Book Reviews

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify what I take to be the main conceptual problem in Lewis’ semantics for counterfactuals when the Limit Assumption (LA) is not satisfied, what I call the Discrimination Problem (DP), and to present and discuss a modification of Lewis’ semantics that aims at solving DP. First, I outline Lewis’ semantics, highlighting the aspects that will be relevant for our discussion. Second, I present DP and discuss it with a heuristic example. Third, I present the new proposal and comment some formal consequences and the objections they give rise to. Fourth, I present an allegedly equivalent version of the proposal and discuss the difference between counterfactuals and strict conditionals. Finally, I defend that the two proposals are different and argue for the first one as the best way of capturing two intuitions that seem in conflict when the LA is not satisfied. I conclude with a dilemma: either the proposal here defended works or LA is inescapable. Thus, if the proposal doesn’t work, the paper must then be considered as an indirect defense of the Limit Assumption.     

RESPONSE TO PAPERS FOR “ETHNOGRAPHY,ANTHROPOLOGY, AND COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS ETHICS” FOCUS

The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) project represented here through papers by Thomas Lewis, Aaron Stalnaker, Hans Lucht, and Lee Yearley (with responses) was motivated by the judgment that the trend toward a focus on virtue ethics, with attendant concern for techniques of forming selves, creates an opportunity for a dialogue with ethnographers. I argue that the CSWR essays neglect social and institutional considerations, as well as overdrawing the distinction between “formalist” and virtue approaches to the study of comparative ethics.     

3～5岁儿童表面与结构相似性类比推理的实验研究

采用经典类比推理问题对3~5岁儿童表面相似性与结构相似性类比推理能力进行了实验研究。结果发现:(1)表面相似性与结构相似性对儿童解决类比问题的影响不同。一般来说,前者更有利于3~5岁儿童类比问题的解决;(2)儿童解决表面相似性与结构相似性类比问题的能力随年龄增长而发展,但发展趋势不同。在表面相似性问题方面,4岁以前发展较慢,而4岁以后的发展较快;在结构相似性问题方面,4岁以前发展较快,而4岁以后的发展较慢。4岁是儿童解决类比推理问题能力的转折点;(3)在本实验条件下,工作记忆负荷对儿童解决表面相似性类比问题与结构相似性类比问题的影响不显著;(4)类比映射关系提示能促进儿童解决两类类比问题,但对不同年龄儿童的作用是非线性的。     

Ceteris Paribus Conditionals and Comparative Normalcy

Our understanding of subjunctive conditionals has been greatly enhanced through the use of possible world semantics and, more precisely, by the idea that they involve variably strict quantification over possible worlds. I propose to extend this treatment to ceteris paribus conditionals – that is, conditionals that incorporate a ceteris paribus or ‘other things being equal’ clause. Although such conditionals are commonly invoked in scientific theorising, they traditionally arouse suspicion and apprehensiveness amongst philosophers. By treating ceteris paribus conditionals as a species of variably strict conditional I hope to shed new light upon their content and their logic.     

A Brief Delay Decreases Perceived Similarity and Improves Discrimination

A same-different discrimination between the colors of 2 halves of a circle was poorer when the halves were viewed simultaneously than when the delay between viewing them was 33 ms. The simultaneous discrimination also produced a poor performance on different stimuli relative to same stimuli in comparison to the successive discrimination. Poor-on-different performance should indicate high perceived similarity. The simultaneous colors were also judged as more similar. The delay did not alter the physical similarity of the colors. Thus, the delay may have decreased assimilation (perceived similarity) and thereby improved discrimination, in support of the hypothesis that perceived similarity frequently affects discrimination.     

