The Motivational Roots of Norms for Environmentally Responsible Behavior

We assessed whether people use a magnitude-matching principle in determining causes for complex social events. We hypothesized that individuals tend to favor causal explanations that match the event in terms of size and scope. In Experiment 1, the magnitude of the consequences of events was manipulated, and participants were presented with two potential causes of modest magnitude and two potential causes of high magnitude. Analyses revealed a relative magnitude-matching effect such that participants were more likely to select high magnitude causes for large magnitude events than modest magnitude events and more likely to select modest magnitude causes for modest magnitude events than large magnitude events. Experiment 2 replicated the magnitude-matching effect with a different event and set of causes, and demonstrated that this effect could be reversed by undermining participants' beliefs in the magnitude-matching principle.     

Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Fraction Multiplication

The present study contrasts mathematical knowledge that two sixth-grade teachers apparently used when teaching fraction multiplication with the Connected Mathematics Project materials. The analysis concentrated on those tasks from the materials that use drawings to represent fractions as length or area quantities. Examining the two teachers' explanations and responses to their students' reasoning over extended sequences of lessons led to a theoretical frame that emphasizes relationships between teachers' unit structures and pedagogical purposes for using drawings. In particular, the present study builds on the distinction made in past research between reasoning with two and with three levels of quantitative units and demonstrates that reasoning with three levels of units is necessary but insufficient if teachers are to use students' reasoning with units as the basis for constructing generalized numeric methods for fraction arithmetic. Teachers need also to assemble three-level unit structures with flexibility supported by drawn versions of the distributive property.     

Memory for a staged criminal event witnessed live and on video

Memory for a staged robbery was tested in two groups of participants witnessing the event either live (n = 62) or on video (n = 64). Immediately after the event participants filled out a questionnaire probing memory with emphasis on the timing of the event and robber characteristics. The results showed that participants who watched a video recording of the event reported more details and with a higher accuracy than participants who were present on the scene, but the pattern of memory errors were similar in the two conditions. It is concluded that laboratory experiments may overestimate the memory of eyewitnesses but are otherwise able to simulate essential aspects of memory performance in naturalistic contexts.     

Insight problems revisited: The influence of cognitive styles and experience on creative problem solving

The joint influence of cognitive style and prior experience on creative problem solving was examined using the Two‐String and the Hatrack insight problems. The study involved 44 male and 43 female Norwegian students aged 17 to 21 years. In three out of four cases the results supported the hypothesis that there is a joint effect between assimilative and explorative strategy preferences and degree of experience in their influence on performance. Explorers mainly performed better when prior experience was low (high task novelty) and assimilators mainly performed better when prior experience was high (low novelty). However, this pattern was reversed for females on the Hatrack problem. There was also a significant curvilinear relationship between experience and the composite problem‐solving score. Implications for theories on the role of experience in creative problem solving as well as limitations of this study are discussed.     

Made to Symbolize: Intentionality and Children's Early Understanding of Symbols

Rakison and Yermolayeva (this issue) argue that domain specificity is difficult to reconcile with U-, N-, or M-shaped developmental trends. They are justified because: 1) There is no compelling evidence that nonlinear trends require mechanisms beyond general, well-known cognitive processes; and 2) epigenetic neuroscience provides no clear evidence of strong domain-specialized representations. Evidence implies pervasive weak (i.e., experience dependent) neural specialization for different kinds of information.     

Trauma-Related Negative Cognitions Mediate the Relationship Between Avoidant Personality Beliefs and Impeded Response to Psychotherapy for PTSD

There is strong research evidence for the association of personality pathology and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as trauma-related negative cognitions (TRNC) and PTSD symptoms. However, the relationship between personality pathology and TRNC in the context of PTSD is mostly unknown. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether avoidant and borderline personality beliefs (PB, indicator of personality pathology) could predict therapy outcome in PTSD, and whether the relationship between PB and therapy outcome could be mediated by TRNC. Sixty patients with PTSD were assessed for PB, TRNC and PTSD symptoms at baseline, and for PTSD symptoms at the termination of Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Baseline avoidant PB predicted significant variance in PTSD symptoms at termination over and above baseline PTSD symptoms (16% reduction in treatment effect per SD on avoidant PB). Moreover, TRNC at baseline fully mediated the relationships between baseline avoidant PB and PTSD symptoms at termination. This is the first study to show that avoidant PB predicts treatment response in PTSD, and that patients with avoidant beliefs are more vulnerable to have TRNC, which are associated with impeded therapy response. Our results highlight the importance of targeting both dysfunctional PB and TRNC in PTSD interventions.     

Book reviews and notes

THE RUSHDIE FILE. By L. Appignanesi and S. Maitland. London: Fourth Estate, 1989. 258pp. £5.95. ISBN 0–947795–84–7.

BE CAREFUL WITH MUHAMMAD! — THE SALMAN RUSHDIE AFFAIR. By S.Akhtar. London: Bellew, 1989. 136pp. £6.95. ISBN 0–947792–27–9.

