Change Detection Without Awareness: Do Explicit Reports Underestimate the Representation of Change in the Visual System?

Evidence from many different paradigms (e.g. change blindness, inattentional blindness, transsaccadic integration) indicate that observers are often very poor at reporting changes to their visual environment. Such evidence has been used to suggest that the spatio-temporal coherence needed to represent change can only occur in the presence of focused attention. In four experiments we use modified change blindness tasks to demonstrate (a) that sensitivity to change does occur in the absence of awareness, and (b) this sensitivity does not rely on the redeployment of attention. We discuss these results in relation to theories of scene perception, and propose a reinterpretation of the role of attention in representing change.     

Hegel: Death of God and Recognition of the Self

Abstract

This paper covers the theme of the death of God considered from a Hegelian standpoint. For Aristotle, the image of God as ‘thought thinking itself’ was an image of the knowledge aspired to in philosophy. With the notion of God becoming man and his insistence on the icon of the Cross, Hegel challenged the Aristotelian goal of philosophy as immutable knowledge of an ‘ultimate’ reality. Hegel viewed the crisis of normativity (the death of the Cartesian divine guarantor) as strictly linked to the conception of the self. It is Nietzsche who is best known for alluding to the full significance of this image for modern life, but Hegel’s thought on the complex relations of philosophy and religion in the modern world can be regarded as an attempt to think through this same historical phenomenon. In this paper, I focus on the philosophical relevance of Hegel’s notion of the death of God. I argue that unpacking the significance of the ‘truths’ presented symbolically in modern Christianity is crucial in understanding the requirements that an idealistic philosophy must meet.     

Model uncertainty and multimodel inference in reliability estimation within a longitudinal framework

Laenen, Alonso, and Molenberghs (2007) and Laenen, Alonso, Molenberghs, and Vangeneugden (2009) proposed a method to assess the reliability of rating scales in a longitudinal context. The methodology is based on hierarchical linear models, and reliability coefficients are derived from the corresponding covariance matrices. However, finding a good parsimonious model to describe complex longitudinal data is a challenging task. Frequently, several models fit the data equally well, raising the problem of model selection uncertainty. When model uncertainty is high one may resort to model averaging, where inferences are based not on one but on an entire set of models. We explored the use of different model building strategies, including model averaging, in reliability estimation. We found that the approach introduced by Laenen et al. (2007, 2009) combined with some of these strategies may yield meaningful results in the presence of high model selection uncertainty and when all models are misspecified, in so far as some of them manage to capture the most salient features of the data. Nonetheless, when all models omit prominent regularities in the data, misleading results may be obtained. The main ideas are further illustrated on a case study in which the reliability of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale is estimated. Importantly, the ambit of model selection uncertainty and model averaging transcends the specific setting studied in the paper and may be of interest in other areas of psychometrics.     

Motivational enhancement treatment in outpatient addiction centers: A multisite randomized trial

Background/Objectives: Motivational Enhancement Treatment in Spanish (METS) is a brief intervention aimed at resolving patient ambivalence towards behavior change that has demonstrated efficacy in substance use disorder treatment to reduce use and increase treatment engagement in different populations. In order to have evidence for its implementation in Mexico, a multi-site, randomized, two-arm, controlled clinical trial was conducted at three outpatient addiction treatment centers in the country to compare the effect of METS with Counseling as Usual (CAU). Method: One hundred and twenty patients were randomized to receive three sessions of METS (n = 54) or CAU (n = 66) during the first four weeks of treatment and were assessed during the following 12 weeks. Primary outcome measures were self-reported days of substance use and of treatment services utilization, which were tested using Generalized Estimating Equations. Results: Results associated both conditions with significant changes in substance use over, whereas there were no differences between conditions in substance use or in service utilization. Conclusions: Findings do not support the hypothesis that METS is more effective than CAU, but suggest that brief interventions at treatment initiation may improve patient outcomes.     

