Fix this text
UNIKEN
Fix this textTHE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Fix this textNo. 157 (No. 16 of 1982)
Fix this textPublished fortnightly by the Public Affairs Unit
Fix this textRegistered by Australia Post-Publication No. NBF 4388
Fix this text8 October 1982
Fix this textArtists and
Fix this textschizophrenia
Fix this textResearch into schizophrenia carried out at UNSW seems to show that Shelley and Coleridge
Fix this textwere on the right path with their images of artists tinged with a form of creative madness.
Fix this textIn a broad series of psychological tests given to well-known visual artists, secondary
Fix this textstudents and university administrators, the artists scored high on allusive thinking, a form of
Fix this textthought the researchers believe to be associated with a predisposition to schizophrenia.
Fix this textThe study of creativity, divergent and allusive
Fix this textthinking was done by Dr Peter Tucker, Dr Sharon
Fix this textRoth well, Dr Michael Armstrong and Associate
Fix this textProfessor Neil McConaghy as part of a long-term
Fix this textinvestigation within the School of Psychiatry into
Fix this textschizophrenia.
Fix this textCentral to all the work is the concept of allusive
Fix this textthinking, described by Professor McConaghy in
Fix this textterms of the operation of a searchlight moving
Fix this textacross the brain, lighting up relevant associations
Fix this textand leaving other parts in darkness. 'ln the non-
Fix this textallusive thinker, the searchlight would have a narrow
Fix this textbeam with a sharply defined edge, whereas in the
Fix this textallusive thinker, it would have a broad beam with a
Fix this textpoorly defined edge. In the allusive thinker, associa-
Fix this texttions which have only a partial relevance are intro-
Fix this textduced into the stream of thought. One of these may
Fix this textbe taken up and developed so that the stream of
Fix this textthought deviates somewhat from the goal to which it
Fix this textoriginally appeared to be directed, says Professor
Fix this textMcConaghy.
Fix this textProfessor McConaghy says allusive thinkers,
Fix this textboth schizophrenic and normal, tend to see con-
Fix this textnections between things that do not immediately
Fix this textappear to have anything in common and to use
Fix this textwords in a way that suggests they have a broader
Fix this textconcept of their meaning than do non-allusive
Fix this textthinkers.
Fix this textIn schizophrenics, this sort of looseness of
Fix this textthinking is indicative of illness. But in visual artists,
Fix this textit may be part of the creative process, says Professor
Fix this textMcConaghy 'the ability to see in certain shapes
Fix this textrelationships of emotional significance which the rest
Fix this textof us would reject preconsciously as not relevant
Fix this textuntil actually faced with them in art'.
Fix this textIn the latest study, directors of Sydney's larger
Fix this textart galleries were asked to list the 10 artists in
Fix this textSydney they considered to be the most creative.
Fix this textThirty five artists nominated were asked to partici-
Fix this textpate and 12 agreed. They were matched by age, sex
Fix this textand years of education with 12 administrators from
Fix this textUNSW.
Fix this textThe subjects were given word association,
Fix this textmasculinity/femininity and vocabulary tests, an
Fix this textobject sorting test to gauge allusive thinking, and a
Fix this textcreativity test measuring divergent (or lateral)
Fix this textthinking.
Fix this textThe artists scored significantly higher on the
Fix this textobject sorting test, where people are asked to group
Fix this texttogether objects they think have something in com-
Fix this textmon. The mean score of the administrators was 9.8
Fix this textand secondary students (from two Sydney high
Fix this textschools) 11.9, while the artists averaged 18.7.
Fix this textProfessor McConaghy says this does not neces-
Fix this textsarily mean that a higher level of such thinking
Fix this textwould also be found in creative individuals in other
Fix this textareas. 'But where the production of a large number
Fix this textof unusual associations of real originality is an im-
Fix this textportant part of the creative process', he says 'this
Fix this textwould be expected if our theory is correct and
Fix this textallusive thinking is associated with a broad attention
Fix this textprocess'.
Fix this textThe artists did not score any higher than
Fix this textnormal on the divergent thinking test. In fact their
Fix this textscores were lower than those of the administrators,
Fix this textwhich Professor McConaghy says reflects his belief
Fix this textthat this mode of thinking is fairly usual and not
Fix this textindicative of exceptional creativity.
Fix this textAlthough the researchers believe allusive
Fix this textthinking indicates a low risk of schizophrenia, intel-
Fix this textligence seems to guard against the development of
Fix this textthe disease. Professor McConaghy says schizophrenia
Fix this textis thought to be genetically determined, at least in
Fix this texta proportion of cases, and there is a good suggestion
Fix this textthat those who develop the illness in a family are the
Fix this textchildren with lowest intelligence.
