A Cognitive Theory of Graphical and Linguistic Reasoning: Logic and Implementation

We discuss external and internal graphical and linguistic representational systems. We argue that a cognitive theory of peoples' reasoning performance must account for (a) the logical equivalence of inferences expressed in graphical and linguistic form, and (b) the implementational differences that affect facility of inference. Our theory proposes that graphical representation limit abstraction and thereby aid “processibility”. We discuss the ideas of specificity and abstraction, and their cognitive relevance. Empirical support both comes from tasks which involve the manipulation of external graphics and tasks that do not. For the former, we take Euler's (1772) circles, provide a novel computational reconstruction, show how it captures abstractions, and contrast it with earlier construals and with Johnson-Laird's (1983) mental models representations. We demonstrate equivalence of the graphical Euler system, and the nongraphical mental models system. For tasks not involving manipulation of external graphics, we discuss text comprehension, and the mental performance of syllogisms. By positing an internal system with the same specificity as Euler's circles, we cover the mental models data, and generate new empirical predictions. Finally, we consider how the architecture of working memory explains why such specific representations are relatively easy to store.     

Involving Police Departments in Early Awareness of Concussion Symptoms during Domestic Violence Calls

ABSTRACT

Police officers around the world respond to and investigate calls regarding domestic violence (DV) daily. Police departments operate with standard protocols, particularly when engaging in investigations that involve allegations of strangulation or sexual assault. Operating under advisement of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Mesa Police Department (Mesa, AZ) has established protocols for detecting, recording, and prosecuting DV cases that involve strangulation and sexual assault. Allegations of strangulation (defined as impeded breathing) or sexual assault prompt officers to offer a forensic nursing exam (FNE) combined with strangulation treatment by forensic nurses at the Mesa Family Advocacy Center. Recognizing the potential for head injury to the assault victim in all DV situations, including intimate partner violence (IPV), the police department has added concussion-awareness training, as well as a point-of-incident investigative tool for its officers to record neurological function of the victim. Officers were instructed to use the ConQVerge device to measure and record the Near Point of Convergence (NPC) as a test of neurological impairment in suspected head injuries. In this article, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for assisting victims of DV strangulation and sexual assault (including non-DV sexual assault) with on-site assessment and consent for further medical assessment and treatment. Additionally, rates of domestic assault victims that report a crime, but decline to follow through with forensic medical tests, are reported for the first time. Lessons learned from the project that inform strategic operations in this space are offered to other agencies prior to the implementation of similar procedures.     

Exploring the Relationship between Effective Parenting,Self-Control,and Adherence to the Police Code of Silence

ABSTRACT

Prior research has established that low self-control is significantly related to negative police behavior, but no known study has investigated the development of self-control in those individuals who become police officers, and its subsequent relationship to police misconduct. To that end, structural equation modeling is used to test the theoretical causal sequence linking effective parenting, self-control, and adherence to the police code of silence among a multi-agency sample of 1,072 police recruits. Though our data offer some support for the parental management hypothesis and for the relationship between low self-control and deviance, the results demonstrate that these propositions are not as clear-cut as theoretically presented. This study offers insight into these complicated relationships and the findings yield important policy implications for police administrators.