Permissive consent: a robust reason-changing account

Philosophical Studies - There is an ongoing debate about the “ontology” of consent. Some argue that it is a mental act, some that it is a “hybrid” of a mental act plus...     

Effects of Explicit Instructions,Metacognition, and Motivation on Creative Performance

Effects of explicit instructions, metacognition, and intrinsic motivation on creative homework performance were examined in 303 Chinese 10th-grade students. Models that represent hypothesized relations among these constructs and trait covariates were tested using structural equation modelling. Explicit instructions geared to originality were positively related to originality of homework, but not to fluency/flexibility of homework. Participants with high intrinsic motivation for creative work scored higher on originality as well as fluency/flexibility of homework, whereas intrinsic motivation for challenging work had an inverse effect on creative homework. Theoretical claims on the relation between explicit instructions and metacognitive activities and between the latter and creative performance were not supported by this study. The degree of explicitness of instructions and the nature of the tasks were discussed in relation to the findings on the effect of explicit instructions. Further, the difference of creative process involved in the production of original versus fluent/flexible creative performance and the difference in the two types of intrinsic motivation and their effects on creative performance were discussed based on various studies including brain activities. Implications of the findings for the Chinese education system were discussed.     

An Exploratory Study of Employers’ Attitudes Towards a Clinical Doctorate in Genetic Counseling

Creation of an advanced degree in genetic counseling has been considered since the early 1980s. The Genetic Counseling Advanced Degree Task Force (GCADTF) was convened in 2012 to formally explore the potential suitability of a clinical doctorate (ClinD), though employer perspectives of advanced training were not part of the discussion. The conclusion of this group was that the field was not ready to move to an entry-level clinical doctorate at this time but that further education and research among other stakeholders was necessary (Nagy et al. 2014). In this study, we describe employers’ perspectives on developing a clinical doctorate in genetic counseling based upon thirty audio-recorded semi-structured phone interviews that were transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analyzed. Overall, employers expressed concerns regarding the economic viability of ClinD training but envisioned expanded roles for genetic counselors (especially in areas of education and research) and enhanced credibility. While some employers reported that they would provide flexibility and tuition assistance for acquisition of a ClinD, for many employers, support was contingent on perceived value of the degree. Some employers were not clear about the difference between a ClinD and a PhD, suggesting that there is a need for educating employers about advanced degree options for the genetic counseling field. Future research could include investigating employer attitudes about market needs, envisioned roles, and compensation formulas for counselors with a ClinD or other forms of advanced training.     

Modulation of auditory spatial attention by visual emotional cues: differential effects of attentional engagement and disengagement for pleasant and unpleasant cues

Previous research has demonstrated that threatening, compared to neutral pictures, can bias attention towards non-emotional auditory targets. Here we investigated which subcomponents of attention contributed to the influence of emotional visual stimuli on auditory spatial attention. Participants indicated the location of an auditory target, after brief (250 ms) presentation of a spatially non-predictive peripheral visual cue. Responses to targets were faster at the location of the preceding visual cue, compared to at the opposite location (cue validity effect). The cue validity effect was larger for targets following pleasant and unpleasant cues compared to neutral cues, for right-sided targets. For unpleasant cues, the crossmodal cue validity effect was driven by delayed attentional disengagement, and for pleasant cues, it was driven by enhanced engagement. We conclude that both pleasant and unpleasant visual cues influence the distribution of attention across modalities and that the associated attentional mechanisms depend on the valence of the visual cue.     

RULE-CIRCULARITY AND THE JUSTIFICATION OF DEDUCTION

I examine Paul Boghossian's recent attempt to argue for scepticism about logical rules. I argue that certain rule-and proof-theoretic considerations can avert such scepticism. Boghossian's 'Tonk Argument' seeks to justify the rule of tonk-introduction by using the rule itself. The argument is subjected here to more detailed proof-theoretic scrutiny than Boghossian undertook. Its sole axiom, the so-called Meaning Postulate for tonk, is shown to be false or devoid of content. It is also shown that the rules of Disquotation and of Semantic Ascent cannot be derived for sentences with tonk dominant. These considerations deprive Boghossian's scepticism of its support.     

Examining normative pressure in the theory of planned behaviour: Impact of gender and passengers on intentions to break the speed limit

This research examined the impact of passenger-type on young people’s responses to a driving scenario about speeding. In the scenarios, the presence, and gender of the passenger were systematically varied. A total of 162 respondents (83 females, 79 males) completed questionnaires containing measures from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and additional variables after reading each of two scenarios. The TPB provided good predictions of intention to speed (45% explained variance) with all TPB variables plus moral norms and past behaviour significant. Males compared to females reported significantly greater normative pressure to speed, less control over not speeding, and less moral norms not to speed. Normative pressure was a stronger predictor of intentions for men compared to women when driving alone. Normative pressure was a stronger predictor of intentions when the passenger was male.