Evolutionary debunking arguments against theism,reconsidered

Evolutionary debunking arguments (EDAs) against religious beliefs move from the claim that religious beliefs are caused by off-track processes to the conclusion that said religious beliefs are unjustified and/or false. Prima facie, EDAs commit the genetic fallacy, unduly conflating the context of discovery and the context of justification. In this paper, we first consider whether EDAs necessarily commit the genetic fallacy, and if not, whether modified EDAs (e.g., those that posit falsehood-tracking or perniciously deceptive belief-forming mechanisms) provide successful arguments against theism. Then, we critically evaluate more recent attempts to argue that a more promiscuous evolutionary scepticism renders religious belief unjustified because, unlike commonsense and scientific beliefs, religious beliefs have no way out of such scepticism.     

Graded exposure in vivo in the treatment of pain-related fear: a replicated single-case experimental design in four patients with chronic low back pain

The aim of this investigation was to examine the effectiveness of a graded exposure in vivo treatment with behavioural experiments as compared to usual graded activity in reducing pain-related fears, catastrophising and pain disability in chronic low back pain patients reporting substantial fear of movement/(re)injury. Included in the study were four consecutive CLBP patients who were referred for outpatient behavioural rehabilitation, and who reported substantial fear of movement/(re)injury (Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia score>40). A replicated single-case cross-over design was used. After a no-treatment baseline measurement period, the patients were randomly assigned to one of two interventions. In intervention A, patients received the exposure first, followed by graded activity. In intervention B, the sequence of treatment modules was reversed. Sixty-three daily measures of pain-related cognitions and fears were recorded with visual analogue scales. Before and after the treatment, the following measures were taken: pain-related fear, pain catastrophising, pain control and pain disability. Using time series analysis on the daily measures of pain-related cognitions and fears, we found that improvements only occurred during the graded exposure in vivo, and not during the graded activity, irrespective of the treatment order. Analysis of the pre-post treatment differences also revealed that decreases in pain-related fear concurred with decreases in pain catastrophising and pain disability, and in half of the cases an increase in pain control. This study shows that the external validity of exposure in vivo also extends to the subgroup of chronic low back pain patients who report substantial fear of movement/(re)injury.     

Repressors report fewer intrusions following a laboratory stressor: The role of reduced stressor-relevant concept activation and inhibitory functioning

Abstract

This study investigated whether a repressive coping style is associated with fewer intrusions following an experimentally controlled stressor. Furthermore, we examined whether lower activation of stressor-relevant concepts in long-term memory and better inhibitory functioning may contribute to this association. Extreme-scoring participants on a trait anxiety and a social desirability scale were selected to form repressor (n=35), low anxious (n=15), high anxious (n=30), and defensive (n=21) groups. In line with predictions, repressors reported fewer intrusions following a failure manipulation compared to non-repressors. Furthermore, pre-stressor inhibitory functioning was negatively associated with color-naming interference of stressor-related words. This suggests that overall, higher inhibitory control is related to lower activation of failure-related concepts. However, there was no evidence that concept activation and inhibitory control were responsible for repressors’ lower number of self-reported intrusions.     

The analytic-synthetic distinction and the classical model of science: Kant,Bolzano and Frege

This paper concentrates on some aspects of the history of the analytic-synthetic distinction from Kant to Bolzano and Frege. This history evinces considerable continuity but also some important discontinuities. The analytic-synthetic distinction has to be seen in the first place in relation to a science, i.e. an ordered system of cognition. Looking especially to the place and role of logic it will be argued that Kant, Bolzano and Frege each developed the analytic-synthetic distinction within the same conception of scientific rationality, that is, within the Classical Model of Science: scientific knowledge as cognitio ex principiis. But as we will see, the way the distinction between analytic and synthetic judgments or propositions functions within this model turns out to differ considerably between them.     

Posing for success: Clenching a fist facilitates approach

A clenched fist is a gesture often seen both within and outside sports that seems to communicate success or to function in self-encouragement or the encouragement of others. This “encouragement gesture” involves the contraction of forearm flexors, similar to the grasping action that is part of acquisitive approach actions. This gesture may be part of a physiological feedback mechanism that functions to increase or sustain levels of approach in challenging situations by signaling the sufficiency of resources (muscle strength). Here we show that for pleasant but not unpleasant words, subjects were faster in categorizing words while contracting their forearm flexors rather than their forearm tensors. This effect dissipated during the first minute of performance, which may reflect habituation of interoceptive feedback. The data further suggest that the effect is larger when experimenter and subject are of opposite sexes. The facilitated responding to pleasant stimuli suggests that contraction of the forearm flexors promotes approach.     

Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions in heavy and light drinkers

Implicit and explicit alcohol-related cognitions were measured in 2 dimensions: positive-negative (valence) and arousal-sedation, with 2 versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, & J. L. Schwartz) and related explicit measures. Heavy drinkers (n = 24) strongly associated alcohol with arousal on the arousal IAT (especially men) and scored higher on explicit arousal expectancies than light drinkers (n = 24). On the valence IAT, both light and heavy drinkers showed strong negative implicit associations with alcohol that contrasted with their positive explicit judgments (heavy drinkers were more positive). Implicit and explicit cognitions uniquely contributed to the prediction of 1-month prospective drinking. Heavy drinkers' implicit arousal associations could reflect the sensitized psychomotor-activating response to drug cues, a motivational mechanism hypothesized to underlie the etiology of addictive behaviors.     

Blushing-Fearful Individuals’ Judgmental Biases and Conditional Cognitions: An Internet Inquiry

The present study examines two mechanisms that might explain why blushing-fearful individuals fear blushing: Judgmental biases for blushing in ordinary social situations that usually do not elicit a blush, and negative conditional cognitions about blushing irrespective of situation. A web-based self-report measure, linked to a German internet forum for people with fear of blushing, was completed by a group of high blushing-fearful participants (n = 155) and a low fear group (n = 61). Supporting the idea that cognitive biases are involved in fear of blushing, blushing-fearful participants showed inflated estimates of both the probability and the costs of blushing in these situations. In addition, blushing-fearful individuals were characterized by relatively negative conditional cognitions about blushing.