TOWARD A MENTALISTIC ACCOUNT OF EARLY PSYCHOLOGICAL REASONING

Recent investigations of early psychological understanding have revealed three key findings. First, young infants attribute goals and dispositions to any entity they perceive as an agent, whether human or non-human. Second, when interpreting an agent's actions in a scene, young infants take into account the agent's representation of the scene, even if this representation is less complete than their own. Third, at least by the second year of life, infants recognize that agents can hold false beliefs about a scene. Together, these findings support a system-based, mentalistic account of early psychological reasoning.     

TOWARD A GENERAL THEORY OF HUMAN CREATIVITY

Abstract. The presence of a basic and general form of creativity in people is investigated through experiments with music. The results indicate that "generative" creativity—-the ability to spontaneously generate a music by varying a basic set of musical elements—is a basic human endowment, unlike "constructive" creativity—-the type of creativity exhibited by composers and other artists—-which is the result of training and the spehal development of faculties. Generative creativity's coming to the fore in contemporary people would contribute to the development of the personality and help bring about more fulfilled, better balanced people and societies.     

TOWARD A THEORY OF FRIENDSHIP BASED ON A CONCEPTION OF SELF

The present theory of friendship is based on a conception of self that regards a central motive to be the person's concern for the well-being and worth of the entity (s) he identifies as self. This concern manifests itself in tendencies to affirm one's sense of individuality, affirm one's more important self-attributes, evaluate one's self positively, and change toward positive self-growth. Friendship involves investments of self in a relationship characterized by the partners' voluntary interdependence and personalized concern for one another. The investment, entailing expenditures of time, personal resources, and personalized concern yields dividends experienced concretely as a partner's self-affirmation value, ego support value, stimulation value, or utility value. Several facets of friendship growth and change are considered, including the degree to which the relationship is difficult to maintain.     

TOWARD A THEORY OF PERSONAL SPACE EXPECTATIONS AND THEIR VIOLATIONS

Proxemics literature is synthesized and placed in a theoretical framework based on norms and expectations. Two major and three subordinate propositions are supported, and a model for predicting effects of violations of proxemic expectations is advanced. A sample of hypotheses generated from the model is included.     

EVENT AND AGENT: TOWARD A STRUCTURAL THEORY OF JOB SATISFACTION

This study evaluates a theory of job satisfaction based on two facets: event and agent. These two facets were derived from a study by Schneider and Locke (1971). In the present study, event and agent were conceptualized as two domain facets of a content universe of job satisfaction. On the basis of the above definition, a radex structure was hypothesized. 104 employees from 8 different industrial organizations in Israel were interviewed. They rated (a) their job satisfaction with respect to 11 job factors, and (b) their conception of influence upon these job factors. The intercorrelation matrix of job satisfaction was treated by a Guttman Smallest Space Analysis. The empirical space was interpreted for each facet individually, and then jointly. It is apparent that when job satisfaction is defined by two domain facets, the radex structure is confirmed.     

TOWARD A MESSAGE-CENTERED THEORY OF PERSUASION: THREE EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF LANGUAGE INTENSITY1

Based on accumulated knowledge concerning the effects of language intensity on attitude change, a set of propositions were advanced that provide a skeletal theoretical framework. Based on the propositions, three separate studies were done to extend the predictive power of the formulation. Predicted interactions between sex of the source, situational anxiety, source credibility, and language intensity were obtained. There were also significant person perception changes as a result of the level of language intensity employed in the persuasive message. Discussion centered on the import of the new findings in formulating a message-centered theory of persuasion.     

ATTITUDES TOWARD THE USE OF ANIMALS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

Abstract— This article reports the results of a national survey in which psychology majors were asked about the use of animals in psychological research and teaching. In general, the attitudes of psychology majors closely resembled the attitudes of practicing psychologists. Students tended to (a) support animal experiments involving observation or confinement, but disapprove of studies involving pain or death, (b) support mandatory pain assessments and the federal protection of rats, mice, pigeons, and reptiles, and (c) support the use of animals in teaching, but oppose an animal laboratory requirement for the psychology major. Opposition to the use of animals was greatest among women, among students at selective schools, and among students living in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region of the country.     

