The perception of emotions by ear and by eye

Emotions are expressed in the voice as well as on the face. As a first step to explore the question of their integration, we used a bimodal perception situation modelled after the McGurk paradigm, in which varying degrees of discordance can be created between the affects expressed in a face and in a tone of voice. Experiment 1 showed that subjects can effectively combine information from the two sources, in that identification of the emotion in the face is biased in the direction of the simultaneously presented tone of voice. Experiment 2 showed that this effect occurs also under instructions to base the judgement exclusively on the face. Experiment 3 showed the reverse effect, a bias from the emotion in the face on judgement of the emotion in the voice. These results strongly suggest the existence of mandatory bidirectional links between affect detection structures in vision and audition.     

‘The doing is everything’: a middle-voiced reading of agency in Nietzsche

ABSTRACT

Nietzsche's famous claim, ‘das Thun ist Alles’, is usually translated as ‘the deed is everything’. I argue that it is better rendered as ‘the doing is everything’. Accordingly, I propose a processual reading of agency in GM 1 13 which draws both on Nietzsche's reflections on grammar, and on the Greek middle voice, to displace the opposition between deeds and events, agents and patients by introducing the notion of middle-voiced ‘doings’. The relevant question then is not ‘is this a doing or a happening?’ but ‘what is the process unfolding in the doer, and what is her engagement with it?’. I argue (a) that this middle voiced reading makes better sense than either naturalist or expressivist interpretations of the key thought in GM 1 13 that ‘there is no doer behind the doing’, and (b) that GM 1 13 does not only provide us with a critique of slave morality, as is often said, but also with an example of a middle-voiced doing: self-deception. I explore the phenomenology of middle-voiced doings in other passages and show that it has at least three features: (pre-)reflective awareness of being engaged with an internal process, responsiveness, and absence of reflective control.     

The End of the Known World

The End of the Known world is the author's name for a limestone escarpment in Wyoming's Big Horn Mountains. Its location remains unnamed on any map. Over a period of twenty years, its physical and spiritual power has lured her many times to travel on foot to this precipice. As she hikes this time, however, new questions arise: What is it about certain places that calls to us? Do they sometimes wish we would leave them alone? What is the meaning of sacred space? On this journey, the author, now in her sixties, poses these questions to the genius loci, the Greek term for the particular spirit that inhabits sacred locations here on earth. As she hikes over difficult terrain, the author confronts some unexpected physical changes, such as a lack of balance when moving down a steep incline. These bodily changes parallel environmental changes, such as bark beetle damage to many Douglas fir trees that, on her first visit, stood tall and strong at the End of the Known World. The completion of her journey, however, reveals important discoveries. Mollusk fossils inscribed into limestone remain as evidence that the ground on which she stands was once an ancient sea. Eastward, over the Big Horn Basin, soft stripes of gray, blue, and white obscure the horizon, where Mother Earth marries Father Sky. The voice of the genius loci speaks of the love between person and place, and of the impermanence of all things.     

当代的危机与哲学的开端--论胡塞尔与海德格尔的关系

对于当代的危机,胡塞尔与海德格尔都曾做出过诊断。作者试图借助于胡塞尔现象学的手段,将海德格尔的一个指路性明察具体化,从而表明对生活世界的遗忘源于古希腊哲学中。     

Freud's Little Oedipus: Hans as exception to the oedipal rule

Freud's "The Analysis of a Phobia in a Five-Year-Old Boy" is regarded by Freud and by analytic readers and commentators as a prototype of his conception of the oedipus complex. A literary methodology is used to show that the interpretation of the oedipus complex at work in Freud's text in fact differs from Freud's standard view of it. While studying the paper as text, not as case report, may obscure or distort some clinical matters, it is valuable in that it makes legible a sort of theoretical unconscious in the text. In contrast to Freud's typically tragic view of the oedipus complex (in the tradition of ancient Greek tragedy), the Hans study evokes a comic vision (in the tradition of Greek New Comedy). This comic vision allows Hans a happy imaginative ending to the oedipal dilemma, challenges certain epistemic pretensions, and emphasizes the oedipus complex as a set of abiding existential questions. Given the deep link between Freud"s oedipus concept and a tragic view of human life, this departure in the Hans paper is a fascinating anomaly.     

