People with physical disability in Serbia: Relationship between internalized stigma,experienced and anticipated discrimination,and empowerment

The aim of present study was to explore relationships between experienced and anticipated discrimination, internalized stigma, and empowerment among people with physical disabilities in Serbia. The convenience sample consisted of persons with different types of physical disabilities. The following scales were administrated: The Discrimination and Stigma Scale, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale, and the Boston University Empowerment Scale. An analysis showed that internalized stigma was correlated with experienced and anticipated discrimination and empowerment, while no correlation was found between empowerment and discrimination. People with physical disabilities who experienced and anticipated discrimination are at higher risk of reporting internalized stigma.     

Logical Foundations and Kant's Principles of Formal Logic

The abstract status of Kant's account of his ‘general logic’ is explained in comparison with Gödel's general definition of a formal logical system and reflections on ‘abstract’ (‘absolute’) concepts. Thereafter, an informal reconstruction of Kant's general logic is given from the aspect of the principles of contradiction, of sufficient reason, and of excluded middle. It is shown that Kant's composition of logic consists in a gradual strengthening of logical principles, starting from a weak principle of contradiction that tolerates a sort of contradictions in predication, and then proceeding to the (constructive) principle of sufficient reason, and to a classical-like logic, which includes the principle of excluded middle. A first-order formalisation is applied to this reconstruction, which reveals implicit modalities in Kant's account of logic, and confirms the implementability of Kant's logic into a sound and complete formal system.     

A Prospective Study of High-School Adolescent Sexting Behavior and Psychological Distress

Abstract

Relying on conceptualization of sexting as a deviant behavior, which appear to be related with mental health problems, we examined the relationship between sexting and psychological distress. A one-year longitudinal study was performed among 216 girls and 143 boys, aged from 15 to 17?years (M?=?16.32, SD = .64). Participants completed the Sexting Behavior Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale at both time points of the study. The results showed that the prevalence for receiving sexts between the two time points was around 30%, and for sending sexts around 60%. The prevalence rates of receiving and sending sexually explicit context were quite stable over time, though they varied significantly across gender. Participants usually had sexted with a current or (ex)partner or friends. The number of person with whom participants exchange sexts did not exceed five. Anxiety and stress symptoms were more prevalent among sexters who receive sexts at the baseline than follow-up study (p < .05). Stress has been found to be significant predictors of sending sext at the baseline study (p < .05), while depression of receiving and sending at the follow-up study (p < .001). This study confirms that sexting is common among youth, and appears to be associated with negative consequences.     

How to address the caveat of avoiding direct contact: Reducing prejudice towards gay and lesbian people in five Balkan countries

ABSTRACT

In the Balkans, contact with gays and lesbians is typically hostile or avoided. Drawing from probability samples of young people from five Balkan countries (N = 1046), we examined whether it is possible to transfer the effects of contact with other marginalized outgroups (largest ethnic minority in every country, Roma, the extremely poor and physically disabled) to acceptance of gays and lesbians (secondary outgroup), and whether this relationship could be explained by attitude generalization and increased intergroup trust. Path analyses supported the secondary transfer effect: it confirmed that, while controlling for direct contact, contact with other marginalized groups was related to more acceptance of a secondary group; this relationship was mediated by trust. This was found across all primary groups in the combined samples, while the effect varied for different groups in country samples. The results add to the value of intergroup contact as a mean of prejudice-reduction.     

Objective and epistemic gradability: Is the new angle on the Knobe effect empirically grounded?

According to the New Angle, any explanation of the Knobe effect must be gradable and asymmetric. It has been argued that only Hindriks’ approach meets both criteria. First, we argue that Holton’s hypothesis also meets the criteria. Second, we show that the authors are not justified in taking the criteria to be empirically justified. We have failed to replicate the asymmetry result in two experiments. Moreover, gradability can be objective or epistemic. We show that the New Angle presupposes objective gradability. In our experiments, the patterns of responses to questions about epistemic and objective gradability are the same, irrespective of whether the feature is objectively gradable (e.g., blameworthiness) or not (e.g., intentionality). Our results thus question the extent to which the New Angle is empirically grounded. Moreover, they raise doubt whether the answers to questions about epistemic and objective gradability can be taken at face value at all.

Abbreviations: NRH - normative reasons hypothesis; NVH - norm violation hypothesis; DQ - degree question; DAQ - degree of agreement question