I am delighted that we are starting out the New Year with a conversation with Dr Joe Layng.  Dr Layng is a behavior analyst who has over 40 years' experience in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior, with a particular focus on the design of teaching/learning environments. 

In Part 1 of our conversation Joe starts out by defining what contingency adduction is.  He uses several studies that were done with pigeons to help us understand this concept, beginning with a study using the mirror test to show that it’s not just humans who are self-aware.  Pigeons are, as well.  

In another study adduction was used to demonstrate tool use in pigeons. These experiments show that it is not a genetically based cognitive ability that determines whether or not an individual can solve a particular puzzle, but the component skills that are in repertoire.  This is true for pigeons, people and horses.

In this episode we are going to be talking primarily about pigeons. So if you are wanting to hear how to teach your horse to pick up his feet for cleaning, this particular episode won’t satisfy that need.  But if you want to be a better teacher for your horse, then this episode is very relevant.

Joe is taking us to a whole new level of appreciation of what animals are capable of.  As you listen to this episode, if you’re wondering how all these experiments with pigeons relate to horses, that’s one of the big ones. 

Articles cited in this episode:

THE SPONTANEOUS USE OF A TOOL BY A PIGEON 
ROBERT EPSTEIN and SAMUEL D. MEDALIE   
Behavior Analysis Letters, 3 (1983) 241-247

Contingency Adduction of "Symbolic Aggression" by Pigeons 
Paul Thomas Andronis Northern Michigan University, T.V. Joe Layng The New School for the Learning Sciences, and Israel Goldiamond The University of Chicago 
The Verbal Analysis of Behavior. 1997, 14 5-17

Spontaneous cooperation between pigeons: S o c i a l behavior selected by ontogenic consequences in the Prisoner's Dilemma 
P. T. Andronis

ON PIGEONS AND PEOPLE: A PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE COLUMBAN SIMULATION PROJECT 
Robert Epstein 
The Behavior Analyst 1981,4, 43-55 No. 1 (Spring) 


The Role of Contingency Adduction in the Creative Act 
Nolan Williams 
The Psychological Record 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-020-00440-z

Episode 217 Dr Joe Layng Why Not A Chicken? Contigency Adduction Pt 1

I am delighted that we are starting out the New Year with a conversation with Dr Joe Layng.  Dr Layng is a behavior analyst who has over 40 years' experience in the experimental and applied analysis of behavior, with a particular focus on the design of teaching/learning environments. 

In Part 1 of our conversation Joe defined contingency adduction and shared several fascinating experiments that were done with pigeons.  Pigeons showed self awareness by passing the mirror test.  They demonstrated tool use and they left themselves notes so they would know which color key to peck after a long delay.  These experiments show that it is not a genetically based cognitive ability that determines whether or not an individual can solve a particular puzzle, but the component skills that are in repertoire.  This is true for pigeons, people and horses.

In Part two Joe describes a series of experiments showing how the manipulation of schedules of reinforcement changes social behavior.  In a very clever series of experiments Dr Paul Andronis demonstrated that pigeons showed perspective taking, theory of mind and symbolic aggression. 

These studies take us to a whole new appreciation of what animals are capable of.  As you listen to this episode, if you’re wondering how all these experiments with pigeons relate to horses, that’s one of the big ones.

Episode 218: Dr Joe Layng Pt 2: Schedules Of Reinforcement and the Effect on Social Behavior

Today, I am privileged to not only unveil this musical creation, but to also introduce P DIGGEDY to the Ninetofive® community. With his groovy and mellifluous beats, he is sure to transport listeners back to the glory days of hip-hop, while also showcasing his unique sound that ties all of his visions together on Thursday when his full album will be released.

The style that P DIGGEDY embodies, possibilitism is a harmonious fusion of vintage 90s hip-hop and contemporary production techniques, resulting in a nostalgic yet innovative sound. This talented beat-smith hails from Germany and has been honing his craft for years, keeping a low profile while perfecting his sound, now finally ready to make his mark in the music industry.

The first track from the official album was released on Tuesday and today we are so honored to be sharing this piece of art titled Theory Of Mind.

Together with the talented Anton Geretzky, P DIGGEDY has created a music video to accompany his album, which we are thrilled to present today, providing a glimpse into his musical vision.

Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb-_C05S08k

P DIGGEDY and me spoke a bit about his vision for the album, here’s what he had to say – Sit back and enjoy this album taking you on a journey through sound and explore your inner soul, emotions and mind, like I did while creating this 11 track piece of art.

I can tell you, that i have made a strong development as an individual and artist throughout the whole process. Iam really thankful for that. Lets keep growing. The world falling apart in some ways the bridges hopefully taking us human individual beings towards each other.

Acknowledge diversity and develop unity without judgement and without boarders


We are incredibly excited to release Theory of Mind on our catalog. Full release will go live on Thursday but first up, let’s connect over the single possibilitism & the music video. Links are down below to show support.

Press here to select your streaming services.
https://streamlink.to/possibilitism

Theory Of Mind

Music Video

P DIGGEDY - Theory Of Mind (Album)

Autistic Counterstories - Episode 2: Autism as a mixing board.
This episode explores autism and communication. We join Gabriel at his piano class, we listen to Silke as she reads us some poems by the autistic poet Birger Sellin, and we hear from Christiane, a friend of the Sellin family, who uses facilitated communication to talk to her own autistic son, Christoph.

Autistic Counterstories is a three-part podcast series. 

