Aligning affordances of graphics with learning task requirements

Dynamic subject matter can be portrayed to learners in the form of either static or dynamic depictions. Two plausible bases for choosing a depiction format are alignment with the subject matter's dynamics, or the specific affordances a depiction provides for performing a particular learning output task. Experimental participants viewed an ordered set of eight images depicting key stages of a kangaroo hop presented in a dynamic, successive or simultaneous format. Control participants viewed no presentation. The output task required participants to rearrange a random sequence of the eight kangaroo images into the correct order of a kangaroo hop. Those who viewed the successive presentation were most successful in placing the images in their correct order while those in the dynamic condition were least successful. The results contradict the prevailing instructional design orthodoxy that the dynamic properties of a depiction should be aligned with the dynamic nature of the referent content. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

More lives, better lives

Although many people believe that more people would be better, arguments intended to show this are unconvincing. I consider one of Parfit's arguments for a related conclusion, that even when both are worth living, we ought to prefer the better of two lives. Were this argument successful, or so I claim, then it would follow that more people would be better. But there aren't reasons for preferring the better of two lives. Nor is an attempted rejoinder effective. We can agree that there aren't reasons for preferring the better of two lives, and yet still maintain there are reasons for improving lives.     

Suffering and faith

It is hypothesized that, under the impact of suffering or loss, some Christians not only grieve for what has been lost but also experience feelings of separation from their God and mourn that loss also. This spiritual mourning may take different forms and may lead to different outcomes in ways more or less analogous to those described for mourning and variants thereof by various workers. Drawing upon such work, the author describes certain possible forms of spiritual mourning.The preparation of this paper was supported in part by Grant HD-03110 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and by Maternal and Child Health Training Grant No. MCT=000916A.     

Dialogue and faith

‘Dialogue’ between members of differing traditions is nowadays replacing polemics, debate, and monologue preaching of traditional missionary policy. Terms in which it can be conducted have not yet, however, been widely found. It will be illuminating to discover whether among diverse groups conversation in the terms propounded here could prove fruitful, or at least mutually intelligible. This will be a highly significant test of the theory, expecially in view of the possible importance of this activity for the world's future religious development.1 W. Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion (Mentor ed. New York 1964), p. 177.      

Aligning confidence with accuracy: revisiting the role of feedback

Evaluation point feedback was used to align confidence judgments with accurate/inaccurate responding to general knowledge questions. Rehearsal of item-answer pairs and three evaluation systems based on a scoring rule had different effects on confidence, accuracy and their relationship. Using standard calibration measures (Yates, J.F., (1990). Judgment and Decision Making. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall) we found that a point system comprising of both rewarding (positive) and punishing (negative) consequences produced the best performance across levels of knowledge in comparison to all-rewarding and all-penalty rules.     

The nature of faith

Summary This paper examines the psychological conditions that bring the experience of faith into being, and the psychological components the word faith refers to and except for which faith would not be experienced. The problem of maintaining faith without recourse to supernaturalism is discussed in terms of man's social relations and value satisfactions.Reprinted by permission from the Journal of Individual Psychology, May, 1957.     

Dialogue and faith

‘Dialogue’ between members of differing traditions is nowadays replacing polemics, debate, and monologue preaching of traditional missionary policy. Terms in which it can be conducted have not yet, however, been widely found. It will be illuminating to discover whether among diverse groups conversation in the terms propounded here could prove fruitful, or at least mutually intelligible. This will be a highly significant test of the theory, expecially in view of the possible importance of this activity for the world's future religious development.¹     

信仰的根基

我们信仰的根基,它不是建立在教会、属灵的伟人抑或善功之上,而是耶稣基督这真正的磐石上,我们属灵的工程必须建立在这磐石上才真正坚固。     

Aligning Expatriate Managers’ Expectations with Complex Global Assignments

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical, yet practical framework for managing unrealistic expectations of expatriate marketing managers relative to their role in complex global marketing assignments. The formation of these unrealistic expatriate marketing managers’ expectations is examined using relational contracting theory. We explore alternative HRM evaluation/support designs that can suppress the development of expatriate marketing managers’ entitlement process and thus enhance the reality of expatriate marketing managers’ expectations relative to the role in a subsidiary of the multinational enterprise.