The difficulty of letting go: moderators of the deactivation of completed intentions

Recent studies showed that prospective memory (PM) intentions might not be deactivated directly after completion. The residual activation leads to aftereffects which are reflected as interference in performance when former PM cues of old intentions are interspersed in the new task (i.e., intention deactivation failure, Walser et al., J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 38(4):1030–1044, 2012). In the present study, we investigated potential mechanisms that might support the deactivation process of completed intentions by manipulating the task demands (e.g., working memory load) between intention completion and measurement of aftereffects. Aftereffects on repeated PM-cue trials were found when working memory load was low (control condition), but were reduced when available resources were sparse (working memory load condition). When participants were asked to reflect upon the to-be-deactivated PM cue, subsequent aftereffects were increased. Further, overall aftereffects were larger for participants low in self-reported action control. Results show that the nature of the filler-task activity determines whether the representation of the completed intention is destabilized (working memory load) or strengthened (intention reflection). The (at least partial) overwriting of completed intention representations by new working memory task representations seems therefore to reflect a supporting factor for the deactivation of completed intentions.     

Evolution,the End of Human Uniqueness,and the Election of the Imago Dei

Abstract

In both popular opinion and the minds of many scientists and theologians, the idea of human uniqueness and human superiority has been linked to the Christian doctrine of the imago Dei. Pursuing what is called the comparative approach to theological anthropology many have asked, in what ways is human nature different from the nature of animals and, therefore, like the nature of God? This article questions any concept of the imago Deithat equates the divine likeness with some characteristic, behavior, or trait which presumably makes humans unique—in a non-trivial way—from other animals and from the non-human hominids. Instead of grounding the image of God in human uniqueness, the author concludes that the imago Dei is—exegetically, theologically, and scientifically—best understood in light of the Hebrew theological framework of historical election.     

When is a Concrete Property Basic?

We more or less understand how composition works in the case of objects. We cement bricks together to build a wall. We stir together red paint and yellow paint to get orange paint. In both cases, one way or another, A = B + C. This paper examines composition in the case of concrete natural properties. It explains why property composition is so much less straightforward than object composition. Then it distinguishes strictly basic properties (like the mass of an electron), compositely basic properties (like the mass of a planet), and fully non-basic properties (like the saltiness of blood). It shows how strictly basic properties compose, or result in, compositely basic and fully non-basic properties, which differ from, yet depend for their natures on, the strictly basic properties they result from. It explains the characteristics and differences of these types of properties. It notes that the existence of compositely basic and non-basic properties grounds an argument for the genuine existence of composite properties as well as the composite objects they characterize. Finally, it defends the usefulness of these distinctions by identifying projects they assist, and by applying them both to mark off distinct metaphysical views too often conflated and to correct sundry metaphysical mistakes.     

Personal project commitment in adolescence: The role of relatedness,competence and integrity

University (n = 175) and high school (n = 162) students rated their commitment to three personal projects self‐identified as central to their lives, the extent to which each project generated experiences of relatedness, competence and integrity, and how much approval it received from significant others. This study compared the ‘life’ (hobbies, fitness, church, life transitions, intrapersonal, etc.) and education projects of participants who spontaneously generated an example of each (98 university and 70 high school participants). Integrity and competence received higher ratings than relatedness and were the most important predictors of commitment to both types of project. For both groups, education projects received more family/adult approval than life projects and there was much greater variation in approval ratings for the latter. The results suggest that, at least for young people in New Zealand, feeling that you are good at a project and it fits with your values, is almost a proxy for commitment. It is possible that social factors play a less direct role, perhaps by influencing the choice of interpersonal settings in which to carry out important projects. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of Personalized Banner Ads on Visual Attention and Recognition Memory

Internet companies collect a vast amount of data about their users in order to personalize banner ads. However, very little is known about the effects of personalized banners on attention and memory. In the present study, 48 subjects performed search tasks on web pages containing personalized or nonpersonalized banners. Overt attention was measured by an eye‐tracker, and recognition of banner and task‐relevant information was subsequently examined. The entropy of fixations served as a measure for the overall exploration of web pages. Results confirm the hypotheses that personalization enhances recognition for the content of banners while the effect on attention was weaker and partially nonsignificant. In contrast, overall exploration of web pages and recognition of task‐relevant information was not influenced. The temporal course of fixations revealed that visual exploration of banners typically proceeds from the picture to the logo and finally to the slogan. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Meeting the Standard? A Sample of Christian Schools Libraries/Media Centers in Texas

This article reports a study using structured interviews of librarians of Christian schools in Texas. The study focuses on the librarian, the collections, the financial support and the selection policies, both written and assumed. Standards related to accreditation are also reviewed. Several denominations are included as well as varying size of schools. The libraries range in size from 3,000 to 25,000 volumes with the majority of holdings fewer than 10,000. Issues relating to censorship and selection of materials are discussed. We call for all accreditation agencies for our nation's private schools to investigate whether requiring specific standards for library/media center collections, budget, and their professional staff would make a significant impact on student performance. Also included in the article is a list of recommendations for a private school library selection policy.     

A Role for Occupational Therapy in Foster Care

The purpose of this publication is threefold. First, it is an attempt to document the need for occupational therapy services within the foster care population. Second, it describes methods that can be used by occupational therapists to provide appropriate interventions to people affected by foster care. And third, it highlights the need for and identifies specific assessments that can be used to evaluate individuals affected by foster care and to measure the effectiveness of occupational therapy services delivered to foster care agencies.     

An Aggregate Fieldwork Model: Cooperative Learning,Research, and Clinical Project Publication Components

An occupational therapy psychosocial level-two fieldwork model, which consists of cooperative learning, clinical project or research publication, and interdisciplinary collaboration and intervention, is herein outlined. An example of the model is presented using an acute inpatient psychiatric setting with a multidisciplinary staff and 50 occupational therapy interns. Data on the aggregate fieldwork model collected over a two-and-a-half-year period from: 1) logs; 2) supervision; 3) peer reviewed publications; 4) conference presentations; 5) verbal feedback from the occupational therapy educational institutes; and 6) the supervisor's comparisons with other fieldwork models is presented. The outcome of the aggregate fieldwork model is that students do well, seem to learn more than in 1:1 supervisory models, and manage to publish while on fieldwork. It is hoped that more academic programs will consider working with clinical educators to develop programs based on this model.