Why do people factor?

This is a very simple explanation of factor analysis primarily for the factorial layman. The interpretation of factors and the comparisons of various factor solutions are illustrated with a hypothetical example so designed that the reader can visualize all the relationships in a two-dimensional graph.     

Storytellers and Scenario Spinners: Some Reflections on Religion and Science in Light of a Pragmatic, Evolutionary Theory of Knowledge

Asserting that both scientists and religious thinkers are involved in telling stories about the past and spinning scenarios about the future, I first compare and contrast the purposes of scientific and religious storytelling. Then, in light of some recent work on brain and language evolution, I offer a possible story about how humans might have become storytellers. Finally, I discuss how religious stories might be evaluated pragmatically and even scientifically by developing Lakatosian-type research programs.     

Response to Commentaries on "The Ketamine Model of the Near-Death Experience ..."

The commentators on my paper raised several interesting issues. Set and setting do influence drug effects, but they also influence near-death experiences (NDEs). Some NDEs are very anxiety-generating, just like some ketamine experiences, though frightening NDEs have been ignored by most researchers. High frequency, compulsive ketamine use is rare. While dimethyltryptamine (DMT) may induce NDEs, this is far from typical, while NDE-like effects are typical of ketamine. Rapidity of onset is not related to the capacity of a drug to induce NDEs. The reality of endopsychosins is doubtful, but the reality of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) blocking mechanisms is not. NDEs and dream sleep may involve similar mechanisms. Altered states of consciousness do not require a normally functioning brain. Finally, I discuss the possible evolutionary advantage of the NDE mechanism.     

Aversive conditioning in the sociopath

Results of two experiments on differential conditioning of the skin conductance (SCR) in sociopaths and normal control subjects are described. In the first experiment it was found that an equal number of sociopaths and control subjects were aware of the conditioning contingency. However, only the normal subjects displayed reliable differential SCR conditioning. Sociopaths showed a dissociation between verbal learning and conditioning of a physiological change. The second experiment examined the differential conditioning of normal subjects and sociopaths in partial remission. The number of aware subjects in the two groups did not differ. Aware subjects in both groups showed differential SCR conditioning. Differential conditioning in sociopaths did not persist over trials as it did in control subjects. A deficiency in ACTH 4–10 as well as neurological dysfunctions were considered possible factors in the etiology of sociopathy. Further research on the relation of neuropeptides to the etiology and treatment of sociopathy is suggested.     

A simple method of factor analysis

A simple method for extracting correlated factors simultaneously is described. The method is based on the idea that the centroid pattern coefficients for the sections of unit rank of the complete matrix may be interpreted as structure values for the entire matrix. Only the routine centroid average process is required.     

Good-Enough Representations in Language Comprehension

People comprehend utterances rapidly and without conscious effort. Traditional theories assume that sentence processing is algorithmic and that meaning is derived compositionally. The language processor is believed to generate representations of the linguistic input that are complete, detailed, and accurate. However, recent findings challenge these assumptions. Investigations of the misinterpretation of both garden-path and passive sentences have yielded support for the idea that the meaning people obtain for a sentence is often not a reflection of its true content. Moreover, incorrect interpretations may persist even after syntactic reanalysis has taken place. Our good-enough approach to language comprehension holds that language processing is sometimes only partial and that semantic representations are often incomplete. Future work will elucidate the conditions under which sentence processing is simply good enough.     

Forming all pairs in a minimal number of steps

How can N individuals in a closed space meet and greet each other most efficiently? This paper presents a general solution to this problem—an algorithm or “dance” that will achieve universal pairing in the least possible number of moves or steps. A proof of the suggested algorithm is included, showing that it guarantees that every two participants will greet each other once and only once, and that no procedure with this property can be accomplished with fewer steps. Slightly different procedures are required for the odd and even cases. The algorithm has been applied in classroom settings, and could be applied in any social setting where the objective is to initiate efficiently a sense of group cohesion and common purpose.     

Social categorization and fit detection under cognitive load: efficient or effortful?

Participants perceived a discussion between members of two social categories in a name‐matching paradigm. Discussions either exhibited inter‐category fit, defined as a covariation of category membership and the category members' attitude positions, or not. Orthogonally, there was cognitive load at encoding, load at retrieval, or no concurrent load. Memory for the statements and memory for the speaker of a statement were affected by load with little evidence for fit effects. Conversely, category memory, reconstructive category guessing and perceived fit were affected by inter‐category fit with little evidence for load effects. The results suggest that category activation is sensitive to inter‐category fit and that fit detection is robust against moderate amounts of cognitive load. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.