Drone Killings in Principle and in Practice

It is a widely accepted claim that whether a given technology is being justly used in the real world is a separate question from moral issues intrinsic to technology. We should not blame the technology itself for immoral ways it happens to be used. There is obviously some truth to that. But I want to argue that what we see in the real world cases of drone killings is not merely an accidental or contingent use of drone technology. The real life use reflects to a large extent features that are inherent of the dominant drone systems that have been developed to date. What is being imagined "in principle" is thus to a large extent drone killings in dreamland. I use an historic example as a point of reference and departure: the debate over the lawfulness of nuclear weapons.     

Orthodoxy in Unity and in Conciliarity

This article considers how the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church faced challenges such as how the gospel relates to a pluralistic society; the Christian message in a society marked by religious pluralism, ethnic diversity, and cultural relativism; whether Christians encountering today's pluralist society should concentrate on evangelism or on dialogue; and on how conciliarity relates to the unity of the church. The article examines how the council attempted to respond to, or at least reflect on, these challenges in relation to the theological dialogue of the Orthodox Church with the other Christian churches and confessions. The bilateral theological dialogues have also increasingly led to bearing Christian witness, and an atmosphere of mutual appreciation, friendship, and fellowship has already become at least a reality. But has this development also led to a deeper mutual theological understanding? Have the profound differences between the Orthodox churches and the other churches in bilateral dialogues been clarified theologically?     

Emergent two-dimensional patterns in images rotated in depth

Once a person has observed a three-dimensional scene, how accurately can he or she then imagine the appearance of that scene from different viewing angles? In a series of experiments addressed to this question, subjects formed mental images of a set of objects hanging in a clear cylinder and mentally rotated their images as they physically rotated the cylinder by various amounts. They were asked to perform four tasks, each demanding the ability to "see" the two-dimensional patterns that should emerge in their images if the images depicted the new perspective view accurately--(a) Subjects described the two-dimensional geometric shape that the imagined objects formed in an image rotated 90 degrees; (b) they "scanned" horizontally from one imagined object to another in a rotated image; (c) they physically rotated the empty cylinder together with their image until two of the imagined objects were vertically aligned; and (d) they adjusted a marker to line up with a single object in a rotated image. The experimental results converged to suggest that subjects' images accurately displayed the two-dimensional patterns emerging from a rotation in depth. However, the amount by which they rotated their image differed systematically from the amount specified by the experimenter. Results are discussed in the context of a model of the mental representation of physical space that incorporates two types of structures, one representing the three-dimensional layout of a scene, and the other representing the two-dimensional perspective view of the scene from a given vantage point.     

Predictability in life and in science

It is a significant coincidence that social science tends to assume a universal human need for predictability, and also uses predictive power as the basic criterion of scientific truth. It is claimed here that man's need for predictability often is crossed by a need for uncertainty and chance. Thus it seems doubtful that the methodological canon of predictability can be anchored in the universal usefulness of social predictions. Some important cases of decision‐making seem to be more concerned with the past than with the future. The task of the social sciences cannot be completely separated from philosophical problems, since it is part of a continuous endeavour to clarify the image of man.     

Reference in single sentences and in texts

This study investigated the comprehension and production of reference terms in both sentences (Experiments 1 and 2) and texts (Experiments 3 and 4) using a sentence completion task. In Experiments 1 and 2, the use of a sentence-level strategy (subject assignment) was investigated. In Experiments 3 and 4, the use of a text-level strategy (topic assignment) was also investigated. There was a clear preference for continuing the sentences by referring to the subjects of the sentences regardless of the availability of gender cues, in both single sentences and in texts. There was also an influence of the topic of each text on both the choice of referent and the type of reference term used. However, the choice of reference term was affected by the number of potential antecedents in the preceding text. Overall, the results suggest that the sentence subject is a salient item in working memory. This salience is increased if the sentence subject is also the textual topic. In addition, it appears that the presence of a pronoun in a text triggers a specific strategy to assign the pronoun to the (salient) sentence subject.This work is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted by R. A. Crawley to the University of Durham and supported by the Medical Research Council of Great Britain.     

Certification in Testing in Canada

This article presents a brief outline of a program developed by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission (CEIC) for certifying employment counselors to use tests in Canada Employment Centres (CECs).     

Changes in Sexual Orientation and Object Choice in Midlife in Women

Changes in sexual orientation or object choice in midlife can represent many different dynamics. Understanding these involves recognition of the psychological developmental issues of this period, such as changes in self concept, identity, the awareness of time, and changes in expectations and goals, such as the wish to create a family. Other needs, for intimacy and emotional richness, or the revival of wishes for closer ties to one's mother, can then become dominant and be expressed sexually. Earlier, more conventional choices can be abandoned, particularly after children are born. For some women an early homosexual relationship is replaced temporarily or permanently by a heterosexual one. This can represent permission to move outside the world of women, or a wish for a family and children. Fluidity of choice may be more characteristic for women than men and may be related to characteristics of the female body.     

