Decision making under internal uncertainty: the case of multiple-choice tests with different scoring rules

This paper assesses framing effects on decision making with internal uncertainty, i.e., partial knowledge, by focusing on examinees' behavior in multiple-choice (MC) tests with different scoring rules. In two experiments participants answered a general-knowledge MC test that consisted of 34 solvable and 6 unsolvable items. Experiment 1 studied two scoring rules involving Positive (only gains) and Negative (only losses) scores. Although answering all items was the dominating strategy for both rules, the results revealed a greater tendency to answer under the Negative scoring rule. These results are in line with the predictions derived from Prospect Theory (PT) [Econometrica 47 (1979) 263]. The second experiment studied two scoring rules, which allowed respondents to exhibit partial knowledge. Under the Inclusion-scoring rule the respondents mark all answers that could be correct, and under the Exclusion-scoring rule they exclude all answers that might be incorrect. As predicted by PT, respondents took more risks under the Inclusion rule than under the Exclusion rule. The results illustrate that the basic process that underlies choice behavior under internal uncertainty and especially the effect of framing is similar to the process of choice under external uncertainty and can be described quite accurately by PT.     

Self-pity: exploring the links to personality,control beliefs,and anger

Self-pity is a frequent response to stressful events. So far, however, empirical research has paid only scant attention to this subject. The present article aims at exploring personality characteristics associated with individual differences in feeling sorry for oneself. Two studies with N = 141 and N = 161 university students were conducted, employing multidimensional measures of personality, control beliefs, anger, loneliness, and adult attachment. With respect to personality, results showed strong associations of self-pity with neuroticism, particularly with the depression facet. With respect to control beliefs, individuals high in self-pity showed generalized externality beliefs, seeing themselves as controlled by both chance and powerful others. With respect to anger expression, self-pity was primarily related to anger-in. Strong connections with anger rumination were also found. Furthermore, individuals high in self-pity reported emotional loneliness and ambivalent-worrisome attachments. Finally, in both studies, a strong correlation with gender was found, with women reporting more self-pity reactions to stress than men. Findings are discussed with respect to how they support, extend, and qualify the previous literature on self-pity, and directions for future empirical research are pointed out.     

Consensus effects in categorization decisions

A previous study (Gilat et al., J. Exp. Psychol. Appl. 3 (1997) 83) has shown that the incentive to reach consensus can raise the tendency to rely on base rates in signal detection decisions and can reduce the probability that less likely events will be accurately classified. This phenomenon was named the “consensus effect”. The current study assesses the conditions under which this effect develops and in particular the effects of information about the game and of the incentive structure on the learning process. The results of three experiments show that the learning process slows when participants have information about the actual state of nature. This finding is captured by a reinforcement learning model with the assumption that information narrows the distribution of the initial propensities for choosing among cutoffs. The results are further evidence for the utility of the combination of learning models and analyses of cognitive processes for the prediction of decision making in situations involving multiple players.     

Philosophical reflections on the foundations of mathematics

This article was written jointly by a philosopher and a mathematician. It has two aims: to acquaint mathematicians with some of the philosophical questions at the foundations of their subject and to familiarize philosophers with some of the answers to these questions which have recently been obtained by mathematicians. In particular, we argue that, if these recent findings are borne in mind, four different basic philosophical positions, logicism, formalism, platonism and intuitionism, if stated with some moderation, are in fact reconcilable, although with some reservations in the case of logicism, provided one adopts a nominalistic interpretation of Plato's ideal objects. This eclectic view has been asserted by Lambek and Scott (LS 1986) on fairly technical grounds, but the present argument is meant to be accessible to a wider audience and to provide some new insights.     

Effects of two-year treatment with the cholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine on behavioural symptoms in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by prominent behavioural disturbances. They cause significant distress for both caregivers and patients and can play a major role in the decision to institutionalise AD patients. Recent evidence suggests that cholinergic deficiencies not only contribute to the memory and cognitive abnormalities of AD but are also responsible for some behavioural abnormalities seen over the course of the disease. In this study we assessed the ability of rivastigmine, a pseudo-irreversible cholinesterase inhibitor, to improve behavioural and psychopathologic symptoms in AD. The analysis included 34 patients present in the Germanarm of the international study B303 who received and completed long-term treatment with rivastigmine in the open-label study B305. Assessments of behaviour and psychopathological symptoms were performed using the behavioural component of the Clinicians Interview Based Impression of Change Plus (CIBIC-Plus). Results show that long-term treatment with rivastigmine can slow the progression of behavioural and psychopathological symptoms of AD. Behavioural symptoms showing stabilisation included aggressiveness, activity disturbances, hallucinations and paranoid features. Results also suggest that patients treated earlier with rivastigmine may attain a greater benefit compared with patients whose treatment is delayed 6 months. Further studies examining the effects of rivastigmine on behavioural disturbances in AD are therefore warranted.     

