Preschoolers' beliefs about sex and age differences in emotionality

The goal of the present study was to assess preschoolers' beliefs about the frequency and intensity with which boys, girls, women, and men experience anger, sadness, and happiness. Sixty-seven middle-class preschool children (35 girls, 32 boys) were presented with drawings of adult and child figures of each sex, and were asked to rate how frequently and intensely the emotions were felt (91% of the children were white; the remainder were primarily black). Children's gender stereotyped beliefs were particularly strong for sadness and appeared to be based on a deficit-experience model for males. Sex of target differences also were found for children's beliefs about anger (favoring males). However, the sex difference in anger was based more on the degree to which anger is believed to be experienced rather than on differences in beliefs regarding males' and females' capacity to experience anger. Age of target differences were also found for sadness and anger, but not for happiness. It was concluded that preschoolers' beliefs about differences in emotions are complex, and vary as a function of the sex and age of the target person, and as a function of the specific emotion.Partial support for Richard Fabes was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BNS-8807784). Partial support for Carol Martin was provided by a Women's Studies Research Award (CM1-1001) and a Faculty Grant in Aid (RWR-B658) from Arizona State University. The authors would like to thank Anita Petitti, Dennis Barrett, Amy Vogelson, Melinda Deacon, Kris Hughes, Amy Secklin, Hilary Rose, Melanie Smith, and Melinda Smith for their assistance with data collection and stimulus preparation. Thanks also goes to the teachers, staff, and children at the Arizona State University Child Laboratory Programs.     

DIVERSITY AND COMMUNALITY IN VENEZUELA AROUND THE CONCEPTS OF PROGRESS AND WORK: THEIR EFFECTS ON ORGANIZATIONS

Venezuela has experienced quite a rapid rate of change at mid century but has not been able to attain real economic development. Yet the desirability of progress is a commonly shared value, although there are important differences within the society; for example, in the ways in which work is conceived, or the degree to which the common Latin American values are ascribed. Besides, the concern with power, which is also identified as important within Venezuelan society and often gets combined with the socio-centric values into ‘political partisanship’, is a factor affecting organizational functioning, particularly in the public sector. Examples are given of unsuccessful and successful organizations, pointing out the need to take into account the commonalities and diversities in values identified within the society in the search of organizational alternatives more viable within the particular context.     

Talking lions and lion talk: Davidson on conceptual schemes

This essay is a reconstruction and defense of Davidson's argument against the intelligiblity of the notion of conceptual scheme. After presenting a brief clarification of Davidson's argument in On the Very Idea of a Conceptual Scheme, I turn to reconstructing Davidson's argument. Unlike many commentators, and occasionally Davidson, who hold that the motive force of the argument is the Principle of Charity (or the denial of the Third Dogma), I argue that there is a further principle which underlies the argument. This principle I call the Strong Discrimination Principle.But the argument of the paper is not purely exegetical. Not only do I show how the Strong Discrimination Principle meets certain objections to Davidson's argument, but I show how the Principle clarifies the realist position. In particular, I show how a line of argument advanced by Rorty and Putnam against (metaphysical) realism can be rejected.If a lion could talk, we could not understand him.Wittgenstein,Philosophical Investigations I have a host of friends. I am grateful to Michael Zimmerman for taking the time to read a preliminary draft of this paper, and to Carolyn Morillo for her comments on a central issue in the paper. I am also especially grateful to the relentlessly enthusiastic participants in the Current Research Seminar at Tulane. To mention but a few: Robert Berman, Radu Bogdan, Norton Nelkin, Graeme Forbes, Jim Stone, and again, Michael Zimmerman and Carolyn Morillo. If I have forgotten just whose objection precipitated yet another footnote or modification, I hope they will be as forgiving as they were helpful. I am also grateful to a referee for having pointed out the relevance of Akeel Bilgrami's article.     

THE ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM IN COMPETITIVE CHOICE BEHAVIOR1

Le rôle de L'estime de soi dans les choix compétitifs — Un programme transnational de recherche sur les déterminants des processus de décision s'est concentré dans une première phase sur la relation entre L'estime de soi et le comportement compétitif dans un jeu de type « Dilemme du prisonnier ». Des étudiants américains, chez lesquels une grande estime de soi avait été induite, firent davantage de choix compétitifs que les sujets chez lesquels on avait induit une faible estime de soi. Une des deux expériences avec des étudiants français a reproduit les mêmes résultats, alors que des expériences avec des sujets italiens ont produit des résultats inverses. Différentes interprétations théoriques des résultats sont proposées et critiquées.     

Political pluralization and the declining scope of religious authority in Argentina’s 1960s: the case of Cristianismo y Revolución

ABSTRACT

The transformation of global Catholicism during the Second Vatican Council affected the Argentinean Church. Argentinean Catholics became involved in different sides of the political discussion. While some supported a dictatorial regime, others thought the end of the dictatorship and a fair society could only be achieved through a revolution. In that context, we explore Mark Chavez’s idea of secularization as the decline of religious authority. The magazine Cristianismo y Revolución (CyR) is a case which allows us to see this process displayed. Different Catholic actors, independently of the Church’s structure, claimed Catholic beliefs to support opposing political positions. However, religion remains an important element of the public sphere in contemporary Argentina.     

Hippocampal PKA/CREB pathway is involved in the improvement of memory induced by spermidine in rats

Spermidine (SPD) is an endogenous polyamine that modulates N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function, and has been reported to facilitate memory formation. In the current study we determined whether or not the PKA/CREB signaling pathway is involved in SPD-induced facilitation of memory of inhibitory avoidance task in adult rats. The post-training administration of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor, N-[2-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinoline sulfonamide [H-89, 0.5 ρmol intrahippocampal (ih)] or the antagonist of the NMDA receptor polyamine-binding site (arcaine, 0.02 nmol ih) with SPD (0.2 nmol ih) prevented memory improvement induced by SPD. Intrahippocampal administration of SPD (0.2 nmol) facilitated PKA and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in the hippocampus 180 min, but not 30 min, after administration, and increased translocation of the catalytic subunit of PKA into the nucleus. Arcaine (0.02 nmol) and H-89 (0.5 ρmol) prevented the stimulatory effect of SPD on PKA and CREB phosphorylation. These results suggest that memory enhancement induced by the ih administration of SPD involves the PKA/CREB pathways in rats.