The influence of high and low cue–action association on prospective memory performance

Recent discoveries in the field of prospective memory (PM) show higher accuracy for remembering intentions in which prospective cue and action are strongly associated. In two experiments presented in this paper, participants encoded both high and low association cue–action pairs and were later tested on both prospective and retrospective PM components. Results of both studies show higher PM accuracy for the low association pairs, compared to high association ones, but only for the prospective component (across both Experiments) and only when a high association cue was presented first (Experiment 2). This finding was accompanied by longer study times for the low association pairs and study times were functionally related to later performance (across both Experiments). In the retrospective component, higher accuracy was observed for pairs with high level of association (but only in the first Experiment). Data are discussed in the context of metacognitive processes possibly related to the encoding of an intention as well as cue monitoring in case of PM tasks with high memory load and varying task difficulty.     

The suppressing effect of chlorpromazine treatment on alimentary-social differentiation in amygdala dogs

Experiments were performed on dogs with bilateral electrolytic damage of dorso-medial amygdala. Before the operation dogs were trained in alimentary-social reward differentiation. It consisted in conditioning of instrumental responses of either right or left foreleg to two different tones respectively. Chlorpromazine was injected intramuscularly in 1,5 mg/kg dose during four consecutive days, beginning at third to fifth week after the operation. Amygdala damage produced significant deterioration of the instrumental performance both reinforced by food and by social-sensory rewards. Chlorpromazine produced further dramatic decrease of performance of both responses. It was concluded that chlorpromazine exerts a suppressing effect on motivated behavior reinforced by positive rewards in amygdala dogs. As the effect of chlorpromazine and medial amygdalar damage are summated it may be suggested that the deficit of medial amygdala neurons impairs similar neurochemical mechanisms, (probably dopaminergic and α-adrenergic transmission) as does chlorpromazine.     

On deontic logic

Some requirements concerning deontic logic are formulated and discussed. Stress is laid on the need to distinguish between theories and deductive systems. It is argued that deontic theories need not be closed under the rule of detachment. Two deontic calculi, called DSC₁, DSC², are presented and talked over.This paper was delivered before the Conference on Practical and Philosophical Motivations of Non-Classical Logics, Toru, August 16, 1979.     

On linear classifications under varying choice probabilities

The paper deals with certain problems connected with the assumption that choice probabilities p_s(x, y) depend on the subject s. A set of postulates is given, which implies the existence of sequences of “classification standards”, i.e., sequences {z_j} such that whenever we have 0 < p_s0(x, z_i) < 1 for some s₀ and i, then p_s(z_i+k, x) = p_s(x, z_i?k) = 1 for all s, and k ≥ 1. Elements of any such sequence {z_j} can serve as boundaries between successive categories of classification based on the following rule: Assign x to jth category if you feel it is “to the right” of z_j and “to the left” of z_j+1. Under the condition stated above this rule is unambiguous, and the resulting classification has the property that every element is assigned to one of the two neighboring categories, regardless who performs the classification.Next, the postulates are enriched so as to imply the existence of “tightest” among such sequences {z_j}, hence leading to a classification with largest number of categories.     

Trzy metody analizy filozoficznej

Niniejsze sprawozdanie jest omówieniem trzech dzieł należących do różnych nurtów. filozofii analitycznej. Bogactwo ujęć składających się na treść tych książek inspiruje do bardziej ogólnych refleksji na temat metod filozofii analitycznej. Refleksjom tym będzie poświęcony końcowy fragment komunikatu, następujący po części sprawozdawczej.