Does a rat free a trapped rat due to empathy or for sociality?

This report evaluates whether a rat releasing a trapped rat from a restraint tube is better explained as due to its empathic motivation or to the pursuit of social contact. In the first condition, each of six rats chose in an E maze between entering an empty goal box versus entering a goal box where its entrance caused a rat trapped in a restraint tube to be released. Rats preferred the goal box with the trapped rat over the empty goal box. In the second condition, these rats chose between releasing a restraint‐tube‐trapped rat in one goal box and another rat in the second goal box that was not locked into its restraint tube. Rats showed no preference between alternatives. In the third condition, rats chose between a goal box containing a rat with an open restraint tube and an empty goal box. Rats preferred the rat with the open restraint tube over the empty goal box. These results support attributing the response of releasing a rat from a restraint tube to the reinforcing power of social contact rather than interpreting this response as empathically motivated.     

Matching the faces of robbers captured on video

Recent research has shown that unfamiliar face matching from both high‐ and low‐quality closed circuit television video images to photographs is highly prone to error, even when viewpoint and expression are matched as closely as possible. The current experiments made use of a filmed, staged reconstruction of a bank raid that was captured on CCTV and on high‐quality broadcasting video. Experiment 1 tested the ability of members of the public to match actors captured on CCTV to photo‐spreads containing similar‐looking distractors. Further experiments, each testing different groups of subjects, investigated matching ability using both high‐quality photographs (Experiment 2) and broadcast‐quality video material (Experiment 3). Experiment 3 also investigated the effect of disguising hairstyle, and varied whether or not the target was present in the photo line‐up. The results of these experiments confirm those of previous work, that matching the identity of unfamiliar faces is highly fallible, even when high‐quality footage is used. Experiments 4 and 5 tested matching ability using two‐alternative forced‐choice and single‐item verification tasks. Performance remained highly error‐prone even with the simplest question asked. The legal implications of the results are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A confirmatory factor analysis of the WISC-III in a clinical sample with cross-validation in the standardization sample.

Maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1991) data of a mixed clinical sample of 318 children. Analyses were designed to determine which of nine hypothesized oblique factor solutions could best explain intelligence as measured by the WISC-III in the clinical sample. Competing latent variable models were identified in previous studies, and results in the clinical sample were cross-validated by testing all models in the WISC-III standardization sample (n = 2200). Findings in both the clinical and standardization samples supported a five-factor model including Verbal Comprehension, Constructional Praxis, Visual Reasoning, Freedom from Distractibility, and Processing Speed factors. The Visual Reasoning factor was defined primarily by Picture Arrangement, whereas Mazes did not appear to improve model fit. Potential opportunities and pitfalls with regard to the interpretation of the proposed Visual Reasoning factor are discussed.     

Randomized trial of a brief depression prevention program: an elusive search for a psychosocial placebo control condition

This trial compared a brief group cognitive-behavioral (CBT) depression prevention program to a waitlist control condition and four placebo or alternative interventions. High-risk adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms (N=225, M age=18, 70% female) were randomized to CBT, supportive-expressive group intervention, bibliotherapy, expressive writing, journaling, or waitlist conditions and completed assessments at baseline, termination, and 1- and 6-month follow-up. All five active interventions showed significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms at termination than waitlist controls; effects for CBT and bibliotherapy persisted into follow-up. CBT, supportive-expressive, and bibliotherapy participants also showed significantly greater decreases in depressive symptoms than expressive writing and journaling participants at certain follow-up points. Findings suggest there may be multiple ways to reduce depressive symptoms in high-risk adolescents, although expectancies, demand characteristics, and attention may have contributed to the observed effects.     

Reflections on the Experience of Counseling Supervision by a Team of Genetic Counselors from the UK

Despite it being generally acknowledged that counseling supervision is a vital part of the work for experienced genetic counselors and not just students, not all practising genetic counselors in the United Kingdom and Eire have access to this yet. This case study documents the supervision experience of our team of genetic counselors from Cambridge in the U.K. We document our retrospective thoughts on working practice before supervision was available in our department. We also give an overview of the individual and collective views of having one-to-one supervision only and then one year later, the impact of adding group supervision. Our ‘supervision journey’ is recorded using a practitioner-centred approach with a mixed method of data collection. Two focus group discussions and two written questionnaires were used, at different time points to gather attitudes. This paper captures experiences as our practice of supervision has evolved. This work is relevant to practising genetic counselors around the world who either do not yet have access to supervision, are planning its implementation or else are adding different types of supervision to their practice.     

科学发现的真正方法

一般情况下,很多人误认为作为科学常用的数学逻辑方法就是科学发现的方法,作者通过列举了归纳法和演绎法的不足,指出它们的错误,提出科学发现的真正方法应该是怀疑论和逆推论。认为科学家要像一位神秘的侦探,充分发挥自己的想象力和创造力,不断地进行质疑和反思;持有怀疑态度的想象是创造力的源泉;他们不应该迷信任何人,而应该大胆怀疑,敢于创新。他还从科学史角度列举了很多科学发现的事例,无不说明批判性的创造性思维的重要性。科学家并不是坐在实验室里对乌鸦的颜色、太阳明天升起、每天都将喂养火鸡等进行归纳概括。——伯顿·S·格特…     

THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF TRANSFORMATION: SCIENCE FICTION'S IMAGINED TECHNOLOGIES AND THE CIVIC IMAGINATION

This is an introduction to the thematic section on Science Fiction's Imagined Technologies, which includes three articles that were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in San Diego, CA on November 24, 2019.     

Perceptual priming is not a necessary consequence of semantic classification of pictures

Four experiments investigated how repetition priming of object recognition is affected by the task performed in the prime and test phases. In Experiment 1 object recognition was tested using both vocal naming and two different semantic decision tasks (whether or not objects were manufactured, and whether or not they would be found inside the house). Some aspects of the data were inconsistent with contemporary models of object recognition. Specifically, object priming was eliminated with some combinations of prime and test tasks, and there was no evidence of perceptual (as opposed to conceptual or response) priming in either semantic classification task, even though perceptual identification of the objects is required for at least one of these tasks. Experiment 2 showed that even when perceptual demands were increased by brief presentation, the inside task showed no perceptual priming. Experiment 3 showed that the inside task did not appear to be based on conceptual priming either, as it was not primed significantly when the prime decisions were made to object labels. Experiment 4 showed that visual sensitivity could be restored to the inside task following practice on the task, supporting the suggestion that a critical factor is whether the semantic category is preformed or must be computed. The results show that the visual representational processes revealed by object priming depend crucially on the task chosen.