Witnessing and Passing. Discussion of Prince's “The Self in Pain: The Paradox of Memory. The Paradox of Testimony”

The author indicates that she has two voices. One voice speaks to the patient's loneliness and detachment and her expectation to not be seen, believed, or acknowledged. This voice, housing the knowledge that events that remain unprocessed continue to have an impact, wants Dr. Prince to risk intrusion and preemption. This voice believes that it is worth it. The author's other voice considers bottomless wounds and speaks to the patient's need to build up healthy aspects of personality that is necessary to do the holocaust work. This voice holds that this is not the time for Dr. Prince to witness what happened to the patient, what the perpetrators of massive crimes did to her or what the onlookers saw and chose not to do. This voice says that the patients lead should be followed. The author elaborates on her two voices and indicates what she would have done had she been working with the patient.     

Neural processing of vocal emotion and identity

The voice is a marker of a person's identity which allows individual recognition even if the person is not in sight. Listening to a voice also affords inferences about the speaker's emotional state. Both these types of personal information are encoded in characteristic acoustic feature patterns analyzed within the auditory cortex. In the present study 16 volunteers listened to pairs of non-verbal voice stimuli with happy or sad valence in two different task conditions while event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded. In an emotion matching task, participants indicated whether the expressed emotion of a target voice was congruent or incongruent with that of a (preceding) prime voice. In an identity matching task, participants indicated whether or not the prime and target voice belonged to the same person. Effects based on emotion expressed occurred earlier than those based on voice identity. Specifically, P2 (approximately 200 ms)-amplitudes were reduced for happy voices when primed by happy voices. Identity match effects, by contrast, did not start until around 300 ms. These results show an early task-specific emotion-based influence on the early stages of auditory sensory processing.     

Exploring the perceptions of Greek counsellors’ and counselling psychologists’ professional identity and training experience,through the lens of the first alumni graduates of a Greek state University

The field of Counselling as a profession and that of Counselling Psychology is a relatively new and developing discipline in Greece. As in other European countries, it is only in recent years that this postgraduate training started to be delivered by a state/national University Institution in Greece. The present study focused on attempting to capture the qualitative experience of the first two cohorts of graduates from the first postgraduate programme in Counselling and Counselling Psychology delivered by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in collaboration with the Democritus University of Thrace. This data was collected via two focused group interviews using a thematic analysis approach which facilitated the immersion of the following main themes: motivating factors (for choosing such discipline), reflections on placements, the role of personal development, the evolving professional identity, issues of professional recognition, opportunities for employment, vision for the future. In conclusion, the participants expressed the opinion that the provision of such a postgraduate programme by a Greek University was delivered in a rigorous way with high standards and has equipped them with the reflexivity and critical thinking required to build their professional identity and influence the developments still to come.     

Illud tempus in Greek myth and ritual

This article offers a re-examination of Eliade's classic theory of rituals as repetitions of archetypal events that once upon a time took place in illo tempore. I confront the theory with ancient Greek myths and rituals, showing that it does fit them to some extent, although it needs to be modified and further elaborated. The Greeks were acutely aware of the ambivalence of mythical time, and their rituals were not just meant to evoke it but to keep it off as well. In myth things typically go wrong, and the task of ritual is to correct them, repeating the archetypal mistake in a non-literal way that makes it possible to relate to the mythical while leaving it safely detached behind the boundaries of the civilized world. The Greek vision of primordial time does not necessarily contradict the myth-and-ritual pattern proposed by Eliade, but it is interesting in that it emphasizes certain features of primordiality downplayed by him, thus inviting us to reconsider the meaning of the whole conception. This is what I attempt in the second part of my paper, in which I set the problem of ritual repetition in a different methodological perspective, interpreting it in accordance with contemporary, structuralist approaches to the study of Greek religion.     

Hörräume – Klanghüllen

In psychoanalytic research little attention has been given to one of the analyst’s chief instruments, namely his/her voice, although, apart from a few exceptions, the patient has to rely mainly on the acoustic channel in the course of the psychoanalytic process. The author presumes this to be a sign of a collective resistance among analysts which protects them against an unsettling idea: Our utmost restraint notwithstanding, it is in our voice that our physical nature materializes, that our presence is felt in a sensory way thus affecting our patients. An attempt is undertaken to show to what extent the analyst’s voice as a part of the atmosphere in the analyst’s practice affects the patient physically, thus making it possible for him/her an aesthetic experience, which may as a sensory perception lead to changes of the habitual ways of perception and thus to new experiences. Using the concept of “The Performance” devised by Fischer-Lichte, a lecturer in the theory of drama, the author explains to what extent meanings are created by both participants of a psychoanalytic process: Fischer-Lichte regards the aesthetics of performance as aesthetics of presence which arouse the sensation of physical presence. If the patient’s focus on the voice is not merely interpreted as a means of defence against comprehending the semantic meanings of the words, but is accepted as a necessary transition stage leading to re-animating the patient’s conception of reality, then a new listening and performing horizon is opened where the presence of other things can be experienced.     

