Sex differences in instructions to "be creative" on divergent and nondivergent test scores

Harrington (1975) found that both the magnitude and meaning of male subject scores on the Alternate Uses Test were altered by explicit instructions to “be creative,” and argued for the necessity of such instructions, plus qualitative scoring criteria, in the employment of tests of creativity. The present study elaborated upon this study by including female subjects, more than one test of divergent thinking and a test of nondivergent thinking. Instructions to be creative increased the proportion of creative responses output for both males and females, and sharpened correlations with Adjective Check List personality scales. Instructions did not alter performance on the nondivergent test. These results were interpreted to mean the instructions elicited strategies particularly relevant to divergent thinking and ruled out nonspecific effects such as those due to motivation. A reliable sex-difference in ideational fluency was also observed: instructions to be creative facilitated the total number of responses output for the male subjects. This supports a hypothesis that the instructions disambiguate I he test situation differently for men and women, suggesting the need to isolate individual conceptions of creativity in order to maximize test performance.     

Theory and evidence bearing on a Scale of Trait Arousability

Trait Arousability is defined, in part, by strength of arousal response to sudden increases in complexity, variation, novelty, and/or unexpectedness of stimuli. The Trait Arousability Scale related positively to increases in diastolic pressure when angered, to heart disease, incidence of illnesses, conditioned aversions, avoidance of social contacts in high-density dormitories, dissatisfaction and lowered performance in high density workplaces, recall of emotional events, enjoyment of violence, and to scales of affiliation, dependency, empathy, sensitivity, impulsivity, affect intensity, low endurance, anxiety, neuroticism, procrastination, paranoia, eating disorders, and suicidal tendencies (but not to depression).     

On Jaśkowski's discussive logics

We expose the main ideas, concepts and results about Jakowski's discussive logic, and apply that logic to the concept of pragmatic truth and to the Dalla Chiara-di Francia view of the foundations of physics.Partially supported by grants from JNICT (Portugal) and FAPESP (Brazil), Philosophy Section. Portions of this paper were concluded while the second author visited the Math-Phys Seminar at the University of Algarve (Portugal).Presented byCecylia Rauszer     

Enhanced Hippocampal CA1 LTP but Normal Spatial Learning in Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase(A)-Deficient Mice

To define the physiological role of IP₃3-kinase(A) in vivo, we have generated a mouse strain with a null mutation of the IP₃3-kinase(A) locus by gene targeting. Homozygous mutant mice were fully viable, fertile, apparently normal, and did not show any morphological anomaly in brain sections. In the mutant brain, the IP₄ level was significantly decreased whereas the IP₃ level did not change, demonstrating a major role of IP₃3-kinase(A) in the generation of IP₄. Nevertheless, no significant difference was detected in the hippocampal neuronal cells of the wild-type and the mutant mice in the kinetics of Ca²⁺ regulation after glutamate stimulation. Electrophysiological analyses carried out in hippocampal slices showed that the mutation significantly enhanced the LTP in the hippocampal CA1 region, but had no effect on the LTP in dentate gyrus (DG). No difference was noted, however, between the mutant and the wild-type mice in the Morris water maze task. Our results indicate that IP₃3-kinase(A) may play an important role in the regulation of LTP in hippocampal CA1 region through the generation of IP₄, but the enhanced LTP in the hippocampal CA1 does not affect spatial learning and memory.     

Intrinsic Value as a Reason for the Preservation of Minority Cultures

In the Netherlands, the policy of supporting the efforts of ethnic-cultural minorities to express and preserve their cultural distinctiveness, is nowadays considered as problematic because it might interfere with their integration into the wider society. The primary aim is now to reduce these groups' unemployment rate and to stimulate their participation in the wider society. In this article I consider how the notion of the intrinsic value of cultures, if sensible, might affect the policy regarding ethnic-cultural minorities. I develop a theory of intrinsic value of culture, as an analogy of the theory of intrinsic value of non-human natural entities. My conclusion is that the dominant cultural group in the Netherlands should preserve clearly deviant minority cultures which have considerable intrinsic value.     

If Counseling is Psychotherapy—What Then?

No counseling, other than the strictly information-giving forms of academic and vocational advisement, can actually be limited to the conscious, rational layers of personality. The deeper levels are reflected in all aspects of behavior, so that concepts of a dichotomy between “counseling” and “psychotherapy” have only the most restricted usefulness. If counseling is necessarily a form of psychotherapy, however specialized, present training methods for counselor candidates are seriously inadequate. Advanced psychological knowledge is needed by counselors, including study of abnormal psychology and diagnostics, as well as of the biological and sociological roots of behavior. Also needed are more rigorous selection methods for counselor candidates, inasmuch as their work unavoidably affects the deeper personality dynamics of their clients, as well as a requirement that those who will counsel others therapeutically should themselves have the experience of being counseled. In view of the increased rigor of this program, if it is undertaken the scale of compensation for counselors should also be considerably increased.     

How Effectively Do We Predict Plans for College Attendance?

The extent to which college attendance could be predicted by taking into consideration a wide range of variables—ability, school achievement, and socio-economic, cultural, and personality factors—was examined. Multiple correlation coefficients in the vicinity of .6 were obtained both for the total population and for homogeneous sub-populations.     

Neo-Republicanism and the Domination of Immigrants

Res Publica - Neo-republicanism seems well suited to provide insight into current policies for the control and restriction of immigration. In this paper, I discuss three different accounts of...