Eye movements in search in visual neglect

We report data on eye movements in a patient (MP) with unilateral visual neglect, in a task of searching a real-world scene. We demonstrate that MP missed some contralesional targets after fixating on them. On such “miss”; trials, MP's eye movements were similar to those on objects in target-absent trials trials, where MP was cued to search for a target that was not actually present. In addition, MP showed little evidence of memory for the locations of objects that remained across a trial, though poor memory fails to explain performance on trials where targets were fixated. We suggest that, in this case, neglect reflected the poor uptake of information from the contralesional side of space, so that even fixated targets sometimes failed to match a “template” held in his memory.     

Changes in Pronominal Usage in a Classroom Situation

Changes in pronominal usage of students were investigated in a classroom situation where attention to usage was heightened by instructor use of 'she' as the generic singular, and by instructor assessment of reactions to the practice. Two classes (N = 74) constituted the experimental group. Analyses of pronominal usage in the written work of students (compared to a control group, N=20) and questionnaires to obtain student reaction to instructor usage and student views on language usage were the principal measures used. Results indicated a change in use of pronouns with more specific use of "he," a reduction of use of "he" as the generic singular, and use of "she" as a generic. Results indicate that pronominal usage is susceptible to change.     

Training in group-analytic psychotherapy in Europe

Group-analytic psychotherapy focuses on the making and maintaining of close, emotionally fulfilling relationships. Its practitioners attempt to fuse an individual and a whole-group perspective, and seek to provide the enabling conditions for freer communication between group members. The group-analytic approach is widely used in the United Kingdom, and many experiential groups on psychotherapy training courses are conducted on group-analytic lines. The Institute of Group Psychotherapy in London recognizes eight one-year courses in England and Scotland specifically oriented to group-analytic theory and methods. These courses provide an introduction to group psychotherapy to over 300 professionals of varied backgrounds every year. There are also two courses in the United Kingdom that provide a full training in group-analysis and group-analytic psychotherapy, and 11 courses on the continent of Europe. The number of courses is growing and there is now a European Group-Analytic Training Network providing formal links between them. Results of a postal survey indicate that few (10%) attenders at a one-year course have a negative response and that many (85%) recommend the course to colleagues. The efficiency and therefore reduced cost of group teaching and the incorporation of a group experience may be contributing factors to the increasing demand for this type of training.This paper is based on a presentation at an Open Session on Training in Group Psychotherapy: The Quest for a Viable Model at the American Group Psychotherapy Association Annual Meeting, Boston, February 1990. This paper represents the author's own views and is not an official statement of the Institute of Group Analysis [London]. However, members and staff of the Institute have made helpful contributions to the author in preparing it. He is especially grateful for the assistance of Mrs. Liesel Hearst (Chairperson, Overseas Training Sub-Committee, Institute of Group Analysis, London), Dr. Keith Hyde (Convenor, Manchester Course in Group Psychotherapy), Fr. Jim Christie (Convenor, Glasgow Course in Group Psychotherapy), and Dr. Vivienne Cohen (Chairperson, Training Committee, Institute of Group Analysis, London, in preparing this paper. The questionnaire study was conducted with the assistance of the Training Section of the North-Western Regional Health Authority.     

Developmental changes in death anxiety in childhood

A sample of 49 children divided into three age groups (3–4 years, 7–8 years, and 10–11 years) responded to a pictorial derivation of Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC). Three pictures were used as stimuli, in addition to words, for the measure of death anxiety. The intensity measure was the response to six Hebrew mood adjectives as the child chose one of seven schematic face drawings ranging from positive to negative expressions. Reliabilities were comporable to the longer versions of the Hebrew STAIC with older children. Findings indicated significant differences in anxiety scores between the age groups, with older subjects showing higher levels of anxiety. The advantage of a single measure of death anxiety appropriate for a wide age range is discussed, as well as the implication for a developmental pattern of death anxiety.     

Sex differences in bystander intervention in a theft

A series of studies demonstrated a strong relationship among the situation-defining variable of degree of harm to victim, sexual configuration among participants, and bystanders' willingness to intervene to stop a theft. A pretest showed that a prior verbal commitment was absolutely necessary for intervention. The remaining data showed that high harm to a victim produced a high rate of intervention and showed strong sex differences in helping behavior in low-harm conditions. A high percentage of female bystanders helped in both low- and high-harm situations, whereas frequent helping by males was observed only when harm to the victim was high. Female victims elicited a significantly greater amount of helping, and sex of thief had no effect. A significant sex of bystander, sex of victim, and harm to victim interaction best describes the data. Results are interpreted in terms of different motivational sets held by males and females when they are responsible for the fate of others. Results also support the utility of an interactionist approach to the question of how individual and situational variables influence prosocial action.     

Marriage guidance counselling in general practice in London

People with marital difficulties are more likely to contact their GP for help than any other social service. In recent years, a number of attachments of marriage guidance counsellors to general practice have been set up to encourage doctors to refer patients directly. This paper describes the results of a postal survey of general practitioners and counsellors in attachments in the area covered by the London Marriage Guidance Council. While the results were very positive, with few disadvantages mentioned, it must be remembered that the majority of GPs involved were a highly self-selected and atypical group, usually with a special interest in psychotherapy.     

