The Second Essential Tension: on Tradition and Innovation in Interdisciplinary Research

In his analysis of “the essential tension between tradition and innovation” Thomas S. Kuhn focused on the apparent paradox that, on the one hand, normal research is a highly convergent activity based upon a settled consensus, but, on the other hand, the ultimate effect of this tradition-bound work has invariably been to change the tradition. Kuhn argued that, on the one hand, without the possibility of divergent thought, fundamental innovation would be precluded. On the other hand, without a strong emphasis on convergent thought, science would become a mess created by continuous theory changes and scientific progress would again be precluded. On Kuhn’s view, both convergent and divergent thought are therefore equally necessary for the progress of science. In this paper, I shall argue that a similar fundamental tension exists between the demands we see for novel insights of an interdisciplinary nature and the need for established intellectual doctrines founded in the classical disciplines. First, I shall revisit Kuhn’s analysis of the essential tension between tradition and innovation. Next, I shall argue that the tension inherent in interdisciplinary research between, on the one hand, intellectual independence and critical scrutiny and, on the other hand, epistemic dependence and trust is a complement to Kuhn’s essential tension within mono-disciplinary science between convergent and divergent thought.     

Self-ratings of positive and negative affect and retrieval of positive and negative affect memories

Abstract

Based on analysis of self-ratings of mood, positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) have been proposed as basic, orthogonal mood dimensions (Watson & Tellegen, 1985). The present study asked subjects (N = 61) to not only provide self-ratings of PA and NA terms but also to retrieve personal memories associated with those terms. Self-rated PA was associated with latency to retrieve PA- but not NA-related memories; self-rated NA was associated with latency to retrieve NA- but not PA-related memories. Self-ratings of PA and NA were not significantly correlated, nor were retrieval latencies for PA and NA memories. Individual item correlations also revealed a strong direct relationship between self-ratings and retrieval latency. The dissociations involving a non-self report measure strengthen the distinction between PA and NA, and the individual item correlations are interpreted as showing that self-ratings of affect are based upon the ease of retrieval of personal memories.     

The research agenda: the vital need for empirical research in child psychotherapy

In this paper I shall describe how work discussion groups offered to staff on-site as part of a mental health in schools outreach project can have a significant impact on the thinking, attitudes and culture within a school. Through the use of some detailed examples of these work discussion groups in action, I hope to illustrate the way these groups can enable staff to enhance their observational skills, develop a deeper understanding of the factors that impact on learning, behaviour and teaching, and reduce staff stress. Finally, I hope to highlight the ways in which such groups not only extend staff skills in engaging with pupils at risk of emotional breakdown and school exclusion, but can also promote a learning environment for all, in which development and growth is promoted at a personal, professional and whole-school level.     

The Liar Paradox and the Inclosure Schema

In Beyond the Limits of Thought [2002], Graham Priest argues that logical and semantic paradoxes have the same underlying structure (which he calls the Inclosure Schema). He also argues that, in conjunction with the Principle of Uniform Solution (same kind of paradox, same kind of solution), this is sufficient to ‘sink virtually all orthodox solutions to the paradoxes’, because the orthodox solutions to the paradoxes are not uniform. I argue that Priest fails to provide a non-question-begging method to ‘sink virtually all orthodox solutions’, and that the Inclosure Schema cannot be the structure that underlies the Liar paradox. Moreover, Ramsey was right in thinking that logical and semantic paradoxes are paradoxes of different kinds.     

Six Years Up: Applied Sport Psychologists Surviving (and Thriving) after Graduation

Our purpose was to explore ways in which practitioners developed professionally after graduate school. We re-interviewed 4 female and 3 male consultants 4 years since their postgraduate sport psychology studies; they had been interviewed 3 times during their training. Since leaving university, participants' professional practices had evolved, such as increased coherence between their behaviors and beliefs, born from having negotiated service delivery challenges. Also, participants had experienced reduced anxiety and increased perceived competence. Participants' accounts were congruent with counselor development theory. Knowledge about students' possible developmental changes after graduation may assist educators and supervisors in preparing future practitioners for their careers.     

Interacting Minds: A Framework for Combining Process- and Accuracy-Oriented Social Cognitive Research

A number of problems posed by cognitive-mediational theories of emotion offer major challenges for theory and research. I address five problems that seem particularly important and vexing, and I offer some possible solutions. My purpose is to stimulate additional thought and interdisciplinary discussion. The problems include unconscious appraising; confusions about the bares of emotional variations across cultures; irrationality in our emotional life; research demands imposed by the transactional nature of emotion; and the potential for tautology when we treat appraisal as a cause of emotions. Although these problems are widely recognized, they have not been thoroughly dealt with, and they call for renewed efforts to seek solutions in the design of our research.     

Dissociation of visual localization and visual detection in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Conscious and unconscious cognitive processes contribute independently to human behavior and can be dissociated. For example, humans report failing to see objects clearly in the periphery while simultaneously being able to grasp those objects accurately (Milner in Proc R Soc B Biol Sci 279:2289–2298, 2012). Knowing whether similar dissociations are present in nonverbal species is critical to our understanding of comparative psychology and the evolution of brains. However, such dissociations are difficult to detect in nonhumans because verbal reports of experience are the main way we discriminate putative conscious from unconscious processing. We trained monkeys in a localization task in which they responded to the location where a target appeared, and a matched detection task in which they reported the presence or absence of the same target. We used masking to manipulate the visibility of targets. Accuracy was high in both tasks when stimuli were unmasked and was attenuated by visual masking. At the strongest level of masking, performance in the detection task was at chance, while localization remained significantly above chance. Critically, errors in the detection task were predominantly misses, indicating that the monkeys’ behavior remained under stimulus control, but that the monkeys did not detect the target despite above-chance localization. While these results cannot establish the existence of phenomenal vision in monkeys, the dissociation of visually guided action from detection parallels the dissociation of conscious and unconscious vision seen in humans.     

The Psychology of Inspiration

Inspiration is a concept of longstanding interest in diverse areas of academia, but it has only recently become the subject of rigorous scientific investigation. In this article, we review the emerging scientific literature on inspiration, with a focus on both theory and findings. First, we present a general definition of inspiration based on an integrative literature review, and we outline approaches to differentiating the general inspiration construct into specific types. Second, we review the literature on construct validity. Third, we present substantive theory and findings, with an emphasis on the role of inspiration in promoting attainment of elusive goods, such as creativity, productivity, and happiness. Finally, we respond to frequent questions and misconceptions about inspiration, and we offer recommendations about how to promote inspiration in others or oneself.     

Social Identification and Well-Being Following a Terrorist Attack: A Longitudinal Study of Israeli Adolescents

The authors examined the role of familial and national social identification in shaping the well-being (positive self-esteem [PSE] and satisfaction with life [SL]) among Israeli adolescents following a terrorist attack. Adolescents living in an attacked town (n = 259; M age = 16.19 years, SD = 0.74 years) and adolescents living in a not attacked town (n = 281; M age = 16.14 years, SD = 0.69 years) were studied longitudinally at 3 weeks and 1 year after the attack. Family identification promoted SL concurrently and PSE concurrently and longitudinally in both groups. Israeli identification hindered subsequent PSE and SL among trauma exposure group adolescents. The authors apply the findings to explain the protective and detrimental potential of social identification following traumatic experiences.