Fix this textFilipino sugar workers at risk
Fix this textThe recent introduction of Queensland
Fix this textsugar cane technology into the Philippines
Fix this textcould lead to the impoverishment of several
Fix this texthundred thousand unskilled agricultural
Fix this textworkers according to Dr Alfred McCoy, a
Fix this textsenior lecturer in the School of History.
Fix this textDuring a six-month visit to the Philippines
Fix this textwhile on special studies program in the second
Fix this texthalf of last year, Dr McCoy found that much
Fix this textof the local sugar industry is based on a
Fix this textpaternalistic plantation system like the one
Fix this textwhich used to exist in the southern states of
Fix this textAmerica. Workers employed under this system
Fix this textare totally dependent on their employers for
Fix this texttheir existence, with no private housing, no
Fix this textsavings, few non-farm skills and minimal
Fix this texteducation. Predictions that Queensland tech-
Fix this textnology, introduced during the last two years,
Fix this textcan reduce labour demand by up to 90 per
Fix this textcent, suggest these people will shortly be
Fix this textplaced in an even more precarious position.
Fix this textDr McCoy saw little evidence of gov-
Fix this texternment or industry planning for the sup-
Fix this textport or retraining of sugar workers adversely
Fix this textaffected by this technological change. He
Fix this textbelieves that if steps are not taken in this
Fix this textdirection, an outbreak of violence could
Fix this texterupt.
Fix this textThe move towards the mechanization
Fix this textof sugar cultivation in the Philippines was
Fix this textprecipitated by a crisis in the sugar industry
Fix this textwhich followed the loss of its American
Fix this textquota in 1974. After having been dependent
Fix this texton the US market for 60 years, during
Fix this textwhich time the industry had grown increas-
Fix this textingly inefficient, it was utterly unprepared
Fix this textto be suddenly thrust into the highly com-
Fix this textpetitive world market. At the time, the
Fix this textPhilippines had one of the lowest sugar
Fix this textyields per hectare in the world. With its
Fix this textcost of production higher than the average
Fix this textworld market price, the Philippine sugar
Fix this textindustry was in an already untenable position
Fix this textwhen world market prices crashed in 1975.
Fix this textInstead of trying to cut production
Fix this textcosts by mechanization, the industry
Fix this textattempted to increase gross production by
Fix this textextensive means like constructing new mills,
Fix this textexpanding the capacity of existing factories
Fix this textand increasing the total hectarage of sugar
Fix this textcane cultivation. This approach was ham-
Fix this textpered by President Marcos's endorsement of
Fix this textworkers' demands for increased wages.
Fix this text(Field labour costs doubled in the eight
Fix this textyears following the declaration of martial
Fix this textlaw in 1972). By 1980, planters had decided
Fix this textthe only significant input that could be cut
Fix this textwas labour and that mechanization of field
Fix this textcultivation was the best way to do it.
Fix this textIn the late 19705, a Queensland farm-
Fix this texting equipment manufacturer, Mr Mick
Fix this textHodge of Mackay, had begun exploring the
Fix this textPhilippine market. His equipment, which
Fix this textcovered every aspect of sugar cane culti-
Fix this textvation plowing, harrowing, planting,
Fix this textfertilizing, weeding and cultivation
Fix this textgained rapid acceptance. At the end of
Fix this text1981, another Queensland manufacturer, Mr
Fix this textHans Binder of Innisfail, arrived in the
Fix this textPhilippines to establish a local implement
Fix this textassembly plant in competition with Hodge.
Fix this textDr McCoy says planters admit that the
Fix this textAustralian method of sugar cane cultivation
Fix this texthas the capacity to displace up to 90 per
Fix this textcent of all labour employed by the major
Fix this texthaciendas on the main sugar-producing
Fix this textisland of Negros. But, he asserts most
Fix this textindustry officials refuse to acknowledge the
Fix this textfact that mechanization means massive
Fix this textlabour displacement.
Fix this text'The whole aim of mechanization is,
Fix this textof course, just that, and unless labour costs
Fix this textare reduced, there is simply no justification
Fix this textfor the investment in machinery. These
Fix this textofficials, then, do not deny the potential
Fix this textfor labour displacement with widespread
Fix this textmechanization, but argue that there are
Fix this textmajor constraints upon the successful
Fix this textadoption of Australian cane technology like
Fix this textclimate and cost', he says.
Fix this textSome government and industry officials
Fix this texthe spoke to held the mistaken belief that
Fix this textthe Philippine climate is wetter than Queens-
Fix this textland's and that the equipment will become
Fix this textinoperative during the local wet season.
