Mind,consciousness, and cognition: Phenomenology vs. cognitive science

I would like to thank Steven Crowell from Rice University (Philosophy Department) for helpful comments and suggestions about my discussion of Husserl and other phenomenologists, and Edouard Philippe, also from Rice University (Electrical Engineering Department), for offering me the opportunity to formulate my views on cognitive science and artificial intelligence.     

Effects of fasting on visual flicker fusion

Two experiments are reported which investigated the effects of fasting on visual flicker fusion (VFF). In Exp. 1 the VFF of 40 undergraduate students, 20 men and 20 women, whose mean age was 22.5 yr., was measured in nonfasting conditions 1 to 2 weeks before and in fasting conditions during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. In Exp. 2 the VFF of a comparable group of 15 men and 15 women, whose mean age was 23.2 yr., was measured in a different month in both fasting and nonfasting conditions. Subjects were assigned randomly to these two conditions. Analysis shows that fasting reduced VFF significantly in both experiments. This finding indicates that fasting is likely to reduce perceptual sensitivity. The results were explained in terms of fatigue and physical exhaustion effects produced by fasting.     

It's lonely at the bottom (too): The effects of experienced powerlessness on social closeness and disengagement

Although “powerlessness” is a pervasive experience for employees, prior social power research has predominantly focused on consequences of “powerfulness.” This has led to contradictory predictions for how experienced powerlessness influences employees’ social perceptions and behaviors. To resolve this theoretical tension, we build on Social Distance Theory (Magee & Smith) to develop a theoretical model suggesting that experienced powerlessness reduces social closeness and subsequently causes social disengagement behaviors both at work (reduced helping and increased interaction avoidance) and at home (increased withdrawal). Our model also elucidates the processes that cause powerlessness to reduce social closeness, demonstrating that employees’ affiliation motive and their expectation of others’ interest in affiliating explain this relationship. We further propose that the effect of powerlessness on social closeness will be stronger for employees high (vs. low) in political skill because these employees are more attuned to workplace power dynamics. We find support for our model in an experience-sampling field experiment and two experimental scenario studies. Our research clarifies the effects of powerlessness on social closeness and organizationally relevant downstream consequences, qualifies dominant assumptions that the powerless always behave in ways opposite those of the powerful, and demonstrates the importance of political skill as a moderator of power's effects.     

Catching up with wonderful women: The women‐are‐wonderful effect is smaller in more gender egalitarian societies

Inequalities between men and women are common and well‐documented. Objective indexes show that men are better positioned than women in societal hierarchies—there is no single country in the world without a gender gap. In contrast, researchers have found that the women‐are‐wonderful effect—that women are evaluated more positively than men overall—is also common. Cross‐cultural studies on gender equality reveal that the more gender egalitarian the society is, the less prevalent explicit gender stereotypes are. Yet, because self‐reported gender stereotypes may differ from implicit attitudes towards each gender, we reanalysed data collected across 44 cultures, and (a) confirmed that societal gender egalitarianism reduces the women‐are‐wonderful effect when it is measured more implicitly (i.e. rating the personality of men and women presented in images) and (b) documented that the social perception of men benefits more from gender egalitarianism than that of women.     

Partial establishment – Menachem Begin,Gahal and the Black Panthers

This paper aims to shed further light on the response of Israeli society to the rise of the Black Panthers in 1971 by examining the attitude adopted by Menachem Begin and Gahal to the emerging Mizrahi protest movement. After discussing in detail Begin’s response to the Black Panthers’ protest, this paper analyses the factors that contributed to the divide between the Panthers and Israel’s leading opposition party at that time, and the criticism levelled by party members against its leadership concerning its inaction regarding the Black Panthers’ protest. Whereas right-wing Zionist research has hitherto focused on Begin’s political and security-related outlook and activities, the affair being discussed may shift the limelight onto the socio-economic attitudes of Begin and his party.     

Effects of action planning and coping planning within the theory of planned behaviour: A physical activity study of patients undergoing haemodialysis

Objective

Patients on dialysis have low physical activity levels. The aim of the study was to examine the validity of action planning and coping planning within the theory of planned behaviour framework, for predicting physical activity behaviour of patients on haemodialysis.

Design

This is a prospective study design.

Methods

One hundred and forty-four patients who were undergoing haemodialysis were selected from dialysis centres. The mean age of the patients was 56.61 (SD = 11.38) years. The patients completed a questionnaire including variables from the theory of planned behaviour, action planning and coping planning. Physical activity was prospectively assessed at 4-weeks with the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire self-report measure. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of action planning and coping planning on physical activity behaviour.

Results

There was a main effect for coping planning but not for action planning. Moreover, the analyses resulted in a significant amount of incremental variance accounted for by the interaction of coping planning and intention.

Conclusion

Results suggest the combination of high levels of coping planning and intention is associated with increases in physical activity.     

Object concept and sleep regulation

The association between infants' cognitive development and sleep regulation was investigated in 83 infants not at risk. It was found that 9-mo.-old infants with a more advanced object concept had significantly fewer sleep difficulties compared to infants with lower level of object permanence.     

Suggestion reduces the stroop effect

We examined the effects of suggestion on Stroop interference in highly suggestible individuals. Participants completed the Stroop task with and without a suggestion to perceive Stroop words as meaningless symbols. Half the participants were given this suggestion in hypnosis, and half were given the suggestion without the induction of hypnosis. Suggestion produced a significant reduction in Stroop inhibition, accounting for about 45% of the variance in Stroop responding, regardless of whether hypnosis had been induced. These findings indicate that suggestion can at least partially overcome the automaticity associated with the Stroop effect.     

Saints-protectors from Snake Bite: A Short Overview and a Tentative Analysis

A short overview of several saints, including Peter, Paul, John, George, Hilarius, Hubert, and Gaudentius, venerated in Christian tradition as protectors from snake bite, is offered as an introduction to a more substantial debate on the factors determining the choice of protectors in folk medicine, as well as on the possible adjuvant effect of (auto)suggestive therapy obtained by the invocation of saints.