Semantic information and the network theory of account

The article addresses the problem of how semantic information can be upgraded to knowledge. The introductory section explains the technical terminology and the relevant background. Section 2 argues that, for semantic information to be upgraded to knowledge, it is necessary and sufficient to be embedded in a network of questions and answers that correctly accounts for it. Section 3 shows that an information flow network of type A fulfils such a requirement, by warranting that the erotetic deficit, characterising the target semantic information t by default, is correctly satisfied by the information flow of correct answers provided by an informational source s. Section 4 illustrates some of the major advantages of such a Network Theory of Account (NTA) and clears the ground of a few potential difficulties. Section 5 clarifies why NTA and an informational analysis of knowledge, according to which knowledge is accounted semantic information, is not subject to Gettier-type counterexamples. A concluding section briefly summarises the results obtained.     

A new dialectical theory of explanation

This paper offers a dialogue theory of explanation. A successful explanation is defined as a transfer of understanding in a dialogue system in which a questioner and a respondent take part. The questioner asks a special sort of why-question that asks for understanding of something and the respondent provides a reply that transfers understanding to the questioner. The theory is drawn from recent work on explanation in artificial intelligence (AI), especially in expert systems, but applies to scientific, legal and everyday conversational explanations.     

An objective counterfactual theory of information

We offer a novel theory of information that differs from traditional accounts in two respects: (i) it explains information in terms of counterfactuals rather than conditional probabilities, and (ii) it does not make essential reference to doxastic states of subjects, and consequently allows for the sort of objective, reductive explanations of various notions in epistemology and philosophy of mind that many have wanted from an account of information.     

Organizational entry preferences based upon social and personnel policies: An information integration perspective

A general framework for investigating the effect of organizational policies on constituent responses is outlined. An information-processing model incorporating both integration weights and subjective stimulus values was investigated in two studies in which prospective job candidates rated the attractiveness of hypothetical organizations described by policies on (1) pay, (2) individual development, (3) environmental responsibility, and (4) fair employment practices. Results of Study 1 indicated that a linear averaging model adequately described the data, with the dimension of individual development having the greatest effect. Results of Study 2 showed that the relationship between the objective levels of the policies and the desirability responses was curvilinear and appeared to approach an asymptote. Decision-making studies employing regression or self-reported weights are said not to account for this diminishing-returns effect in motivation. In addition, self-reported weights were significantly correlated with the range of subjective stimuli values and not with the subjective integration weights. Also, a number of individual difference measures were found to be related to the indices of information importance. The need to distinguish between information weights and subjective stimuli values is explained.     

An economic analysis of the medical malpractice system

The purpose of professional liability is viewed as the deterrence of negligence. Conditions necessary for the malpractice system to provide appropriate incentives for injury prevention are described. The operation of the system is compared to this theoretical ideal. Evidence is presented on the number of claims relative to injuries; the disposition of claims through the courts; the effects of tort reforms: the efficiency of insurance mechanisms; and causes and solutions of the 1975 malpractice insurance crisis. The overall efficiency of the system is evaluated and proposals for reform are discussed.     

The game of inquiry: the interrogative approach to inquiry and belief revision theory

I. Levi has advocated a decision-theoretic account of belief revision. We argue that the game-theoretic framework of Interrogative Inquiry Games, proposed by J. Hintikka, can extend and clarify this account. We show that some strategic use of the game rules (or ‘policies’) generate Expansions, Contractions and Revisions, and we give representation results. We then extend the framework to represent explicitly (multiple) sources of answers, and apply it to discuss the Recovery Postulate. We conclude with some remarks about the potential extensions of interrogative games, with respect to some issues in the theory of belief change.     

The effect of practice plus information upon learning theory: A book review

The Psychological Record - Hilgard’s revised edition of Theories of Learning is in many respects a new book and an improvement over the earlier edition. Its clarity and comprehensiveness make...     

