Luther's Understanding of Imputatio in the Context of his Doctrine of Justification and Its Consequences for the Preaching of the Gospel

This article deals with the problem of how to understand the notion of imputatio within Martin Luther's doctrine of justification, which for Luther is both necessary and sufficient. The author shows that Luther interprets imputatio in a threefold way: by outlining (1) the non‐imputation of sin, (2) the imputation of faith as righteousness, and (3) the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner. Interpreting imputatio in this particular way, Luther maintains his view of Christian faith as a communicative, dynamic and changeable reality which is crucially dependent on communication. For that reason, Luther's understanding of justification cannot be considered without his understanding of preaching the gospel, in which the gospel of Christ is communicated to individuals. Thus in the preaching and the hearing of God's word, imputation is taking place in the communication of the gospel, mirroring the communicative structure of faith's reality itself.     

Nature reversed: Diminishing intensity of the maternal call affects approach behaviour of chicks

Skinner (1974) suggested that ducklings could be taught to move away from an imprinting object provided the natural consequences of approach behaviour was reversed. We constructed an apparatus in which approach behaviour toward an audio-visual stimulus caused reduced amplitude of a maternal call, whereas movement away caused an increase in amplitude. Chicks (Experiment 1) trained in this apparatus approached the training stimulus, but to a lesser degree than chicks exposed to calls of constant amplitude. Highly active experimental chicks kept a larger distance to the stimulus than passive chicks. Thus the reversal of the natural consequences of approaching influenced filial behaviour. However, a training period of three hours did not influence approach behaviour in the direction predicted by Skinner (1974). A second group of chicks (Experiment 2) which could increase the call amplitude by moving in one direction without being able to localize the sound source was more influenced by the amplitude gradient than Experiment I-chicks.     

Aversive and compensatory classical conditioning with diazepam as conditional stimulus

The purpose of the first experiment was to investigate whether diazepam could acquire anxiogenic properties by signalling an aversive event. Rats were trained in an operant chamber in the pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) model of anxiety. Thereafter the animals were divided into groups that received classical diazepam conditioning (Group 1), and conditioning of diazepam + tone (Group 2). In the test phase diazepam was injected prior to placement in the operant chamber. Group 2 selected the PTZ-appropriate lever more often than the other groups, indicating that the tone induced anxiety, and diazepam did not. Tones and shock may therefore be more easily associated than diazepam and shock. The second experiment investigated this. Rats were trained the same way as in the first experiment. Thereafter the experimental group received injections of a small dose of diazepam prior to a second injection of a large dose of diazepam. The hypothesis was that a compensatory anxiogenic conditional response to diazepam's anxiolytic effect should be elicited by the small dose. There were no differences between the groups in lever selection, indicating that a compensatory anxiogenic response was not elicited.     

Gambling behavior and gambling problems in Norway 2007

In Norway, legalized gambling is pervasive, easily accessible and socially accepted, particularly the participation in national lotteries. We conducted a stratified probability sample study during January–March 2007 (age group 16–74 years, N  = 3,482, response rate 36.1%) to assess gambling behavior and prevalence of problematic gambling by the NORC Diagnostic Screen (NODS). Overall, 67.9% of the study population had been engaged in past-year gambling and 0.7% were past-year problematic gamblers (NODS score 3+). Male gender, low educational level, single marital status, and being born in a non-Western country were variables positively associated with problematic gambling. Past-year problematic gamblers indicated the slot machine (34.6%) and Internet gambling (26.9%) as the most important games, while most non-problematic gamblers pointed out the lotteries (62.3%) as the most important game. The prevalence of self-reported sleeping disorders, depression and other psychological impairments was significantly higher among problematic gamblers. Gambling problems affect people's lives in multiple ways.     

Psychometric properties of the Type D scale (DS14) in Norwegian cardiac patients

Bergvik, S., Sørlie, T., Wynn, R. & Sexton, H. (2010). Psychometric properties of the Type D scale (DS14) in Norwegian cardiac patients. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. The combination of negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) – the Type D Personality – is associated with poor outcomes in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. A Norwegian translation of the standard instrument measuring Type D (DS14) was tested on 432 CAD patients receiving coronary revascularization treatment. Factor analysis produced two factors with high inter‐item reliability, indicating that the Norwegian DS14 has acceptable psychometric properties. Eighteen percent were classified as Type D, lower than has been reported elsewhere. Type D was associated with anxiety, depression, and passive coping. NA correlated positively with depression, anxiety, and passive coping. SI correlated positively with depression and anxiety, and negatively with active coping. The prevalence of Type D was higher among women, and negatively correlated with time since treatment. The variation in Type D prevalence among studies needs further elucidation as does the predictive power of continuous scoring of the Type D trait.     

The Stress Strategy Test in relation to personality traits and cognitive abilities

Federmann, R., Bäckström, M. & Goldsmith, R. (2010). The Stress Strategy Test in relation to personality traits and cognitive abilities. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51 , 16–22.
Relations between results of the Stress Strategy Test (SST), a computerized test the first author developed partly involving the Stroop effect, and of an interview and an intelligence test used by the Swedish armed forces as selection instruments for placement of recruits in type of military service were investigated in a group of 3,205 recruits. The SST results were found able to explain 17.64% and 12.25% of the variance in results of the intelligence test and the interview, respectively. Emotional stability and psychological energy were the two interview variables most closely related to results of the SST. The usefulness of the SST in a selection context is discussed.     

HUMANITY AS AN OBJECT OF RESPECT: IMMANUEL KANT'S ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH AND THE FOUNDATION FOR MORALITY

The article deals with Kant's understanding of personhood and autonomy. It highlights the connection of autonomy and human dignity within Kant's appreciation of morality, and indicates how his distinction between the empirical and transcendental spheres enables Kant to extend dignity even to humans who are not actually autonomous. Turning to contemporary approaches within ethics that refer to Kant but omit this transcendental framework, it defends the necessity of a trans‐empirical frame within the Kantian system and hints at consequences for bioethics. It concludes that Kant works with neither an absolutist notion of freedom in terms of solipsistic autarky, nor an empirical freedom and autonomy that begin and end at certain points of time.     

Survey of mental health of foreign students

The multifaceted nature of problems foreign students face have led some researchers to conclude that these students tend to suffer from poor health during their overseas sojourn. This assertion is examined among foreign students at the University of Bergen by means of a questionnaire survey. Loneliness, tiredness, sadness and worrying were reported as a frequent source of problem by nearly one in four of over 300 respondents. Students reported a decline in their general state of health as well as a rise in the occurrence of syndrome-like tendencies resembling paranoia, anxiety, depression and somatic complaints. These tendencies were attributed to certain psychosocial factors such as information received regarding study opportunities, social contacts with other tenants in the hall of residence and future job opportunities. Scandinavian students on the whole tended to have better mental health than students from the other countries. The implications of impaired health among foreign students is discussed.