Expediency and human health: The regulation of environmental chromium

The complexity of chromium chemistry makes it an ideal example of how the Principle of Expediency, first articulated by sanitary pioneer Earle Phelps, can be used in a standard setting. Expediency, defined by Phelps as “the attempt to reduce the numerical measure of probable harm, or the logical measure of existing hazard, to the lowest level that is practicable and feasible within the limitations of financial resources and engineering skill”, can take on negative connotations unless subject to ethical guidance. In this paper we argue that without ethical principles as a rubric for negotiating environmental regulations, communities run the risk of slipping from the Principle of Expediency as defined by Phelps to the alternative usage of expediency meaning that which does not reflect ethical consideration or concern beyond self-serving interest. Three ethical ideals—justice, mercy and humility—are suggested as values to be considered while resolving regulatory issues related to environmental protection. The Principle of Expediency serves as a working principle, but not as a rigid algorithm, for setting regulatory limits for environmental concentrations of waste products like chromium. This paper is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the PhD degree by Lauren Bartlett, Duke University, 1997. An earlier version of this paper was presented at a mini-conference, Practicing and Teaching Ethics in Engineering and Computing, held during the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Washington, D.C., March 8–9, 1997. This paper is one of a series edited by Michael C. Loui. See Volume 3, No. 4, 1997 for other papers in this series.     

Moderating influences of hypnotic susceptibility on signal-detection task performance

This study investigated the differential influence of hypnotic susceptibility level on signal detection task (SDT) performance in waking and hypnotic conditions. As assessed by the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS: A) and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS: C), 20 high (9–12), 20 medium (4–8), and 20 low (0–3) hypnotizables participated. In counterbalanced conditions of waking and hypnosis, Ss (Subjects) were given 36 signal detection trials, consisting of 12 strong signals, 12 weak signals, and 12 “no” signals. No differences were observed in the waking condition between low, medium, and high hypnotizables on strong and weak signal trials. In hypnosis, high hypnotizables exhibited significantly superior performance on the strong signal trials in comparison with low hypotizables, and performed significantly better on the weak signal trials than did the low and medium hypnotizables. Low and medium hypnotizables performed similarly in waking and hypnotic conditions, while high hypnotizables showed significant enhancements in performance for strong and weak signal trials during hypnosis. This research was supported, in part, by a grant from Fort Hays State University.     

Cultural Psychotherapy: A Consideration of Psychosocial Class and Cultural Differences in Group Treatment

Most psychotherapists are aware of the many social issues and cultural factors that influence development throughout each individual life. Human nature, being a social nature, exists within relationships to others, the community, and a culture, sometimes a mixture of cultures. One social parameter, social class, redefined here as psychosocial class, has not received the same attention from psychotherapists as gender issues or ethnicity, two other important sociocultural spheres of influence on everyday life. It is suggested that group therapists are in a unique position to develop a cultural psychotherapy that addresses psychosocial class and cultural aspects of mental health. This paper includes a preliminary model of cultural psychotherapy that highlights the psychology of social class and culture for psychodynamic group psychotherapy.     

A generalization of stimulus sampling theory

A modification of stimulus sampling theory is presented. The restriction that each stimulus element is conditioned to one and only one response is replaced with the notion of a scale of conditioning for each element. This variation provides a context in which such variables as reward magnitude and motivation can be viewed as determiners of behavior. Some experimental results on multiple response problems also have a natural interpretation in terms of these ideas.     

Signal recognition as influenced by presentation schedules

Performance in a recognition task involving two amplitudes of the same tone was investigaled over a wide range of presentation schedules. The task was arranged so that there was no trial-to-trial feedback or other information regarding the relative frequencies of the two tones. The hit and false alarm rates (the proportion of “loud” responses to loud and soft stimuli, respectively) on any given trial were strongly influenced by the stimulus and response on the preceding trial. In general, Ss tended to repeat the last response and were more accurate after a stimulus alternation than after a stimulus repetition. In addition, hit and false alarm rates were inversely related to the presentation probability of the loud tone, in contrast to the direct relation typically found in signal detection experiments and in recognition experiments with trial-to-trial feedback. A mathematical model incorporating three processes (memory, comparison, and decision) was shown to give a good account of these data.     

Eyewitness memory for a simulated misdemeanor crime: the role of age and temperament in suggestibility

The timing of misleading questions within an interview (immediate, 7‐week delay) and temperament characteristics as correlates of suggestibility were examined in two experiments. In Experiment 1, 6/7‐year‐olds, 9/10‐year‐olds, and adults were given general‐to‐specific questions at both intervals or misleading questions initially and general‐to‐specific questions at delay. In Experiment 2, 4/5‐year‐olds, 9/10‐year‐olds, and adults were given general‐to‐specific questions at both intervals or general‐to‐specific questions initially and misleading questions at delay. Introducing misleading questions in the initial interview increased suggestibility for peripheral features, whereas suggestibility for central features was found when misleading questions were asked in the delayed interview. Age changes in recall and elaboration for categorical information were found. Some temperament characteristics were associated with age‐related changes in compliance and suggestibility. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Midlife Educational,Career, and Family Outcomes of Women Educated at Two Single-Sex Colleges

We examined midlife educational, career, and family outcomes of women who attended prestigious women's colleges in the 1960s. One college had a coeducational learning environment (CLE), the other was a single-sex environment (SLE). We hypothesized that in CLEs, exposure to men's standards of achievement might have resulted in greater educational and career status outcomes but more discrimination; in SLEs, there might have been fewer opportunities to engage with men intellectually, which could lead to lesser educational and career status outcomes, but the environment might have felt more supportive. Graduates of both colleges were very accomplished 30 years after graduation; however, those who had experienced a CLE reported more sexism and more active involvement in the women's movement than SLE graduates.