Investigating the Perceptions of Intellectual Diversity Among Socially Conservative Christian Seniors at Elite U.S. Colleges

This study investigated the perceptions of intellectual diversity at elite U.S. universities through the lens of the socially conservative Christian senior. Closely aligned with the principle of academic freedom, intellectual diversity is a foundational value putatively espoused by most if not all colleges and universities in the US. Although studies have consistently shown a professorate that is overwhelmingly Democratic and ideologically left-of-center, many scholars deny that any systematic bias exists. Research has shown a correlation between commitment to Christian/conservative values and perception of professor bias. Using hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) on a subset of the nationally representative sample (N = 2,789) of “very high” institutions, this current study found corroborative evidence that socially conservative Christian students were disproportionately “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their institutions’ respect for the expression of diverse beliefs. Generalized findings suggest that systematic bias vis-à-vis the expression of diverse beliefs exists at elite U.S. colleges. The discussion begins by situating intellectual diversity within its historical and contemporary contexts.     

The sexual dimorphic association of cardiorespiratory fitness to working memory in children

The present investigation examined the sexual dimorphic patterns of cardiorespiratory fitness to working memory in preadolescent children (age range: 7.7–10.9). Data were collected in three separate studies (Study 1: n = 97, 42 females; Study 2: n = 95, 45 females; Study 3: n = 84, 37 females). All participants completed a cardiorespiratory fitness assessment in addition to a specific measure of working memory (i.e. the operation span task, the n‐back task, or the Sternberg task). Results from all three samples revealed that higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels were associated with better working memory performance only for males with no such relation observed for females. In addition, the sexually dimorphic pattern was selective for the most challenging working memory conditions in each task. Together, these findings reveal new evidence that cardiorespiratory fitness is selectively related to better working memory performance for male children. This investigation provides additional insight into how interventions aimed at improving fitness may influence cognitive development differentially among preadolescent children.     

Team-level goal orientation: an emergent state and its relationships with team inputs,process, and outcomes

Building on recent efforts to extend the concept of goal orientation to teams, we identify team-level goal orientation as an emergent state, distinct from static trait goal orientations of team members. We reinforce this distinction by developing and testing hypotheses about team inputs, processes, and outcomes as determinants of the development of team goal orientation over time. We test our hypotheses with longitudinal data from 230 participants on 64 teams engaged in a management simulation. We find that team members’ trait goal orientations affect the team’s state goal orientation, but only in the early stages of team functioning. Team process and interim outcomes drive changes in team state goal orientation.     

Tendencies of Possibility: A Peircean Consideration of Kauffman's Cosmic Mind

Stuart Kauffman speculatively proposes a panpsychic interpretation of quantum mechanics, where a cosmic mind makes measurements to change quantum possibilities into classical actuals. However, in response, Charles S. Peirce's understanding of existence simplifies Kauffman's triadic ontology and accounts for an evolving cosmos. Peirce's objective idealism confirms possibility as fundamental to ontological existence, clarifies actuality as specifically related to space-time's extent, and revises Kauffman's broad panpsychism to a narrow but pervasive role for law-like, dispositional tendencies. Theological implications include bridging Arthur Peacocke's Divine Becoming with a neo-Aristotelian, scientifically plausible potential for existence.     

Psychotic panic and feared sexual assault – ‘homosexual panic’: the historical role of feared homosexual assault as a contributing factor to self-attack

Some psychotic patients fall into acute persecutory panic, a subjective experience of helpless terror in the face of anticipated imminent annihilation or dismemberment. These states occur in a wide range of psychotic illnesses and are often associated with command hallucinations and fear of homosexual assault. In a desperate attempt to escape from imaginary enemies, such patients often attack themselves and imagine suicide is survivable. This article addresses the dread of homosexual assault, previously referred to as homosexual panic, and its relationship to patients who attack themselves in a state of desperate psychotic persecution.     

Narrative Technologies: A Philosophical Investigation of the Narrative Capacities of Technologies by Using Ricoeur’s Narrative Theory

Contemporary philosophy of technology, in particular mediation theory, has largely neglected language and has paid little attention to the social-linguistic environment in which technologies are used. In order to reintroduce and strengthen these two missing aspects we turn towards Ricoeur’s narrative theory. We argue that technologies have a narrative capacity: not only do humans make sense of technologies by means of narratives but technologies themselves co-constitute narratives and our understanding of these narratives by configuring characters and events in a meaningful temporal whole. We propose a hermeneutic framework that enables us to categorise and interpret technologies according to two hermeneutic distinctions. Firstly, we consider the extent to which technologies close in on the paradigm of the written text by assessing their capacity to actively configure characters and events into a meaningful whole; thereby introducing a linguistic aspect in the theory of technological mediation. Secondly, we consider the extent to which technologies have the capacity to abstract from the public narrative time of actual characters and events by constructing quasi-characters and quasi-events, thereby introducing the social in our conception of technological mediation. This leads us to the outlines of a theory of narrative technologies that revolves around four hermeneutic categories. In order to show the merits of this theory, we discuss the categories by analysing paradigmatic examples of narrative technologies: the bridge, the hydroelectric power plant, video games, and electronic money.