The Social Nature of Perception and Action

ABSTRACT— Humans engage in a wide range of social activities. Previous research has focused on the role of higher cognitive functions, such as mentalizing (the ability to infer others' mental states) and language processing, in social exchange. This article reviews recent studies on action perception and joint action suggesting that basic perception–action links are crucial for many social interactions. Mapping perceived actions to one's own action repertoire enables direct understanding of others' actions and supports action identification. Joint action relies on shared action representations and involves modeling of others' performance in relation to one's own. Taking the social nature of perception and action seriously not only contributes to the understanding of dedicated social processes but has the potential to create a new perspective on the individual mind and brain.     

2岁幼儿的社会朝向反应——本质及功能

本研究以66对17至32个月的幼儿和母亲为研究对象,研究了在实验室情境中,幼儿在不同实验情境下对母亲的社会朝向反应,并探讨了幼儿社会朝向行为的功能以及母亲的行为对幼儿社会朝向反应的影响。结果显示,（1）大多数幼儿在实验中都表现出了至少一次的社会朝向反应,社会朝向反应的发生是酱遍的;（2）在不同情境中,幼儿的社会朝向反应不同,在积极的情境中,社会朝向反应有分享情绪经历的功能;在抗拒诱惑的任务中,社会朝向行为与获得支持有关;（3）母亲对情境的非信息性反应对幼儿的社会朝向行为有影响,社会朝向是幼儿对社会情境的适应性行为,对这种非语言的情感交流行为的研究可以帮助我们探究幼儿情绪社会化的过程。     

The Social Nature of Engineering and its Implications for Risk Taking

Making decisions with an, often significant, element of risk seems to be an integral part of many of the projects of the diverse profession of engineering. Whether it be decisions about the design of products, manufacturing processes, public works, or developing technological solutions to environmental, social and global problems, risk taking seems inherent to the profession. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the topic and specifically to how our understanding of engineering as a distinctive profession might affect how we should make decisions under risk. This paper seeks to remedy this, firstly by offering a nuanced account of risk and then by considering how specific claims about our understanding of engineering as a social profession, with corresponding social values and obligations, should inform how we make decisions about risk in this context.     

The Nature of Attitude Distributions and their Relation to Social Adjustments

Abstract

(Allport, G. W. The Use of Personal Documents in Psychological Science. New York: Social Science Research Council, 1942. Pp. 210.) Reviewed by Mary C. Van Tuyl     

Justification and the Social Nature of Knowledge

In this paper I shall closely examine some of Gilbert Harman's cases that purport to show that one can have a justified true belief that does not constitute knowledge because of the social environment. I shall provide an account of these cases that helps us not only understand why the people in these situations lack knowledge, but also why philosophers have a difficult time evaluating these cases. More specifically, I shall argue that in these cases we should conclude that the cognizers lack justification. I shall also show how this account sheds some light on certain aspects of the internal-ism/externalism debate.     

论自我的实在基础和社会属性

What is the self? This is a problem which has been debating in the modern western philosophy. In contemporary philosophy of mind, there are four answers about the problem, namely, illusion theory, metaphysical theory, self realism, and social constructionism. This article discusses the four theories, and discusses the reality and social nature of the self. The author thinks that:(1) the self has its biological basis and social nature; (2) the self’s reality is not opposite to it’s social nature, but is cons...     

Specifying the Nature of Social Skill Deficits Associated With Depression

According to the social skill deficit theory of depression, people who lack social skills are unable to obtain positive social reinforcement and thus become depressed. However, past research is replete with mixed findings on the social skill-depression relationship. The present research was designed to overcome two prominent shortcomings in this research: poor operationalizations of social skill and constraining experimental procedures. In Study 1, 67 depressed and 74 nondepressed subjects engaged in an unstructured interaction with knowledge that they were being videotaped. In Study 2, 40 depressed and 61 nondepressed subjects were surreptitiously videotaped as they waited with another student for a study to begin. Analyses of subjects' social skill in these interactions indicated that depression is associated with a partial social skill deficit, most notable in terms of excessive social anxiety, low motivation to communicate with others, low social expressivity, and diminished behavioral involvement in Study 2. Partners of depressed subjects also showed low behavioral involvement in Study 2. However, on some aspects of social skill, depressed subjects appeared no different from their nondepressed peers. Depressed subjects' social skill was most deficient when they were given no instruction to interact and had no knowledge that they were being recorded.     

A Theology of Nature: Social Neuroscience and Its Theological Implications

This article explores social neuroscience, an emergent subfield of neuroscience, and highlights its implications for a theology of nature. This author argues that since social neuroscience and theology are both non-reductionist, they can contribute to a balanced view of human nature and nurture. Social neuroscientific research has shown the ways in which social factors impact the brain’s development, and also how social factors are necessary for the treatment of diseases. Social neuroscience can thus enrich essential teachings and practice of religions, such as sociality and healing. Finally, this article examines how social neuroscience can be used in a reinterpretation of Wesleyan soteriology.     

灵感及其实质

本文探讨了灵感这种特殊的心理现象 ,概括了灵感的四个特征。作者认为灵感是问题解决过程中意识和无意识认知活动交互作用的结果     

真之本性

本文是兰姆赛的一篇经典论文,在文中,兰姆赛提出了他的“真之冗余论”的基本观点：只有具有命题指称并且有断定特性的信念才能成为真之载体,一个信念P是真的,当且仅当P。     

The Nature of Motivation

Summary

Studies of physical proximity as an index of attraction frequently report sex differences, and data concerning proximity to the opposite sex are somewhat ambiguous. In the present study it was hypothesized that both males and females place themselves in closer proximity to a liked than to a disliked member of the opposite sex and that the arousal of negative affect is inversely related to physical proximity. Attraction to an opposite sex stranger was manipulated by means of false attitude information. A chisquare analysis indicated a highly significant relationship between attitude similarity and seating distance for both sexes. Analysis of variance supported the proposed relationship between seating distance and self-reported feelings of anxiety, hostility, and depression.