Infants lost in (peripersonal) space?

A significant challenge in developing spatial representations for the control of action is one of multisensory integration. Specifically, we require an ability to efficiently integrate sensory information arriving from multiple modalities pertaining to the relationships between the acting limbs and the nearby external world (i.e. peripersonal space), across changes in body posture and limb position. Evidence concerning the early development of such spatial representations points towards the independent emergence of two distinct mechanisms of multisensory integration. The earlier-developing mechanism achieves spatial correspondence by representing body parts in their typical or default locations, and the later-developing mechanism does so by dynamically remapping the representation of the position of the limbs with respect to external space in response to changes in postural information arriving from proprioception and vision.     

Be-ing (you 有) and non-be-ing (wu 無) in the Dao De Jing

This essay questions the meaning of be-ing (you 有) and non-be-ing (wu 無) in the DDJ with regard to the root-source (benyuan 本源) meaning of dao. I first explore the meaning of dao as the dark non-be-ing, revealing the connotations of the distinction between dao and things (daowuqufen 道物區分) by comparison with some forms of Western metaphysics. The meaning of non-be-ing is elaborated in terms of the dynamic meanings of xu 虚 and chong 沖; The play between be-ing and non-be-ing is explored through the lens of yin and yang qi thinking. Qi thinking determines the mutually manifest and mutually interpretive characteristic of be-ing and non-be-ing. Be-ing and non-be-ing thus understood is an ever-flowing and mutually transforming process that penetrates the different levels of dao, things and humans. In the last part I investigate the meaning of “Be-ing comes from non-be-ing”.     

Zeitlosigkeit und Verg?nglichkeit (in) der Psychoanalyse

The author shows that the accessible psychoanalytic unconscious is not timeless. Freud??s ??timeless unconscious??, which was ontologized by himself and his successors, proves to be fiction with negative consequences. Assuming ??timeless?? primary processes psychoanalysis as a therapy would bite the hand which feeds it. Instead of contrasting linear time to the cyclic personal experience of time, the author suggests to speak about the ??emergence of lived time?? and the ??new moments?? of encounter in the therapeutic situation, to emphasize the importance of the opportune moment for change in contrast to the cyclic repetition of transference. In order to understand and approach disorders of time perception knowledge of unconscious conflicts and defense processes remains crucial. Even dreams are not timeless. While our conscious mind works according to chronological patterns, the pictorial representation in the particular form of thinking asleep, dreaming, makes it possible to map different memory traces simultaneously. Freud??s speculations about the ??timeless unconscious?? and Nirvana may originate from a longing for redemption. In contrast the author??s final chapter deals with the potential life span and transience of some central psychoanalytic concepts. Not even those who prove to be very close to observation can be attributed with ??eternal life??.     

Philosophy of medicine in China (1930–1980)

This is a review of the literature in the philosophy of medicine published in China from 1930 to 1980. The topics dealt with include the relationship between medicine and philosophy, the basic concepts of medicine, etiology and causality, the bearing of psychology on physiology and pathology, epistemology in diagnostics, methodology of medical sciences, philosophical and methological problems in traditional Chinese medicine, philosophical problems in health policy, and medical ethics.     

The Significance of Xuwu 虚无 (Nothingness) in Chinese Aesthetics

Just as nothingness is a fundamental concept in Daoist philosophy, it is also a fundamental concept in Chinese aesthetics, where it has multiple meanings: First, nothingness, as a reaction against unaesthetic psychical activity, is a primary precondition of aesthetic and artistic activity. Second, as the void or intangible “stuff” juxtaposed to “substance,” it is an indispensable compositional property of artworks as well as an essential condition for the manifestation of an artistic form. Finally, as a reaction against the unaesthetic world of daily life—the experiential world—nothingness is the fundamental basis and essential provision for establishing an artistic world.     

Understanding (in) Newton’s Argument for Universal Gravitation

In this essay, I attempt to assess Henk de Regt and Dennis Dieks recent pragmatic and contextual account of scientific understanding on the basis of an important historical case-study: understanding in Newton’s theory of universal gravitation and Huygens’ reception of universal gravitation. It will be shown that de Regt and Dieks’ Criterion for the Intelligibility of a Theory (CIT), which stipulates that the appropriate combination of scientists’ skills and intelligibility-enhancing theoretical virtues is a condition for scientific understanding, is too strong. On the basis of this case-study, it will be shown that scientists can understand each others’ positions qualitatively and quantitatively, despite their endorsement of different worldviews and despite their convictions as what counts as a proper explanation.     

