Pritchard on Virtue Epistemology

Abstract

Peter Godfrey-Smith and Nicholas Shea have argued that standard versions of teleosemantics render explanations of successful behavior by appealing to true beliefs circular and, consequently, non-explanatory. As an alternative, Shea has recently suggested an original teleosemantic account (that he calls ‘Infotel-semantics’), which is supposed to be immune to the problem of circularity. The paper argues that the standard version of teleosemantics has a satisfactory reply to the circularity objection and that, in any case, Infotel-semantics is not better off than standard teleosemantics.     

Neural binding of space and time: An introduction

Some of the central problems to be solved by the brain, such as figure-ground coding and object recognition, concern the binding of separately coded feature elements into coherent object representations. The binding problem has recently been approached by a variety of disciplines, notably psychophysics and experimental psychology, electrophysiology and neurophysiology, and computational modelling. This Special Issue brings together 21 of papers, mainly all from psychology and computational modelling, that address issues in Gestalt formation, the relation of the grouping and binding processes to visual attention, the role of temporal factors for grouping and binding, the neuronal correlates of binding mechanisms, the development of binding operations in infants, and the breakdown of these processes following brain damage.     

Deductive and inductive conditional inferences: Two modes of reasoning

A number of single- and dual-process theories provide competing explanations as to how reasoners evaluate conditional arguments. Some of these theories are typically linked to different instructions—namely deductive and inductive instructions. To assess whether responses under both instructions can be explained by a single process, or if they reflect two modes of conditional reasoning, we re-analysed four experiments that used both deductive and inductive instructions for conditional inference tasks. Our re-analysis provided evidence consistent with a single process. In two new experiments we established a double dissociation of deductive and inductive instructions when validity and plausibility of conditional problems were pitted against each other. This indicates that at least two processes contribute to conditional reasoning. We conclude that single-process theories of conditional reasoning cannot explain the observed results. Theories that postulate at least two processes are needed to account for our findings.     

Prevention of chronic PTSD with early cognitive behavioral therapy. A meta-analysis using mixed-effects modeling

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is of great interest to public health, due to the high burden it places on both the individual and society. We meta-analyzed randomized-controlled trials to examine the effectiveness of early trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral treatment (TFCBT) for preventing chronic PTSD. Systematic bibliographic research was undertaken to find relevant literature from on-line databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, Psyndex, Medline). Using a mixed-effect approach, we calculated effect sizes (ES) for the PTSD diagnoses (main outcome) as well as PTSD and depressive symptoms (secondary outcomes), respectively. Calculations of ES from pre-intervention to first follow-up assessment were based on 10 studies. A moderate effect (ES = 0.54) was found for the main outcome, whereas ES for secondary outcomes were predominantly small (ES = 0.27–0.45). The ES for the main outcome decreased to small (ES = 0.34) from first follow-up to long-term follow-up assessment. The mean dropout rate was 16.7% pre- to post-treatment. There was evidence for the impact of moderators on different outcomes (e.g., the number of sessions on PTSD symptoms). Future studies should include survivors of other trauma types (e.g., burn injuries) rather than predominantly survivors of accidents and physical assault, and should compare early TFCBT with other interventions that previously demonstrated effectiveness.     

Age and Gender Differences in Morningness–Eveningness During Adolescence

Morningness–eveningness was assessed in a large sample of adolescents and young adults. Morningness decreased from 12 to 15 years, and then remained on a stable level until about 20 years, when a turn back to morningness occurred. Boys and men were on average more evening-oriented than were girls and women. In detail, significant differences existed at the ages of 16, 18, and 19 years. A quadratic function explained more variance than a linear regression. Composite Scale of Morningness scores are related to puberty scores in boys and girls, and when combining data (i.e., higher pubertal development was related to eveningness).     

Counter‐prejudicial training reduces activation of biased associations and enhances response monitoring

Although implicitly measured bias was once assumed to be highly stable, subsequent research has shown that it is, in fact, malleable. One technique for altering implicit bias is through counter‐prejudicial training. At least two broad mechanisms may drive this effect. First, training people to respond in counter‐prejudicial ways may diminish the extent to which biased associations are activated in memory. Second, training may strengthen processes that reduce the influence of biased associations on responses. Participants received either counter‐prejudicial, pro‐prejudicial, or no training and then completed an implicit measure of bias. Application of the quadruple process model revealed support for both mechanisms: Counter‐prejudicial training produced less activation of biased associations as well as enhanced detection of appropriate responses compared with pro‐prejudicial or no training. Implications for the development of bias‐reduction training are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Saving or Subordinating Life? Popular Views in Israel and Germany of Donor Siblings Created through PGD

To explore how cultural beliefs are reflected in different popular views of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for human leukocyte antigen match (popularly known as “savior siblings”), we compare the reception and interpretations, in Germany and Israel, of the novel/film My Sister’s Keeper. Qualitative analysis of reviews, commentaries and posts is used to classify and compare normative assessments of PGD for HLA and how they reproduce, negotiate or oppose the national policy and its underlying cultural and ethical premises. Four major themes emanated from the comparison: loss of self-determination and autonomy; loss of dignity through instrumentalization; eugenics and euthanasia; and saving life. In both countries, most commentaries represented a dominant position, with a few negotiated positions. We also highlight the decoding of a relatively less explored bioethical aspect of My Sister’s Keeper’s narrative, namely the meaning of euthanasia. We conclude by discussing how the findings relate to attempts of providing cultural explanations for the regulation of HLA-PGD.     

Evaluating models of recognition memory using first- and second-choice responses

Swets, Tanner Jr., and Birdsall (1961) proposed a 4-alternative forced-choice task with two choices (4AFC-2R) for distinguishing between the Equal-Variance Signal Detection model and the One-High Threshold model. This task was recently implemented in the field of recognition memory (Parks & Yonelinas, 2009), a field in which several candidate models have been proposed. One advantage of the 4AFC-2R task is that it permits parameter estimation and goodness of fit testing, something which so far was only possible through the use of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) functions for the more complex candidate models. The present article provides a thorough characterization and comparison of the main recognition memory models in the context of this task. Results are illustrated by a reanalysis of Parks and Yonelinas’ original data, revealing a preference for hybrid approaches to recognition memory, more specifically for the dual-process model (Yonelinas, 1997), whereas pure signal detection models performed poorly. The present analysis provides an assessment of the merits and limitations of this task, highlighting future research applications.