Response to editorial

This article focuses on the importance of analysing the mainstream post-rave dance scene in the context of studies of the religious significance of electronic dance cultures. Drawing on their own ethnographic research, as well as other recent comparable studies in Britain, the authors argue that the mainstream post-rave dance scene is a ‘secondary institution’ supporting the new social form of religion identified by Luckmann, which emphasises self-realisation and self-expression. The study serves as an invitation to re-consider the definition of ‘religion’ in relation to electronic dance cultures and points to the role of mainstream leisure industries in supporting contemporary secular worldviews.     

Traces of Identity In Deleuze’s Differential Ontology

Abstract

Deleuze’s differential ontology is a sustained attempt to think and affirm difference as opposed to the unity of identity he insists philosophical thought has tended to privilege. However, by distinguishing between three senses of identity, termed identity of the identical, same, and common, I show that, while Deleuze’s differential ontology offers a powerful critique of identity in the senses of the identical and same, at numerous points in his analysis, such as the virtual-actual movement, the transcendental conditions defining different forms of thinking, and the relationship between the forms of thinking, it appears Deleuze’s affirmation of difference depends on identity in the sense of the common. Rather than using these instances to offer a critique of Deleuze’s differential ontology, I follow his exhortation to read a philosopher creatively and suggest that distinguishing between three senses of identity reveals the complexity of the difference-identity relationship and acts as a stimulus to rethinking this relationship.     

The PDQ-8: Development and validation of a short-form parkinson's disease questionnaire

Abstract

The Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) is a disease specific measure of health status which covers eight dimensions of ill-health, and contains 39 questions. The development of the questionnaire has been outlined in full elsewhere and is briefly outlined in this paper. Psychometric techniques are used here to derive a single index figure from the PDQ-39, transformed to a score range from 0 (good health) to 100 (poor health). A sub-set of items is then selected from the PDQ-39 to create a shorter form version, the PDQ-8. Each item selected is the one most highly correlated with the overall domain score to which it contributes: in cases where more than one item correlated equally strongly with the total then the item which received the highest completion rate was selected. The items were summed together and transformed onto a score from 0 to 100. The results gained from the single index gained from the PDQ-39 are compared with that gained from the PDQ-8, and are found to be remarkably similar. The use of the PDQ-8 is recommended over the PDQ-39 where a shorter form measure is required and where a single index measure of overall health status is acceptable or desirable.     

测试特异人娜达莎

娜达莎的特异功能美国探索频道(Discovery Channel)导演和制片莫尼卡·盖塞(Monica Garnsey),做了一期电视节目——“一个具有X射线眼的女孩”。为了这个电视片,她向CSICOP的理查德·怀斯曼(RichardWiseman),安德鲁·斯库尔尼克(Andrew Skolnick)和我提出,希望对自称能“阅读”(透视)人们身体内部器官的一个17岁的俄罗斯女孩——娜达莎·戴金娜(Natasha Demkina)进行相关的测试,来检验她的声称是否确实。据了解最近世界很多地方流传,一个17岁俄罗斯女孩娜达莎有一双能够透视的X射线眼,可以看到人体内部。她10岁的时候,做了一个修道…     

Replicated Findings and Future Directions for Intergenerational Studies: Closing Comments

This commentary summarizes findings from four papers that set out to replicate, albeit not with identical measures or sampling criteria, research on several questions in the multigenerational study of antisocial behavior by children and child-rearing strategies by parents. The weight of the evidence from our studies indicates some degree of intergenerational continuity in behavior. We observed that adjacent generations G1 and G2 are similar with respect to their styles of parenting and that adjacent generations G2 and G3 are similar with respect to antisocial behavior. In addition, the G2 parent's parenting style plays an important role in mediating or transferring the risk of antisocial behavior across the generations. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Relation of Birth Order,Age of Mother,and Size of Family to Intelligence

Variables thought to be associated with the magnitude of interrelationship observed among the elements in a system of social attitudes were investigated. Subjects (N = 753) were asked to respond to an inventory requesting self-report and background data. Several weeks later, Ss were given two forms of the Social Attitude Scale, a scale tapping the liberalism-conservatism domain. The results indicated that those Ss who reported recent changes in religious, moral, or political attitudes displayed a more highly interconnected system of liberal-conservative attitudes than those who did not. Variables relating to active participation in social affairs tended to be associated with higher levels of attitude system organization. Sex differences were observed, with men displaying higher levels of system organization than women. This relationship held even when participation rates were taken into consideration.