Fierce Words: Repositionings of Caste and Devotion in Traditional rvaisnava Hindu Ethics

In the 13th and 14th centuries CE the ?rvaisnava Hindu community of south India struggled to integrate the traditional values of the older brahmanical hierarchical system with the devotional egalitarianism that had come to the fore with fresh force in the Tamil vernacular tradition in the 7^th and 8^th centuries and thereafter. One of the most vexed aspects of this integration pertained to caste, and whether devotionalism foreclosed a continuation of traditional caste distinctions: do divine love and grace mandate radical egalitarianism? ?rvaisnava theologians were divided on the issue, some more conservative, some more radical in their rhetoric about continuity and change. Yet, as this essay argues, none were willing to go to the extremes either of dismissing caste structures entirely or of entirely subordinating devotion to caste. New values were to take primary place, while old norms were to be reinterpreted and given new meanings. Analyzing well–known examples from the tradition they argued instead a balance between norms and exceptions, treating violations of caste as occasions to glorify the power of devotion but without predicting the end of caste altogether. Attention to this case sheds light on caste and devotion in the Hindu context, the nature of ethical debate in India, and consequently too ways in which rhetoric functions more widely in ethical analysis.     

Automatic attraction of attention to former targets in visual displays of letters

Shiffrin and Schneider (1977, Experiment 4d) reported that after consistent training in search for particular alphanumeric characters, presentation of one of these characters (former targets) as a distractor impeded detection of simultaneously presented current targets. Even if presented in an irrelevant display location, the former target appeared to attract attention. Here, we analyze weaknesses in the design of Experiment 4d and report four follow-up experiments ranging from a fairly close replication of the original multiframe experiment to a rather conventional single-frame search study. In each experiment, presentation of former targets consistently impeded detection of simultaneously presented current targets. The results suggest that automatic attention attraction to individual alphanumeric characters develops not only in the special experimental paradigm used by Shiffrin and Schneider, but also in standard visual search tasks. The fact that attention appeared to be attracted by shapes as complex as individual letters supports the assumption that simultaneously presented visual stimuli can be compared in parallel against memory representations of alphanumeric characters.     

Prescribing conventional antipsychotics at two Veterans Administration hospitals: are there geographical differences?

The medical records of 110 patients receiving conventional antipsychotics at two geographically distinct Veterans Administration hospitals (Syracuse, New York, and Omaha, Nebraska) were reviewed. The most common reasons for continuation of conventional antipsychotics were good response and patient or physician choice. Frequently, physicians did not discuss the reasons for continuing conventional antipsychotics or the availability of alternative therapies with their patients. Geographic differences in physicians' prescribing practices of conventional antipsychotics were apparent.     

Pubertal transition, stressful life events, and the emergence of gender differences in adolescent depressive symptoms

This study examined the role of both pubertal and social transitions in the emergence of gender differences in depressive symptoms during adolescence. This study generated the following findings: (a) Gender differences in depressive symptoms emerged during 8th grade and remained significant through 12th grade. (b) Pubertal status in 7th grade was related to adolescent depressive symptoms over time. (c) Early-maturing girls represented the group with the highest rate of depressive symptoms. (d) Depressive symptoms measured in 7th grade predicted subsequent symptom levels throughout the secondary school years. (e) Recent stressful life events were associated with increased depressive symptoms. (f) Early-maturing girls with higher levels of initial symptoms and more recent stressful life events were most likely to be depressed subsequently. The findings demonstrate the importance of the interaction between the pubertal transition and psychosocial factors in increasing adolescent vulnerability to depressive experiences.     

The ups and downs of dating: fluctuations in satisfaction in newly formed romantic relationships

This research examined the association between relationship satisfaction and later breakup status, focusing on the temporal changes in satisfaction ratings of individuals in newly formed dating relationships. Growth curve analytic techniques were used in 2 longitudinal studies to create 4 predictors: each participant's initial level of satisfaction, linear trend in satisfaction over time, degree of fluctuation in satisfaction over time, and mean level of satisfaction. Consistent with hypotheses, individuals who exhibited greater fluctuation in their repeated satisfaction ratings were more likely to be in relationships that eventually ended, even after controlling for overall level of satisfaction. Individuals with fluctuating levels of satisfaction also reported relatively lower commitment. The results are discussed in terms of conditions that promote versus undermine relationship stability.     

