Verified hormone therapy improves episodic memory performance in healthy postmenopausal women

Studies of hormone therapy (HT) and cognition have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this observational study was to examine the effect of estradiol, via serum verified HT (estradiol, estriol, progesterone) and endogenous estradiol, on 108 healthy postmenopausal women's cognitive performance. The results demonstrated that the 43 HT-users performed at a significantly higher level than non-users on episodic memory tasks and on a verbal fluency task, whereas HT-users and non-users did not differ on tasks assessing semantic memory and spatial visualization. In addition, there was a positive relationship between serum estradiol level and episodic memory performance, indicating that postmenopausal HT is associated with enhanced episodic memory and verbal fluency, independent of age and education. These observational results suggest that HT use may be sufficient to exert small, yet positive effects on female sensitive cognitive tasks. Hormone therapy compliance and formulation is discussed as confounding factors in previous research.     

俄罗斯60年代人哲学的人道主义背景

20世纪50年代中期,一批年轻的苏联哲学家热衷于逻辑认识论、科学方法论等方面的研究,形成唯科学主义倾向。弘扬理性是欧洲各国走向现代化的共同道路,但在苏联,唯科学主义倾向的出现有独特原因。19世纪末20世纪初俄罗斯形成宗教哲学、宇宙主义、马克思主义三个哲学派别,共同之处是重视集体轻视个人。以此为基础在30年代形成苏联哲学。不能简单否定苏联哲学。苏联哲学有三个阶段:一、20年代,这时哲学尚有独立研究的部分可能;二、30、40年代,哲学彻底意识形态化,扼杀一切创造性;三、50—80年代,出现60年代人~①哲学家,他们彻底抛弃30、40年代的苏联哲学。50—80年代苏联哲学具有启蒙性质,座右铭是"人可以也应该靠自己的头脑生活"。其背景是苏联社会正努力从对斯大林的个人迷信中解放出来,肯定个人的价值,具有人道主义性质。带有人的面孔的社会主义是60年代人哲学家的理想,而且对他们来说,人的面孔比社会主义更重要。     

形而上学及其当代命运——A.F.科赫教授访谈

A.F.科赫教授因其对康德与德国观念论(尤其是黑格尔)的深入研究而著名,此外他非常熟悉分析哲学与实用主义的当代成果。这使他能够以一种不同于其前辈诠释者的方式来理解德国哲学,并以一种完全不同于布兰顿和麦克道威尔这两位当代著名的分析哲学家的方式对大西洋两岸的两种不同的哲学传统进行让人瞩目的融合。从科赫教授身上我们可以看到,一个在欧陆哲学传统中成长起来的哲学家如何吸收和消化分析哲学的成果并尝试建立起一种新的思想方式。     

Coping with terrorism: the impact of increased salience of terrorism on mood and self-efficacy of intrinsically religious and nonreligious people

It was hypothesized that intrinsic religiousness helps to cope with increased salience of terrorism. Intrinsically religious and non-religious participants were told that it is highly probable or highly improbable, respectively, that terrorist attacks will occur in Germany. High probability of terrorism only negatively affected the mood of non-religious participants but not of intrinsically religious participants (Study 1). Using as a realistic context of investigation the terrorist suicide bombings in Istanbul, the authors replicated this finding and shed some light on the underlying psychological processes (Study 2): On the day of the terrorist attacks (high salience of terrorism), non-religious participants experienced less positive emotions and less self-efficacy than did intrinsically religious participants. Two months later (low salience of terrorism), no differences were found between non-religious and intrinsically religious participants with regard to mood and self-efficacy. Mediational analyses suggested that the mood effects were associated with differences in the reported sense of self-efficacy.     

鲍波尔其人及其哲学

鲍波尔(Koal Popper)系奥地利自然科学和社会科学哲学家。1902年出生于维也纳,在那里,他研读数学、物理和哲学。尽管他不是逻辑实证主义维也纳学派的成员,而且在许多地方同他们还有着严重的分歧,但是他的哲学志趣却和该学派的主张还是颇为投合的。他同它的一些成员也有着密切的交往,对卡尔纳普的影响尤其明显。他的第一部成名著作《研究的逻辑》出版于1935年,当时就是列为维也纳学派的科学世界观丛书而问世的。1937年,鲍波尔赴新西兰坎特堡大学执教;1945年去伦敦大学伦敦经济学院工作。自1949年他一直是该学院的逻辑学和科学方法论教授。1964年封为爵士。他     

西方的伦理学概念

对平常人来说,“伦理学”一词意味着是由一特殊集团或共同体所制定的一套约束其行为的标准——在追求他们的目的时,区别什么是合法的与不合法的,或者什么是可以或不可以被人接受的。因此我们就有“商业伦理学”,或“医疗伦理学”。伦理学是研究人类思想或行为的某一给定的领域中存在的或应该找到的根本原則和基本     

The Timing Effects of Accent Production in Periodic Finger-Tapping Sequences

When subjects are required to produce short sequences of equally paced finger taps and to accentuate one of the taps, the interval preceding the forceful tap is shortened and the one that immediately follows the accent is lengthened. Assuming that the tapping movements are triggered by an internal clock, one explanation attributes the rnistiming of the taps to central factors: The momentary rate of the clock is accelerated or decelerated as a function of motor preparation to, respectively, increase or decrease the movement force. This hypothesis predicts that the interresponse intervals measured between either tap movement onsets or movement terminations (taps) will show the same timing pattern. A second explanation for the observed interval effects is that the tapping movements are triggered by a regular internal clock but the timing of the successive taps is altered because the forceful movement is completed in less time than the other tap movements are. This "peripheral" hypothesis predicts regular timing of movement onsets but distorted timing of movement terminations. In the present study, the trajectories of the movements performed by subjects were recorded and the interresponse intervals were measured at the beginning and the end of the tapping movements. The results of Experiment 1 showed that neither model can fully explain the interval effects: The fast forceful movements were initiated with an additional delay that took into account the small execution time of these movements. Experiment 2 reproduced this finding and showed that the timing of the onset and contact intervals did not evolve with the repetition of trial blocks. Therefore, the assumption of an internal clock that would trigger the successive movements must be rejected. The results are discussed in the framework of a modified two-stage model in which the internal clock, instead of triggering the tapping movements, provides target time points at which the movements have to produce their meaningful effects, that is, contacts with the response key. The timing distortions are likely to reflect both peripheral and central components.     

艺术心理学的某些问题

艺术心理学的问题属于那些使心理学和美学彼此交叉的和二者相互联系的问题。这些问题很难解决,并且研究得很少。这两种科学之中究竟是哪一种首先对这些交叉问题的现状负责呢?研究这些问题中的主要作用究竟属于哪一种科学——属于心理学还是属于美学呢?那些纯方法论的见解要求承认,这种主要作用属于心理学。诚然,在心理学