Table of criterion values (β) used in signal detection theory

A table of criterion values for use with the theory of signal detection (TSD) is presented. Criterion values (β) are presented for varying proportions of hits and false alarms. A brief explanation of signal detection theory is given, and the measures for sensory sensitivity (d′) and response criterion (β) are described.     

NS-Euthanasie in Österreich von 1938–1945 (Teil 1)

psychopraxis. neuropraxis - Die NS-Euthanasie in Österreich ist in den letzten Jahren in den psychiatrischen Szenen des Landes auf unterschiedliche Weise und eher zunehmend thematisiert...     

Do dogs (Canis familiaris) seek help in an emergency?

The question of whether dogs recognize an emergency and understand the need to seek help from a bystander was tested in two experiments. In the first experiment, dogs' owners feigned a heart attack in an open field, and in the second experiment, dogs' owners experienced an accident in which a bookcase fell on them and pinned them to the floor. In these experiments, one or two bystanders were available to which dogs could go for help. The dogs' behavior was taped for 6 min after the owner had fallen and was later scored for the frequency and time the dogs spent performing different behaviors. In no case did a dog solicit help from a bystander. It is concluded that dogs did not understand the nature of the emergency or the need to obtain help.     

Reconsidering ‘holy war’ (jihād) in Islam

‘Holy War’ does not exhaust, and often fails to explain, the semantic range of jihād in Arabic/Islamic contexts. A more fruitful approach to the culturally encoded nuances of jihād requires the prior delineation of ideology from religion. Only a few scholars, e.g., Michael Gilsenan, Hamid Enayat, Pierre Bourdieu and Bassam Tibi, have considered the value‐neutral use of ideology in the analysis of Islamic evidence. None has addressed jihād, none has reverted, or tried to revert, contemporary stereotypes derived from an essentialist notion of Islam and Muslims, power and piety clustered around the univocal reading of jihād as ‘holy war’. This essay suggests other interpretive options that merit consideration by all serious students of religion in the modern world.     

Grounding: it’s (probably) all in the head

In this paper we provide a psychological explanation for ‘grounding observations’—observations that are thought to provide evidence that there exists a relation of ground. Our explanation does not appeal to the presence of any such relation. Instead, it appeals to certain evolved cognitive mechanisms, along with the traditional modal relations of supervenience, necessitation and entailment. We then consider what, if any, metaphysical conclusions we can draw from the obtaining of such an explanation, and, in particular, if it tells us anything about whether we ought to posit a relation of ground.     

Assessing Reading Rate in the Primary Grades (1–3)

In this study we explore students' reading rates in grades 1–3. We begin with a short history of reading rate as an assessment measure in the early grades. Next, we share rate data from a recent study (N = 305) where children's contextual reading was assessed with a traditional passage-reading inventory. A comparison of our average grade-level rates with those rates reported in the DIBELS literature shows that they match closely. Finally, we introduce the concept of minimum grade-level rates, emphasizing its practical significance to teachers and researchers alike.     

What–Where–When memory in magpies (Pica pica)

Some animals have been shown to be able to remember which type of food they hoarded or encountered in which location and how long ago (what–where–when memory). In this study, we test whether magpies (Pica pica) also show evidence of remembering these different aspects of a past episode. Magpies hid red- and blue-dyed pellets of scrambled eggs in a large tray containing wood shavings. They were allowed to make as many caches as they wanted. The birds were then returned either the same day or the next day to retrieve the pellets. If they returned the same day, one colour of pellets was replaced with wooden beads of similar size and colour, while if they returned the next day this would happen to the other colour. Over just a few trials, the birds learned to only search for the food pellets, and ignore the beads, of the appropriate colour for the given retention interval. A probe trial in which all items were removed showed that the birds persisted in searching for the pellets and not the beads. This shows that magpies can remember which food item they hoarded where, and when, even if the food items only differ from each other in their colour and are dispersed throughout a continuous caching substrate.     

