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Two freshman psychology classes were presented a series of factual statements and asked to respond either true or false both individually and collectively to determine the importance of individual performance preceding group performance and vice versa in terms of shift (change of an answer given to a statement in one situation from an answer previously given to the same statement in another situation), the influence on accuracy of one situation preceding the other and the amount of shift observed in students with high grades and those with low grades. The data indicated that students at the extreme lower grade level (quartile IV) tended to shift more than students at the extreme upper level (quartile I), but no clear-cut differentiation appeared in central areas (quartiles II and III). No significant difference in shift occurred when group performance preceded individual performance or vice versa. Group performance preceding individual performance did prove to have a beneficial influence upon the individual's performance in that Ss conform somewhat to the performance of the group. The accuracy of the group performance was superior to that of the individuals.

COLLAGEN has been found in mummified human remains several thousand years old, and in mastodon bones preserved under permafrost conditions. It has been stated that bone fragments after glacier preservation had all the appearances of a fresh bone1. Studies on Pleistocene bones have demonstrated that it is also possible to observe collagen and other organic materials in a fossil bone2,3. Electron micrographs of fossil bones of a deer-like animal from the Miocene (25 million years old) revealed collagen fibrils and the intact walls of canaliculi4. There have also been reports of striated muscle fibres, epithelial cells and melanophores being found in tissues of specimens from the Eocene (40 million years old) deposits of Geiseltal (eastern Germany)5. Furthermore, electron microscope investigations of patches of almost completely demineralized bone of a dinosaur from the Upper Trias (200 million years old), and the dermal armour of Devonian ostracoderms, have revealed a fibrillar structure, while a further examination of the same material showed a mixture of mineral and collagen patterns6. Analysis of fishes from the Middle Devonian (380 million years old) has indicated that degradation products of collagen can still be recognized. More recently7,8, it has been demonstrated that fossil dentine and bone-like tissues in Devonian ostracoderms can be decalcified and sectioned on a microtome. The presence in these tissues of polysaccharides as well as collagen has been indicated.

The present study replicated previous results showing the effectiveness of behavior-modification techniques in reinstating verbalization in mute psychotics. Those patients experiencing behavior-modification treatment increased their verbalization level significantly more than patients in either an attention-control or a no-treatment control group. Commencing behavior-modification at a simple motor level offers important practical advantages and deserves research attention.