Electrophysiological correlates of dispositional mindfulness: A quantitative and complexity EEG study

While growing evidence supports that dispositional mindfulness relates to psychological health and cognitive enhancement, to date there have been only a few attempts to characterize its neural underpinnings. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the electrophysiological (EEG) signature of dispositional mindfulness using quantitative and complexity measures of EEG during resting state and while performing a learning task. Hundred twenty participants were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and underwent 5 min eyes-closed resting state and 5 min at task EEG recording. We hypothesized that high mindfulness individuals would show patterns of brain activity related to (a) lower involvement of the default mode network (DMN) at rest (reduced frontal gamma power) and (b) a state of ‘task readiness’ reflected in a more similar pattern from rest to task (reduced overall q-EEG power at rest but not at task), as compared to their low mindfulness counterparts. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly linked to reduced frontal gamma power at rest and lower overall power during rest but not at task. In addition, we found a trend towards higher entropy during task performance in mindful individuals, which has recently been reported during mindfulness meditation. Altogether, our results add to those from expert meditators to show that high (dispositional) mindfulness seems to have a specific electrophysiological pattern characteristic of less involvement of the DMN and mind-wandering processes.     

Why talk about sin? Luther's understanding of sin and hopeful sin-talk in the 21st century

For Luther talking about sin and the sinful nature of human beings has a strong pastoral significance. His emphasis on the “bondage” of the human will is tightly connected to his insistence on the human sinful condition, and our inability to choose to be or not to be held captive by sin. My conclusion is that it is indeed important to continue to talk about sin if the Christian discourse about God's forgiveness and grace is to make sense. Furthermore, I believe Luther's understanding of sin as misplaced trust, the distinction he makes between sin and sins, and his idea of a justified sinner can indeed make a significant contribution to a hopeful sin-talk within Christian communities today. It is, however, necessary to pay attention to Luther's historical context and to reevaluate his understanding of human nature and human sinfulness from a feminist critical perspective. The sin-concept has gradually been losing its relevance within Christian communities. Therefore the question: why should we continue to talk about sin? The aim of this article is to explore Luther's understanding of sin and human sinfulness, in order to find out if, and then how, he might prove helpful when it comes to the interpretation of the concept of sin in the 21st century. The focus is on Luther's pastoral writings in The Small and The Large Catechism (1529), together with his Smalcald Articles (1537).     

Family functioning within the context of families with adolescent children in urban India

Research on family functioning within given cultural contexts is needed. This study aims to describe salient dimensions of family functioning in two urban contexts in India and to examine differences in family functioning by sociodemographic groups. We measured differences in family functioning using cross-sectional survey questionnaire data collected from 13 to 15-year-old adolescents and one of their parents/primary caregivers in Mumbai (n = 843) and Kolkata (n = 913) during 2019–2020. We drew a multi-stage sample representative of neighborhoods and households in both cities. We assessed a multi-dimensional family functioning latent factor that included parent-reported measures (parent–adolescent communication, family cohesion, and parent monitoring of peers) and adolescent-reported measures (parent support, family cohesion, and parent supervision). Our results support an overall measure of family functioning manifested by multiple dimensions for parent- and adolescent-reported data. Families with male adolescents had worse adolescent-reported family functioning in Mumbai and parent-reported family functioning in Kolkata. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with better parent-reported family functioning in both cities and better adolescent-reported family functioning in Kolkata. Muslim religious identification in Kolkata and the Hindi native language in both cities were associated with better adolescent-reported family functioning. Our findings indicate heterogeneity in family functioning across demographic and social-cultural groups within the two urban contexts of India. This study may inform the development of culturally congruent prevention interventions for families with adolescents in India.     

Medical or relational language? Problem and goal formulation in family therapy with adolescents conducted in a psychiatric outpatient setting

The constructionist view assumes that therapy participants' maps of understanding depend on the institutional context and their personal perspectives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the initial maps of difficulties reported by family members starting family therapy. 106 families that were referred to a psychiatric institution for outpatient family therapy were asked open-ended questions regarding the context of the referral, and goal and problem formulation for the therapy. The data were analysed via the consensual qualitative research-modified (CQR-M) method, and comparisons between groups were performed. The obtained results show a diversity of perspectives. Of interest was the predominance of medical language in describing the problem and relational language in describing the goal of therapy. An analysis of differences between mothers, fathers, adolescent patient and their siblings was also performed. The findings highlight the complexity of notions that families start family therapy with and may help therapists navigate through the therapeutic contract formulation process.     

