Substitution with Interrupted Tasks of Differing Valence

The study was designed (a) to develop a form of the Home Life Scale for university men, an instrument which provides a measure of perceptions of their home life in their families of orientation; and (b) to examine the perceptions of university men in relation to selected background characteristics and to their attitudes concerning father-son relationships. No significant relationships were observed between (a) home life perceptions and (6) age, marital status, father's occupation and education, source of family income, and socioeconomic status of parents; nor were any significant relationships observed between (a) attitudes concerning father-son relationships and (b) age, marital status, father's occupation and education, source of family income, and socioeconomic status of parents. How-ever, a significant relationship (p = .05) was observed between home life perceptions and attitudes concerning father-son relationships, indicating that those Ss who hold negative perceptions concerning their families of orientation reflected the most permissive attitudes concerning father-son relationships. Such a finding suggests that men who view their own families of orientation unfavorably may wish to create in their families of procreation a warmer, less restrictive atmosphere.     

Further Observations on Group Judgments of Lifted Weights

With use of a sample of five kibbutzim and subjects from three cities in Israel, the hypothesis investigated was that the adults in the kibbutz would obtain higher scores than the other subjects in their perceptions of the past and present on the Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. These responses were compared to those of two groups from the United States, Jewish and non-Jewish. The total sample consisted of 160 Ss with 40 Ss in each of the four groups. It was also hypothesized that there would be less discrepancy in the perceptions of the future as compared to the past and present between Israeli and United States Ss. The hypotheses presented were supported by the data.

The kibbutz sample in expressing hopes and aspirations had a significantly higher number of Ss that desired world peace than the other three samples. The Israeli city sample in responding to aspirations had a significantly greater number of responses than the kibbutz for the following categories: having a good job, owning a house, and possessing wealth.

The Israeli city sample compared to the kibbutz had a significantly higher number of responses to a fear of a deterioration in the standard of living. The rank order correlation of the verbal responses indicated that the responses of the American Jewish group were more similar to both Israeli groups than the United States non-Jewish group.     

Aurelius Augustine on Imagination

The evaluation of a person seeking or volunteering information in cooperatively or competitively oriented problem solving groups was investigated in 63 white and black, male and female, high school and college students. It was hypothesized that under cooperative conditions the seeking of information would be evaluated more positively than would the volunteering of information, while under competitive conditions the volunteering of information would be evaluated more positively than would the seeking of information. A highly trained confederate (C) engaged in either the seeking of information or the volunteering of information in four-person problem solving groups in which Ss were either cooperatively or competitively oriented. Ss rated Cs on eight bipolar scales. The results confirmed the hypothesis.     

Social learning in Cartilaginous fish (stingrays Potamotrygon falkneri)

Social learning is considered one of the hallmarks of cognition. Observers learn from demonstrators that a particular behavior pattern leads to a specific consequence or outcome, which may be either positive or negative. In the last few years, social learning has been studied in a variety of taxa including birds and bony fish. To date, there are few studies demonstrating learning processes in cartilaginous fish. Our study shows that the cartilaginous fish freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon falkneri) are capable of social learning and isolates the processes involved. Using a task that required animals to learn to remove a food reward from a tube, we found that observers needed significantly (P < 0.01) fewer trials to learn to extract the reward than demonstrators. Furthermore, observers immediately showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher frequency of the most efficient “suck and undulation” strategy exhibited by the experienced demonstrators, suggesting imitation. Shedding light on social learning processes in cartilaginous fish advances the systematic comparison of cognition between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates and helps unravel the evolutionary origins of social cognition.     

Distorted Reflections: Media Exposure and Latino Adolescents' Conceptions of Self

Because Latinos are underrepresented and often negatively stereotyped in the media, concern is frequently expressed that repeated exposure to these portrayals may reflect poorly on Latino adolescents' self-esteem. To test this issue empirically, we conducted 2 studies examining associations between multiple dimensions of self-esteem and several forms of media use. Testing 40 Latino high school students in Study 1, we found that more frequent and more active TV viewing was associated with lower social and appearance self-esteem. Many of these general patterns were replicated in Study 2 with 115 college students and with several demographic controls. Additional analyses of possible moderators revealed more consistent negative correlations among women and among participants with a stronger Latino ethnic identity. Together, these findings provide powerful evidence of a potential link between media use and the self-conceptions of Latino youth.     