Fundamentally misunderstanding visual perception. Adults' belief in visual emissions

The authors reviewed research about a profound misconception that is present among college students, namely, the belief that the process of vision includes emanations from the eyes, an idea that is consistent with the extramission theory of perception, which was originally professed by early Greek philosophers and which persisted in scholarly circles for centuries. The authors document the strength and breadth of this phenomenon and the object failure of traditional educational techniques to overcome this belief, and they reveal that students are leaving psychology courses with a flawed understanding of one of the most studied processes in the history of psychology--visual perception. Some suggestions are offered for overcoming this misconception in traditional college classroom settings.     

The Invincible Summer: On Albert Camus’ Philosophical Neoclassicism

What follows is a work of critical reconstruction of Camus' thought. It aims to answer to the wish Camus expressed in his later notebooks, that he at least be read closely. Specifically, I hope to do three things. In Part I, we will show how Camus' famous philosophy of the absurd represents a systematic scepticism whose closest philosophical predecessor is Descartes' method of doubt, and whose consequence, as in Descartes, is the discovery of a single, orienting certainty, on the basis of which Camus would proceed to pass beyond the 'nihilism' that conservative critics continued to level against him (MS 34). Part II will unfold the central tenets of Camus' mature thought of rebellion, and show how Camus' central political claims follow from his para-Cartesian claim to have found an irreducible or 'invincible' basis for a post-metaphysical ethics, consistent with the most thoroughgoing epistemic scepticism. Part III then undertakes to show that the neoclassical rhetoric and positioning Camus claimed for his postwar thought—as a thought of moderation or mesure, and a renewed Greek or Mediterranean naturalism—is more than a stylistic pretension. It represents, so I argue, a singular amalgam of modern and philosophical classical motifs which makes Camus' voice nearly unique in twentieth century ideas, and all the more worth reconsidering today. So let us proceed.     

Living together: Muslim-Christian relations in eighteenth-century Cyprus as reflected by the Shari'a court records

The relations between Muslims and Christians of Cyprus today are tense and this situation is exploited by politicians and historians at the expense of ordinary Cypriots. Especially after July 1974, when the Turkish army intervened to prevent the annexation of the island to Greece by a coup d'etat led by Nicos Sampson, a Greek general, the Greek Cypriots have lived in the south and the Turks in the north of the island. Here, the author aims to portray a different picture of the relations between the two communities from that given in the recent historiography of the island. It is shown that at the beginning of the eighteenth century, contrary to the picture often given, life was not intolerable for Greek Cypriots, and the two religious communities enjoyed much in common and collaborated in almost every aspect of daily life.     

Why High School Students Aspire to Emigrate: Evidence from Greece

This paper investigates why Greek high school students aspire to emigrate, in relation to their educational and socio-economic background. Through fieldwork research conducted at three specialist high schools in Thessaloniki, three main conclusions have been drawn. Firstly, potential emigrants are ambitious, with high educational and professional expectations and a clear migration plan. Secondly, they are middle and upper middle class and excel at school—in socio-economic and educational terms, they therefore constitute the most dynamic Greek youths. Thirdly, in a period of recession on a European level, the alarming fact is that student emigration can undermine recovery for a country in crisis such as Greece. That is, middle-class shrinkage caused by the recession can be aggravated by emigration, which in turn might cost the loss of developmental human resources for Greece and a deepening of the recession. This can further stimulate migration, resulting in a vicious circle between crisis and emigration. Furthermore, if potential emigrants do not return because temporary emigration for studies becomes permanent migration for work, the economic crisis is worsened, and Greece’s prospects for development are further undermined.     

The Scientific Study of Human Sexual Behavior

Summary

A detailed, personalized report is provided concerning the data gathered to determine whether a workship planned for Greek and Turkish Cypriotes was feasible and desirable, to formulate the goals of the enterprise, actually to recruit participants, and to ascertain some of the opinions and attitudes likely to be expressed during that workshop. The data could not be utilized, however, because a few days before the participants were to gather in Northern Italy the government of the Greek community on the island was overthrown and five days later an invasion by the Turks began. The emphasis is upon the clinical or practical experience gained from this aborted attempt, which might be useful in future enterprises.     