Fix this textThey also argued that farms below 50ha
Fix this textcould not afford tractors and implements
Fix this textwhich meant that only a few farms would
Fix this textbecome mechanized so the impact on the
Fix this textlabour force would be minimal.
Fix this text'The problem with this logic is that
Fix this textlabour is applied per hectare, not per farm,
Fix this textso it is a question of total area mechanized,
Fix this textnot number of farms', Dr McCoy claims.
Fix this textHe concludes it is difficult to imagine
Fix this textthe social impact of massive labour dis-
Fix this textplacement upon such a dependent planta-
Fix this texttion labour force. To a certain extent, he
Fix this textsays, worker response will be determined
Fix this textby the plantation's willingness to accommo-
Fix this textdate them during the transition.
Fix this textARGS down in
Fix this textreal value and
Fix this textnumber
Fix this textUNSW staff will receive $2,135,222
Fix this textunder the Australian Research Grants Scheme
Fix this textfor 122 projects in 1983. Of these, 43 are new.
Fix this textLast year the Queen Elizabeth II Fellow-
Fix this textships and Australian Research Grants Committee
Fix this textallocated $1,945,191 to UNSW staff for 141 pro-
Fix this textjects. Figures released by the Committee at the end
Fix this textof September show that the total value of grants to
Fix this textUNSW staff is up 9.7 per cent over last year.
Fix this textNationally, a total of $19.25 million has
Fix this textbeen given under the Scheme for 1,193 projects.
Fix this textThis compares with $17.98 million for 1,347 projects
Fix this textin 1982. The real value has not kept pace with
Fix this textinflation.
Fix this textIn both value and number of awards, UNSW
Fix this textgrants ran second out of the 19 universities of the
Fix this textnation. The University of Sydney scored 144 grants
Fix this textto the total value of $2,737,093.
Fix this textDetails of the grants in the various research
Fix this textcategories made to UNSW staff are as follows:
Fix this textTwo of the largest grants to staff went to the
Fix this textFaculty of Military Studies: $67,314 to Professor
Fix this textGeoff Wilson, Dr Don Chaplin and Dr Peter Lynam
Fix this textof the Department of Physics for investigation of
Fix this texthyperfine interactions in magnetic materials, and
Fix this text$65,500 to Professor Richard Bearman and Dr
Fix this textBenjamin C. Freasierof the Department of Chemistry
Fix this textfor theoretical studies of the macroscopic properties
Fix this textof fluids as related to molecular interactions
Fix this textthrough statistical mechanics.
Fix this textAt Kensington, Dr Martin Green and Professor
Fix this textLou Davies, of the School of Electrical Engineering
Fix this textand Computer Science, were granted $62,413 for
Fix this textmicro-electronic applications of conductor-thin
Fix this textinsulator-semiconductor structures.
Fix this textA complete list of grants to UNSW staff will be
Fix this textpublished in a future issue of UNI KEN. Meanwhile,
Fix this texta copy of the list as supplied by the Committee may
Fix this textbe inspected in the Public Affairs Unit, Room 159,
Fix this textThe Chancellery.
Fix this textAssociate Professor Neil McConaghy (left) and Dr Michael Armstrong
Fix this textPublic Affairs Unit
Fix this textAlfred McCoy
Fix this textThis method of harvesting sugar cane in the Philippines may shortly become a thing of
Fix this textthe past.
Fix this textNo.
Fix this textValue $
Fix this textHumanities & economics
Fix this text13
Fix this text173,312
Fix this textSocial sciences
Fix this text10
Fix this text152,882
Fix this textPhysical sciences
Fix this text15
Fix this text316,988
Fix this textChemical sciences
Fix this text22
Fix this text431,106
Fix this textBiological sciences
Fix this text(plant & animal)
Fix this text14
Fix this text195,097
Fix this textBiological sciences
Fix this text(molecular biology & cell
Fix this textmetabolism)
Fix this text14
Fix this text238,565
Fix this textEarth sciences
Fix this text10
Fix this text139,195
Fix this textEngineering & applied sciences
Fix this text24
Fix this text488,077
Fix this textTotals
Fix this text122
Fix this text$2,135,222
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-257307795
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved May 16, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-257307795
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 16 May 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-257307795>
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 16 May 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-257307795
{{Citation
| author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
| author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
| title=Uniken.
| year=1975
| section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
| issn=0312-7877
| issue=1982, no. 16 (8 - 21 Oct., 1982)
| location=Kensington, N.S.W
| publisher=University of New South Wales
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-257307795
| id=nla.obj-257307795
| access-date=16 May 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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