Vagueness as closeness

This paper presents and defends a definition of vagueness, compares it favourably with alternative definitions, and draws out some consequences of accepting this definition for the project of offering a substantive theory of vagueness. The definition is roughly this: a predicate ‘F’ is vague just in case for any objects a and b, if a and b are very close in respects relevant to the possession of F, then ‘Fa’ and ‘Fb’ are very close in respect of truth. The definition is extended to cover vagueness of many-place predicates, of properties and relations, and of objects. Some of the most important advantages of the definition are that it captures the intuitions which motivate the thought that vague predicates are tolerant, without leading to contradiction, and that it yields a clear understanding of the relationships between higher-order vagueness, sorites susceptibility, blurred boundaries, and borderline cases. The most notable consequence of the definition is that the correct theory of vagueness must countenance degrees of truth.     

A Pilot Study Addressing the Impact of Religious Practice on Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate whether religious practice can modify quality of life (QoL) in BC patients during chemotherapy. QoL and religion practice questionnaire (RPQ) scores were evaluated in a sample of BC patients in different moments. Before chemotherapy initiation, women with lower physical and social functional scores displayed higher RPQ scores. On the other hand, low RPQ patients worsened some QoL scores over time. Body image acceptance was positively correlated with religious practice and specifically praying activity. This preliminary study suggests the importance of religion in coping with cancer chemotherapy.     

Improving Listening Skills in English as a Foreign Language by Reading Rather than Listening: A Cognitive Load Perspective

This study investigated the consequences of simultaneously reading and listening to the same materials when learning English as a foreign language. During acquisition, native Arabic‐speaking university students were asked to learn some English words and sentences either by reading them or by simultaneously reading and listening to the same spoken material. Following acquisition students were given reading, writing, and listening tests. The findings from the three experiments indicated that participants exposed to reading alone performed better on listening tests than participants exposed to a reading and listening condition. No differences were found on the reading and writing tests. The results, discussed within a cognitive load theory framework, suggest that at least some categories of learners will enhance their listening skills more by reading the materials only rather than simultaneously reading and listening. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Love and the addicted physician

This paper reviews the cases of two addicted physicians. One is dead and the other alive and well as a result of the heroic and compassionate effort of his friends. We offer speculations regarding the physicians' special vulnerabilities and the role of a tough love in transcending these vulnerabilities.     

Thwarting the renewal (relapse) of conditioned fear with the explicitly unpaired procedure: Possible interpretations and implications for treating human fears and phobias

In three experiments using the barpress conditioned suppression task with albino rats, we studied the renewal (relapse) of conditioned fear in an ABA fear-renewal paradigm. We found that explicitly unpaired (EU) deliveries of conditioned stimuli (CSs) and unconditioned stimuli (USs) in Context B thwarted fear renewal in Context A. Evidence contraindicated a suggestion by Rauhut, Thomas, and Ayres (2001) that US habituation plays a key role in this effect. For example, renewal was thwarted only when EU CSs and USs were intermingled rather than given in succession. The possibility that EU treatments thwart renewal by creating a CS that inhibits fear in the test context also received no support. Thus, summation and retardation tests in Context A found no evidence that the EU CS became inhibitory, finding instead evidence for a residual excitation. Other possible interpretations of the results and some implications for clinical practice are noted.     

Treatments that weaken Pavlovian conditioned fear and thwart its renewal in rats: implications for treating human phobias

In experiments using a total of 144 albino rat subjects, the authors assessed the ability of fear-weakening treatments to prevent fear renewal (relapse). Conditioned suppression of operant behavior served as the measure of fear in an A-B-A (acquisition-treatment-test) renewal paradigm. In Experiment 1, 100 nonreinforced exposures to a feared cue during treatment (extinction) did not reduce fear renewal relative to 20 exposures. In Experiment 2, explicitly unpaired (EU) treatments thwarted both renewal and reacquisition. In Experiment 3, conditioned inhibition (CI) and differential conditioning (DC) treatments weakened renewal and resisted both reacquisition and a form of reinstatement. In Experiment 4, EU, DC, and CI treatments all thwarted renewal. Evidence suggested that the ability of the treatments to do so reflected the combined effects of transfer of extinction across treatment and test contexts and habituation to the unconditioned stimulus.     

Using a group game increases preschoolers' step count

Children should engage in at least 60 min of physical activity daily to develop or maintain healthy habits (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021a). Previous research suggests that contingent attention is a powerful tool for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of a group game on steps per minute at recess in an inclusive classroom with preschoolers. The researcher taught the game called the T-Rex game in which the game rules (chasing students who were moving) involved contingencies for natural attention to follow moderate to vigorous physical activity. The results showed a functional relation between step count and the group game in which students engaged in higher step counts when the group game was in place than during baseline. These findings extend other work by demonstrating that contingent attention embedded in group games can increase step count.