Nano-ethics as NEST-ethics: Patterns of Moral Argumentation About New and Emerging Science and Technology

There might not be a specific nano-ethics, but there definitely is an ethics of new & emerging science and technology (NEST), with characteristic tropes and patterns of moral argumentation. Ethical discussion in and around nanoscience and technology reflects such NEST-ethics. We offer an inventory of the arguments, and show patterns in their evolution, in arenas full of proponents and opponents. We also show that there are some nano-specific issues: in how size matters, and when agency is delegated to smart devices. Our overall approach is a pragmatist ethics, and we conclude that struggle (and learning) might be more productive than models emphasizing consensus.

Work Hours and Caseload as Predictors of Physician Burnout: The Mediating Effects by Perceived Workload and by Autonomy

We tested a model in which perceived workload and autonomy were hypothesised to mediate the effects of work hours and caseload on physician burnout. The study was based on data provided by 890 specialists representing six medical specialties. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Controlling for the effects of gender, seniority, and the specialists' academic affiliation, we found that the study data fit the hypothesised model—reflecting these hypotheses—quite well. As expected, workload predicted higher levels of global burnout and physical fatigue, while autonomy predicted lower levels of global burnout. Work hours and caseload predicted global burnout only indirectly, via their effects on either perceived workload or autonomy. These findings suggest that public policies, designed to reduce physician work hours in order to reduce burnout and improve patients' safety, should take into account physician perceived workload and autonomy. Nous avons mis à l'épreuve un modèle centré sur l'hypothèse selon laquelle la charge de travail perçue et l'autonomie régulaient l'impact de la durée du travail médical et administratif sur le burnout des médecins. La recherche a exploité des données fournies par 890 spécialistes relevant de six spécialités médicales. On a fait appel à une modélisation en équations structurales pour valider nos hypothèses. En contrôlant l'action du genre, de l'âge et du type de spécialité, il est apparu que les données correspondaient parfaitement au modèle hypothétique. Comme prévu, la charge de travail prédisait des niveaux plus élevés de burnout global et de fatigue physique, alors que l'autonomie débouchait sur des niveaux plus faibles de burnout global. La durée du travail ne prédisait qu'indirectement le burnout global, par l'entremise des retombées sur la charge de travail perçue et l'autonomie. Ces résultats montrent que la réglementation publique qui envisage de réduire le temps de travail des médecins dans le souci d'atténuer le burnout et d'améliorer la sécurité des malades devrait prendre en considération la charge de travail perçue et l'autonomie des médecins.     

An approach ton-mode components analysis

As an extension of Lastovicka's four-mode components analysis ann-mode components analysis is developed. Using a convenient notation, both a canonical and a least squares solution are derived. The relation between both solutions and their computational aspects are discussed.The first draft was written while Wansbeek was with the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics. We thank Jaap Verhees for performing the computations and for many discussions on the subject, John Lastovicka for kindly making available his data to us, and the Editor, the referees, Jeroen Weesie and Pieter Kroonenberg for their useful comments.     

Satisfaction with social support during crisis: intimacy and self-esteem as critical determinants

Satisfaction with social support was studied longitudinally in a group of 113 Israeli women following the outcome of both normal and medically complicated pregnancies. Greater intimacy with spouse and with friends were found to be related to greater satisfaction with support received during this crisis period. Intimate ties contributed to satisfaction with support independent of self-esteem, social network parameters, and type of pregnancy outcome. Social network parameters and pregnancy outcome were not found to be related to satisfaction with support. Among women low in self-esteem, greater intimacy with family was found to be related to lower satisfaction with support if the women lacked intimate ties with spouse or a friend. The findings were discussed in light of clinical and social psychological theories regarding reaction to aid.     

Commitment and rival attractiveness: Their effects on male and female reactions to jealousy-arousing situations

The present study explored the way in which males and females are affected by a rival's attractiveness and by the commitment to an alternative relationship in jealousy provoking situations. Subjects, who were all married between 5 and 20 years, read experimental vignettes and rated the protagonist's likely responses. Further, data on several personal variables (e.g., dispositional jealousy; self-esteem and quality of marital relationship) were collected. The data indicate that responses to the vignettes were mediated by an interaction between the rival attractiveness, the degree of commitment to alternative relationships and subject's gender. Male responses appeared to be driven by their concern with protecting their egos; females, on the other hand, seemed most concerned with protecting their relationships. The implications of the findings are discussed.     

The freezing and unfreezing of lay-inferences: Effects on impressional primacy,ethnic stereotyping,and numerical anchoring

Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that primacy effects, ethnic stereotyping, and numerical anchoring all represent “epistemic freezing” in which the lay-knower becomes less aware of plausible alternative hypotheses and/or inconsistent bits of evidence competing with a given judgment. It was hypothesized that epistemic freezing would increase with an increase in time pressure on the lay-knower to make a judgment and decrease with the layknower's fear that his/her judgment will be evaluated and possibly be in error. Accordingly, it was predicted that primacy effects, ethnic stereotyping, and anchoring phenomena would increase in magnitude with an increase in time pressure and decrease in magnitude with an increase in evaluation apprehension. Finally, the time-pressure variations were expected to have greater impact upon “freezing” when the evaluation apprehension is high as opposed to low. All hypotheses were supported in each of the presently executed studies.     

Effect of donor resources on recipient self-esteem and self-help

A 2 (aid vs no aid) × 2 (high vs low resource potential donor) between subjects design tested the effects of aid and donor resources on recipient self-perceptions and subsequent self-help behavior. The results were characterized by interactions between the two factors. Subjects who received aid from a low resource donor perceived themselves more positively and engaged in less self-help than subjects in the no-aid low resource potential donor condition. In contrast, subjects who received aid from a high resource donor perceived themselves less positively and tended to engage in more self-help behavior than subjects in the no-aid high resource potential donor condition. The relationship between threat to self-esteem inherent in aid and subsequent self-help is discussed in terms of self-esteem theory.     

Good moments in Rational-Emotive Therapy: Some unique features of this approach

Two independent teams of judges used a general category system of good moments and an RET category system of good moments, respectively, in assessing all client statements in two audiotaped sessions conducted by Dr. Albert Ellis. A comparison of the findings from using the two category systems identified four unique features of RET. The features involved (a) unique RET good moments given by the RET literature; (b) additional general categories of good moments that are also obtained by RET; (c) unique RET methods of obtaining insight-understanding; and (d) unique RET methods of promoting behavior change.Wayne P. Nadler, Irit Sterner, and Eran A. Talitman are members of the psychotherapy research team, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa. Patricia A. Gervaize, Ph.D., is clinical research psychologist, Ottawa Civic Hospital and School of Medicine, University of Ottawa, as well as a member of the psychotherapy research team, University of Ottawa.     

Determinants of help seeking behaviour: The effects of helper's similarity,task centrality and recipient's self esteem

The present experiment was concerned with the way in which the characteristics of the helper the task and the recipient affect the willingness to seek help. In line with past theory and research it was reasoned that seeking help would be most threatening when one needs help on an ego - central task, and the helper is perceived as similar to oneself. Consequently, individuals were expected to seek least help under these conditions. Further it was expected that individuals who enjoy a high self esteem would be more sensitive to this self threat and seek less help under these self threatening conditions than would individuals who have a low self esteem. The experiment consisted of a 2 (similar versus dissimilar helper) times 2 (ego-central versus non central task) times 2 (high versus low self esteem subjects) between subjects design. Subjects worked on a difficult anagram task, and their actual help seeking behaviour served as a dependent measure. The findings support the experimental hypotheses. The conceptual and applied implications of these findings are discussed.