Internalism and the snapshot conception of phenomenal experience: A reply to Fisher

Justin Fisher (2007) has presented a novel argument designed to prove that all forms of mental internalism are false. I aim to show that the argument fails with regard to internalism about phenomenal experiences. The argument tacitly assumes a certain view about the ontology of phenomenal experience, which (inspired by Alva Noë) I call the “snapshot conception of phenomenal experience.” After clarifying what the snapshot conception involves, I present Fisher with a dilemma. If he rejects the snapshot conception, then his argument against phenomenal internalism collapses. But if he embraces the snapshot conception, then internalists may argue that in light of the snapshot conception, their view is not so implausible—and that if Fisher still disagrees, he owes us an argument that shows why phenomenal internalism is false even given the snapshot conception. I conclude the paper by showing that Fisher cannot escape my criticism by adjusting his argument so that it no longer depends on the snapshot conception.     

Behavioral-systems marital and family therapy: Integration and clinical application

Abstract

This paper describes our integration of two of the more prevalent approaches to marital and family therapy: the behavioral (social learning) and the family systems (communication theory) approaches. A discussion of the development of family rules from a behavioral point of view is presented as an example of conceptual integration. However, the major intent of the paper is to present a rather detailed explication of the authors' multivaried strategies for intervention, which are designed to integrate and innovate upon the major behavioral and family systems treatment techniques.     

Fostering Resilience among Couples Coparenting a Young Child with Autism: An Evaluation of Together We Are Stronger

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 4-week caregiver training program designed to promote resilience among couples raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Seven couples with a child between the ages of 3 and 9 completed a group-based training focused on values, communication, coparenting, and managing stress. Pre-post assessment of parenting stress, dyadic satisfaction, coparenting, life satisfaction, and hope showed that although parenting stress did not decrease, significant increases were observed in dyadic cohesion, coparenting, and hope. Implications for the development of couple-focused interventions to promote resilience among parents raising a child with ASD are discussed.     

Violence: Incidence and Frequency of Physical and Psychological Assaults Affecting Mental Health Providers in Georgia

Threats to the physical safety and psychological well-being of mental health professionals present serious problems, according to 1,131 licensed mental health professionals in the state of Georgia. The professionals included clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. From a total of 6,431 surveys sent out, 1,131 (18%) were returned. The results revealed 2,696 separate accounts of 14,120 acts of physical or psychological assaults committed by 8,292 perpetrators. The results also showed that 61% of the respondents had been victimized in violent acts of a psychological or physical nature and that 29% had feared for their lives at least once during their professional careers. These data are consistent with other research that indicates that 6 out of 10 professionals will be assaulted during their professional careers.     

Effects of Mothers' Overestimations and Underestimations of Their Children's Intellectual Ability: A Reanalysis of Hunt and Paraskevopoulos

Hunt and Paraskevopoulos reported (1980a) that mothers' tendency to overestimate their children's performances on intelligence-test items had a strongly negative correlation with children's intellectual ability, whereas their tendency to underestimate had a negligible correlation. Those findings were misleading side effects of the method used to measure mothers' tendencies to overestimate and underestimate. Appropriate alternative measures are suggested in the present article, and results that would have been obtained with them are approximated. According to this reanalysis, mothers' tendencies to both overestimate and underestimate have modest but significant negative correlations with children's intellectual ability. Mothers' tendency to make accurate estimations has a moderately strong positive correlation with children's intellectual ability.     

Individual Differences in Race Schematicity as Predictors of African American and White Children's Race-Relevant Memories and Peer Preferences

Race schematicity, memories for racially stereotyped portrayals, and race-based peer preferences of 70 young children (32 African American, 38 White) were assessed. Consistent with schema-based models of stereotyping, race schematicity was positively and significantly associated with memory distortions of racial stereotype-inconsistent drawings into stereotype-consistent ones. Conversely, race schematicity was negatively and significantly associated with accurate memories for racial stereotype-inconsistent content, and with memory distortions of racial stereotype-consistent portrayals into stereotype-inconsistent ones. As predicted, race schematicity was positively and significantly associated with same-race peer preference bias, as was children's age in months. Results support application of the schematicity construct and relevant social psychological research with adults to the study of young African American and White children's racial stereotyping and processing of race-relevant information.     

Children's Selective Use of Peer Informants: Criteria for Making Information-Seeking Decisions

Children from preschool, first-grade, and fourth-grade classrooms (N = 60) were randomly assigned to two different instructional conditions to assess (a) their recognition of the significance of knowledge versus physical (age or gender) criteria for making information-seeking decisions and (b) their reliance on these criteria in actual need-for-information situations. The results suggest that older children are more likely than younger children to recognize the salience of a peer's knowledge for making information-seeking decisions. Depending on the context, however, even young children may be able to view a peer's knowledge of a particular task as a dimension that takes precedence over such competing cues as gender or age. Age differences in children's tendencies to recognize and apply these criteria are also discussed.     

Fractioned Reaction Ttme in Power-Trained and Endurance-Trained Athletes under Conditions of Fatiguing Isometric Exercise

Fractionated knee extensor and plantar flexor reaction time (RT) components were assessed in a group of eight weightlifters and eight long distance runners. Following a 4-day period of baseline stabilization for each muscle group, a 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) holding-time exercise was administered. Results showed that the runners had longer premotor times (PMT) than the weightlifters in the knee extensors, but had much faster PMTs than the lifters in the plantar flexor condition. Compared to previously reported investigations using non-athletes, the data for the present sample of athletes indicated faster total reaction times (TRT) in both the knee extensors and the plantar flexors. A resistance of 15% MVC applied during the RT task resulted in a lengthening of the motor time (MT) component in both groups prior to exercise. However, while knee extensor resisted motor time was lengthened by the exercise task, no such lengthening occurred in plantar flexor resisted RT. It is concluded that power-trained and endurance-trained athletes exhibit differences in response to a fractionated RT task, under both baseline and fatiguing exercise conditions.     

The Early Lives of Highly Creative Persons: The Influence of the Complex Family

Over the last 50 years, theoretical, speculative, and empirical scholarship has examined the influence of early family context on subsequent accomplishments in children of high ability. Building upon 40 years of creativity literature focusing on optimal experience, this exploratory study applied the Complex Family Framework in a systematic analysis of creative adults' recollections of their early family lives. The study identifies evidence of the interplay of Integration and Differentiation, a catalyst for individual optimal experience, in the families of 9 creative exemplars who have made significant contributions to contemporary culture. Five participants represented the Arts and Humanities, three the Social Sciences, and one the Physical Sciences. The study demonstrates the utility of the Complex Family Framework in understanding families' contributions to children's later creative achievement.