A Brief Comparison Of Pollock's Defeasible Reasoning And Ranking Functions

In this paper two theories of defeasible reasoning, Pollock's account and my theory of ranking functions, are compared, on a strategic level, since a strictly formal comparison would have been unfeasible. A brief summary of the accounts shows their basic difference: Pollock's is a strictly computational one, whereas ranking functions provide a regulative theory. Consequently, I argue that Pollock's theory is normatively defective, unable to provide a theoretical justification for its basic inference rules and thus an independent notion of admissible rules. Conversely, I explain how quite a number of achievements of Pollock's account can be adequately duplicated within ranking theory. The main purpose of the paper, though, is not to settle a dispute with formal epistemology, but rather to emphasize the importance of formal methods to the whole of epistemology.     

Comparison Of Oblique And Orthogonal Simple Structure Solutions For Personality And Interest Factors

The study was directed to the need to structure in a few variables the domain measured by personality and interest measures commonly employed in educational counseling: Strong, Kuder, EPPS and the Study of Values. Despite initial uncertainty regarding number of factors to be employed, effects of ipsative scores and of mixing test formats, both an oblique and orthogonal rotation yielded nearly identical results. Of the twenty factors identified by both the biquartimin and varimax solutions, Seven linked vocational interest clusters with personality. Two of the remaining factors had only interest loadings, while of the eleven personality factors, only four were scale specific. Definition of the 16 common factors required that extraction proceed beyond the unit latent root criterion. The results offer evidence that over- extracting factors does not confuse the results of rotation. Further, psycho- metric differences between tests had essentially no effect on the factors found. Of three oblimin rotations attempted, only the biquartimin was successful, yielding results essentially like those of the varimax solution. Because of the vast difference in computation time for these two solutions (computer time 20 times greater for biquartimin), however, the orthogonal varimax remains the method of choice.     

A Theorem Concerning Syntactical Treatments Of Nonidealized Belief

In Syntactical Treatments of Modality, with Corollaries on Reflexion Principles and Finite Axiomatizability, Acta Philosophica Fennica 16 (1963), 153–167, Richard Montague shows that the use of a single syntactic predicate (with a context-independent semantic value) to represent modalities of alethic necessity and idealized knowledge leads to inconsistency. In A Note on Syntactical Treatments of Modality, Synthese 44 (1980), 391–395, Richmond Thomason obtains a similar impossibility result for idealized belief: under a syntactical treatment of belief, the assumption that idealized belief is deductively closed, together with certain other plausible conditions on idealized belief, imply that an ideal believer with consistent beliefs cannot believe the truth of Robinson's Arithmetic. In this essay I show that an impossibility result similar to Thomason's can be obtained which does not assume that belief is deductively closed or ideal in any other way.     

The Construing Of Pain: A Comparison Of Acute And Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Using The Repertory Grid Technique

Hypotheses derived from the literature on pain and on personal construct theory were tested using the repertory grid technique on samples of acute and chronic low back pain patients. Two main differences emerged between these groups: (a) Chronic pain patients showed a small but significant tendency to associate being in pain with being sensitive to others; and (b) chronic pain patients perceived significantly less anger around them. The two groups were then pooled to examine changes in construing with increasing pain duration. Two main trends were noted with increasing chronicity: (a) Pain patients perceived significantly less depression around them, with the construct depressed/not depressed becoming increasingly subordinate, and (b) pain was seen in increasingly less negative terms. The results are discussed with reference to the literature and suggestions are made for future research areas.     

Data In Search Of A Principle: A Review Of Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Count Of Human Language And Cognition.

Responding to derived relations among stimuli and events is the subject of an accelerating research program that represents one of the major behavior analytic approaches to complex behavior. Relational Frame Theory: A Post‐Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition (Hayes, Barnes‐Holmes, & Roche, 2001) offers a conceptual framework for this work and explores its implications for verbal behavior and a variety of other domains of complex human behavior. The authors dismiss Skinner's interpretation of verbal behavior as unproductive and conceptually flawed and suggest a new definition and a new paradigm for the investigation of verbal phenomena. I found the empirical phenomena important but the conceptual discussion incomplete. A new principle of behavior is promised, but critical features of this principle are not offered. In the absence of an explicit principle, the theory itself is difficult to evaluate. Counterexamples suggest a role for mediating behavior, perhaps covert, thus raising the question whether a new principle is needed at all. The performance of subjects in relational frame experiments may be a mosaic of elementary behavioral units, some of which are verbal. If so, verbal behavior underlies relational behavior; it is not defined by it. I defend Skinner's definition of verbal behavior and argue that an account of relational behavior must be integrated with Skinner's analysis; it will not replace it.     

Poverty, Inequality, And Discrimination As Sources Of Depression Among U.S. Women

Poverty, inequality, and discrimination endanger women's well-being. Poverty is one of the most consistent predictors of depression in women, probably because it imposes considerable stress while attacking many potential sources of social support. Economic inequalities within societies are associated with reduced life expectancy and a variety of negative physical health outcomes. Parallel research on economic inequalities and depression has just begun. Discrimination maintains inequalities, condemns women to lives of lessened economic security, and exposes them to unmerited contempt. Although the mental health impact of poverty is documented and largely understood, the implications of inequality and discrimination are less well known. Much important work remains to be done, particularly research that connects individuals' mental health to ecological characteristics of the communities and societies in which they live.