因果关系及典型性程度对类别特征推理的影响

采用学习―测试二阶段实验范式,探讨了因果关系及典型性程度对类别特征推理的影响。研究结果表明:(1)因果关系影响类别特征推理任务;(2)典型性程度影响类别特征推理任务;(3)类别特征间存在因果关系的前提下,原因特征维度值与典型性程度间存在交互作用。典型性程度对不含原因特征的项目的特征推理影响是有限的。     

特征相似性、类别标签与因果关系在归纳推理中的作用

采用人工材料,比较类别标签、特征相似性与因果关系对归纳推理强度的影响。包括两个实验,实验1比较类别标签与特征相似性对归纳推理的影响,结果表明,当类别标签对归纳推理的影响显著强于特征相似性时,不能将类别标签等同于一个相似性特征。实验2进一步探讨类别标签与因果关系对归纳推理的作用,结果表明,因果关系作用明显强于类别标签的作用。综合两个实验的结果并整合前人相关研究,提出了不同关系影响归纳推理的强度假想。     

特征相似性和因果解释在归纳推理中的整合

为探讨特征相似性和因果解释在个体归纳推理中的作用,在控制知识经验影响的前提下,设置了非决定性的因果关系,操纵了因果机制强度和前提与结论对象之间的特征相似性水平,结果发现:(1)实验1结果显示,相似性和因果解释在归纳推理中的效应均显著,相似性效应随因果解释强度的减弱而增强,相似性与因果解释的相互作用影响归纳推理。(2)实验2结果显示,当基于相似性推论与基于因果解释推论产生冲突时,相似性和因果解释在归纳推理中的效应均显著,二者的交互作用不显著。在强、弱两种因果解释条件下,相似性在归纳推理中的效应均非常显著。总的结果表明特征相似性与因果解释共同影响个体的归纳推理,人们会整合两种信息进行归纳推理。     

儿童在归纳推理中的多样性效应

3个实验探讨了儿童在归纳推理中是否具有多样性效应的争议。实验1采用寻找证据法,使用图片材料,得出5岁儿童在归纳推理中没有多样性效应,表现为典型性效应。实验2改用归属法发现:5岁儿童在归纳推理中表现出多样性效应。实验3采用寻找证据法,但使用实物材料,并且加大了多样性前提的差异程度,结果发现:3岁儿童在归纳推理中也表现出多样性效应。本研究结果表明,在适合的条件下,儿童在归纳推理中能表现出多样性效应。     

类别特征推理的认知机制与神经基础

分类及类别特征推理是类别知识的两大重要功能。研究表明, 两种任务之间存在本质差异。因此, 探讨类别特征推理的认知及神经机制对于拓展类别相关理论非常重要。已有研究发现, 类别标签、典型性程度以及类别特征间的因果关系都会影响类别特征推理任务, 而且, 类别特征推理任务与分类任务的神经基础不同。未来研究方向应当关注类别标签以及类别特征间的因果关系分别与典型性程度之间的交互作用, 在未来神经机制方面的进一步研究应当设计更符合自然情境下的特征推理任务范式。     

类别标签与典型性程度对类别特征推理的影响

本研究采用学习-测试二阶段实验范式,探讨了类别标签及典型性程度对类别特征推理任务的共同影响,结果表明,类别标签及典型性程度都会影响类别特征推理任务,而且,类别标签及典型性程度之间存在交互作用,典型性程度为高条件下类别标签对类别特征推理任务的影响要高于典型性程度为低条件,类别标签匹配条件下,典型性程度对类别特征推理任务的影响要高于类别标签不匹配条件。     

归纳推理和演绎推理的有效性和多样性效应

推理包含归纳推理和演绎推理,目前关于归纳推理和演绎推理之间关系的研究比较少,本文以鸟类为实验材料,通过让被试对同一命题分别进行归纳判断和演绎判断,研究了前提多样性对归纳推理和演绎推理是否产生了不同影响。实验结果发现,命题有效性对演绎推理的影响比对归纳推理的影响大,前提多样性对归纳推理和演绎推理并未产生不同影响。     

