Mad Science

[unixronin]

We report today on the latest in behavioral modification.  Everyone's familiar of course with Skinner-box experiments in which rats are presented with a set of behavioral choices, and then rewarded or punished for certain choices in order to condition them to make a specific choice.  (The utility of same has always been questionable.)  More recently, techniques have emerged for administering punishment or reward via electrodes implanted into the rat's brain.

The latest step in this ongoing evolution of the technique, however, is to not only administer the punishment or reward via electrodes, but to actually read the state of the rat's brain and detect when it is beginning to think about performing the desired (or undesired) behavior, and administer punishment or reward at that time, before any conscious decision on the rat's part has even been made.  By this means, it appears rats can be induced eventually to, for instance, select a blue lever over a red one so instinctively that they never even think of the red lever and become, to all appearances, completely oblivious to its very existence, let alone the possibility of activating it.

When asked about his goals in pursuing this line of research, flamboyant researcher Dr. Meswit Yohed replied, "It's perfectly simple -- I always wanted to be the censor of intention."

Comments

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

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You, sir, are a wicked individual -- I just hope I am never at the other end of your electrodes...

[docwebster.livejournal.com]

(grams: pistol shot, deflating bagpipes)

Wal: Got him, right in the joke.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Aaagh! I've been shotted!
Here, lad, make sure my yak gets home to Grandma. She's expecting him, you know. For tea.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

hmmm, too bad they can't use humans for the experiments.

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Oh, you, you, you -- *bites your nose*!