A SATANIC AFFAIR: SALMAN RUSHDIE AND THE RAGE OF ISLAM. By M. Ruthven. London: Chatto & Windus, 1990. 184pp. £14.95. ISBN 0–7011–3591–3.

LES NOMS DIVINS EN ISLAM. By Daniel Gimaret. Collection Patrimoines. Paris: Cerf, 1988. 448pp. FF295.00. ISBN 2–204–02828–2.

DIE FESTUNG DES GLAUBENS: TRIUMPH UND SCHEITERN DES ISLAMISCHEN RATIONALISMUS IM 11. JAHRHUNDERT. By Tilman Nagel. München: Beck, 1988. 423pp. Hardback, DM94.00. ISBN 3–406–33280–3.

ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY FOUNDATIONS. Edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987. 450pp. Hardback, £39.50. ISBN 0–7102–1097–3.

ALLÄH TRANSCENDENT: STUDIES IN THE STRUCTURE AND SEMIOTICS OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY, THEOLOGY AND COSMOLOGY. By Ian Richard Netton. London and New York: Routlege, 1989. xiii + 383pp. Hardback, £45.00. ISBN Hb. 0–415–01893–5.

MUSLIM PREACHER IN THE MODERN WORLD. By Richard T. Antoun. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989. 289pp. Hardback, $49.50; paperback, £15.95. ISBN Hb. 0–691–09441–1; Pb. 0–691–02847.

DISCOVERING ISLAM: MAKING SENSE OF MUSLIM HISTORY AND SOCIETY. By Akbar S. Ahmed. London: Routledge, 1988. 251pp. Hardback £25.00; paperback £9.95. ISBN Hb. 0–7102–1049–3; pb. 0–415–03930–4.

OUVERTURES SUR L'ISLAM. (New Perspectives on Islam). By Mohammad Arkoun. Paris: Jacques Grancher, 1989. 189pp. FF69.00. ISSN 0993–5754.

AL MUWATTA OF IMAM MALIK IBN ANAS: THE FIRST FORMULATION OF ISLAMIC LAW. Translated by Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley. London: Kegan Paul International, 1989. xxxvii + 464pp. ISBN 07103–0351–0.

ARAB HISTORY AND THE NATION‐STATE: A STUDY IN MODERN ARAB HISTORIOGRAPHY 1820–1980. By Youssef M. Choueiri. London: Routledge, 1989. 238pp. Hardback, n.p. ISBN 0–415–13113–3.

ÇABRA HACHMA: SEXUALTTE ET TRADITION. By Lilia Labidi. Tunis: Dar Annawras, 1989. 427pp. FF130.00. ISBN 9–973–733–00–2.

THE ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK: A CASE STUDY OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION. By S.A. Meenai. London: Kegan Paul International, 1989. xii + 226pp. Hardback, £65.00. ISBN 0–7103–0329–7.

THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF JUSTICE: LAW AS CULTURE IN ISLAMIC SOCIETY. By Lawrence Rosen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 101pp. Paperback, £7.50. ISBN 0–521–36740–9.

THE QUR’ Än IN ISLAM: ITS IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ON THE LIFE OF MUSLIMS. By ‘Allämah Sayyid M. H. Tabätabä'i. London: Zahra Publications, 1987. 118pp. n.p. ISBN 0–7103–0266–5.

JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE AS EXPOUNDED IN THE QUR’ ÄN. By SHAYKH FADHLALLA HAERI. London: KPI and Zahra Publications, 1985.102pp. Hardback £15.00. ISBN 0–7103–0149–9.

THE CIRCLING SONG. By N. El Saadawi. London: Zed Books, 1989. 88pp. Hardback, £7.95; paperback, £3.95. ISBN Hb. 0–86232–816–0; Pb. 0–86232–817–9.

MYSTICAL ISLAM: AN INTRODUCTION TO SUFISM. By J. baldick. London: I.B. Tauris, 1989. 192pp. Hardback, £24.95. ISBN 1–85043–137X.

THE MUSLIM CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF NORTH AFRICA AND SPAIN. By A. D. Taha. London: Routledge, 1989. 280pp. Hardback, £49.50. ISBN 0–415–00474–8.

WA AND THE WALA: ISLAM AND POLITY IN NORTHWESTERN GHANA. By I. Wilks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 256pp. Hardback, £27.50. ISBN 0–521–36210–5.

LIBYA, CHAD AND THE CENTRAL SAHARA. By John Wright. London: Hurst, 1989. 168pp. Hardback, £23.00. ISBN 1–85065–050–0.

PRELUDE TO THE MAHDIYYA: PEASANTS AND TRADERS IN THE SHENDI REGION. By A. Bj?rkelo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. 192pp. Hardback £25.00. ISBN 0–521–35336‐X.