Accentuation effects and illusory change in exemplar-based category learning

Examined the hypothesis that information enhancing category differences receives greater weight in estimates of category means than information that reduces such differences. In the first experiment, subjects estimated the cumulative means of test scores of two groups of students. The experimental manipulation involved a gradual shift of the true mean of one group either towards or away from the true mean of the other group. As predicted, changes of estimates were larger when the two means became more dissimilar than when they became more similar. The second experiment involved otherwise identical procedures, but the variance in one category was increased while the mean remained stable. Subjects perceived an illusory change of the mean away from the comparison category. It is suggested that accentuation effects of this kind may limit the reduction of social stereotypes.     

Book reviews and notes

GENERAL.

LA REVANCHE DE DIEU. By Gilles Kepel. Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1991. 283pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 2–02–012929–9.

DEFENDERS OF GOD: THE FUNDAMENTALIST REVOLT AGAINST THE MODERN AGE. By Bruce B. Lawrence. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 306pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–288–0.

ISLAM AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD. By G.W. Choudhury. London: Indus Thames Publishers Ltd., 1990. 227pp. Hb. £15.00. ISBN 1–85555–000–8.

TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR'AN. VOL.III, SURAHS 7–9. By Sayyid Abul a'la Mawdudi. Translated and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1990/1411. 328pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–205–7.

AL‐GHAZALI: INVOCATIONS AND SUPPLICATIONS: KITAB AL‐ADHKAR WA'L‐DA'AWAT: BOOK IX OF THE REVIVAL OF THE RELIGIOUS SCIENCES: IHYA’ ‘ULUM AL‐DIN. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by K. Nakamura. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1990. 131pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–946621–14–4.

TODAY'S PROBLEMS, TOMORROW'S SOLUTIONS: THE FUTURE STRUCTURE OF MUSLIM SOCIETIES. By Abdullah Omar Naseef. London and New York: Mansell, 1988. 180pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–1991‐X.

AN EARLY CRESCENT: THE FUTURE OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN ISLAM. Edited by Ziauddin Sardar. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 251pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2005–5.

BEYOND FRONTIERS: ISLAM AND CONTEMPORAY NEEDS. Edited by Merryl Wyn Davies and Adnan Khalil Pasha. London and New York: Mansell, 1989. 216pp. Hb. £30.00. ISBN 0–7201–2039‐X.

AL‐KASIM B. IBRAHIM ON THE PROOF OF GOD'S EXISTENCE: KITA AL‐DALI AL‐KABIR. Edited by Binyamin Abrahamov. Islamic Philosophy and Theology Series, Vol.V. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 201pp. Hb. DFL110.00 US$55.00. ISBN 90–04–08985–3.

ISLAM AND THE CULTURAL ACCOMMODATION OF SOCIAL CHANGE. By Bassam Tibi. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. 1990. 272pp. Hb. £24.95. ISBN 0–8133–0917–4.

BAHA’ I WALAD: GRUNDZÜGE SEINES LEBENS UND SEINER MYSTIK. By FRITZ MEIER. Acta Iranica. Textes et Mémoires, vol.14. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1989. 484pp. Hb. DF200, US$100. ISBN 90–6831–094–1.

IBN RUSHD (AVERROES). By Dominique Urvoy. Arabic Thought and Culture Series. London: Routledge, 1991. 156pp. Pb. £10.99. ISBN 0–415–05567–9.

ISLAM: THE FEAR AND THE HOPE. By Habib Boulares. London: Zed Books, 1990. 144pp. Pb. £8.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–945–0.

IBN KHALDUN. By Aziz al‐Azmeh. London: Routledge, 1990. 176pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–415–03598–8.

REGIONAL.

Africa.

ZANZIBAR UNDER COLONIAL RULE. Edited by Abdul Sheriff and ed Ferguson. Eastern African Studies: London: James Curry, 1991. 278pp. Pb. £9.95. ISBN 0–85255–080–4.

ISLAM ET SOCIETES AU SUD DU SAHARA. Editions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris. No.4, November 1990. ISSN 0084–7685.

TURABI'S REVOLUTION: ISLAM AND POWER IN SUDAN. By Abdelwahab el‐Affendi. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991. xvi + 209pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85640–004–2.

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: STUDIES ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA. By Gerrie Ter Haar. Utrecht: Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1990. 173pp. Pb. DFI. 10.00. ISBN 90–72235–13–4.

THE GUNNY SACK: AFRICA'S ANSWER TO ‘MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN’. By M.G. Vassanji. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 276pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90544–9.

