Stereotyped connotations of masculine and feminine names

This study was designed to provide a basis to understand better antifeminine stereotyped attitudes that occur in association with a stimulus no more informative about a person than her first name. College students, mostly freshmen and sophomores, ascribed connotative meanings to common and uncommon masculine and feminine first names while imagining either real or ideal persons. The results from 48 subjects disclosed that the semantic dimension of potency (e.g., strength and bravery) is likely to be a fundamentally important connotation associated more with masculine names than with feminine names. Two findings very much supported this conclusion. Thus, the potency dimension was the only one of five dimensions of semantic meaning that: (a) yielded any masculine-feminine difference in the ideal condition, and (b) showed a disfavorable connotation for feminine names in comparison to masculine names in either the real or ideal condition.     

The undesired self: Deadly connotations

Two studies were conducted to examine the hypothesis derived from a juxtaposition of the undesired self and terror management theories that making aspects of the undesired self salient produces effects comparable to those obtained in response to making mortality salient. In Study 1, participants reminded of either death or aspects of their undesired self were more supportive of President George W. Bush and his policies in Iraq, relative to participants in exam salient or desired self salient control conditions. In Study 2, participants reminded of death or aspects of their undesired self showed greater accessibility of implicit death thoughts, relative to participants in pain salient or desired self salient control conditions. Implications of these findings for future theory and research are considered.     

《易纬·乾凿度》的哲学思考

《易纬·乾凿度》是汉代一部非常重要的易学和哲学著作 ,其用象数方式编织的天道观 ,不仅包含了阴阳卦气思想 ,同时还继承了老子和《中庸》的本体论思想以及儒家的价值理想 ,是我们研究汉代哲学思想不可或缺的资料。《乾凿度》提出的“易者 ,易也 ,变易也 ,不易也”勾画出了一幅理想的宇宙社会图景 ,其中既有高妙的本体论思想 ,又有对社会秩序的思考。《乾凿度》还借助道家思想和孟京以来的卦气说 ,建构了一套完整的宇宙生成模式。尽管这种生成模式不甚深刻 ,也有一定缺陷 ,但却体现出很强的时代特色。同时 ,在这个宇宙生成模式背后包含着作者深切的人文精神和深沉的忧患意识 ,体现了汉代易学“天人之学”的精神实质     

《姤卦》意辨--兼谈卦意研究的态度和方法

有关《姤卦》意的解释,历来众说纷纭。通过研究周王朝初期社会习俗,特别是婚姻制度的制定和施行,结合文献,分析象意,考据卦辞,认为本卦的主题旨在宣扬周礼婚姻制度的必要性、时代性、进步性,同时也表现了这一婚姻制度的局限性,悲剧性。并对当前《易经》研究的一些不足现象,从注重历史、卦身分析、占辞研究等方面提出看法和建议。     

Conditioning circuits

A circuit of mutually exciting neurones capable of approaching and maintaining a state of permanent excitation has been described by Rashevsky as a possible mechanism for the production of conditioned reflexes. The mode of approach of such a circuit to the steady state is examined in some detail under slightly more general assumptions, and an estimate is made of the order of magnitude of the time required to reach this state.     

章太炎对《周易》义理的多维阐释

作为近代著名的国学大师,章太炎的易学研究体现了学术转型期的时代特征.仅就方法而言,他以训诂学、历史学、社会学、佛学、科学解易,融会中古理论方法,不仅在学术史上富有新意,而且体现了转型期学术研究范式的多元化、近代化,对后人具有借鉴意义.     

道德之一元论与多元论：缘起、内涵与论争

一元论与多元论之争是道德心理学领域近些年最为活跃的理论交锋之一。道德一元论认为所有外在的道德现象与内在的道德结构都可以用一种因素来解释。道德多元论则认为道德不能只用单一因素来解释,而是存在多个不同质的道德维度,且具有文化敏感性。对应道德理论和道德基础理论是这场争议的典型代表。双方就伤害的解释力、道德失声现象、模块化道德与洁净维度独立性等方面展开论争。未来研究应从三个具体方面进一步探索道德之一元论与多元论难题,进而保持道德心理学领域的理论活力。     

Bidirectional Instrumental Conditioning

Three experiments examined bidirectional instrumental conditioning by training hungry rats to push a pole in one direction for food pellets and in the other for either a sugar or a starch solution. In the first study we examined whether the animals learned about the actionreinforcer relations using a specific satiety procedure. Prefeeding one type of reinforcer before an extinction test selectively depressed the performance of the action that had been paired with this reinforcer during training. The second experiment investigated the sensitivity of the bidirectional actions to variations in the action-reinforcer contingencies. When the instrumental contingency was degraded by presenting unpaired reinforcers, the animals pushed less in the direction that was paired with the reinforcer type that was the same as the non-contiguous one. A third study revealed that increasing the rate of reinforcement for one action enhanced its rate of performance without significantly affecting the performance of the other action. We conclude that the effects of reinforcer devaluation, the action-outcome contingency, and the rate of reinforcement are not mediated by Pavlovian associations between the manipulandum and the reinforcer.     

Conditioning as sensitization

The concept of sensitization has a long history in psychology, and on both empirical and logical grounds it has been argued that sensitization and conditioning denote different neurophysiological processes. Investigators have devised elaborate control procedures that purport to differentiate sensitized and conditioned responses. But, mainly on logical grounds, it is argued that there is no valid basis for considering sensitization and conditioning as separate processes. A theory of learning is proposed in which sensitization is the basic construct.     

Conditioning two types of enuretics

Acquired enuretics (children who resume wetting after a period of dryness) have been distinguished from persistent enuretics (children who were never dry) in that the wetting of the former has been viewed as symptomatic of conflict and not modifiable by conditioning procedures. The present study compares these two types on measures of conditioning outcome and effectiveness, initial pathology and post-treatment adjustment.     

Attitudinal Control of Human Conditioning

Female college students (N = 293) completed an unreversed (Q1) and a reversed (Q2) form of the Mother's Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI). By comparison of answers on the two forms, three response sets were calculated: acquiescence, opposition, and extreme sets. The acquiescence and opposition sets showed substantial correlation with Ql scales, and the extreme set correlated substantially with Q2 scales. Factor analysis corroborated scale analyses. The investigators suggested a method of developing a new Mother's PARI (Q4) which would minimize acquiescence and opposition sets by selecting appropriate Q1 and Q2 scales.     

The Elusiveness of Evaluative Conditioning

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is an important variant of Pavlovian conditioning in which the outcome is a change in affective response to the conditioned stimulus (CS). It is the best extant account, with evidence, for affective change in humans. Good laboratory models are available. This paper reviews a set of findings which suggest that the actual occurrence of EC, and its magnitude, varies widely in both real world and laboratory situations. Attention to known parameters of Pavlovian conditioning may account for some, but not all, of the failures and successes. Six empirical studies on humans are described; two document frequent failures of EC to occur in real world situations where the Pavlovian conditions for development of animal phobias or taste aversions are present, two are real-world experiments in which no evidence for EC is obtained, and two are laboratory failures to produce EC, by pairing neutral odor CSs with a variety of unconditioned stimuli (USs). We suggest that there are important, not understood factors, that modulate the appearance of EC, and that for both theoretical and applied reasons, these factors should be identified.