EFFECTS OF STANDARD EXTREMITY ON MIXED STANDARD SCALE PERFORMANCE RATINGS1

It was suggested that the extremity of the scale values associated with standards used to represent effective and ineffective performance in Mixed Standard Scales may affect the nature of performance ratings derived from MSS responses and decisions based on MSS ratings. When the extremity of standards was experimentally manipulated, it was found that standard extremity affects both the level of performance ratings and the proportion of logically inconsistent response patterns observed. In addition, standard extremity appears to affect the rankings on performance of ratees. The implications of these observations for the development of Mixed Standard Scales were discussed.     

HOW RELIGIOUS PRACTICES MATTER1: PETER OCHS' “ALTERNATIVE NURTURANCE” OF PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

This article engages the work of Peter Ochs from the perspective of philosophy of religion. In particular, I consider Ochs' work on Scriptural Reasoning and Jewish Morning Prayer as articulating a unique emphasis on religious liturgical practices that hints at a much needed paradigm shift in philosophy of religion, which has tended to focus on the cognitive aspects of religion (beliefs and doctrines) or the merely static artifacts of religious traditions.