NAVIGATION OF A RAINMAKER: AN APOCALYPTIC VISION OF WAR‐TORN AFRICA. By Jamal Mahjoub. Oxford: Heinemann International, 1989. 184pp. Pb. £4.95; $7.95. ISBN 0–435–90560–0.

Asia.

MUSLIM WOMEN IN INDIA: POLITICAL AND PRIVATE REALITIES. By SHAHIDA Lateef. London: Zed books, 1990. 238pp. Pb. £10.95; $16.95. ISBN 0–86232–955–8.

THE GIFT OF A VIRGIN: WOMEN, MARRIAGE AND RITUAL IN A BENGALI SOCIETY. By Lina M. Fruzzetti. Oxford: OUP, 1990. 178pp. Pb. £3.95. ISBN 0–19–56200–1.

SAINTS, GODDESSES AND KINGS: MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS IN SOUTH INDIAN SOCIETY, 1700–1900. By Susan Bayly. Cambridge: CUP, 1989. 502pp. Hb. £40.00. US$59.50. ISBN 0–521–37201–1.

Europe.

ISLAM IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEXTBOOKS IN EUROPE. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie, 1990. 106pp. Pb. n.p. IBN 3–89108–005–0.

MUSLIM THOUGHTS FOR TEACHERS AND TEXTBOOKS AUTHORS. By Abdoldjavad Falaturi. Köln: Islamische Wissenschaftliche Akademie. 92pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 3–89108–006–9.

RELIGION, STATE AND SOCIETY IN MODERN BRITAIN. Edited by Paul Badham. Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1989. 401pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–88946–832‐X.

POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY. Edited by Metin Hepper and Jacob m. Landau. London & New York: Tauris, 1991. 225pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 1–85043–300–3.

EGYPT AND THE CRISIS OF ISLAM. By Zahia Ragheb Dajani. American University Studies, Series IX, History, Vol.56. New York: Peter Lang, 1990. ix + 255pp. Hb. £29.00. ISBN 0–8204–1060–8.

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM IN EGYPTIAN POLITICS. By Barry Rubin. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1990. 178pp. Hb. £35.00.0 ISBN 0–333–54374–2.

SADAT AND AFTER: STRUGGLES FOR EGYPT'S POLITICAL SOUL. By Raymond William Baker. London: Tauris, 1990. 365pp. Pb. £26.50. ISBN 1–85043–216–3.

A HISTORY OF THE ARAB PEOPLES. By Albert Hourani. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 1991. 551pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–571–13378–9.

TANZIMAT AL‐AHWAL AL‐SHAKSIYYA (PERSONAL STATUS LAW). Limassol: Middle East Council of Churches, 1990.394pp. Pb. n.p. (Arabic).

CAIRO UNIVERSITY AND THE MAKING OF MODERN EGYPT. By Donald Malcolm Reid. Cambridge: CUP, 1990. 296pp. Hb. £32.50; US$54.50. ISBN 0–521–36641–0.

EGYPT UNDER MUBARAK. Edited by CHARLES Tripp and ROGER OWEN. London: Routledge, 1989. 191pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–415–03887–1.

CITIZENS APART: A PORTRAIT OF THE PALESTINIANS IN ISRAEL. By Amina Minns and Nadia Hijab. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 210pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 1–85043–204‐X.

RELIGIOUS RADICALISM AND POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Emmanuel Sivan and Menachem Friedman. New York: State University of New York Press, 1990. 244pp. P.b. $16.95. ISBN 2–7914–0158–8. (Hb), 0–7914–0159–6 (Pb).

VILLES AU LEVANT: HOMMAGE A ANDRE RAYMOND. Edited by Pierre‐Robert Baduel. Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditer‐ranée, no.55/56. Aix‐en‐Provence: Edisud, 1990. 307pp. Pb. FF.160.00. ISBN 2–85744–471–0.

THE NEAR EAST SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. By M.E. Yapp. London and New York: Longman, 1991. 526pp. Pb. £14.95. ISBN 0–582–49499–0.

RECOGNIZING ISLAM: RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST. By M. GILSENAN. London: I.B. Tauris, 1990. 288pp. Pb. £5.95. IBN 1–85043–297‐X.

KUWAIT AND IRAQ: HISTORICAL CLAIMS AND TERRITORIAL DISPUTES. By Richard Schofield. London: Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1991. 134pp. + annexes. Pb. £7.50 + postage. ISBN 0–905031–35–0.

HISTORY AND POLITICS IN ELEVENTH‐CENTURY BAGHDAD. By George Makdisi. Aldershot: Variorum, 1990. I‐IX + addenda and index. Hb. £42.50. ISBN 0–86078–289–1.