The return of the Sophists

The author argues against a foundational epistemology and thus sides with the Greek Sophists. He shows that the search for foundations of knowledge and truth is the outcome of a referential theory of language. He finds that Nietzsche and Saussure pioneered attacks on and substitutions for this theory. Wittgenstein, Derrida and Rorty, inter alia, continued this trend. The author discusses the criticisms and theories of these philosophers and finds that he agrees with their criticisms and many of their positive moves but that he cannot accept their social relativism because it cannot account for inter- and transcultural understanding and the regulative role of truth. He looks for a theory of language and truth which will also comply with these requirements.     

It’s not what you said,it’s how you said it: An analysis of therapist vocal features during psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a conversation, whereby, at its foundation, many interventions are derived from the therapist talking. Research suggests that the voice can convey a variety of emotional and social information, and individuals may change their voice based on the context and content of the conversation (e.g. talking to a baby or delivering difficult news to patients with cancer). As such, therapists may adjust aspects of their voice throughout a therapy session depending on if they are beginning a therapy session and checking in with a client, conducting more therapeutic ‘work’ or ending the session. In this study, we modelled three vocal features—pitch, energy and rate—with linear and quadratic multilevel models to understand how therapists’ vocal features change throughout a therapy session. We hypothesised that all three vocal features would be best fit with a quadratic function—starting high and more congruent with a conversational voice, decreasing during the middle portions of therapy where more therapeutic interventions were being administered, and increasing again at the end of the session. Results indicated a quadratic model for all three vocal features was superior in fitting the data, as compared to a linear model, suggesting that therapists begin and end therapy using a different style of voice than in the middle of a session.     

FROM COLLECTIVISM TO INDIVIDUALISM? THE ACCULTURATION OF GREEK IMMIGRANTS IN AUSTRALIA*

The present study examined whether Greek immigrants in Australia have retained traditional Greek values and behaviours or moved to an integration of these with Anglo-Australian values and behaviours. The sample consisted of Anglo- and Greek-Australian parents and young adolescents and a comparison group of Greeks, resident in Greece. Measures were obtained of values and behaviours considered to be appropriate for family members in the culture. Results showed that Greek-Australians retained the collectivistic values of their Greek culture while Anglo-Australians demonstrated a more individualistic orientation. There was evidence for convergence of Anglo- and Greek-Australian perceptions of appropriate behaviours and thus support for a view that acculturation is more likely to be manifested in behaviours than in core values. Although there were some differences in expressed values and behaviours, overall there was little evidence for a cultural gap between Greek-Australian parents and their adolescents.     

Bottom-up influences of voice continuity in focusing selective auditory attention

Selective auditory attention causes a relative enhancement of the neural representation of important information and suppression of the neural representation of distracting sound, which enables a listener to analyze and interpret information of interest. Some studies suggest that in both vision and in audition, the “unit” on which attention operates is an object: an estimate of the information coming from a particular external source out in the world. In this view, which object ends up in the attentional foreground depends on the interplay of top-down, volitional attention and stimulus-driven, involuntary attention. Here, we test the idea that auditory attention is object based by exploring whether continuity of a non-spatial feature (talker identity, a feature that helps acoustic elements bind into one perceptual object) also influences selective attention performance. In Experiment 1, we show that perceptual continuity of target talker voice helps listeners report a sequence of spoken target digits embedded in competing reversed digits spoken by different talkers. In Experiment 2, we provide evidence that this benefit of voice continuity is obligatory and automatic, as if voice continuity biases listeners by making it easier to focus on a subsequent target digit when it is perceptually linked to what was already in the attentional foreground. Our results support the idea that feature continuity enhances streaming automatically, thereby influencing the dynamic processes that allow listeners to successfully attend to objects through time in the cacophony that assails our ears in many everyday settings.     

Wie stehen Psychoanalyse und Neurowissenschaften zueinander?

In order to achieve a definition of the subject of both sciences, the author differentiates the practical from the natural side of our existence: our natural, neurophysiological configuration permits our way of life, in which we use those in the form of an instrument, in a similar way to that which a singer would use a voice. The differentiation between conditional and causal relations then leads to a basic criticism of neuroscientific positions. The interest of psychoanalysis in neuroscience is ultimately characterized as a pragmatic interest.