Selfish strategies develop in social problem situations in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) mother–infant pairs

Humans employ various strategies, including selfish and altruistic strategies, depending on the situation. In order to examine whether non-human animals show such flexibility or not, we analyzed chimpanzees’ selfish and cooperative behavior in two types of social problem situations. In this study, we tested chimpanzee mother–infant pairs in two adjacent booths, each equipped with a vending machine. When a token was inserted into a vending machine, the vending machine delivered food rewards to the adjacent booth. In experiment 1, a partition between the two booths was open. In experiment 2, the partition was closed and a mother and her infant were placed in separate booths, so that reciprocal cooperation was essential for them to receive rewards. The participants did not cooperate reciprocally in either experiment. In experiment 1, the chimpanzees developed selfish tactics to get rewards and changed their tactics flexibly according to the partner’s behaviors. In experiment 2, in which they could not receive rewards without cooperation, they stopped altogether inserting tokens. In both cases, the infants stopped cooperating first. These findings support the idea that chimpanzees are primarily competitive rather than cooperative. Chimpanzees’ high social intelligence might be demonstrated in the flexibility of their selfish tactics, but not in the form of reciprocal cooperation at least when food is involved. We suggest that the failure to establish reciprocal cooperation was due to the social relationship between the mother and her infant, which was characterized by infant’s privilege and mother’s tolerance.     

Psychologists in (Neoliberal) Schools – What Kind of Marriage?

The paper aims to discuss how school psychology broadly is influenced by neoliberalism. Neoliberalism has attracted great attention among sociologists and economist, but less so among psychologists. This is a paradox since the psychological reach of neoliberalism is massive. The paper analyzes how new (neoliberal) school reforms place new professional demands on schools and therefore also new kinds of professional demands on school psychologists. Among other things, it is discussed whether the notion of resilience can act as a future guiding principle for school psychologists. The paper concludes with three suggestions as to how school psychologists can cope with some of the challenges imposed by neoliberalism. I suggest that school psychologists; 1) have to start asking educational questions to educational matters, 2) that they have to be aware of the political aspects of school psychology and 3) that they start acting against the corrosion of professional identity.     

NS-Euthanasie in Österreich von 1939–1945 (Teil 2)

The end of the Third Reich in the spring of 1945 led to discontinuation of the careers of directors (some of whom were indeed able to continue their careers after 1950 at another location) of psychiatric institutions at both university hospitals and institutions (with one exception). Their successors were partly those removed as office directors in 1938–1939 or replacements from the secondary hierarchical level that had not been corrupted by Nazi party membership and were mainly long-term employees of the institutions (all of which continued to fulfill their functions), i.e., reestablishment or continuity of the time before 1938. Despite the at least temporary elimination of staff who were NSDAP members, other employees continued to work—to what extent, remains largely unexplored. Direct offenders were prosecuted, but there was no broader discussion in society or in psychiatry regarding the events that took place. As in society in general, it was about rebuilding and not about reappraisal of the events of the past.     

Do Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) use predator eyes in risk assessment?

Animal Cognition - Previous studies have found that Carolina chickadees and tufted titmice use a predator’s head orientation to determine risk, taking fewer seeds from a feeder if an avian...     

A reversed Ebbinghaus–Titchener illusion in bantams (Gallus gallus domesticus)

A disk surrounded by smaller disks looks larger, and one surrounded by larger disks looks smaller than reality. This visual illusion, called the Ebbinghaus–Titchener illusion, remains one of the strongest and most robust illusions induced by contrast with the surrounding stimuli in humans. In the present study, we asked whether bantams would perceive this illusion. We trained three bantams to classify six diameters of target disks surrounded by inducer disks of a constant diameter into “small” or “large”. In the test that followed, the diameters of the inducer disks were systematically changed. The results showed that the Ebbinghaus–Titchener figures also induce a strong illusion in bantams, but in the other direction, that is, bantams perceive a target disk surrounded by smaller disks to be smaller than it really is and vice versa. Possible confounding factors, such as the gap between target disk and inducer disks and the weighted sum of surface of these figural elements, could not account for the subjects’ biased responses. Taken together with the pigeon study by Nakamura et al. (J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 34:375–387 2008), these results show that bantams as well as pigeons perceive an illusion induced by assimilation effects, not by contrast ones, for the Ebbinghaus–Titchener types of illusory figures. Perhaps perceptual processes underlying such illusory perception (i.e., lack of contrast effects) shown in bantams and pigeons may be partly shared among other avian species.