EGYPT: MOULIDS, SAINTS, SUFIS. By Nicholaas H. Biegman. London: Kegan Paul International, 1991. 175pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–7103–0415–3.

AN A TO Z OF THE MIDDLE EAST. By Alain Gresh and Dominique Vidal. London: Zed Books, 1990. 262 pp. Pb. £9.95; $15.00. ISBN 0–86232–881–0.

MY JERUSALEM: TWELVE WALKS IN THE WORLD'S HOLIEST CITY. By Teddy Kollek and Shulamith Eisner. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990. 160pp. Hb. £14.95. ISBN 0–297–79697–6.

CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELATIONS.

EARLY EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANITY FROM ITS ORIGINS TO 451 C.E. By C.W. GRIGGS. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1990. 276pp. Hb. DFI.140; U.S.$70. ISBN 90–04–09159–9.

COPTS AND MUSLIMS IN EGYPT: A STUDY ON HARMONY AND HOSTILITY. By S.M. Solihin. Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 1991. 120pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–86037–207–3.

MY NEIGHBOUR IS MUSLIM. A HANDBOOK FOR REFORMED CHURCHES. Edited by John Knox International Reformed Centre, Geneva. Geneva: John Knox International Reformed Centre, 1990. 112pp. Pb. Sfr.10.00, DM12.00, $8.00, FF40.00.

ENCOUNTER BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS. Edited by Evangelisches Missionswerk, EMW. Offprint from Mission Studies. Vol. VIII 1, 15, 1991. 48pp.

ISLAMIC SPAIN 1250–1500. By L.P. Harvey. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990; 369pp. Pb. £31.95, US$45.95. ISBN 0–226–31960–1.

MUSLIMS UNDER LATIN RULE 1100–1300. Edited by James M. Powell. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. 221pp. Hb. £29.95. ISBN 0–691–05586–6.

GOTTES IST DER ORIENT, GOTTES IST DER OKZIDENT: FESTSCHRIFT FÜR ABDOLJAVAD FALATURI ZUM 65. GEBURT‐STAG. Hrsg. Udo Tworuschka. Kölner Veröffentlichungen zur Religionsgeschichte. Bd. 21. Köln, Wien: Böhlau Verlag, 1991. 650pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 3–412–03790–7.     

Social cliques as mental models

The present research investigates how a mental model derived from patterns of sentiment relations (mental clique model) interacts with social background information (membership in social categories). Testing memory for a set of sentiment relations, the data support the assumption that a strongly polarizing categorization interferes with a mental clique model derived from the learning of these sentiment relations. Such interference was claimed to occur whenever sentiment implications from the social categorization would contradict information contained in the mental clique model. In line with this reasoning, balanced triads were selectively impaired in memory as opposed to relations from unbalanced triads which did not allow construction of any clique model and which were not influenced by category interference.     

Foot Motion Character During Forward and Backward Walking With Shoes and Barefoot

Abstract

Backward walking (BW) has been extensively used in athletic training and orthopedic rehabilitation as it may have value for enhancing balance. This study identified the differences in foot intersegment kinematics (forward walking (FW) vs. time-reversed BW) and plantar pressure parameters of 16 healthy habitually shod individuals walking FW and BW using flexible shoes (SH) and under barefoot conditions (BF). BW was found to have shorter stride length (SL) and higher stride frequency (SF) under BF conditions compared with SH, which indicates a better BW gait stability under BF conditions. Decreased HX/FF dorsiflexion at HO in BW induces less plantar aponeurosis tension which may inhibit the windlass mechanism compared to FW walking. Increased forefoot relative to hindfoot (FF/HF) pronation and sequentially hindfoot relative to tibia (HF/TB) eversion combined with medially distributed plantar pressure and a higher plantar contact area in the medial side in BW–BF maybe beneficial in maintaining balance. These results indicate that BW training may be more reliable under BF conditions compared to the SH conditions based on greater sensory information feedback from the plantar area resulting in better biomechanical behavior.     

Inhibited power motivation and persuasive communication: a lens model analysis

The authors tested the hypothesis that after motive arousal, individuals with an inhibited power motive (IPM) would excel at a persuasive task and explored the behavioral strategies IPM individuals use to that purpose. Sixty-eight participants presented their point of view on a controversial subject to another person. Power motivation and inhibition were both assessed by a picture-story test. Prior to their presentation, half of the participants imaginatively explored the ensuing task. The other half was assigned to a no-imagery control condition. Lens model analysis of videotaped presentations revealed that IPM participants in the imagery condition were judged to be the most persuasive of all participants. This interactive effect of power motivation, inhibition, and imagery condition was accounted for by three behavioral cues: verbal fluency, gesturing, and eyebrow lifts. No comparable effects emerged among no-imagery participants.