Arguments and Reason-Giving

Arguments figure prominently in our practices of reason-giving. For example, we use them to advance reasons for their conclusions in order to justify believing something, to explain why we believe something, and to persuade others to believe something. Intuitively, using arguments in these ways requires a certain degree of self-reflection. In this paper, I ask: what cognitive requirements are there for using an argument to advance reasons for its conclusion? Towards a partial response, the paper’s central thesis is that in order to so use an argument one must believe the associated inference claim to the effect that the premises collectively are reasons that support the conclusion. I then argue against making it a further cognitive requirement that one be aware of one’s justification for believing such an inference claim. This thesis provides a rationale for the typical informal-logic textbook characterization of argument and motivates a constraint on adequate accounts of what are referred to as inference claims in the informal logic and argumentation literatures.

     

The cognitive processes underlying false beliefs

Why do consumers sometimes fall for spurious claims—for example, brain training games that prevent cognitive decline, toning sneakers that sculpt one's body, flower essence that cures depression—and how can consumers protect themselves in the modern world where information is shared quickly and easily? As cognitive scientists, we view this problem through the lens of what we know, more generally, about how people evaluate information for its veracity, and how people update their beliefs. That is, the same processes that support true belief can also encourage people to sometimes believe misleading or false information. Anchoring on the large literature on truth and belief updating allows predictions about consumer behavior; it also highlights possible solutions while casting doubt on other possible responses to misleading communications.     

Behavioral Pediatrics: A Team-Based Interprofessional Approach

An interprofessional approach to pediatric behavioral care is increasingly important in the care of pediatric patients, who present to healthcare settings with a wide variety of concerns ranging from potty training to depression. Previously, much of the care of these patients have focused on a narrow approach to the problem, based on the expertise of the professional providing care. Faculty from three disciplines: Social Work, Psychology, and Medicine collaborated to design a course for students from these three disciplines to collaborate in attaining three goals: (1) reinforce the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, (2) share clinical techniques and skills in a simulated interprofessional setting, and (3) practice collaboration within interprofessional teams. We detail the course goals and design and topics covered and discuss implementation of this course. Suggested module content and pedagogical design are discussed, and case examples are detailed with the goal of encouraging the adoption of similar courses.

     

Measurement Properties for a Scale Assessing Self-Regulation in Parents and Parenting Practitioners

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Parenting self-regulation is increasingly recognised as an important facet of positive parenting, as it allows parents to manage their thoughts, behaviours,...     

African elephants can detect water from natural and artificial sources via olfactory cues

Animal Cognition - Water is vital for mammals. Yet, as ephemeral sources can be difficult to find, it raises the question, how do mammals locate water? Elephants (Loxodonta africana) are...     

The efficacy of remote video-based behavioral skills training and awareness training on public speaking performance

This study evaluated the efficacy of (a) remote video-based behavioral skills training (BST) with added speech outlines on teaching public speaking behaviors and (b) remote video-based awareness training (AT) on speech-disfluency rates. A multiple-baseline design across speech behaviors was used to evaluate the training. Remote video-based BST and AT were effective at teaching public speaking behaviors and reducing speech disfluencies, respectively, for both participants. In addition, performance generalized to increased audience size. Although expert ratings of perceived public speaking effectiveness improved following BST, the ratings did not improve and some worsened following AT. Both participants reported satisfaction with video-based BST and AT. One participant reported greater comfort, confidence, overall ability, and less anxiety as a public speaker following BST. Both participants reported greater improvements in those categories following AT. Our results suggest that public speaking behaviors can be taught using remote video-based BST and speech disfluencies can be reduced using remote video-based AT.     

Explaining the ineffable

The 10th Anniversary Conference of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music was held at Liège, Belgium, on 5-8 April 2002.     

Healthy marriage initiatives: on the need for empiricism in policy implementation

The association between marriage and well-being has led to policies that promote marital interventions and discourage divorce. These include federal initiatives specifically targeting poor couples and couples of color. While there are many prospective studies on marriage that have informed some couple interventions, the studies that are included in this literature sampled predominantly White and middle-class couples. By comparison, far less is known about the longitudinal predictors of relationship satisfaction and status for poor couples and couples of color. Therefore, it is unsurprising that preliminary data on applying current interventions to the couples targeted by these federal initiatives have been disappointing. In this article, I detail three concerns with these initiatives, propose a course of psychological research to address deficits in what is known about poor couples and couples of color, and make specific recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives.     

Images of Suffering in Augustine and Luther

Abstract : This article examines how images of suffering are interpreted in Augustine and Luther, using their recommendations on meditations on the suffering Christ as a case study. Augustine and Luther are ambivalent about how such images mold religious experience. On the one hand, Augustine cautions that they can distort human affections, while Luther warns that they can deceive the mind. On the other hand, meditations on images of the suffering Christ can contribute to a Christian spiritual practice that builds faith.     

Substitution and sameness: two components of a relational conception of the equals sign

A sophisticated and flexible understanding of the equals sign (=) is important for arithmetic competence and for learning further mathematics, particularly algebra. Research has identified two common conceptions held by children: the equals sign as an operator and the equals sign as signaling the same value on both sides of the equation. We argue here that, in addition to these two conceptions, the notion of substitution is also an important part of a sophisticated understanding of mathematical equivalence. We provide evidence from a cross-cultural study in which English and Chinese children were asked to rate the "cleverness" of operational, sameness, and substitutive definitions of the equals sign. A principal components analysis revealed that the substitutive items were distinct from the sameness items. Furthermore, Chinese children rated the substitutive items as 'sort of clever' or 'very clever', whereas English children rated them as not so clever, suggesting that the notion of substitution develops differently across the two countries. Implications for developmental models of children's understanding of equivalence are discussed.