Fish and microchips: on fish pain and multiple realization

Philosophical Studies - Opponents to consciousness in fish argue that fish do not feel pain because they do not have a neocortex, which is a necessary condition for feeling pain. A common...     

La Théorie de la Privation Relative Appliquée au Monde du Travail

Selon la theorié de la privation relative (PR), les sentiments de quelqu'un pour son sort dépendraient plus de critères relatifs que de critères absolus. Selon son milieu social, quelqu'un peut se sentir heureux/satisfait (s'il s'en tire aussi bien ou mieux qu'eux) ou malheureux/insatisfait (s'il s'en tire moins bien qu'eux). De nombreux auteurs ont fait appel à ce concept pour expliquer une foule de phénomènes sociaux, par exemple la satisfaction et le bonheur. les révokes urbaines, et même la santé mentale. De même, de nombreux théoriciens ont tenté de spécifier les conditions susceptibles d'influencer les sentiments de PR. II existe au moins cinq modèles spécifiques à ce propos. Cependant, très peu de chercheurs ont tenté de les appliquer en situation réelle. La présente recherche avait pour hypothèses de tester les cinq conditions préalables à la PR seln le modèle de Crosby (1976) en milicu de travail. De plus, pour tester la généralisation de la PR, des travailleurs provenant de trois catégories d'emploi différentes ont été interrogés par questionnaire ( n = 215, 93 hommes et 122 femmes). Les résultats révèlent que les conditions de la PR s'appliquent également aux trois catégories d'emploi et que les hommes et les femmes réagissent de la même façon. De plus, les analyses par corrélations et par régressions multiples favorisent le modèle proposé par Crosby (1976). Les résultats sont discutés en fonction de la théorie de la PR et des implications qu'ils représentent pour le monde du travail.     

The internal clock: Electroencephalographic evidence for oscillatory processes underlying time perception

It has been proposed that temporal perception and performance depend on a biological source of temporal information. A model for a temporal oscillator put forward by Treisman, Faulkner, Naish, and Brogan (1990) predicted that if intense sensory pulses (such as auditory clicks) were presented to subjects at suitable rates they would perturb the frequency at which the temporal oscillator runs and so cause over- or underestimation of time. The resulting pattern of interference between sensory pulse rates and time judgments would depend on the frequency of the temporal oscillator and so might allow that frequency to be estimated. Such interference patterns were found using auditory clicks and visual flicker (Treisman & Brogan, 1992; Treisman et al., 1990). The present study examines time estimation together with the simultaneously recorded electroencephalogram to examine whether evidence of such an interference pattern can be found in the EEG.

Alternative models for the organization of a temporal system consisting of an oscillator or multiple oscillators are considered and predictions derived from them relating to the EEG. An experiment was run in which time intervals were presented for estimation, auditory clicks being given during those intervals, and the EEG was recorded concurrently. Analyses of the EEG revealed interactions between auditory click rates and certain EEG components which parallel the interference patterns previously found. The overall pattern of EEG results is interpreted as favouring a model for the organization of the temporal system in which sets of click-sensitive oscillators spaced at intervals of about 12.8 Hz contribute to the EEG spectrum. These are taken to represent a series of harmonically spaced distributions of oscillators involved in time-keeping.     

The Place and Role of Psychology in Cognitive Science: An International Survey

This paper reports the results of an international survey on the place and role of psychology in cognitive science (CS). The respondents were psychological societies from 31 countries illustrating a variety of situations, from countries where psychology has been established as a science for a long time to countries where it has been established more recently and is still developing. The paper reviews topics covered by the CS approach, as well as research operations and initiatives taken in this domain. The analysis of responses reflects the belief that psychology, in general, has a central role in CS. This is based on epistemological considerations, as well as on the recognition of the methodological expertise of psychology for collecting and analyzing empirical data. Psychology is reported to have a unique integrative capacity and to take care to maintain the place of the human being at the centre of CS. Limitations and obstacles to the development of pluridisciplinary research on cognition are also reported, and information is provided on the training programmes in CS and the institutions that support research in this domain.     

Mutism in an Adult Following Hypertensive Cerebellar Hemorrhage: Nosological Discussion and Illustrative Case

Mutism after cerebellar injury has been associated with tumors, hemorrhage, and surgery of midline cerebellar structures. Literature review identified 54 cases, primarily in children after surgical splitting of the inferior vermis. We present a 47-year-old who developed transient mutism after cerebellar hemorrhage. This represents the first report of transient mutism in an adult with neither tumor nor brainstem infarction and documents the importance of cerebellar structures for initiation and production of speech in adulthood. This case further differs from those previous because of the long mute period and the subsequent return of continued ataxic and dysarthric speech.     

Collective school-type identity: predicting students' motivation beyond academic self-concept

In Germany, according to their prior achievement students are tracked into different types of secondary school that provide profoundly different options for their future educational careers. In this paper we suggest that as a result, school tracks clearly differ in their social status or reputation. This should translate into different collective school‐type identities for their students, irrespective of the students’ personal academic self‐concepts. We examine the extent to which collective school‐type identity systematically varies as a function of the school track students are enrolled in, and the extent to which students’ collective school‐type identity makes a unique contribution beyond academic self‐concept and school track in predicting scholastic motivation. In two cross‐sectional studies a measure of collective school‐type identity is established and applied to explain motivational differences between two school tracks in Berlin. In Study 1 (N = 39 students) the content of the collective school‐type identity is explored by means of an open format questionnaire. Based on these findings a structured instrument (semantic differential) to measure collective school‐type identity is developed. In Study 2 (N = 1278 students) the assumed structure with four subscales (Stereotype Achievement, Stereotype Motivation, Stereotype Social, and Compensation) is proved with confirmatory factor analysis. This measure is used to compare the collective school‐type identity across school tracks and predict motivational outcomes. Results show large differences in collective school‐type identity between students of different school tracks. Furthermore, these differences can explain motivational differences between school tracks. Collective school‐type identity has incremental predictive power for scholastic motivation, over and above the effects of academic self‐concept and school track.