Affect Generated by Social Comparisons Among Nurses High and Low in Burnout1

The affective consequences of social comparison were examined in 2 field studies among nurses and related to the 3 dimensions of professional burnout: emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization. Study t was conducted in a sample of 99 nurses of a psychiatric hospital, and Study 2 in a sample of 237 nurses employed in various settings In general, upward comparisons evoked more positive and less negative affect than did downward comparisons. However, the affective consequences of social comparison were different for those high and low in burnout. Those low in personal accomplishment reported higher levels of negative affect from upward comparisons and higher levels of positive affect from downward comparisons than did those high in personal accomplishment. In addition, in Study 2, those high in depersonalization and emotional exhaustion derived more positive affect from downward comparisons than did those with lower levels of burnout.     

Differential effect of TEA on long-term synaptic modification in hippocampal CA1 and dentate gyrus in vitro.

The effectiveness of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and high-frequency stimulation (HFS) in inducing long-term synaptic modification is compared in CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) in vitro. High-frequency stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP) at synapses of both perforant path-DG granule cell and Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell pathways. By contrast, TEA (25 mM) induces long-term depression in DG while inducing LTP in CA1. The mechanisms underlying the differential effect of TEA in CA1 and DG were investigated. It was observed that T-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) blocker, Ni2+ (50 microM), partially blocked TEA-induced LTP in CA1. A complete blockade of the TEA-induced LTP occurred when Ni2+ was applied together with the NMDA receptor antagonist, D-APV. The L-type VDCC blocker, nifidipine (20 microM), had no effect on CA1 TEA-induced LTP. In DG of the same slice, TEA actually induced long-term depression (LTD) instead of LTP, an effect that was blocked by D-APV. Neither T-type nor L-type VDCC blockade could prevent this LTD. When the calcium concentration in the perfusion medium was increased, TEA induced a weak LTP in DG that was blocked by Ni2+. During exposure to TEA, the magnitude of field EPSPs was increased in both CA1 and DG, but the increase was substantially greater in CA1. Tetraethylammonium application also was associated with a large, late EPSP component in CA1 that persisted even after severing the connections between CA3 and CA1. All of the TEA effects in CA1, however, were dramatically reduced by Ni2+. The results of this study indicate that TEA indirectly acts via both T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and, as a consequence, induces LTP. By contrast, TEA indirectly acts via only NMDA receptors in DG and results in LTD. The results raise the possibility of a major synaptic difference in the density and/or distribution of T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and DG of the rat hippocampus.     

小学儿童一维空间方位传递性推理能力的发展

研究了小学儿童一维空间方位传递性推理能力的发展水平及认知策略 ,同时 ,对心理模型理论进行了检验。被试为城市中等小学 7岁、9岁、11岁儿童各 2 4名 ,男女各半。 4种实验任务分别为三前提单模型、三前提双模型、四前提单模型和四前提双模型。采用个别实验 ,儿童在前提呈现的情况下进行推理。主要研究结果 :(1)从小学 7岁到 11岁 ,儿童的一维空间方位传递性推理能力明显提高 ,7岁儿童初步形成了一维空间方位推理能力 ,9岁和 11岁基本具有了这种能力 ;(2 )随着年龄增长 ,使用模型建构策略解决问题的儿童人次越来越多 ,绝大部分 11岁儿童都能使用这一策略进行推理。但即使儿童使用了模型建构策略 ,他们的推理成绩也没有反映出模型数量所造成的任务难度差异 ,即不符合心理模型理论关于模型数量的主要预期。     

声旁部分信息在儿童学习和记忆汉字中的作用

采用类似课堂教学的学习－测验任务,通过3个实验探讨了声旁提供的部分读音信息在儿童学习和记忆汉字中的作用。被试来自北京市两所小学260名四年级学生。实验中要求学生学习和记忆3种生字：（1）声旁提供汉字读音的全部信息,如规则一致字;（2）声旁提供汉字读音的部分信息,如声调不同字或声母不同字;（3）声旁不提供汉字读音的信息,如声旁不知字。要求学生学习所有的字一遍后回忆生字的读音,共学习3遍。实验发现,儿童学习和记忆汉字的正确率随声旁提供的整字读音信息不同而不同：当声旁提供全部信息时正确率最高,当声旁提供部分信息时其次,当声旁没有提供信息时最低;而且声旁提供的部分信息越多,正确率越高。结果表明,儿童对声旁提供的部分读音信息敏感,发展声旁意识对学习和记忆汉字有积极作用