Keep making sense

In a number works Jerry Fodor has defended a reductive, causal and referential theory of cognitive content. I argue against this, defending a quasi-Fregean notion of cognitive content, and arguing also that the cognitive content of non-singular concepts is narrow, rather than wide.     

Dilemmas and strategies in the counselling of Jewish and Palestinian Arab children in Israeli schools

Jewish and Palestinian Arab school counsellors in Israel face increasing demands to respond to the challenges posed by the current armed conflict in the region. In semi-structured interviews, 37 Jewish and Palestinian Arab counsellors were asked about their views regarding the role of the educational system and of counsellors vis-à-vis the ongoing conflict. While all respondents argue that schools and counsellors need to address the conflict and its consequences, Palestinian Arabs and Jews differed in their views as to the appropriate strategies and foci. Major dilemmas emerging from the counsellors’ reports are discussed.     

Working memory and syllogistic reasoning

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between working memory span and syllogistic reasoning performance. In addition, performance for the reasoning task was compared to predictions made by mental model theory and the probability heuristics model. According to mental model theory, syllogisms that require the use of more mental models are more difficult. According to the probability heuristics model difficulty is related to the number of probabilistic heuristics that must be applied, or (for invalid syllogisms) inconsistencies between the derived and correct conclusion. The predictions of these theories were examined across two experiments. In general, people with larger working memory capacities reasoned better. Also, the responses made by people with larger capacities were more likely to correspond to the predictions made by both mental model theory and the probability heuristics model. Relations between working memory span and performance were also consistent with both theories.     

Human latent inhibition and the density of predictive relationships in the context in which the target stimulus occurs

In two experiments, participants were exposed to a listing of actions performed by a fictitious Mr. X, over three days of his life. For most of his actions an outcome was described, but some were not followed by any outcome. On Day 3, Mr. X performed an action (the target action) that was followed by a novel outcome. For participants in the control condition, the target action that preceded the appearance of this outcome was also novel; for participants in the latent inhibition (LI) condition, Mr. X had performed the target action on repeated occasions during Days 2 and 3, without it producing any outcome. All the participants were tested on their ability to retrieve the action performed by Mr. X prior to the target outcome. In Experiment 1, retrieval of the target action (indicating a less effective target action–outcome association) was poorer in the LI than in the control condition. In Experiment 2, reducing the proportion (the density) of nontarget actions that brought outcomes during initial training was found to reduce the size of the LI effect. These results are predicted by the account of LI put forward previously [Hall, G., & Rodríguez, G. (2010). Associative and nonassociative processes in latent inhibition: An elaboration of the Pearce-Hall model. In R. E. Lubow & I. Weiner (Eds.), Latent inhibition: Data, theories, and applications to schizophrenia (pp. 114–136). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press]. A high density of predictive relationships ensures strong activation of the expectancy that some outcome will occur when the target action is first presented; this facilitates the formation of a target action–no-event association during training in the LI condition, thus enhancing the LI effect.     

Enhancing Program Quality in a National Sample of After‐school Settings: The Role of Youth–Staff Interactions and Staff/Organizational Functioning

Using multilevel data from the national evaluation of Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), this study examined associations among programmatic structures, workplace and workforce characteristics, and relational practices of program staff as they relate to young people's ratings of their experience attending local clubs. The sample included 57,710 members and 5,231 staff members at 740 BGCA sites throughout the United States. Staff relational practices—including establishing caring relationships, setting high expectations, positive behavior management, encouraging youth input and agency, and cultural sensitivity—explained associations between staffing and organizational functioning and youths’ perceptions of the quality of their clubs. Findings suggest a central role of staff relational practices in establishing conditions that youth experience positively, and that staffing and organizational processes, including community engagement and teamwork and efficiency can be viewed as foundations for establishing a culture of positive adult‐youth interaction, which in turn can contribute to the promotion of positive youth development. Further, identification with the experiences of youth had a direct association with youths’ perceptions of club quality. These results underscore the importance of staff workforce development initiatives as key to improving youth experiences in after‐school programs.     

Fostering learner autonomy and critical reflection through digital video-journals in a university foreign language course

Many studies have documented the benefits of incorporating reflective journals into foreign language education at university level, though the pedagogic tendency has been to utilise these valuable learning resources to enhance students’ written language skills. This study focuses on how the production of a digital reflective journal in video format can assist in the improvement of oral language abilities in tertiary students of Spanish as a foreign language. With spoken language as the driving vehicle for this assessment task, the course coordinator and educator in charge aimed to promote the development of learner autonomy and self-reflection. In addition, to foster students’ agency in this process, the task incorporated the use of modern digital technologies, which are part of the repertoire of communication channels used by today’s university language learners. Findings suggest that completing this self-reflection assessment task afforded creative teaching and learning experiences, and generated opportunities for learners to improve critical thinking skills, written language proficiency and oral communication. It also heightened their motivation to engage with language-related cultural knowledge, and minimised feelings of anxiety towards communicating verbally in a foreign language.     

Trust,Endangerment, and Divine Vulnerability: An Interdisciplinary Conversation with Niklas Luhmann and K.E. Løgstrup

Faith is trusting God in the midst of endangerment. Yet, human experience of excessive suffering has challenged any spontaneous trust in God. In this article, I reconsider the idea of faith as trust in God, adding an emphasis on the divine vulnerability in the incarnation. I develop a more complex view of trust inspired by the Danish philosopher of religion K.E. Løgstrup and the German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. I use this view of trust to reconsider the relationship between trust and faith in the God of incarnation.     

Family identity and severe mental illness: A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies

There is a growing amount of research showing that a shared social identity and the sense of belonging to a family have a potential effect on health. However, little is known about the effects of severe mental illness on family identity. The authors carried out this thematic synthesis based on a systematic review of literature on family narratives of severe mental illness and family identity. The main findings indicate that in many families (i) their identity—as a shared social identity—undergoes a transformation process by which the identity aspects of being a family are reinforced; (ii) family members often take on a caring role as their main family role; and finally, (iii) a cultural component shapes this transformation process. The authors describe implications for research and application in the mental health field. All in all, family identity is transformed by the experience of severe mental illness.