归类的相似性对比模型研究综述

本文阐述了近期归类中的相似性对比模型的研究,首先介绍了相似性对比的空间模型、基于特征的对比模型以及最近提出的结构匹配模型,并且详细阐述结构匹配模型观点以及它的应用方面的研究,旨在抛砖引玉,引起更多的人们来关注本领域的研究与发展。     

人格相似性与关系质量的关系：单向视角

温州两所大学的199个大学生在人际形容词量表上对自己的人际特质进行评定,并对自己选定的一个关系对象进行评定,感知与选定对象的人格相似性,同时评定与该对象的关系质量。根据自我报告和评定对象计算出假定相似性。对关系质量的分层回归分析得到人际特质两个维度的交互效应均为正,即表现出假定相似相吸的效应趋势,亲和性维度显著;相关显示假定的相似性和感知的相似性与关系质量均呈中等程度相关;路径分析表明感知的相似性中介假定相似性与关系质量的关系。     

图形相似比较中的加工模型:特征与结构的作用

本研究采用单一目标映射技术(one-shot mapping)设计实验考察了相似比较中的加工模型。实验结果表明:相似等级的判定对映射任务中结构映射没有显著性影响。相似加工不一定表现为基于结构的加工,基于特征的加工和基于结构的加工是相似加工中两种并行的加工模式。在反应时方面,基于结构的加工的反应时比基于特征的加工的反应时更长。     

知觉信息先期呈现下两可图的命名和相似判断

在实物图片或轮廓图先期呈现的条件下研究了6岁、9岁、12岁及成人被试对两可图形的命名或相似判断。结果表明：（1）命名项目或相似判断与线索项目有关时,各年龄被试对判断项的命名或相似判断均表现出与线索项目一致的倾向。（2）轮廓图作为线索项目时．命名或相似判断反应时较长;实物作为线索项目时,命名或相似判断反应时较短。无关项目作为为线索项目时．被试命名或相似判断的反应时居中;命名项目或相似判断项目均与线索项目一致时反应时较短;命名项目或相似判断项目均与线索项目不一致时反应时延长。（3）被试命名或相似判断的反应时随其年龄的增长而下降,6岁和9岁儿童的反应时较长;12岁儿童的反应时较短;成人的反应时最短。     

入世出世心理对压力和心理健康的中介作用

以319名大一学生为被试研究入世出世心理对压力和心理健康的中介作用,结果发现：（1）平常心对压力和生活满意度起部分中介作用,拼搏精神对压力和自尊起部分中介作用。（2）平常心对压力和心理症状总分、自卑、网络成瘾、敌对起部分中介作用,拼搏精神对压力和人际过敏、抑郁起部分中介作用。说明拼搏精神与平常心能缓减压力对心理健康的消极影响,培养拼搏精神和平常心是应对压力的有效途径。     

亲子间家庭功能知觉相似性的特点及其与青少年自尊的关系

采用家庭功能评价量表(FAI),Rosenberg自尊量表,对北京和西安4所普通中学的1317名初高中生及其父母进行调查。结果发现:(1)亲子间的家庭功能知觉存在中等程度的相似性,青少年与父亲和青少年与母亲间知觉的相似性无显著差异;(2)亲子间家庭功能知觉相似性的性别和年级差异显著,女孩与父母间知觉的相似性高于男孩,高一年级与父母知觉的相似性高于其他三个年级;家庭功能不同维度知觉相似性的表现不同;(3)不同性别和不同知觉相似性水平的青少年自尊得分差异显著;低相似性组个体的自尊分数显著低于高相似性组和一般组;亲子间在整体家庭功能和父母关注维度的相似性可显著预测青少年自尊。     

知觉或记忆条件下对连续变化刺激的相似判断

控制不同材料(图形和字母)的大小、位置和长宽比连续变化,在标准和待判断刺激同时(知觉任务)或相继呈现(记忆任务)两种条件下进行相似判断的实验研究。结论为(1)任务方式对图形的相似判断有非常显著的影响;(2)知觉任务中相似判断的反应时非常显著地长于记忆任务中的反应时;(3)对材料各种特征的相似判断和加工速度差异非常显著．某些特征在相似表征中有较重要的作用。     

