conclude that generalized imitation, as defined and analyzed by operant learning theorists, is a sufficiently robust formulation of learned imitation to facilitate a behavior-analytic account of first-language acquisition.

A Banach Space in Which a Ball is Contained in the Range of Some Countably Additive Measure is Superreflexive

AbstractA nonstandard proof of the fact that a Banach space in which a ball is contained in the range of a countably additive measure is superreflexive is given. The proof is an application of a general method in which we first transfer certain standard objects to the nonstandard hull of a Banach space and then, using the quite well developed theory of nonstandard hulls, derive results about the objects in the original Banach space. It also provides us with an example of the applications of the theory of nonstandard hull valued measures.

Scientific pluralism and the plurality of the sciences: Comments on David Hull's Science as a Process

Science as a Process is a complex work. David Hull provides us with a brief history of biology from Aristotle to the present, a detailed insider's history of modern systematics, a general theory of the metaphysics of selection processes, an account of how science provides an example of such a process, and an extended defence of this view against the standard objections to evolutionary epistemology. The historical parts, especially the systematics, provides the major source of evidence for the last two. Each of these topics could well have received book length treatment, and most of them do. Thus it is no easy task to decide on which part of this complex to focus. In this paper I shall have most to say about the later, more strictly philosophical parts, and especially Hull's theory of the evolution of science. Let me begin, then, with Hull's main philosophical proposals, leading up to his account of the metaphysics of selection and his assimilation of science to an example of a selection process. An essential preliminary to this, and incidentally one of Hull's most original and important philosophical contributions, is an understanding of his views on general terms. An assumption that has hardly been challenged in the history of philosophy is that whatever the references of general terms may be, they are in some sense general. For many years Hull has championed the view that terms referring to species, and perhaps also larger groups, of organisms domestic pigs, African elephants, flammulated owls, etc. refer not to kinds of thing at all, but to individuals. Specifically, they refer to lineages, to particular chunks of the total genealogy of life on Earth. Thus to refer to something as a pig, say, is not to say what kind of a thing it is, but rather to say what larger more enduring thing it is a part of, in this case the species Sus domesticus. Species, according to Hull are not kinds, but individuals.1 Thus however piglike the creatures we might imagine discovering on Alpha Centauri, even though

Iterative boundary perturbation method for enclosed one-dimensional quantum systems

A modification of the boundary perturbation theory of Hull and Julius (1950) is proposed which lends itself to iterative solution. The method may be applied to both finite and infinite box potentials. For enclosed quantum systems described by one-dimensional Schrodinger equations it leads to the exact energy and wavefunction.

CARTESIAN CLOSEDNESS AND THE MCNEILLE COMPLETION OF AN INITIALLY STRUCTURED CATEGORY

Abstract An adaptation of a theorem by Herrlich [5] shows that every initially structured category A can be fully embedded in a topological category AC, which is, in fact, a MacNeille completion of A. It is then shown that A is Cartesian closed if and only if AC is. Also developed is the notion of a Cartesian closed initially structured (CCIS) hull of a category. The theory of the CCIS hull is analogous to that of the Cartesian closed topological (CCT) hull. It is proved that a category has a CCT hull-if and only if it has a CCIS hull; and this allows the list of conditions equivalent to the existence of a CCT hull to be supplemented. Examples are given, drawn mainly from the various categories of binary relations.

Clark Hull, Robert Cummins, and Functional Analysis

Robert Cummins has recently used the program of Clark Hull to illustrate the effects of logical positivist epistemology upon psychological theory. On Cummins's account, Hull's theory is best understood as a functional analysis, rather than a nomological subsumption. Hull's commitment to the logical positivist view of explanation is said to have blinded him to this aspect of his theory, and thus restricted its scope. We will argue that this interpretation of Hull's epistemology, though common, is mistaken. Hull's epistemological views were developed independently of, and in considerable contrast to, the principles of logical positivism.

Infeld–Hull factorization, Galois–Picard–Vessiot theory for differential operators

The Infeld–Hull theory of factorization of second order differential operators is related, on the one hand, to the classical Picard–Vessiot theory and, on the other hand, to work by the author, Gel’fand, and Kirillov on Lie algebras contained in the field of fractions or algebraic extensions of the enveloping associative algebra of a Lie algebra.

An Experimental Test of Current Theories of Psychomotor Reminiscence

Inhibition, arousal, and consolidation theories of psychomotor reminiscence were examined in a dual-task paradigm in which two segments of continuous practice on a principal task were separated by varying amounts of practice and rest on an alternate task. The allocations of work and rest to the interval between the two segments were such as to allow the theories to make different sets of predictions about the effects of the allocations upon main-task reminiscence. The experimental sample of 140 Caucasian, right-handed subjects had a modal age of 18 yr. Results provided decisive support for Hull's inhibition theory of reminiscence while negating the credibility of competing theories at all crucial points of comparison.

A POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF THE GROWTH OF GRAIN-BOUNDARY CRACK AND AN ESTIMATION OF CREEP RUPTURE TIME

After a careful study of the article by Hull and Rimmer, we found that there existed some contradictions between the facts and theory put forward. Basing on the experimental data from related references and those obtained in our own laboratory, and retaining the rational basis of the above mentioned work, we suggest a new mechanism of creep rupture and derive a formula for the rupture time. The theoretical values agree fairly well with those measured. From these results, it seems that our treatment has improved some what the theory of Hull and Rimmer.

Hull's theory of learning: II. A criticism of the theory and its relationship to the history of psychological thought.

Hull's theory of learning: II. A criticism of the theory and its relationship to the history of psychological thought.

Hull's theory of learning as a philosophical system: I. An outline of the theory.

