A Lay Perspective on the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony1

To understand more about what laypeople think they “know” about eyewitness testimony, 276 jury-eligible university students were asked to indicate what factors they believe affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. In contrast to the large proportion of eyewitness-memory research that concerns system variables, the lay respondents overwhelmingly generated factors related to estimator variables, while system-variable factors such as police questioning and identification procedures were rarely mentioned. Respondents also reported that their own common sense and everyday life experiences were their most important sources of information about the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Not only do these results clarify the need for further research on the lay perspective of eyewitness testimony, but they also provide some insight into the way in which many jurors might approach cases involving eyewitness evidence.     

Boltzmann and Epistemology

Synthese - This paper is an attempt to clarify why Ludwig Boltzmann from about 1895 to 1905 seemed to adopt a series of extreme epistemological positions, ranging from phenomenalism to pragmatism,...     

Book reviews

Classical Probability in the Enlightenment. LORRAINE DASTON, 1988. Princeton, Princeton University Press. xviii + 423 pp., US$19.95 (paperback). ISBN 0–691–08497–1, 0–691–00644‐X (paperback)

Following Form and Function: a Philosophical Archaeology of Life Science. STEPHEN T. ASMA, 1996. Evanston, IL, Northwestern University Press. xiii + 232 pp., price not available

Concepts and Methods in Evolutionary Biology. ROBERT N. BRANDON, 1996. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. xiv+221 pp., $US59.95 (hardback), $Can 27.50 (paperback). ISBN 0–521–49545–9 (hardback), 0–521–49888–0 (paperback)

The Completeness of Scientific Theories: on the Derivation of Empirical Indicators within a Theoretical Framework: the Case of Physical Geometry. The University of Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science, Volume 53. MARTIN CARRIER, 1994. Dordrecht, Kluwer. xviii + 248 pp., price not available. ISBN 0–7923–24757 (hardback)

The Philosophy and History of Molecular Biology: New Perspectives. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Volume 183. SAHOTRA SARKAR (Ed.), 1996. Dordrecht, Kluwer. 264 pp., $US127. ISBN 0–7923–3947–9

Awareness: What it is, What it does. CHRIS NUNN, 1996. London and New York, Routledge. price not available. ISBN 0–415–13227–4     

Indigenous Psychologies: The Meaning of the Concept and its Assessment: Introduction

La signification des concepts de psychologie indigoène et d'indigoénisation, les processus par lesquels ils se réalisent, est exploré dans les quatres premiers articles de ce numéro spécial. Les concepts sont examinés tout d' abord à partir des perspectives plus larges de la psychologie sociale des sciences (Adair) et la psychologie interculturelle (Poortinga), ainsi que dans deux applications concrètes des approches de psychologie indignée au Mexique (Díaz-Loving) et en Corée (Kim, Park, et Park). Dans la seconde partie, trois articles rendent compte des recherches empiriques évaluant l'ampleur du développement indignée en Turquie, ex-URSS, au Venezuela, et Porto-Rico. Cette introduction au numéro spécial résume quelques uns des points communs et des différences dans les contributions.
The meaning of the concepts of indigenous psychologies and of indigenisation, the process by which they are achieved, are explored within the first four articles of this special issue. The concepts are examined initially in the abstract from the broader perspectives of the social psychology of science (Adair) and cross-cultural psychology (Poortinga), and in two concrete applications of indigenous psychology approaches in Mexico (Díaz-Loving) and Korea (Kim, Park, & Park). In the second part of this special issue, three articles report on empirical research assessing the extent of indigenous development that has occurred in Turkey, the former USSR, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. This introduction summarises some of the commonalities and differences among the contributions.     

COMPETITION BETWEEN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF ESCAPE BEHAVIOR

We compared the effects of reinforcing compliance with either positive reinforcement (edible items) or negative reinforcement (a break) on 5 participants' escape-maintained problem behavior. Both procedures were assessed with or without extinction. Results showed that compliance was higher and problem behavior was lower for all participants when compliance produced an edible item rather than a break. Treatment gains were achieved without the use of extinction. Results are discussed regarding the use of positive reinforcement to treat escape behavior.