罗蒂的实用主义

许多人主张,R.罗蒂是在传统哲学的范围中进行论证的,尽管他的论点恰恰相反。本文的目的,就是针对这些人的看法提出一个建议:应把罗蒂看作是处于哲学传统之外的重要思想家,一个处于哲学传统之外的批判者。我的建议所围绕的中心,是略述罗蒂的实用主义如何不同于人们较为熟知的那些实用主义。一般承认,实用主义是一种重要的哲学观点,一种经常被援引的观点。但难得有人对这一观点作出清楚的说明。这是由于,当人们援引实用主义时,往往把它与包含有真理符合论的主张和观点加以对比,因而只是对它作了颇为有限的论述。最近罗蒂以几种方式援引了实用主义。通过这些方式,他驳斥了真理符合论,甚至一般地驳斥了需要有任何真理理论,他诉诸实用主义,运用成效     

唯心主义和宗教的相似与区别

在阶级社会里,宗教和哲学唯心主义之间的相似和密切联系,是毋庸置疑的。无论是宗教还是哲学唯心主义,都是对世界的一种不正确的看法,都是一种错误的、歪曲的、颠倒的世界观。宗教和哲学唯心主义都反映这些和那些阶级的利益,它们过去和现在多半是阶级社会里的思想斗争中的同盟军。以上这些观点都是下述看法的依据,即在我们的文献里,充分而又广泛地提到宗教和哲学唯心主义是一些不同的现象,但就其本质来说,又是同一     

马克思的历史唯物主义

一、导言我认为历史唯物主义就是马克思在其著名的《<政治经济学批判>序言》(以下简称《序言》——译者)中所阐述的、在《资本论》和马克思以及马克思主义者其他许多著作中举出作为例证的那种观点。我将用几句导言开始我的论述,然后概略地介绍一下这个理论,最后我要力辩,尽管这个观点确实具有许多吸引人的地方,但它过分限制了对历史进行合理探讨的范围,以致最后成为不可接受的了。     

Transfer of matching-to-figure samples in the pigeon

Three pigeons were trained on a modified six-key matching-to-sample procedure. The third peck on the figure-sample key (which presented a bird, hand, face, beetle, rabbit, fish, flower, or red hue, as the sample) lighted only one comparison key. Every three additional pecks on the sample lighted another comparison key, up to a maximum of five keys. Pecks on keys of matching figures produced grain. Pecks on nonmatching keys (mismatches) turned off all lights on the comparison keys and repeated the trial. Three figures were used during acquisition. The birds learned to peck each sample until the matching comparison stimulus appeared on one of three comparison stimulus keys, and then to peck that key. Later, five novel stimuli, employed as both sample and comparison stimuli, and two additional matching keys were added. Each bird showed matching transfer to the novel samples. The data suggest that the birds may have learned the concept of figure matching rather than a series of two-component chains or discrete five-key discriminations.     

幼儿不同情绪状态对其智力操作的影响

本实验结果显示:1)在16至18个月的婴儿中,愉快和痛苦情绪对其问题解决的操作有不同的影响。愉快组被试比痛苦组被试的操作效果明显优越;体现在“直接抓取”、“注视”和“顺利获得”三种操作策略中。2)愉快和痛苦两种情绪的不同强度与操作效果之间的相关是不同的。愉快组显示为一种曲线相关,即过高或过低的情绪唤醒不如适中的唤醒水平使操作效果达到最优。痛苦组显示为一种直线相关,即痛苦强度越大,操作效果越差。     

The case for praxics

Since the early 1900s a variety of names has been proposed for the scientific study of behavior, but none has come into general use. "Praxics," a recent entry, is defensible on several grounds. "Behaviorism," on the other hand, is the name of a school of philosophy. Though praxics has roots in behaviorism, the term "behaviorism" should not be applied to praxics. Confusion between the science and the philosophy has retarded the growth of the science immeasurably. Its growth has also been impeded by its association with psychology, which is still primarily the study of mind. Efforts are underway to establish praxics as an independent field.     

Effects of concurrent schedules on human fixed-interval performance

Young adults performed a lever-pressing task for money on two schedules of reinforcement: concurrent fixed-interval 1 min—differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 20-sec, and concurrent fixed-interval 1-min—fixed ratio 100 responses. All subjects were trained on both schedules. Fixed-interval performance concurrent with the differential reinforcement procedure was characterized by high constant rates with no post-reinforcement pauses. Fixed-interval performance concurrent with fixed ratio was characterized by low rates and lengthy post-reinforcement pauses. These results differ from those obtained in prior studies on the effects of conditioning history upon subsequent fixed-interval performance. The prior work, using non-concurrent procedures, had shown that fixed-interval performance following differential reinforcement of low rates was characterized by post-reinforcement pauses and low rates, while fixed-interval performance following fixed ratio exhibited high constant rates and no post-reinforcement pause. The present results suggest that alternative concurrent contingencies are another major determinant of human fixed-interval performance.     

The development of stimulus control with and without a lighted key

In two experiments, the effect of an illuminated response key on the acquisition of stimulus control by an airflow stimulus was assessed. In the first experiment, pigeons were given nondifferential training with airflow emerging from behind the response key in one of three conditions of illumination: trained to peck a lighted key, trained to peck an unlighted key with a houselight present, trained to peck a key in total darkness. After 10 days of training on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement, all subjects were given a generalization test on airflow velocity. The gradients for subjects trained in the dark were sharp, while those for subjects trained in lighted conditions were shallow. In the second experiment, the effect of an irrelevant keylight on the acquisition of an airflow velocity discrimination was assessed. Two groups of pigeons were trained to discriminate two airflow velocities. One group was trained with a lighted response key and the other was trained to peck the response key in total darkness. The dark-trained subjects acquired the discrimination more rapidly. The results demonstrate that the acquisition of stimulus control by airflow with either a differential or nondifferential training procedure can be overshadowed by keylight.     

A conditioning technique applicable to elementary school classrooms

A procedure was developed for use in a public school classroom where only one of the children needed treatment, sophisticated apparatus was not feasible, personnel were untrained in conditioning techniques, and where disruption had to be minimized. Candy reinforcers were contingent upon working behavior. The total candy earned in the session was divided equally among the class. Portable radio control apparatus was adopted to give feedback to the child when he was displaying the desired working behavior. An increase in working behavior and a decrease in talking aloud and out-of-seat behavior was observed for each of the four subjects. When the feedback apparatus was removed, the desired behavior was maintained through candy reinforcement alone in all four subjects.