FURTHER ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-INJURY AND SELF-RESTRAINT

It has been suggested that self-restraint, a phenomenon often correlated with self-injurious behavior (SIB), may be maintained by negative reinforcement in the form of escape from the aversive properties of SIB (e.g., pain). We examined the effects of blocking SIB (and presumably removing any aversive effects) on the self-restraint of a 19-year-old male with severe mental retardation. Consistent with the negative reinforcement hypothesis, blocking SIB resulted in near-zero levels of SIB and moderate reductions in self-restraint.     

On the Diversity of the Cognition Disciplines and the Development of A Unifying Philosophy of Information

The cognition and information theoretic sciences have now been in existence for the better part of a century. In that time, their varied disciplines have undergone extensive maturation, honing their methods, constitutions, and evaluation techniques in the pursuit of academic rigor, while not losing sight of the practical influences that have served as their almost universal cornerstone. Meanwhile, this period has also been marked by increasing disparity and gradual distancing of the philosophical underpinnings upon which each field is founded, adding strain to interdisciplinary collaborative efforts. This article presents an overview of select information‐science‐related cognition disciplines, and shows how the nascent Philosophy of Information (PI) can be adopted as a means of unifying these philosophical foundations in an empirically sound manner, without sacrificing general applicability. In addition, it demonstrates how PI is already rooted in the philosophies or epistemological views of several of the cognition disciplines, implicitly or otherwise.     

A third language in therapy: deconstructing sameness and difference

The paper draws on recent research and the first author’s personal story to show what happens when the language difference between therapist and client is brought to mutual awareness in the therapy room. Individual lived experiences of migrant psychotherapists and counsellors and the issues that arise in therapy practice when the practitioners use their second language as the means of communication with clients are explored. The notion of a third language – a dynamic communication system that is a result of developing a professional identity through a second language – is introduced. Unlike the psychoanalytic third, it is often conscious and may be used either defensively or purposefully as a concrete third point of reference in the intersubjective encounter. The paper explores how the concept of a ‘Third Language’ can be used as a tool to negotiate perceived sameness or difference in therapeutic encounters and to build a common language with a client, both literally and metaphorically. The study featured in the paper has implications for practice, theory and research.     

An Occupational Therapy Support Service for University Students With Asperger's Syndrome (AS)

Students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) face challenges, within third-level education, related to the person, environment, and occupation. This study describes an occupational therapy (OT) service that aims to enhance the interplay between the person (i.e., the student) and his/her occupation within a given context (i.e., college environment). A chart review and Student Satisfaction Survey was used to identify the demographics, concerns, and goals of the students using it. It was found that goals and concerns shift according to students' stage in college and recommends that services employ a student-centered, flexible approach responsive to the particular concerns of these students.     

Developmental Cascade Effects of Maternal Depression on Offspring Substance Use Across Adolescence: Pathway Through Mother–Child Relationship Quality and Peer Deviancy

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - There is evidence that maternal depression can disrupt adolescent social development and trigger a risk cascade to adolescent substance use that...     

The Ontological Status of Cartesian Natures

Abstract: In the Fifth Meditation, Descartes makes a remarkable claim about the ontological status of geometrical figures. He asserts that an object such as a triangle has a 'true and immutable nature' that does not depend on the mind, yet has being even if there are no triangles existing in the world. This statement has led many commentators to assume that Descartes is a Platonist regarding essences and in the philosophy of mathematics. One problem with this seemingly natural reading is that it contradicts the conceptualist account of universals that one finds in the Principles of Philosophy and elsewhere. In this paper, I offer a novel interpretation of the notion of a true and immutable nature which reconciles the Fifth Meditation with the conceptualism of Descartes' other work. Specifically, I argue that Descartes takes natures to be innate ideas considered in terms of their so-called 'objective being'.