A learning theory account of depression

Learning theory provides a foundation for understanding and deriving treatment principles for impacting a spectrum of functional processes relevant to the construct of depression. While behavioral interventions have been commonplace in the cognitive behavioral tradition, most often conceptualized within a cognitive theoretical framework, recent years have seen renewed interest in more purely behavioral models. These modern learning theory accounts of depression focus on the interchange between behavior and the environment, mainly in terms of lack of reinforcement, extinction of instrumental behavior, and excesses of aversive control, and include a conceptualization of relevant cognitive and emotional variables. These positions, drawn from extensive basic and applied research, cohere with biological theories on reduced reward learning and reward responsiveness and views of depression as a heterogeneous, complex set of disorders. Treatment techniques based on learning theory, often labeled Behavioral Activation (BA) focus on activating the individual in directions that increase contact with potential reinforcers, as defined ideographically with the client. BA is considered an empirically well‐established treatment that generalizes well across diverse contexts and populations. The learning theory account is discussed in terms of being a parsimonious model and ground for treatments highly suitable for large scale dissemination.     

An information theory analysis of duration of lifeguards' scanning

Observers recorded the duration of scanning by six lifeguards in three indoor swimming pools. Duration of scanning was significantly predicted by the absolute numbers of child swimmers (< 17 years) in the pools and when numbers of child swimmers were represented in terms of bits of information. Duration of scanning increased as a linear function of both numbers of children and child bits of information. These results are interpreted in terms of the Hick-Hyman law of information theory. Lifeguards appear to simplify the task of information processing and decision-making by concentrating on children as a more at-risk group of swimmers. Duration of scanning was not significantly related to changes in number of adult swimmers.     

An information theory analysis of visual complexity and dissimilarity

The subjective complexity of a computer-generated bitmap image can be measured by magnitude estimation scaling, and its objective complexity can be measured by its compressed file size. There is a high correlation between these measures of subjective and objective complexity over a large set of marine electronic chart and radar images. The subjective dissimilarity of a pair of bitmap images can be predicted from subjective and objective measures of the complexity of each image, and from the subjective and objective complexity of the image produced by overlaying the two simple images. In addition, the subjective complexity of the image produced by overlaying two simple images can be predicted from the subjective complexity of the simple images and the subjective dissimilarity of the image pair. The results of the experiments that generated these complexity and dissimilarity judgments are consistent with a theory, outlined here, that treats objective and subjective measures of image complexity and dissimilarity as vectors in Euclidean space.     

Hintikka,Laudan and Newton: An interrogative model of scientific inquiry

Research for this paper was supported by NSF Grant IST-8310936. An earlier version was read at the Conference on Knowledge-Seeking by Questioning, April 1985, at The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.     

An information processing system for the psychiatric emergency room

An information processing system for a psychiatric emergency room is described. Several studies are presented that show the utility of the system. In the first study, variables involved in diagnosis are explicated. The second study attempts to determine the characteristics that distinguish recidivists from nonrecidivists at an emergency room. The third study attempts to find patient variables related to success in short-term treatment programs. The final study is aimed at discovering whether there are psychopathological effects related to the use of inhalants. Together, these studies show the potential of a mental health information system for learning more about the nature of mental disorders and their treatment.     

The instructional information processing account of digital computation

What is nontrivial digital computation? It is the processing of discrete data through discrete state transitions in accordance with finite instructional information. The motivation for our account is that many previous attempts to answer this question are inadequate, and also that this account accords with the common intuition that digital computation is a type of information processing. We use the notion of reachability in a graph to defend this characterization in memory-based systems and underscore the importance of instructional information for digital computation. We argue that our account evaluates positively against adequacy criteria for accounts of computation.     

《艺概》风格论的阴阳辩证精神

对于<艺概>一书中的辩证精神,学术界一般习惯于用我们所掌握的辩证法去分析,而未注意中国自<易经>而来的辩证精神的特质.本文从成中英教授对中西辩证精神之差异的分析入手,以<艺概>中的风格论为主,对其中的"阴阳辩证法"作了一番讨究,意在指出:<艺概>中的辩证精神是自<易经>而来的"阴阳辩证法"的精神,而非西方自柏拉图始,完备于马克思的"冲突辩证法"的精神.