当代中国的社会转型

本文以我国社会生活发生的广泛而深刻的变化为背景,深入揭示了这种变化深层的社会转型。这种转型就是：由权力社会走向能力社会;由人治社会走向法治社会;由人情社会走向理性社会;由依附社会走向自立社会;由身份社会走向实力社会;由注重先天给定社会走向注重后天努力社会;由一元化社会走向多样化社会;由人的依赖社会走向物的依赖社会;由静态社会走向流动社会;由“国家”社会走向“市民”社会。     

Holism in Cartesianism and in Today's Philosophy of Physics

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a more balanced judgement than the widespread impression that the changes which are called for in today's philosophy of physics and which centre around the concept of holism amount to a rupture with the framework of Cartesian philosophy of physics. I argue that this framework includes a sort of holism: As a result of the identification of matter with space, any physical property can be instantiated only if there is the whole of matter. Relating this holism to general relativity, I maintain that this holism cannot be directly applied to today's philosophy of physics consequent upon the failure of geometrodynamics. I show in what respect precisely the holism in quantum physics amounts to a revision of the holism within Cartesianism. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hemispheric asymmetries in visual pattern processing in infancy

A right hemisphere advantage was observed in a previous study of 4- to 9-month old infants presented with a face discrimination task (de Schonen & Mathivet, 1990). The present study was designed to investigate pattern processing by the two hemispheres and the interhemispheric communication of this processing. Infants aged 4 to 9 months were tested with divided visual field presentations in one or two discrimination tasks. Under both task conditions, the infants had to discriminate between two patterns in which only two local components differed. Under one condition the components of the patterns were arranged so as to produce a face-like pattern. Under the other condition the same components were arranged into arbitrary patterns that were not "good form" patterns. No performance asymmetry was observed with the arbitrary patterns; whereas, a right hemisphere (RH) disadvantage was observed with the face-like patterns compared with both the RH performances on the arbitary patterns and the left hemisphere (LH) performances on the face-like patterns. These results show that the RH advantage for individual face recognition is not due to a general immaturity or inability of the LH in pattern processing at this period of development, nor to a more specific inability in a local mode of pattern processing. On the other hand, the RH does not completely lack local processing capacity, but is at a disadvantage when this local mode of processing has to be used with face-like (or good form) patterns. The interhemispheric communication of visual discrimination learning was tested by measuring learning transfer between the visual fields. Contrary to de Schonen and Bry's study (1987) on faceness recognition, no data in favor of interhemispheric communication were recorded in the present study.     

Structure in language. Creating form in talk

In psycholinguistics, the systematic study of language production has begun to take a place beside the study of language comprehension as a means to the end of understanding human language use. Because a major and very visible component of speaking a language is knowing how to create forms to carry messages, efforts to explain language production must confront long-standing questions about the relationship between structure and function in psychological explanation. One traditionally appealing view of that relationship in the realm of language is that sentence structures are associated with or reducible to the general forces of cognition that drive interpretation and communication. This article surveys some of the challenges to this view that emerge from the study of speech errors, and sketches the progress that has been made in developing an alternative view, renewing the argument that syntactic structures are necessary elements in an explanation of language use.     

Similarity in context

Similarity comparisons are highly sensitive to judgment context. Three experiments explore context effects that occur within a single comparison rather than across several trials. Experiment 1 shows reliable intransitivities in which a target is judged to be more similar to stimulus A than to stimulus B, more similar to B than to stimulus C, and more similar to C than to A. Experiment 2 explores the locus of Tversky’s (1977) diagnosticity effect in which the relative similarity of two alternatives to a target is influenced by a third alternative. Experiment 3 demonstrates a new violation of choice independence which is explained by object dimensions’ becoming foregrounded or backgrounded, depending upon the set of displayed objects. The observed violations of common assumptions to many models of similarity and choice can be accommodated in terms of a dynamic property-weighting process based on the variability and diagnosticity of dimensions.     

Toposes in Logic and Logic in Toposes

The purpose of this paper is to justify the claim that Topos theory and Logic (the latter interpreted in a wide enough sense to include Model theory and Set theory) may interact to the advantage of both fields. Once the necessity of utilizing toposes (other than the topos of Sets) becomes apparent, workers in Topos theory try to make this task as easy as possible by employing a variety of methods which, in the last instance, find their justification in metatheorems from Logic. Some concrete instances of this assertion will be given in the form of simple proofs that certain theorems of Algebra hold in any (Grothendieck) topos, in order to illustrate the various techniques that are used. In the other direction, Topos theory can also be a useful tool in Logic. Examples of this are independence proofs in (classical as well as intuitionistic) Set theory, as well as transfer methods in the presence of a sheaf representation theorem, the latter applied, in particular, to model theoretic properties of certain theories.