皮亞杰关于儿童智慧发展的年龄阶段理論及其有关的方法学問題

儿童智慧或心理的年龄阶段的划分表面看来是个具体問題,但实质上,却牵涉重大的实际問題和理论問題。 在实践方面,学制改革中的心理学問題,特別是与所謂“量力性原則”有关的一系列問題,是和儿童心理发展的年龄阶段的划分有密切联系的。“不能理解儿童的心理,就談不上从儿童的实际出发进行教育”“只有符合儿童的发展規律,才能为儿童所接受”。(人民     

心理测验中的趋中回归与超常分数重现概率

研究了心理测验中的趋中回归及其性质,超常分数重现概率与真分数的分布、测验信度、超常分数界值的关系。结果表明,信度越低,趋中回归越大;超常分数界值越高,趋中回归越大。在正态分布下,超常分数重现概率与信度是指数关系;超常分数重现概率与界值是直线关系。初步讨论了如何在心理学研究中避免和减少趋中回归的误导。     

SOME EXPLORATIONS IN INITIAL INTERACTION AND BEYOND: TOWARD A DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

This paper provides a theoretical perspective for dealing with the initial entry stage of interpersonal interaction. The seven axioms and 21 theorems presented suggest a set of research priorities for studying the development of interpersonal relationships. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the problems to be considered if the theory is to be extended beyond the initial stages of interaction.     

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION THEORY AND THE SATIR MODEL: TOWARD A SYNTHESIS

Abstract

This article synthesizes social construction theory and the Satir approach to family therapy in terms of therapy as a process of cocreation of reality, the use of language and narrative, and the therapist's role as a participant-facilitator. Social constructionism has a tremendous impact on the present ideological shift in family therapy. The Satir model is a powerful approach to family therapy and has had a wide influence on generations of therapists. Although existing literature has well documented the influence of social construction theory on the postmodern school of thinking in family therapy, there is no literature exploring the compatibility of the Satir model with social construction theory. This research presents a theory-building process of the Satir approach to family therapy.     

TOWARD A THEOLOGY OF BOUNDARY

Awareness of boundary, both physical and mental, is seen as the beginning of perception. In any account of the world, therefore, boundary must be a ubiquitous component. In sharp contrast, accounts of God within the Christian tradition commonly have proceeded by the affirmation that God is above and beyond boundary as infinite, timeless, and simple. To overcome this “problem of transcendence,” of how such a God can relate to such a world, an eight‐term grammar of boundary is developed to demonstrate how God as Trinity can properly be held to be without boundary yet constitute the ground of a bounded world. This leads to a way of granting theological significance to the origin and development of life. Life is seen to exist in dynamic, intentional relationships between context (“outside”) and intext (“inside”) across permeable boundaries through which an exchange of resources and information takes place for the sake of self‐continuation. Comprehending life's distinctive utilization of boundary in terms of the grammar developed here enables life to be seen not only as a vestige of the Trinity but also, precisely because of this, as a sign and parable of redemption.     

PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF VALUE THEORY: B. F. SKINNERS SCIENCE OF VALUES

The thesis that the sciences are value neutral has recently been criticized severely. However, both the critics of the value-neutrality thesis and its upholders share the separatist position that there is a fundamental dichotomy between fact and value, differing only on the degree to which science is impregnated with values. Skinner's claim that the science of operant behavior is the science of values rejects this dichotomy and is opposed to both the value-neutrality thesis and criticisms of it. I examine Skinner's claim that psychology is value-laden in the radical sense of providing a foundation for a theory of values and conclude that Skinner is arguing for an ethics and theory of values which is naturalistic, teleological, and both substantively and methodologically objective.