Avoiding Charges of Legalism and Antinomianism in Jewish-Christian Dialogue

This article sets forth a theological approach to Jewish-Christian dialogue on the issue of law, which is often thought to be beyond the grasp of that dialogue because Judaism and Christianity are supposed to be in diametrical opposition here. Christians must recognize that for Jews, law is not in opposition to grace as a substitute for faith but, rather, law is the faithful response to grace in the covenant. Christians cannot be antinomians without simultaneously rejecting the very authority of God to command any faithful response. The issue between Judaism and Christianity is which law, Jewish or Christian, best enables a human being to be in the fullest possible relationship with God in the yet unredeemed world. On many points, though, Jewish and Christian law will overlap, thus reveal some essential commonalities.     

A comparative study of three methods of rotation

Three methods of rotation (the graphical, the Thurstone analytical, and the direct-rotational) were applied to the matrix of centroid loadings for 35 variables, to determine which method is the most efficient from theoretical and practical standpoints. The direct-rotational method provided the most information for determining the rank of the configuration and was most economical with respect to time required to reach a rotational solution. The analytical method required the least number of judgmental decisions and was the most objective. The graphical method was the most laborious but had a slight advantage with regard to the number of near-zero loadings in the rotational solution.Systems Development Corp.     

A modified counterconditioning procedure prevents the renewal of conditioned fear in rats

Two studies using an ABA design examined the Extinction and renewal of conditioned barpress suppression. Following lights-off and foot shock pairings in Context A, rats were placed in Context B and were given either a standard counterconditioning procedure where the lights-off CS was paired with a novel food US delivered freely or a modified counterconditioning procedure where CS-US pairings only occurred if the rat earned the US by performing a required behavior during the CS. Results indicated that the modified counterconditioning procedure thwarted ABA renewal but the conventional counterconditioning procedure did not reduce ABA renewal any more than nonreinforced exposure to the CS alone. Furthermore, the response required during the modified counterconditioning procedure could be one used as a baseline response during Acquisition of fear or it could be a novel response. Implications of the results for theories of Extinction and renewal of fear are discussed.     

Judgments of relative time-to-contact of more than two approaching objects: Toward a method

Observers reported which of as many as eight computer-generated approaching objects would “hit” them first. Accuracy was above chance probability except when two-object displays contained pictorial relative size information that contradicted relative time-to-contact (TTC) information. Mean d’ and response time was greater, but mean efficiency (Barlow, 1978) was smaller with eight objects than with two. Performance was less effective when global expansion contradicted TTC information than when local expansion contradicted TTC. Results suggest that observers can judge relative TTC with as many as eight objects when certain sources of information are consistent with TTC and that observers rely on information other than, or in conjunction with, optical TTC. Also, the sources of visual information that affect performance may vary with set size, and identification (but not detection) judgments may be constrained by limited-capacity processing.     

Multidimensional normative ratings for the International Affective Picture System

The purpose of the present investigation was to replicate and extend the International Affective Picture System norms (Ito, Cacioppo, & Lang, 1998; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 1999). These norms were developed to provide researchers with photographic slides that varied in emotional evocation, especially arousal and valence. In addition to collecting rating data on the dimensions of arousal and valence, we collected data on the dimensions of consequentiality, meaningfulness, familiarity, distinctiveness, and memorability. Furthermore, we collected ratings on the primary emotions of happiness, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, and fear. A total of 1,302 participants were tested in small groups. The participants in each group rated a subset of 18 slides on 14 dimensions. Ratings were obtained on 703 slides. The means and standard deviations for all of the ratings are provided. We found our valence ratings to be similar to the previous norms. In contrast, our participants were more likely to rate the slides as less arousing than in the previous norms. The mean ratings on the remaining 12 dimensions were all below the midpoint of the 9-point Likert scale. However, sufficient variability in ratings across the slides indicates that selecting slides on the basis of these variables is feasible. Overall, the present ratings should allow investigators to use these norms for research purposes, especially in research dealing with the interrelationships among emotion and cognition. The means and standard deviations for emotions may be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet from www.psychonomic.org/archive.     

The interaction between impulsivity and neighborhood context on offending: the effects of impulsivity are stronger in poorer neighborhoods

This research blends 2 traditions of theorizing on the causes of crime, one focused on the role of individual differences and the other focused on structural and contextual variables. Two related studies examined the relations among impulsivity, neighborhood context, and juvenile offending. The first, cross-sectional study uses a large sample of 13-year-old inner-city boys, whereas the second, longitudinal study offers a conceptual replication using 17-year-old inner-city boys who are a subset of the original sample. Across both studies, results indicate that the effects of impulsivity on juvenile offending are stronger in poorer neighborhoods. Furthermore, nonimpulsive boys in poor neighborhoods were at no greater risk for delinquency than nonimpulsive boys in better-off neighborhoods.     

The Buddha and the computer: Meditation in an age of information

Information overload is one of the factors behind current alarming statistics on stress. Meditation helps the body-mind resist the deleterious effects of the information onslaught. Though meditation is well known as a relaxation technique, its noetic value is often overlooked. Its benefits extend well beyond superficial soothing: it trains attention; it increases pattern recognition; and it reconnects us to the whole of our intelligence, enhancing coordination between its complementary poles. Meditation is a potent high-touch resource in a high-tech world.