When REBT Goes Difficult: Applying ABC-DEF to Personality Disorders

ABC-DEF framework is at the core of rational emotive behavior therapy. It is a highly flexible framework and has proven to be applicable to many emotional disorders. We cannot take for granted, however, that this framework can be used successfully with all clients, particularly with those suffering from severe disorders or personality disorders. In fact, the difficulties of these clients in recognizing, naming and reflecting upon states of mind, their dysregulated emotions and self-defeating behavior, and their difficulty in establishing a strong working alliance with a therapist may hamper the correct implementation of the ABC-DEF framework and the disputing of their irrational beliefs. This paper aims to describe in detail the challenges that clients with personality disorders may pose during treatment and offer possible technical suggestions, derived from either REBT or non-REBT literature, that can help REBT and CBT practitioners adapting their interventions to resistant clients.     

The I and World history in Hegel

In this paper, I investigate the relations between the notion of the I and the conception of World history in Hegel’s philosophy. First, I address Hegel’s account of the I by reconstructing its phenomenological and logical development from consciousness to self-consciousness through recognition with the other and arguing that the project of the Philosophy of Right is normative, as it provides an account of the logical process of affirmation of the I as the normative source of the realm of objective spirit. I then argue for an account of World history as the self-conscious development and liberation of the I in time and objectivity, and I consider Hegel’s philosophy of history in light of the Philosophy of Right as the historical emergence of the I through the forms of objective spirit in history. Finally, I focus on two of the allegedly most problematic issues related to Hegel’s conception of World history: the nature and very possibility of an ‘intersubjective consciousness’ and the notion of ‘World spirit’. I conclude by outlining how the conception of World history, if reconstructed in light of Hegel’s conception of the I, can have previously unnoticed political implications.     

Data presentation options to manage variability in physical activity research

This paper presents seven tactics for managing the variability evident in some physical activity data. High levels of variability in daily step‐count data from pedometers or accelerometers can make typical visual inspection difficult. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to discuss several strategies that might facilitate the visual interpretation of highly variable data. The seven strategies discussed in this paper are phase mean and median lines, daily average per week, weekly cumulative, proportion of baseline, 7‐day moving average, change point detection, and confidence intervals. We apply each strategy to a data set and discuss the advantages and disadvantages.     

The Arabic Origins of Romance Private Documents

The Christians who lived under Muslim rule in al-Andalus are known as Mozarabs. As immigrants from al-Andalus to the Christian kingdoms in the north, Mozarabs are depicted in current historiography as transmitters of Arabic and Muslim culture. Nevertheless, when the Mozarabs were observed by the Christian expansion southward, surprisingly, they are presented as isolated amidst the post-conquest order. Based on the case of Toledo, the first important city conquered by the kingdom of Castile in 1085, the present article shows how the Mozarabs had introduced Muslim notarial practices into the Christian society.     

Sport participation,body satisfaction and depressive symptoms in adolescence: a moderated-mediation analysis of gender differences

This research aimed to analyse the partial mediating role of body satisfaction in the relationship between sport participation and depressive symptoms, as well as to examine the moderating role of gender in these associations. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1810 adolescents aged 13–18 years old who completed self-report measures regarding sport participation, body satisfaction and depressive symptoms. The results indicated that a higher frequency of sport participation was associated with a lower presence of depressive symptoms, both directly and through greater body satisfaction, although gender differences were found in this partial mediation model. It was detected that sport participation had a greater effect on positive body satisfaction among boys, whereas body dissatisfaction indicated a greater presence of depressive symptoms among girls. The results emphasize the need to implement gender-specific programmes to improve psychological adjustment in adolescents by promoting sport practice and body acceptance.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of goal setting and textual feedback for increasing moderate‐intensity physical activity in adults

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of goal setting and textual feedback, without additional intervention components, for increasing moderate‐intensity physical activity, specifically the weekly number of intense steps measured by a Fitbit. A multiple baseline across participants design was employed with four participants using a Fitbit Flex accelerometer to measure intense steps. Results showed a substantial increase in weekly number of intense steps for three out of four participants following the intervention.