Global obligations,collective capacities,and ‘ought implies can’

Philosophical Studies - It is sometimes argued that non-agent collectives, including what one might call the ‘global collective’ consisting of the world’s population taken as a...     

THE FREQUENCY OF REISS SCREEN DIAGNOSES IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF ADULTS WITH MENTAL RETARDATION

One hundred and eighty adults with mental retardation who were actively using community services were assessed with the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior (Reiss, 1988). The proportion of persons exceeding the cutoff on the 26-item total was 49%. The proportions of persons exceeding cut-off on the eight scales ranged from 8.4% (Avoidant Personality Disorder) to 19.4% (Aggressive Behavior). Multiple diagnoses were found in 27% of subjects. There were no associations with age but a small number of gender differences were observed.     

Reaction to Self-Attributed Victim Responsibility: A Comparative Analysis of Rape Crisis Counselors and Lay Observers1

This research examined observers' reactions to sexual assault victims engaging in different forms of self-attributed responsibility. Theory and research suggests that behavioral responsibility contributes positively to the coping process of victims, whereas characterological responsibility impedes it. For observers in the present study, the expression of either type of self-responsibility by a rape victim resulted in a more negative impression of the victim's emotional well-being and greater attribution of responsibility to the victim in comparison to a victim relying solely on chance explanations. Moreover, this bias was evident among rape crisis counselors as well as lay observers. Discussion considered the implications of such biased perceptions for sexual assault victims and the need for a fuller understanding of the nature of self-attributions of responsibility by victims.     

The social competence of very-low-birthweight children: Teacher,peer, and self-perceptions

Whether very-low birthweight (VLBW 1500 gm) children differ from normal birthweight (NBW > 2500gm) children with respect to social (as opposed to intellectual) competence has been a relatively neglected issue. The social competence at school age of 183 VLBW children was therefore compared with that of 183 NBW children born at the same hospital matched for age, gender, social class, parity, and maternal age. A multi-informant, multidefinilional approach to social competence was adopted involving teacher, (same-gender) peer, and self-ratings of the 366 children's levels of social maladjustment, social skill, and peer acceptance. VLBW children from the upper, middle, and lower social classes received significantly higher mean sadness/unhappiness scores (even with IQ covaried) than their NEW counterparts. Mean scores for the VLBW group were also higher for social withdrawal, and lower for both social skill and peer acceptance. Possible antecedents and consequences of such group differences in affect and sociability are suggested.This study was supported by grants from the Department of Health and Social Services, the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, the Perinatal Trust Fund (all of Northern Ireland), and the Medical Research Council (U.K.) for the investigation of The cognitive, social, and behavioral adjustment of very-low-birthweight infants at school age. The resources provided by the Northern Ireland Department of Economic Development ACE scheme arc also gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank all 15 research assistants on the Very Low-Birthweight (VLBW) Team, and especially those parents, children, and school personnel who participated so willingly in the NI VLBW project.     

The role of humor in the interpretation of sexist incidents

This study investigated the role of humor, gender, and sexist attitudes toward women in the interpretation of sexist incidents. Thirty female and thirty male university students rated the humorousness of and the reactions to recent sexist incidents on Canadian university campuses. As predicted, perceiving sexist incidents as humorous was associated with the tendency to see them as less sexist, to understand the actions and attitudes displayed as more acceptable, and to believe one would have shown approval of the latter. Path analysis indicated that gender did not affect the interpretations of and reactions to these incidents, and that the influence of sexist attitudes toward women was mainly indirect—that is, via their impact on the perception of humorousness.     

Development and validation of the Guided Group Discussion Self-Estimate Inventory (GGD-SEI)

A 19-item self-report measure was designed to promote increased self-awareness of a group leader's perceived ability to facilitate guided small-group discussion. A factor analysis of responses from students about to embark on a micro-training course in guided group discussion(N = 154) yielded four factors that reflected subjects' belief in their ability to utilise specific group management skills. The scale had high internal reliability (a = 0.92). Initial validity estimates show that the instrument is (i) positively associated with an assessment of interpersonal skills, and (ii) minimally related to self-perceptions of locus of control, fear of negative evaluation, and estimates of self-esteem. The instrument, developed for use within education and training settings, provides a useful measure of guided small-group discussion self-efficacy.     

Visual facilitation of auditory localization in schoolchildren: A signal detection analysis

Warren (1970) has claimed that there are visual facilitation effects on auditory localization in adults but not in children. He suggests that a “visual map” organizes spatial information and that considerable experience of correlated auditory and visual events is necessary before normal spatial perception is developed. In the present experiment, children in Grades 1, 4, and 7 had to identify the position, right or left, of a single tone either blindfolded or with their eyes open. Analysis of the proportion of area under the ROC curve (obtained using reaction times) in the respective conditions showed that Ss were more sensitive to auditory position when vision was available. Reaction time was also generally faster in the light. I argue that the increase in sensitivity in the light represents updating of auditory position memory by voluntary eye movement. In the dark, eye movements are subject to involuntary and unperceived drift, which would introduce noise into the eye control mechanism and hence into auditory spatial memory.