Directions in generalized quantifier theory

We give a condensed survey of recent research on generalized quantifiers in logic, linguistics and computer science, under the following headings: Logical definability and expressive power, Polyadic quantifiers and linguistic definability, Weak semantics and axiomatizability, Computational semantics, Quantifiers in dynamic settings, Quantifiers and modal logic, Proof theory of generalized quantifiers.This paper was inspired by the symposium on Generalized Quantifiers held at the 5th European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information in Lisbon, August 1993. We feel that the work presented there motivates a survey of recent research areas and research problems in the field of generalized quantifiers. The speakers at the symposium, Natasha Alechina, Jaap van der Does, Lauri Hella, Michal Krynicki, Michiel van Lambalgen, Kerkko Luosto, Marcin Mostowski, and Jouko Väänänen, have cooperated and made (oral and/or written) contributions and comments to this research survey which we gratefully acknowledge, and without which it would not have been written. But it is easier to produce a paper with two authors than with ten, and so the present authors take full responsibility for the final formulation of the paper. In addition, we are grateful for comments received from some further colleagues, in particular, Dorit Ben-Shalom, Makoto Kanazawa, Victor Sanchez, Yde Venema and two anonymous referees.Presented byJan Zygmunt     

Gender Education and the Transformation of Calvinism in the Netherlands, 1870‐1970

Examining from a gender perspective religious education within a prominent branch of Dutch Protestantism, this article investigates the interplay between oppressive and emancipating educational forces. The so‐called Neo‐Calvinists‐‐progressively minded, yet orthodox‐‐sought successfully to update traditional Calvinism and keep it abreast with modern developments from circa 1870 onwards, notably by reforming school, family and youth culture. Notwithstanding Calvinism being traditionally sexist biased, the role of women and girls was becoming more important. Firstly, the article sketches both the influence of Calvinism in the history of the Netherlands and Dutch ‘pillarized’ culture and society between 1880 and 1970, Neo‐Calvinism being one of the main ‘pillars’ within this religiously compartmentalized society. Secondly, it focuses on Neo‐Calvinist gender education and its paradoxical effects.     

Retrograde amnesia and memory reactivation in rats with ibotenate lesions to the hippocampus or subiculum

The retrograde effects of hippocampal lesions on spatial memory were studied. Rats were given a series of 48 place-navigation trials in an open-field water-maze followed, either 3 days or 14 weeks later, by ibotenic acid lesions of the hippocampus (HPC) or subiculum (SUB), or by sham-surgery (SHAM). Two weeks after surgery they were given a retention test without a hidden escape platform. There was a significant decline in performance with time in the SHAM group, but with the 14-week SHAM group performing significantly better than chance levels, whereas both lesioned groups performed at chance at both retention intervals. All rats were then retrained for 24 trials. SHAM rats escaped rapidly within 2 trials, suggesting a reactivation of memory rather than relearning. The HPC groups were severely impaired during retraining, with a developing trend towards better performance in the 3-day group. After 24 trials of training with the escape platform placed in the opposite quadrant of the pool, this new location was learned successfully by SHAM and SUB rats, but not by HPC rats. These results indicate that selective hippocampal formation lesions can cause deficits in retrieval but do not reveal a time-dependent gradient of memory consolidation.     

Mimicking attractive opposite-sex others: the role of romantic relationship status

Based on the recent literature indicating that nonconscious behavioral mimicry is partly goal directed, three studies examined, and supported, the hypothesis that people who are involved in a romantic relationship nonconsciously mimic an attractive opposite-sex other to a lesser extent than people not involved in a relationship. Moreover, Studies 2 and 3 revealed that romantically involved persons tended to mimic an attractive alternative less to the extent that they were more close to their current partner. Finally, Study 3 provided preliminary support for a potential underlying mechanism, revealing that the effect of relationship status on level of mimicry displayed toward an opposite-sex other is mediated by perceived attractiveness of the opposite-sex other. The present findings suggest that behavioral mimicry serves an implicit self-regulatory function in relationship maintenance. Implications for both the literature on relationship maintenance and the literature on behavioral mimicry are discussed.     

Logic and Reasoning: do the facts matter?