Logical Truth and Tarskian Logical Truth

This paper examines the question of the extensional correctness of Tarskian definitions of logical truth and logical consequence. I identify a few different informal properties which are necessary for a sentence to be an informal logical truth and look at whether they are necessary properties of Tarskian logical truths. I examine arguments by John Etchemendy and Vann McGee to the effect that some of those properties are not necessary properties of some Tarskian logical truths, and find them unconvincing. I stress the point that since the hypothesis that Tarski's definitions are extensionally correct is deeply entrenched, the burden of proof is still on the shoulders of Tarski's critics, who have not lifted the burden. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The brief Reasons for Living Inventory for adolescents (BRFL-A)

This study modified and evaluated the psychometric properties of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) in samples of adolescents. Internal consistency reliability, corrected item-total scale correlation, and exploratory factor analysis procedures were used with a mixed sample of 260 adolescents to identify 14 items for the brief version of the RFL (BRFL-A). Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the five-factor oblique structure of the BRFL-A in a psychiatric inpatient sample with a range of suicidal behaviors. Reliabilities of the BRFL-A subscales were satisfactory. Four of the five subscales differentiated between suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents. Significant correlations were found between three BRFL-A subscales and several suicide indices. Convergent-discriminant validity was examined by correlating the BRFL-A subscales with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescents (MMPI-A) Content Scales. Limitations of the study are discussed.This study was supported in part by a Project Grant from the Graduate College, The University of Northern Iowa.     

The diversity principle in the testing of arguments

According to the diversity principle of scientific reasoning, hypotheses receive greater confirmation when they are supported by diverse rather than similar sets of data. This article examines whether people reason like intuitive scientists by conforming to the diversity principle in the testing of arguments. The results of two experiments demonstrate that people do indeed conform to the diversity principle by choosing a set of diverse rather than similar premises to test the conclusion of an argument. These findings are discussed in terms of the different reasoning processes involved in argument evaluation, argument testing, and rule discovery.     

Problem syntezy sieci w logice progowej. I

Tre??: Wst?p. Cz??? pierwsza: Synteza sieci zbudowanych na elementach doprogowych. Rozdzia? I. Synteza sieci zbudowanych na elementach doprogowych w algebrze Boole'a: 1. Klasa elementów doprogowych. 2. Metoda Lindemana syntezy sieci. Rozdzia? II. Synteza sieci w logice doprogowej. 3. Aksjomatyka logiki doprogowej. 4. Podstawowe twierdzenia logiki doprogowej. 5. Zasadnicze twierdzenie logiki doprogowej. 6. Metody syntezy sieci w logice doprogowej. Cz??? druga: Synteza sieci zbudowanych na ogólnych elementach progowych. Rozdzia? I. Interpretacja geometryczna elementów progowych i funkcji algebry logiki: 1. Definicje i twierdzenia pomocnicze. 2. Interpretacja geometryczna ogólnych elementów progowych. 3. Definicje elementówn-wymiarowej kostki. 4. Interpretacja geometryczna funkcji algebry logiki. Rozdzia? II. Synteza siec_i jednego elementu progowego z pobudzaj?cymi wej?ciami: 5. W?asno?ci zbiorówA iB oraz ich zbiorów oporowychA _o iB _o. 6. Równanie hiperp?aszczyzny ?ci?le oddzielaj?cej zbiórB _o od zbioruA _o. 7. Warunki realizacji funkcji na progowych elementach z pobudzaj?cymi wej?ciami. 8. Metody syntezy progowego elementu z pobudzaj?cymi wej?ciami. Rozdzia? III. Synteza sieci jednego ogólnego elementu progowego: 9. Uogólnienie twierdzeń dla elementów progowych z pobudzaj?cymi i hamuj?cymi wej?ciami. 10. Warunki realizacji funkcji jednym ogólnym elementem progowym. 11. Metody syntezy jednym ogólnym elementem progowym. Rozdzia? IV. Synteza sieci zbudowanych na ogólnych elementach progowych: 12. Synteza sieci rz?du pierwszego i drugiego. 13. Synteza sieci rz?du trzeciego i sieci wy?szych rz?dów. Zakończenie. Dodatek: Progowe funkcjen≤4 zmiennych. Bibliografia.