A functional view of artistic evaluation

I develop and defend the following functional view of art: a work of art typically possesses as an essential feature one or more points, purposes, or ends with reference to the satisfaction of which that work can be appropriately evaluated. This way of seeing a work’s artistic value as dependent on its particular artistic ends (whatever they may be) suggests an answer to a longstanding question of what sort of internal relation, if any, exists between the wide variety of values (moral, cognitive, aesthetic, etc.) that may be possessed by works of art and their value qua works of art.     

A longitudinal study of early reading difficulties and subsequent problem behaviors

It is generally believed that early academic failure in school develops into a downward spiral of negative motivational and behavioral consequences. In this study, children with reading difficulties were compared with typical readers on questionnaires measuring ADHD symptoms and other behavior problems such as withdrawn symptoms, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, social problems, and aggression. The results revealed that reading difficulties and problem behaviors appear more independent of each other rather than problem behaviors being a consequence of reading failure. In addition, gender differences were negligible when examining the relationship between reading difficulties and subsequent problem behavior. Some implications for special education and intervention are suggested.     

Adorno and Schelling on the art–nature relation

When it comes to the relationship between art and nature, research on Adorno’s aesthetics usually centres on his discussion of Kant and Hegel. While this reflects Adorno’s own position – his comprehension of this relationship is to a large extent developed through a critical re-reading of both the Kantian and the Hegelian position – I argue that we are able to gain important insights into Adorno’s aesthetics and the central art–nature relation by reading his ideas in the light of Schelling’s conception of this relationship. The article focuses on the similarities between Schelling’s notion of nature’s productivity and Adorno’s understanding of natural beauty. It concludes with a discussion on Adorno’s re-evaluation of the reconciliatory power of the exemplary unity of the artwork in conjunction with Schelling’s comparison between artwork and organism, as well as his concept of the construction of nature.     

Is the devil in the detail? Evidence for S-S learning after unconditional stimulus revaluation in human evaluative conditioning under a broader set of experimental conditions

Whether valence change during evaluative conditioning is mediated by a link between the conditional stimulus (CS) and the unconditional stimulus (US; S-S learning) or between the CS and the unconditional response (S-R learning) is a matter of continued debate. Changing the valence of the US after conditioning, known as US revaluation, can be used to dissociate these accounts. Changes in CS valence after US revaluation provide evidence for S-S learning but if CS valence does not change, evidence for S-R learning is found. Support for S-S learning has been provided by most past revaluation studies, but typically the CS and US have been from the same stimulus category, the task instructions have suggested that judgements of the CS should be based on the US, and USs have been mildly valenced stimuli. These factors may bias the results in favour of S-S learning. We examined whether S-R learning would be evident when CSs and USs were taken from different categories, the task instructions were removed, and more salient USs were used. US revaluation was found to influence explicit US evaluations and explicit and implicit CS evaluations, supporting an S-S learning account and suggesting that past results are stable across procedural changes.     

Adherence to substance abuse treatment: clinical utility of two MMPI-2 scales.

In this study, we examined the ability of the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) Addiction Acknowledgment scale (AAS; Weed, Butcher, McKenna, & Ben-Porath, 1992) and Negative Treatment Indicators scale (TRT; Butcher, Graham, Williams, & Ben-Porath, 1990) to predict adherence to and outcomes from substance abuse treatment. There was no evidence that the AAS was related to treatment adherence or outcome in our sample. However, results did reveal a significant positive relation between scores on the TRT scale and readmission to the hospital. Further analyses identified an optimal score for use in similar clinical populations and settings, and characteristics of high and low scorers. Compared to low scorers, high TRT scorers were more likely to not return for treatment after an initial screening interview. If they did return for treatment, high TRT scorers were more likely to experience fewer treatment days and to be rated as having lower motivation, poorer participation, and poorer comprehension of program materials. These findings provide promising initial evidence of the utility of the TRT scale for identifying patients who may be at a high risk for unsuccessful substance abuse treatment.     

How children narrate happy and sad events: does affective state count?

The influence of induced affective states on children's narratives of personal events was investigated. The affective state of 5‐to‐6‐year‐old children, 128 in number, was manipulated by way of winning or losing a game. They were then asked to narrate happy or sad personal events. A self‐report instrument indicated that a different affective state was indeed induced by the two game conditions. Narratives were coded for agency, affective aspects and structural complexity (antecedents). The negative condition influenced attribution of causality and intention to agent and addressee, according to a self‐serving bias and affected number of antecedents. Moreover, in the negative condition, global intensity revealed a congruency effect, in line with the Affect Infusion Model. However, mental states varied with event valence, independent of affect‐inducing condition. Results are discussed in terms of the complexity of the relation between emotional event narratives and children's affective state. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rorschach Comprehensive System data for a sample of 343 adults from Finland

This article combines Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1990, 1993) data from four projects conducted in Finland between 1990 and 1995. The projects studied a stratified random sample of Finnish nonpatients, a cohort of twins, a group of elderly men, and a random sample collected to investigate sleep difficulties. The 343 records from these four studies provide a representative survey of Rorschach responding throughout the Finnish population.     

School track and ethnic classroom composition relate to the mainstream identity of adolescents with immigrant background in Germany,but not their ethnic identity

Although developing a cultural identity is a core task for adolescents from immigrant families and the school is a highly important context in adolescence, to date, few studies have examined whether adolescents with particular cultural identities cluster in certain school contexts. Using data from a representative German sample including 7702 secondary school students of immigrant background from 1643 classrooms, we examined how the attended school track and four aspects of ethnic classroom composition relate to adolescents' cultural identity (i.e., their ethnic identity and mainstream identity). Two-level structural equation models indicated that students' ethnic identity was not systematically associated with the attended school track and the ethnic composition of the classroom. However, attending the academic school track, a classroom with a low proportion of classmates with immigrant background and frequently using German with classmates related positively to mainstream identity. Ethnic diversity and proportion of co-ethnics in class did not relate to mainstream identification. Our findings suggest that the ethnic identity of adolescents with an immigrant background in Germany is largely independent from the different socialisation contexts related to school tracks and the ethnic classroom composition. Yet, students' with a strong mainstream identity cluster in certain school contexts.     

A Cluster of Suicides at a London Psychiatric Unit

In an epidemiologically based study, a spate of 14 suicides among current patients of a London psychiatric unit was investigated. Statistical analysis showed it to be a discrete cluster of suicides, rather than a chance occurrence. There was no evidence of direct linkage or “contagion” between the suicides. Thirteen of the patients suffered from severe, chronic mental illness and all but 2 had been known to the psychiatric unit for at least a year. Twelve used violent methods, in 8 cases jumping from a high place. Although no definite cause for the cluster could be established, it coincided with a period of uncertainty concerning the future of the hospital and with changes in and absenteeism of senior medical staff.