Hull's theory of learning as a philosophical system: I. An outline of the theory.

Transfer of reaction inhibition.

A serious challenge to Hull's (1943) theory of reminiscence and intertrial-interval effects is posed by the current contention that reactive inhibition (In) must be task-specific since it does not seem to transfer from one task to another. This notion was examined within the framework of a practice-rest paradigm in which three control groups were given 20 1-min trials on a principal task with intertrial intervals of 0, 5, and 70 sec, respectively, while two experimental groups practiced alternately on the principal task and a secondary task known to produce evidence for I(R). The two secondary tasks varied in their similarities to the principal task. Additional control groups were used to assess the magnitude of habit transfer effects. The total sample consisted of 70 males and 70 females whose modal age was 18 yr. With habit transfer effects controlled, results showed clearly that work effects transferred from the alternate tasks to the main task without regard for differences in similarity. Thus, the task-specificity hypothesis was not supported.

TOURISM: AN EXERCISE IN SPATIAL SEARCH

THERE IS a growing interest in how people learn about the choices or opportunities that exist in their local area, and how they establish regular patterns of movement to utilize these opportunities. Research in this area has centred on consumer market activity, because consumption is, in many ways, a learned response. Formally defined, learning means “all changes in behavior that result from previous behavior in similar situations,”’ so that the consumers’ spatial behaviour can be regarded as an evolving process, based on their experience with current and past locations. It has been postulated that the spatial patterns associated with consumer market activity are the result of a learning process whereby an individual searches his area for the “most satisfactory” pattern of responses.2 Utilizing the reinforcement theory of Hull’s3 “Behavior System,” Golledge and Brown4 suggest that in the early stages of the learning process an individual’s search procedure will be random; but the haphazard nature of the search will diminish as the individual develops more satisfying experiences from the choices or trials he has made. Finally, the consumer will reach a stage of general satisfaction with his choices that is likely to lead to a habitual set of responses and a stable movement pattern within his area. However, the close association with stimulus-response learning theory has meant that geographical research into spatial search has emphasized the trial and error aspect of learning while minimizing its cognitive elemenk5 Cognitive behaviour and experience can intervene in a stimulus-response situation and modify the learning process via the individual’s perception, attitude, motivation (physical and psychological), and inter-trial learning.G Such personal attributes are likely to influence the degree of commitment an individual makes to a search and affect the procedure by which he builds up his mental image of an area. Thus it is important that the contribution of individuality be examined in addition to the more stereotyped behaviour of stimulus-response learning. This paper reports on an investigation of the motivations and modus operandi involved in the spatial search of a new area. The individuals concerned were first-time tourists to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and the study examined events and expectations associated with their search process. Tourism provides an attractive medium for the study of spatial search because the tourist encounters many new environments during his trip, and these must be assimilated in a short time. Therefore, although he may not advance to the hypothesized habitual state of response and movement during his first visit, the tourist’s search experience could provide insight into which methods and cues have a high ‘Lpay-off” and into the relevance of cognitive variables. Furthermore, the way in which the tourist explores each location is of vital interest to local tourist industries which need to create maximum exposure and use for each tourist attraction during their short season. This study of tourist search behaviour was conducted as part of a broader survey7

Injective hulls as completions

A preliminary attempt is made to place the theory of completions of boolean algebras and of partially ordered sets in a wider context. The theory and construction of injective hulls in abelian categories is generalised and it is demonstrated that any variety with enough injectives admits injective hulls. Then the methods developed are applied to a non-algebraic bicategory, that of ordered sets.

Linking sexual and aggressive motives: Contributions of “irrelevant” arousals1

SummaryOne hundred thirty‐two male and female college undergraduates were randomly assigned to three different arousal conditions‐sex, anxiety, laughter‐and a nonaroused control, as a test of the hypothesis that aggressive and sexual imagery would appear only under conditions of sexual arousal. The subjects wrote four TAT stories, two to male‐dominant pictures and two to female‐dominant As predicted, the sexually aroused subjects wrote stories higher in sexual and aggressive imagery than did those in the other two arousal conditions, and the scores of those in the anxiety and laughter conditions were not significantly different from the controls'.The results are discussed in terms of a connection between sex and aggression. Hull's theory of drive level and Schachter and Singer's nonspecific arousal are rejected as explanations for the results. Support is also given to earlier findings in the area.

Effects of practice on hypnotic suggestibility: a re-evaluation of Hull's postulates.

Abstract Hull's (1933) theory postulates that hypnotic suggestibility is a habit phenomenon that is facilitated by practice. A previous study (Barber & Calverley, 1966) showed that Hull's contention is not always valid: when Ss were given repeated practice in responding to the same hypnotic suggestions, they became bored and showed a reduction in hypnotic suggestibility. The present study tested the hypothesis that practice facilitates hypnotic suggestibility when an attempt is made to maintain S's interest and to prevent boredom by varying the hypnotic suggestions used in the practice sessions. The hypothesis was confirmed. It is concluded that whether Ss show an increase or a decrease in hypnotic suggestibility with practice depends upon how the practice sessions are conducted.

Continuing 1-dimensional analytic sets

The assumption that ~(V)= V is needed in order to ensure that 1R" does not "bound" V; when this hypothesis is not in effect the theorem can be applied to VuT(V). Under the further assumption that V has finite volume (= "area" in this case) the theorem was obtained by Shiffman [2, Theorem 1.1]. In [1] Shiffman derives some results of Tornehave and Stein as corollaries. Our method differs from Shiffman's: we establish analytic structure by appealing to the general theory of hulls of real curves in 112" which is due to Wermer, Bishop and Stolzenberg. For our purposes the following formulation [3] is suitable: