Personality traits in old age: measurement and rank-order stability and some mean-level change

Lothian Birth Cohorts, 1936 and 1921 were used to study the longitudinal comparability of Five-Factor Model (McCrae & John, 1992) personality traits from ages 69 to 72 years and from ages 81 to 87 years, and cross-cohort comparability between ages 69 and 81 years. Personality was measured using the 50-item International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg, 1999). Satisfactory measurement invariance was established across time and cohorts. High rank-order stability was observed in both cohorts. Almost no mean-level change was observed in the younger cohort, whereas Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Intellect declined significantly in the older cohort. The older cohort scored higher on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. In these cohorts, individual differences in personality traits continued to be stable even in very old age, mean-level changes accelerated.     

INFOBITS: A Visual Basic program for calculating information theoretic statistics from behavior sequences

We describe a Visual Basic add-in macro program for Microsoft Excel 5 and 7 (and later versions) that calculates basic, first-order, information theoretic statistics from matrices based on behavior sequences, such as those from animal or human interaction studies. Information theoretic statistics measure association between behavioral events in bits, a unit that is independent of the particular system under study. A sample size bias correction of the value for the mean information transmission (Ht) is included in the program. A normalization of Ht reports the efficiency of information transmission relative to the amount of information in the system. The program incorporates an iterative pseudo-random resampling algorithm that reports a confidence level (P) for Ht. Mean information transmission is partialized, to determine the relative contribution of each behavior category to Ht. An algorithm for calculating confidence intervals allows comparison among different matrices. The program runs in a common spreadsheet, and is therefore useful to researchers or students who only have access to desktop or laptop microcomputers.     

The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: a quantitative review of longitudinal studies

The present study used meta-analytic techniques to test whether trait consistency maximizes and stabilizes at a specific period in the life course. From 152 longitudinal studies, 3,217 test-retest correlation coefficients were compiled. Meta-analytic estimates of mean population test-retest correlation coefficients showed that trait consistency increased from .31 in childhood to .54 during the college years, to .64 at age 30, and then reached a plateau around .74 between ages 50 and 70 when time interval was held constant at 6.7 years. Analysis of moderators of consistency showed that the longitudinal time interval had a negative relation to trait consistency and that temperament dimensions were less consistent than adult personality traits.     

Basic Entrenchment

In contrast to other prominent models of belief change, models based on epistemic entrenchment have up to now been applicable only in the context of very strong packages of requirements for belief revision. This paper decomposes the axiomatization of entrenchment into independent modules. Among other things it is shown how belief revision satisfying only the ‘basic’ postulates of Alchourrón, Gärdenfors and Makinson can be represented in terms of entrenchment.     

Rescuing Basic Equality

In the debate on the basis of moral equality, one conclusion achieves near consensus: that we must reject all accounts that ground equality in the possession of some psychological capacity (Psychological Capacity Accounts). This widely held view crystallises around three objections. The first is the Arbitrariness Objection, which holds that the threshold at which the possession of the relevant capacities places an individual within the required range is arbitrary. The second is the Variations Objection, which holds that there is rational pressure to acknowledge that variations in psychological capacities between individuals are morally relevant. The third is the No Rational Agency Objection, according to which Psychological Capacity Accounts have unpalatable implications for our treatment of humans who do not possess the relevant capacities. We develop a Psychological Capacity Account based on the capacity for a conception of the good and offer a novel defence of the account against these objections.     

Basic Infobase Change

Generalisations of theory change involving arbitrary sets of wffs instead of belief sets have become known as base change. In one view, a base should be thought of as providing more structure to its generated belief set, and can be used to determine the theory change operation associated with a base change operation. In this paper we extend a proposal along these lines by Meyer et al. We take an infobase as a finite sequence of wffs, with each element in the sequence being seen as an independently obtained bit of information, and define appropriate infobase change operations. The associated theory change operations satisfy the AGM postulates for theory change. Since an infobase change operation produces a new infobase, it allows for iterated infobase change. We measure iterated infobase change against the postulates proposed by Darwiche et al. and Lehmann.     

Basic Intrinsic Value

Philosophical Studies -     

机械通气的基本原理

机械通气是危重病人重要的支持手段,其重要目的是改善低氧血症、支持肺泡通气、降低呼吸功,并维持或增加肺容积。目前有多种呼吸模式,可根据患者情况选择。机械通气时,应认真评估气道压力、吸呼比、呼气末正压和吸入氧浓度对病人的影响。吸入氧浓度和平均气道压是决定氧合的关键因素,而肺泡通气量主要决定二氧化碳的排除。为防止呼吸机相关性的肺损伤,应将气道平台压维持在30cmH2O以下。     

机械通气的基本原理

机械通气是危重病人重要的支持手段,其重要目的是改善低氧血症、支持肺泡通气、降低呼吸功,并维持或增加肺容积.目前有多种呼吸模式,可根据患者情况选择.机械通气时,应认真评估气道压力、吸呼比、呼气末正压和吸入氧浓度对病人的影响.吸入氧浓度和平均气道压是决定氧合的关键因素,而肺泡通气量主要决定二氧化碳的排除.为防止呼吸机相关性的肺损伤,应将气道平台压维持在30cmH2O以下.