RELIGION IN CALABAR: THE RELIGIOUS LIFE AND HISTORY OF A NIGERIAN TOWN. By R. I. J. Hackett. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1989. 481pp. DM158.00. ISBN 0–89925–394–6.

FRANCE AND ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA, 1860–1960. By Christopher Harrison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 242pp. £25.00. ISBN 0–521‐ 35230–4.

ROOTS OF NORTH INDIAN SHT'ISM IN IRAN AND IRAQ: RELIGION AND STATE IN AWADH 1722–1859. By J. R. I. COLE. Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies, vol. 6. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988. xiv + 32pp. $38.00. ISBN 0–520–05641–8.

ISLAM IN ASIA: RELIGION, POLITICS AND SOCIETY. By John L. Esposito. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. 272pp. n.p. ISBN 0–19–504082–3.

THE CRESCENT IN THE EAST: ISLAM IN ASIA MAJOR. Edited by Raphael Israeli. London: Curzon Press, 1989 (rpt. of the first ed.: Curzon Press, 1981). 245pp. £6.75. ISBN O‐7007–0219–9. In the USA: Riverdale, MD 20737: The Riverdale Company, 1989. ISBN 0–913215–45–7.

THE POLITICS OF COMMUNITY: THE BANGLADESHI COMMUNITY IN EAST LONDON. By John Eade. London: Gower, 1989. xii + 213pp. Hardback, £24.00. ISBN 0–566–05717–4.

THE SOVIET EMPIRE: ITS NATIONS SPEAK OUT. By OLEG GLEBOV and JOHN CROWFOOT. Chur: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1989. 189pp. n.p. Pb. ISBN 3–7186–5017–7; Hb. ISBN 3–7186–5000–2.

THE TURBAN FOR THE CROWN: THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN IRAN. By Arjoman Said Amir. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 283pp. $21.95. ISBN 0–19–504257–5.

LAW OF DESIRE: TEMPORARY MARRIAGE IN SHII IRAN. By Shahla Haeri. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1989. 256pp. Paperback $14.95. ISBN 0–8156–2483–2.

PALESTINE AND ISRAEL: THE UPRISING AND BEYOND. By David Mcdowall. London: I.B.Tauris, 1989. xiii + 322pp. Hardback, £14.95. ISBN 1–85043–131–0

RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN MODERN TURKEY: THE CASE OF BEDIÜZZAMAN SAID NURSI. By Serif Mardin. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989. 267pp. Hardback, n.p. ISBN 0–88706–996–7.

ISLAM, THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE: ESSAYS ON POLITICAL IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Sami Zubaida. London: Routledge, 1989. 192pp. Hardback, £27.95. ISBN 0–415–01277–5.

ENCOUNTER IN THE SPIRIT: MUSLIM‐CHRISTIAN MEETINGS IN BIRMINGHAM. By A. WINGATE. Risk Book Series, no. 29. Geneva: WCC Publications: 1988. 86pp. £3.50. ISBN 2–8254–0944–8.

MEETING IN FAITH. Compiled by Stuart E. Brown. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1989. 181pp. £6.50. ISBN 2–8524–0949–9.

A TREATISE ON THE UNITY AND TRINITY OF GOD BY Israel of Kashkar. (d.872). By B. HOLMBERG. Lund: Plus Ultra, 1989. 290 pp. n.p. ISBN 99–86668–28–5.

WELTRELIGIONEN UND FRIEDENSERZIEHUNG: WEGE ZUR TOLERANZ: SCHWERPUNKT: CHRISTENTUN‐ISLAM. Edited by J. LÄHNEMANN. Hamburg: EB‐Verlag Rissen, 1989. 450pp. DM42.00. ISBN‐3–923002–47–5.     

Localization of visceral pain and other sensations before and after anesthesia

The localization of sensations in sense organs that developed ontogenetically from the ectoderm layer, like vision, hearing, and skin, is much more precise than sensations inside the body, like pain in the chest or viscera, which are produced by receptors developed from the entoderm layer. Pain on the surface of the skin is much more sharply localized than is pain in the viscera. Personal experiences of pain sensations produced by an obstruction in the colon and the effects of anesthesia are described. It became evident that anesthesia can influence the activity of the vestibular organ for many days.     

Apparent image rotation in stereoscopic vision: The unbalance of the pupils

In binocular vision the apparent rotation of an object relative to the frontal plane seldom corresponds with the actual rotation. The reason for this is a difference in the brightness of the object in both eyes. It can be produced by a difference in the pupil size, adaptation, or sensitivity. One of the purposes of the pupils seems to be to compensate for this brightness unbalance and to make the apparent rotation come closer to the actual one. Unbalance was produced by placing a density filter before one eye, and the corresponding rotations were then measured. The rotations are affected by the irradiation in the eye, as a physical component, but also by the lateral inhibition in the visual nervous system. If the object and the background have a different color but there is no brightness difference on the edges of the object, there is no distorted rotation.