Modern logic is undergoing a cognitive turn, side-stepping Frege’s ‘antipsychologism’. Collaborations between logicians and colleagues in more empirical fields are growing, especially in research on reasoning and information update by intelligent agents. We place this border-crossing research in the context of long-standing contacts between logic and empirical facts, since pure normativity has never been a plausible stance. We also discuss what the fall of Frege’s Wall means for a new agenda of logic as a theory of rational agency, and what might then be a viable understanding of ‘psychologism’ as a friend rather than an enemy of logical theory. Edited by Hannes Leitgeb     

Migration Related Socio-cultural Changes and e-Learning in a European Globalising Society

OECD figures (1998–2002) reveal a sharply increasing flow of foreign workers into European countries. Ethnic diversification has become a generalized matter of fact. At the same time, rapidly developing technology and ‘intellectual globalization’ processes—the world wide web—have also become a reality. This complex cluster of changes has an impact on the perceptions of the self and of the other. Multilayered belongings and paradoxical meanings enter into interethnic relations in sometimes most surprising and unpredictable ways from outside of the boundaries of local communities. But the developments also create new and very positive opportunities for education/schooling and social cohesion. The paper critically examines this changing context and also Europe’s educational responses to the new challenges: the European Socrates programme, the initiatives in the field of intercultural citizenship education and the issue of combating deprivation.

Modelling simultaneous games in dynamic logic

We make a proposal for formalizing simultaneous games at the abstraction level of player’s powers, combining ideas from dynamic logic of sequential games and concurrent dynamic logic. We prove completeness for a new system of ‘concurrent game logic’ CDGL with respect to finite non-determined games. We also show how this system raises new mathematical issues, and throws light on branching quantifiers and independence-friendly evaluation games for first-order logic.     

Offside decisions by expert assistant referees in association football: Perception and recall of spatial positions in complex dynamic events

This study investigated the offside decision-making process in association football. The first aim was to capture the specific offside decision-making skills in complex dynamic events. Second, we analyzed the type of errors to investigate the factors leading to incorrect decisions. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; n = 29) and Belgian elite (n = 28) assistant referees (ARs) assessed 64 computer-based offside situations. First, an expertise effect was found. The FIFA ARs assessed the trials more accurately than the Belgian ARs (76.4% vs. 67.5%). Second, regarding the type of error, all ARs clearly tended to raise their flag in doubtful situations. This observation could be explained by a perceptual bias associated with the flash-lag effect. Specifically, attackers were perceived ahead of their actual positions, and this tendency was stronger for the Belgian than for the FIFA ARs (11.0 vs. 8.4 pixels), in particular when the difficulty of the trials increased. Further experimentation is needed to examine whether video- and computer-based decision-making training is effective in improving the decision-making skills of ARs during the game.     

Pre-stressor cognitive control is related to intrusive cognition of a stressful film

It has been suggested that relatively weak cognitive control existing prior to a stressful event may be associated with intrusive memories of that stressor afterwards. We explored this in two analog studies employing unselected participants who saw an emotional film fragment and completed behavioral (i.e., color-naming interference [CNI]) and self-report indices of intrusions. Prior to film presentation, several cognitive control tests were administered. Study 1 showed that better updating/monitoring was linked to less CNI from negative film-related words. However, better updating/monitoring was associated with more diary reports of intrusive memories. Study 2 showed that a better resistance to pro-active interference (PI) predicted less self-reported film-related intrusive cognition after 24h. However, after this delay, both self-reported intrusions and CNI were not related to updating/monitoring. Taken together, the results suggest that a specific pre-existing cognitive control function (i.e., resistance to PI) may be involved in the regulation of post-stressor intrusive memory phenomena.     

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy in the Treatment of Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse

This study investigated the effectiveness of Rational-emotive behavior therapy in the treatment of adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. A sample of 42 women, seeking help for their psychological distress associated with childhood sexual abuse, was selected by means of an assessment interview and the Trauma Sympton Checklist, and randomly assigned to a treatment (n=28) and a delayed treatment control group (n=14). The treatment group participated in 10 weekly sessions of group Rational-emotive behavior therapy and was followed up 8 weeks after termination of treatment. Repeated measurements were obtained by means of the Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Scale, State-Trait Anger Scale, Guilt Inventory, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction. Results indicated significant reductions in depression, State anxiety, State anger, State guilt and low self-esteem. These improvements were maintained at follow-up.