On the Exclusivity Implicature of ‘Or’ or on the Meaning of Eating Strawberries

This paper is a contribution to the program of constructing formal representations of pragmatic aspects of human reasoning. We propose a formalization within the framework of Adaptive Logics of the exclusivity implicature governing the connective ‘or’.Keywords: exclusivity implicature, Adaptive Logics.     

Social competence in children of alcoholic parents over time

In the current study, the authors tested the hypothesis that children of alcoholic parents (COAs) show deficits in social competence that begin in early childhood and escalate through middle adolescence. Teachers, parents, and children reported on the social competence of COAs and matched controls in a community sample assessed from ages 6 to 15. Hierarchical linear growth models revealed different patterns of change in social competence across development as a function of the reporter of various indicators of competence. Moreover, female COAs showed deficits in social competence in early childhood that receded in adolescence and that varied across subtypes of parent alcoholism. Implications of these findings for understanding the development of social competence in children, and at-risk children in particular, are discussed.     

Psychological status and levels of sleepiness-alertness among patients with insomnia

Are symptoms of daytime sleepiness relevant among patients with insomnia? Patients with insomnia frequently report daytime consequences secondary to their difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of daytime sleepiness as defined by a self-reported measure of daytime sleepiness (the Epworth Sleepiness Scale). In addition, the study characterized the patients' psychological status using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The study corroborated a relatively high frequency of excessive daytime sleepiness and psychiatric conditions among patients with insomnia. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest variation in psychological distress levels, according to the different levels of sleepiness/alertness.     

Effects of Game Type on Children's Gender-Based Peer Preferences: A Naturalistic Observational Study

Children's propensity for interacting with peersof their own gender is a robust phenomenon, evidentacross many contexts. This study investigated howchildren's gender-based peer preferences varied as a function of a contextual variable —type of children's game. Using naturalisticobservations, 242 first- to third-graders (identicalnumbers of boys and girls, mostly White andmiddle-class) were observed playing two games that varied in theirphysicality and competitiveness; games were structuredto have equal numbers of boys and girls available asplaymates. As predicted, boys and girls interactedsignificantly more with same-sex than other-sex peers. Ourprediction of a game-type effect was partiallysupported: in the more competitive and physical game,boys chose same-sex playmates significantly more oftenthan in the less competitive/physical game, butgirls' same-sex peer preference did not vary across thegames. The findings provide further support for thenecessity of investigating social context as aninfluence on children's own-sex favoritism.     

Earman on Underdetermination and Empirical Indistinguishability

Earman (1993) distinguishes three notions of empirical indistinguishability and offers a rigorous framework to investigate how each of these notions relates to the problem of underdetermination of theory choice. He uses some of the results obtained in this framework to argue for a version of scientific anti- realism. In the present paper we first criticize Earman's arguments for that position. Secondly, we propose and motivate a modification of Earman's framework and establish several results concerning some of the notions of indistinguishability in this modified framework. Finally, we interpret these results in the light of the realism/anti- realism debate. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Aspects of body image perception in obese and normal-weight youngsters

Perceptual and projective aspects of body image in obese youngsters (not in psychological treatment) and normal-weight youngsters 8–9 years of age and 12–13 years of age were investigated. The results indicate that perceptual distortions in estimating various body dimensions of oneself are primarily a function of age rather than weight status. The accuracy of estimating the weight of peers and an adult showed an association with the sex of the subject. No group differences were found in terms of projective aspects of body image as measured by barrier and penetration responses. This study suggests that obese youngsters in the middle childhood and entering puberty periods in comparison to normal-weight youngsters of the same age do not manifest differences in perceptual factors of body image.     

Perceptual independence of the hemifields in children and adults

Second graders, fifth graders, and college students were shown words and letters under conditions designed to assess the extent to which stimuli presented to one hemifield and consequently one hemisphere are affected by stimuli projected to the other hemifield. Hemifield, and by implication, hemispheric independence was more likely to occur for letters and among the children, and in each case hemifield asymmetries in performance were also less pronounced. These results were discussed in terms of developmental models of perceptual asymmetry and hemispheric interaction.     

Interrelationships of personality and coping in a challenging extreme situation

The relationship between personality characteristics, daily stressors, and means of coping were studied in a 12-person Soviet-American expedition ateamconsisting of Caucasian and Eskimo men and women. The members scored relatively high on scales measuring well-being, achievement orientation, and traditionalism and scored relatively low on stress reactivity. The use of social support as a coping mechanism was positively related to high stress reactivity, control, and negative emotionality and negatively related to well-being. Negative emotionality was related to ratings of daily intrapersonal stressor. Discussion centered on the function of social support in an extreme, task-focused situation and the relationship of social support coping in this particular type of situation to maladaptive personality characteristics.