前提项目间差异对儿童归纳推理多样性效应的影响

通过两个实验深入探讨了前提项目间差异对儿童归纳推理多样性效应的表现水平的影响。结果发现:(1)多样性效应受多样组和非多样组之间差异(前提项目间差异)大小的影响,在减小两组差异的前提下,5～6岁儿童尚未表现出多样性效应;除个别任务外,8～9岁儿童表现出多样性效应(实验1)。(2)对前提图片的形状差异进行数量化处理后发现,儿童在归纳推理多样性效应任务上的归纳判断力度随前提项目间差异的增大而增强;在前提项目间差异很小的情况下,10～12岁儿童也没有运用多样性信息进行推理;当前提项目间差异很大时,被试表现出多样性效应(实验2)。     

归纳推理多样性效应的发展及其争论

归纳推理多样性效应指的是在归纳论断中,前提项目数量越多、越多样,将能构成归纳力度越强的推理。已有研究表明成人的归纳推理明显受到前提项目多样性的影响,而幼儿的相关研究却存在着两种对立的观点：一是认为幼儿不能基于多样性进行推理,二是认为5岁左右的幼儿就能够基于多样性进行推理。出现此争论的原因可能与研究方法方面的差异有关,如实验范式与前提组间差异、实验材料类别与概念范畴、属性特征及呈现方式、推理形式;此外,儿童的知识经验也是一个影响因素。未来研究可以结合相关领域的研究范式;深入挖掘影响儿童表现出多样性效应的因素;将任务设计多样化;将实验任务的计分方式多样化;开展相关的应用研究。     

分类活动对归纳推理多样性效应的影响

归纳推理多样性效应被证实为普遍存在的,然而研究者Heit和Medin却对多样性效应的普遍性存在分歧。本文通过三个实验针对两位学者的分歧展开研究。结果发现:1.两位学者之间的分歧是由不同的分类活动引起的。当分类活动为外显时,被试的推理结果既不支持Medin,也不支持Heit;当分类活动内隐时,被试的推理结果支持Heit的观点。2.人们在日常生活及现实情境中,往往是根据直觉对事物进行分类及多样性推理。     

Property

This paper first reviews material dealing with the question of whether possession and related behaviours are innately determined or secondary. It is considered that the significance of property-related behaviour can best be understood by reference to its ontogenesis, and to the social context, and to the intentions of the actor. Some relevant material is reviewed, and it is proposed that some forms of acquisition and possession of property may be limited to societies with a high degree of role flexibility and mobility and have to do with the building and maintenance of self-respect.     

Causation as Property Acquisition

Persistence theories of causation – such as transference theory, conserved-quantity theory, and Douglas Ehring's theory – attempt to analyzecausation in terms of some persisting entityconnecting cause and effect. While mostpersistence accounts are intended as empiricaltheories, this article develops a persistenceanalysis of the concept of causation. The basic idea is that the central concept ofdirect causation can be analyzed in terms ofproperty acquisition. The analysis cohereswith our ordinary causal judgments andprovides a straightforward explanation of thedirection of causation. It also explains whybackwards causation is conceptually problematic.     

Property in nonhuman primates

Property is rare in most nonhuman primates, most likely because their lifestyles are not conducive to it. Nonetheless, just because these species do not frequently maintain property does not mean that they lack the propensity to do so. Primates show respect for possession, as well as behaviors related to property, such as irrational decision making regarding property (e.g., the endowment effect) and barter. The limiting factor in species other than humans is likely the lack of social and institutional controls for maintaining property. By comparing primates and humans, we gain a better understanding of how human property concepts have evolved.     

The Relevant Equivalence Property

The pure implicational and the multiplicative fragments of arange of propositional relevant (and other) logics are shownto have the property that any two formulas equivalent in sucha logic are constructed from exactly the same propositionalvariables – as opposed to merely having (as the definitionof relevance itself would require) some propositional variablein common.     

Cultures and Cultural Property

abstract  In a number of contexts one comes across the suggestion that cultures are collective owners of cultural property, such as particularly significant works of art. Indigenous peoples are often held to be collective owners of cultural property, but they are not the only ones. Icelandic culture is said to have a claim on the Flatejarbók and Greek culture is held to own the Parthenon Marbles. In this paper I investigate the conditions under which a culture is the rightful owner of cultural property. I argue against the claims that cultures inherit cultural property. I also argue that a culture's claim to own cultural property is seldom, if ever, founded on either practices employed in the culture or collective production of cultural property. I maintain, however, that the very value of cultural property for some culture can, in some instances, provide the basis for the culture's claim on the property.