The experience of chronic illness: Issues of loss and adjustment

Abstract

The impact of a long-term illness creates a pervasive dilemma for individuals in regard to maintaining both emotional and social well-being. Dealing with the medical ramifications of illness may be only one small part of the challenge. Too often, a number of personal losses are encountered in addition to functional limitations. Chronic illness may affect an individual's sense of self-worth, relationships with family and friends, and future goals and plans. The acceptance of these losses and adaptation to the illness are shaped in part by the meaning the individual ascribes to the event. It is further influenced by societal reactions and interactions with others. Unfortunately, persons with chronic illness often find themselves alone in their struggle to adapt. The purpose of this article is to discuss the issues relevant to such persons and to identify ways in which counseling can facilitate this difficult process.     

On Visibility and Power: An Arendtian Corrective of Foucault

Freedom, conceived ontologically, is power's condition of possibility. Yet, considering that the subject's interests and identity are constantly shaped, one still has to explain how – theoretically speaking – individuals can resist control. This is precisely the issue I address in the following pages. Following a brief overview of Foucault's contribution to our understanding of power, I turn to discuss the role of visibility vis-à-vis control, and show how the development of disciplinary techniques reversed the visibility of power. While Foucault illustrates that during different historical periods, distinct modes of visibility are produced by power in order to control society, I argue that the very same power that produces visibility is concomitantly dependent upon it. In addition, I maintain that visibility is a necessary component of resistance. But Foucault – perhaps due to his premature death – never adequately explains how individuals can resist the mechanisms of control in a world in which power is ubiquitous. To help clarify this enigma, I turn to Hannah Arendt's insights into power, freedom, plurality, and natality. These concepts, I claim, can serve as a corrective to Foucault because they make room for resistance without assuming that humans can exit power's web.     

Children's night-time fears: an overview

Night-time fears are a normal developmental occurrence for most children. However, a small proportion of children may experience severe night-time fears of much greater intensity and duration, and typically meet diagnostic criteria for an anxiety or phobic disorder diagnosis. The content and developmental features of children's night-time fears are explored, highlighting the heterogeneous nature of nocturnal fears. Fears of this nature are probably due to an interaction of biological, environmental and cognitive-mediational factors, together with the involvement of family and operant learning processes. Clinical assessment procedures are briefly outlined, including the behavioural interview, the diagnostic interview, self-report inventories and home-monitoring on the part of parents. Family-based cognitive-behavioural treatment strategies are described. Although research findings are encouraging for the efficacy of these interventions, future studies need to utilize methodologies that allow for the identification of the specific mechanisms responsible for treatment, and improved diagnostic assessment of night fearful children.     

On-line Homework/Quiz/Exam applet: Freely available Java software for evaluating performance on line

The Homework/Quiz/Exam applet is a freely available Java program that can be used to evaluate student performance on line for any content authored by a teacher. It has database connectivity so that student scores are automatically recorded. It allows several different types of questions. Each question can be linked to images and detailed story problems. Three levels of feedback are provided to student responses. It allows teachers to randomize the sequence of questions and to randomize which of several options is the correct answer in multiple-choice questions. The creation and editing of questions involves menu selections, buttonpresses, and the typing of content; no programming knowledge is required. The code is open source in order to encourage modifications that will meet individual pedagogical needs.     

At the Edge of Eternity's Shadows: Scaling the Fractal Continuum from Lower into Higher Space

In this paper, I elaborate the hyperspatial implications of the fractal-scaling scheme that I introduced previously. Four case examples where out-of-body experiencers reported heightened and amplified visual capacities are correlated with this explanatory model. Three of these cases are identified as including an additional hyperspace signifier, the reported capacity to see through solid and opaque physical obstructions. One of these cases included yet another hyperspace signifier, the reported capacity to pass through such obstructions. Additional evidence supportive of this thesis is drawn from the literature on ecstatic experience, including out-of-body, near-death, and other varieties of mystical or visionary experience, and from that on psychedelic experience. Yet other hyperspace signifiers reported by ecstatic voyagers are also considered, including sensations of seeing outward spherically in 360 degrees and of seeing on all sides of three-dimensional solids simultaneously.