Israel Scheffler on Religion,Reason and Education

Israel Scheffler has only recently written directly and about religion and education in religion, although these are matters in which he has a strong personal interest. Scheffler's views on these issues are outlined and critically appraised, with some reference to the views of R.S. Peters on similar questions. It is suggested that one of the major difficulties which arise in relation to Schelffer's position concern its account of the balance between acceptance and critical search for clarity needed on the part of students in their engagement with Jewish ritual. This difficulty brings into focus a numer of central questions which arise concerning the reinterpretive account of Jewish tradition which Scheffler offers.     

Connectionism and the problem of systematicity: why Smolensky's solution doesn't work

In two recent papers, Paul Smolensky responds to a challenge Jerry Fodor and Zenon Pylyshyn posed for connectionist theories of cognition: to explain the existence of systematic relations among cognitive capacities without assuming that mental processes are causally sensitive to the constituent structure of mental representations. Smolensky thinks connectionists can explain systematicity if they avail themselves of "distributed" mental representation. In facts, Smolensky offers two accounts of distributed mental representation, corresponding to his notions of "weak" and "strong" compositional structure. We argue that weak compositional structure is irrelevant to the systematicity problem and of dubious internal coherence. We then argue that strong compositional (tensor product) representations fail to explain systematicity because they fail to exhibit the sort of constituents that can provide domains for structure sensitive mental processes.     

Some observations on the application of frame theory to the psychoanalytic situation and process

Frame theory can contribute to our understanding of psychoanalytic work in ways compatible with established psychoanalytic theory. Its concepts and metaphor convey the relativism of the psychic realities both parties bring to the analytic situation, as well as the multiple levels of transference that become framed upon the relationship. Its linkages to game theory stress the power of play and illusion in transference actualization and working through. The importance of rules and conventions for all three theories, and for the ability to do analytic work, suggests their essential grounding in the child's capacities for play, particularly those capabilities elaborated in latency following oedipal conflict resolution.     

Eleven-year career stability and change as reflected in Project Talent data through the Flanagan,Holland, and Roe occupational classification systems

The vocational psychologist seeks classifications of occupations which maximize career stability as occupations change from time to time in the life. This study investigates the extent of career stability and the patterns of career change which have occurred in the lives of Project TALENT twelfth grade students in the 11 yr elapsing since they were tested. “Career” plans in the last year of high school and at 1, 5, and 11 yr after testing were classified by the Flanagan, Holland, and Roe occupational classification systems in order to study the career stability and patterning within each system and to contrast both among systems. Career stability proved to be about the same in all three classification systems but decreased in all cases as the interval over which it was measured increased. Career stability increased as subjects grew older, proving to be the greatest from 5 to 11 yr after high school. Patterns of change mildly conformed to the circular patterns claimed by Holland and Roe for their systems and the linear pattern hypothesized for the Flanagan system. Generally, the direction of “career” flow was away from intellectual careers to careers in business and sales but each system had unique results as well.     

The analyst's insights

The patient's fresh perceptions of himself come through mutative work shared with the analyst in the focused intimacy of their interaction. In finding transferential expectancies realized, the patient can experience these as yet different, providing he has the analyst's optimal participation. In this concurrence of crucial differences he can discount and discard the old perceptions that had shaped his psychic reality, and build out of them fresh insights. The analyst's regressive lapses in his best work are a liability inherent in the compromise formations comprising his work ego, built as it is out of the needs and motives of his own transferential past. The stagnation and tensions his regressive transferences contribute to the analytic work produce vivid actualization of the intrapsychic conflicts of both, now intertwined and mutually reinforcing. The analyst's self-analysis at such times can lead to resolving insights about himself that redress the impasse and restore the analytic work both must do.     

The effect of reading ‘List’ and ‘Overview’ summaries on the recall of two narrative texts

This paper reports an investigation of the mnemonic value of reading a summary before a text. Subjects (194 sixth-form students) read one of two folk-tales, either in isolation or preceded by a ‘List’ or an ‘Overview’ type of summary. Free recall of the story was then tested. Overall, both types of summary produced a significant increase in recall, although further analyses showed that their effects were located primarily in the recall of the latter parts of the stories. It is suggested that future work could usefully extend the analysis to a consideration of longer, and less well structured texts.     

Attribution bias: On the inconclusiveness of the cognition-motivation debate

Social psychologists have given considerable theoretical and research attention to whether motivational variables bias the attributions people make for behavior. Some theorists maintain that motivational constructs must be invoked to explain certain attributional phenomena; other theorists maintain that information-processing variables can adequately explain these phenomena. The present article critically examines existing cognitive and motivational approaches to attribution and analyzes the assumptions underlying the cognition-motivation debate. We argue that cognitive and motivational theories are currently empirically indistinguishable. In particular, its is possible to construct information-processing explanations for virtually all evidence for motivated bias. We conclude by examining the implications of this indeterminacy of cognitive and motivational explanations. Future research in the area can most profitably be addressed to improving the specificity of cognitive and motivational theories rather than to resolving the between-theory confrontation.     

Parental Perceptions of Separating Children

Newer models of familial interaction emphasize the importance of parental perceptions of the child as determinants for his self-image and interpersonal functioning. This paper examines this issue in detail as it bears on the developmental phase of separation and individuation in adolescence.