Discrimination and liberal neutrality

This paper examines the political philosophy of Liberalism with particular focus on the principles of liberal neutrality and value pluralism. These principles, which are advocated by the most prominent contemporary liberal theorists mark a significant departure from classical liberalism and its monistic approach to seeking truth and the good. I argue that the shift to neutrality and pluralism have done a disservice to liberalism and that the cultivation of discrimination skills is needed to deal with the complex tasks of making decisions intelligently and effectively.     

The P & p illusion

Identical letters can appear to differ in size and shape depending on whether they are interpreted as uppercase or lowercase. The effect is most dramatic with the letter p. Examination of subjects’ estimates of the magnitude of the effect for different stimuli suggests that two factors are involved in the illusion. One factor depends only on whether a letter is interpreted as uppercase or lowercase. Thisfactor can be manipulated by changes in the size or case ofthe surrounding letters. The second factor, which depends on the possibility of interpreting a vertical line alternatively as an ascender or a descender(as in p or y), seems to involve a change in the perceived size of the letters’ loops.     

A new strategy for studying spatial aptitude

A new approach to testing for and training in spatial aptitude is described. Figurai analogy problem terms from the cognitive abilities test are photodigitized and arrayed in zones on the computer screen; they can be seen only when selected with the mouse (i.e., one at a time). Viewing patterns and durations can then be analyzed to assess problem encoding and solution strategies. Implications are discussed.     

Discerning the Spirit among Catholic Charismatics

The “Catholic Charismatic Renewal,” renamed by the bishops the “Charismatic Renewal of the Church,” has a 35 year history in the US and Europe. Debated at Vatican II and analyzed by theologians, the experience of spiritual charisms requires thoughtful discernment, especially if charism is to be properly integrated with sacrament.     

Lay knowledge of eyewitness issues: A Canadian evaluation

Lay opinions concerning eyewitness topics were surveyed in three community samples of juror‐eligible participants in Canada. The scientific reliability of these topics had been previously evaluated by eyewitness experts. The first survey assessed participant responses to the identically worded expert items. Participants responded to many statements with greater accuracy than anticipated. Two subsequent surveys assessed the consistency of lay knowledge across variations in the directionality and wording of items and the provision of additional contextual information. Taken together, jury‐eligible participants frequently responded to survey items in ways that closely resembled the responses of experts and suggested awareness and understanding of these topics at levels beyond those previously obtained. Further, the provision of contextual information increased response accuracy and reduced the frequencies of ‘Don't Know’ responses. Deficiencies in knowledge for 50% of the topics were also apparent; however, these topics were frequently those for which the experts themselves had not reached consensus. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Human proactive aggression: association with personality disorders and psychopathy

Aggressive behaviors can be divided into two categories: reactive and proactive. Reactive aggressive behaviors occur in response to a stimulus or provocation. Proactive aggressive behaviors occur without provocation and are goal directed. A number of findings have suggested that individuals displaying proactive aggression may be discerned from individuals not displaying proactive aggression on measures of personality, psychopathology and psychopathy as well as in aggressive histories and type and severity of aggressive behaviors committed. In this study, subjects were recruited from a large urban community and classified as proactive (n = 20), reactive-only (n = 20) or nonaggressive (n = 10) based on laboratory behavioral testing. Subjects were administered a battery of questionnaires and structured interviews pertaining to personality disorders and psychopathy. It was hypothesized that proactive aggressive subjects would show greater numbers of personality disorders and have greater psychopathy relative to reactive-only and nonaggressive subjects. These hypotheses were supported. These results suggest that proactive aggression may be identified in a laboratory-based task, and differences between proactive and reactive-only aggressors can be detected.