The perspectives you hear in Autistic Counterstories are the individual experiences of the respective people who have contributed. We have not attempted to represent a definitive overview of autism; we have also not attempted to represent the perspectives of all autistic people. All contributors in Autistic Counterstories are only sharing their own perspective. Autistic Counterstories does not claim to represent perspectives of people who did not themselves contribute. Everybody who has contributed has had the opportunity to listen to and approve the final edit; if someone talks about their relationship with another person, they have shared this discussion with that person where appropriate.  

Autistic Counterstories uses identity-first language. There may be some occasions where contributors use both identity-first and person-first language. We want to remind listeners that Autistic Counterstories is not scripted; people spontaneously shared their stories, and we respect how people express themselves in the moment. 

Please be advised that some contributors to Autistic Counterstories are not native English speakers and are therefore not speaking in their native language. Autistic Counterstories also includes perspectives from people who come from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Some words and phrases may therefore have a different meaning or connotation to people who are expressing themselves in a different language or who come from a cultural background where English is not the first language.  

Credits
Executive Producer and Creative Lead: Elena Dikomitis/Studio De Nok
Co-Producer, Academic Liaison and Lead Editor: Dieter Declercq
Assistant Producer: Louis Dunlop-Marriott
Music composition, sound design & mastering: Bram Verhaeghe/Studio De Nok  
Narration: M. (writer) & Ada Rose (voice)
Podcast cover art by Eva Roelandt (instagram: @Eva_m_roelandt)
Production assistants: Alex Newe, Will Player, Zach Johnson, George Miller
Consultant: Professor Nicola Shaughnessy
Support at the University of Kent studio: Chris McCarthy, Andy Boothby and Leo Cookman.  We used equipment and facilities from The University of Kent. 
Ethical approval for the project was granted by the Central Research Ethics Advisory Group at The University of Kent (Ref.  CREAG124-7-23).
We thank researchers who are part of or connected to the Autism Ethics Network: Dr Katrien Schaubroeck, Dr Kristien Hens, Dr Leni van Goidsenhoven, Dr Jo Bervoets, Dr Delphine Jacobs, Professor Ilse Noens, Dr Arya Thampuran and Daniel Wechsler.
Thank you to contributors and their family members across the three episodes: Imane, Leila, Silke, Gabriel, his parents Nickie and Robert and his piano teacher Adam, Christiane and her son Christoph, Maysa, Sym and Terre. 
We also thank Anne and Dankward Sellin, for checking in with their son Birger and allowing us to feature his poetry (episode 2) from the English translation of his books ‘Ich will kein Inmich mehr sein: Botschaften aus einem autistischen Kerker’ (1993) and ‘Ich Deserteur einer artigen Autistenrasse: neue Botschaften an das Volk der Oberwelt’ (1995). 

For questions & feedback, please email us: counterstoriespodcast@gmail.com 
The script for the episode can be found on http://tinyurl.com/ymjezde2


Socials
Insta: @autisticcounterstories 
YouTube: @autisticcounterstories
X: @autistic_pod
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutisticCounterstories

Autistic Counterstories - Episode 2: Autism as a mixing board.

Good morning and welcome to AI Tech News Today! I’m Aurora, and today is December thirtieth, twenty twenty-four. Let’s dive into some of the most interesting updates in the world of Artificial Intelligence. 

OpenAI confirms for-profit plans. OpenAI has officially decided to shift from its non-profit structure to a for-profit model by twenty twenty-five. This change aims to attract more investment, building on their previous six point six billion dollar funding. They will become a Delaware public benefit corporation, balancing traditional equity with a mission to serve the public good. However, some former executives express concerns that this move may dilute the organization's foundational mission, particularly around the equitable distribution of benefits derived from Artificial General Intelligence.

DARPA seeks algorithmic 'theory of mind' to predict future behaviors. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is introducing its new "Theory of Mind" initiative. The aim is to develop algorithms that can model and predict human decision-making processes, enhancing simulations that could influence behaviors. This initiative could have significant implications, stretching from military strategy to law enforcement and corporate decision-making, potentially reshaping how we approach security and forecasting.

Meta envisions AI social networks. Meta is exploring a future where Artificial Intelligence characters will play a role alongside human accounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These AI personas will have their own profiles and content generation capabilities. While this could inject new dynamics into social media interactions, it raises concerns about misinformation and content quality, especially if AI-generated posts become rampant. The challenge will be in effectively labeling and regulating this content, particularly regarding advertising partnerships.

In other news, five new AI tools you might want to check out include Backflip AI for creative ideation, DevPilot for finding top-notch developers, TestLabs for automated app testing, Hika AI for advanced knowledge search, and Orient Anything, which focuses on object orientation estimation. Each is designed to enhance different aspects of technology interaction and development.

As we wrap up this update, remember the world of Artificial Intelligence is always evolving. Stay informed about the latest news and developments to keep your knowledge sharp. Thanks for joining us today, and we’ll see you next time on AI Tech News Today.

OpenAI Transitions to For-Profit Model by 2025 Amid Concerns, DARPA Launches 'Theory of Mind' Initiative, and Meta Explores AI-Driven Social Interactions

Photo by Lynn Delbeecke - instagram: @lynndelbeecke_photography

‎ 
Not Designed for Algorithms - Since. 2012   @lucianobrougham & @philanthrope1

Equiosity is the podcast about all things equine with a special emphasis on the horse-human bond.

New tracks tagged #Theory of Mind