部件、结构和名称对图形相似性判断的影响

以不同基本形状构成的几何图形为材料,研究了图形的部件形状、整体结构和名称对相似判断的影响。结论为:1)部件形状、整体结构和名称对相似判断估计值均有非常显著影响,且部件形状和整体结构的交互作用也非常显著;2)部件形状、整体结构和名称对相似判断反应时没有显著的影响,但部件形状和整体结构、整体结构和名称两组交互作用均非常显著;3)部件形状和整体结构相同对相似判断估计值的影响更大;名称和部件形状、名称和整体结构相同的条件居次;只有一个因素相同时,部件形状相同影响最大,其次是整体结构和名称。     

A Logic for Reasoning about Relative Similarity

A similarity relation is a reflexive and symmetric binary relation between objects. Similarity is relative: it depends on the set of properties of objects used in determining their similarity or dissimilarity. A multi-modal logical language for reasoning about relative similarities is presented. The modalities correspond semantically to the upper and lower approximations of a set of objects by similarity relations corresponding to all subsets of a given set of properties of objects. A complete deduction system for the language is presented.     

Transformed Facial Similarity as a Political Cue: A Preliminary Investigation

Experimental subjects evaluated a political candidate whose face was digitally altered to absorb the subjects' facial structure. For half of the subjects, the photograph of the candidate was morphed such that the image presented was a blend composed of 60% of the unfamiliar Caucasian male and 40% of the subject. For the other half the photograph was unaltered. Given previous research on implicit familiarity (Zajonc, 1968, 1980), we predicted that the morph would advantage the candidate. The results demonstrated no main effect of the similarity manipulation. However, there was a robust similarity by gender interaction. Male subjects evaluated the morphed candidate more favorably than the unaltered photograph, while female subjects rated him more negatively. We discuss potential explanations for this interaction effect and explore the possible implications of facial similarity as a political cue in both high- and low-information elections.     

Similarity and binding in memory: Bound to be detrimental

The process of binding information from different modalities and sources into an object is ubiquitous in cognition and has been a problem for research and modelling efforts in psychology. This process has been considered by most researchers as necessarily always beneficial to memory. In the present study we provide evidence that binding can be detrimental through the propagation of vulnerabilities to interference. Phonologically similar and dissimilar letters were presented sequentially at different locations on a computer monitor. Participants had to recall either the letters in their order of presentation or the spatial locations at which the letters had appeared. Whether binding was encouraged or not—providing prior knowledge of which dimension to remember—phonological similarity had a detrimental effect on recall of locations. Such a finding poses a challenge to the view that binding is the panacea in enhancing memory capacity.     

The Comparative Set Fallacy

This paper argues for the validity of inferences that take the form of: A is more X than B; therefore A and B are both X. After considering representative counterexamples, it is claimed that these inferences are valid if and only if the comparative terms in the inference are taken from no more than one comparative set, where a comparative set is understood to be comprised of a positive, comparative, and superlative, represented as {X, more X than, most X}. In all instances where arguments appearing to be of this form are invalid, it is the case that the argument has fallaciously taken terms from more than one comparative set. The fallacy of appealing to more than one comparative set in an inference involving comparative terms is shown to be analogous to the fallacy of equivocation in argumentation. The paper concludes by suggesting a conflation of logical issues with grammatical issues is the core difficulty leading some to consider inferences in the form of A is more X than B; therefore A and B are X to be invalid.     

The Power of Change: Interpersonal Attraction as a Function of Attitude Similarity and Attitude Alignment

Abstract

In an experimental simulation with Israeli participants, the author examined the influence of two aspects of pre-employment screening (duration of screening and type of testing) on applicants' attitudes toward a recruitment effort and toward a potential job. Testing that lasted longer led to more favorable attitudes. The participants considered knowledge testing, compared with personality testing, more job related, less invasive of privacy, and less sensitive to the amount of time spent testing.