ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTICS: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE SCIENCE AND RELIGION FORUM

The Science and Religion Forum (SRF) seeks to be the premier organization promoting the discussion between science and religion in the United Kingdom for academics, professionals, and interested lay people. Each year, the SRF holds a conference tackling a topical issue, and in 2019 focused on artificial intelligence and robotics. This article introduces the thematic section which is made up of three papers from that conference and provides a summary of the event.     

Functioning of the phonological loop in auditory hallucinations

Two experiments designed to assess the functioning of the phonological store and loop were carried out with schizophrenic patients experiencing auditory hallucinations, schizophrenic patients not experiencing hallucinations and normal subjects. In the first experiment, phonological encoding was assessed. Although both groups of psychiatric patients performed more poorly overall than the normal subjects, there were no significant differences between the performances of the hallucinating and nonhallucinating patients. In the second experiment, the unattended speech effect (a phenomenon thought to reflect the functioning of the phonological store in normal subjects) was assessed in hallucinating schizophrenic patients, non-hallucinating schizophrenic patients and normal controls. The psychiatric patients performed more poorly overall than the normal subjects, but there was no evidence of abnormal functioning of the phonological store or loop in either patient group. Overall, the findings indicate that phonological store and loop abnormalities are not implicated in the experience of auditory hallucinations.     

AVERAGENESS, EXAGGERATION, AND FACIAL ATTRACTIVENESS

Abstract— Langlois and her colleagues reported in this journal that composite faces are more attractive than the component faces used to create them, and conjectured that averageness is attractive (Langlois & Roggman, 1990, Langlois, Roggman, & Musselman, 1994) However, extremes may also be attractive (Perrett, May, & Yoshikawa, 1994). We investigated the effect of averageness (proximity to a norm or average face) on attractiveness using a computerized caricature generator to very averageness. Attractiveness increased with averageness (Experiment 1) and was negatively correlated with distinctiveness, a subjective measure of the converse of averageness (Experiments 1 and 2) Extremes (caricatures) were not attractive Line-drawing composites, which avoid some of the problems associated with gray-level composites, were significantly more attractive and less distinctive (more average) than individual faces (Experiment 2) These results support the claim that averageness is attractive.     

Intraorganizational and interorganizational job change: A discriminant analysis

Using March and Simon's (1958) participation model as a framework, this study employs the 1973–77 Quality of Employment Survey panel data to compare the determinants of intraorganizational and interorganizational job change. Two discriminant functions were significant, the first distinguishing between intraorganizational changers and stayers and the second between interorganizational changers and stayers. Moreover, the variables that distinguished between intraorganizational changers and stayers were either different from or opposite in influence to those distinguishing between interorganizational changers and stayers.     

Development and validation of adolescent-perceived microsystem scales: Social support,daily hassles,and involvement

Developed and validated instruments for urban and culturally diverse adolescents to assess their self-reported transactions with family, peer, school, and neighborhood microsystems for the constructs of social support, daily hassles, and involvement. The sample of 998 youth were from schools in three Eastern cities with high percentages of economically disadvantaged youth. Data were collected before and after the transition to junior high school or to senior high school. Blacks constituted 26%, whites 26%, and Latinos 37% of the sample. Factor analyses confirmed and enhanced the hypothesized four-factor microsystem factor structure for support, hassles, and involvement; internal consistency and stability coefficients were consistent with these structures. In general, the microsystem factors were common across gender, ethnicity, and age. However, when group differences did occur on these demographic variables, they tended to validate the salience of microsystem specificity. In contrast to the total scores, the microsystem-specific factors yielded more meaningful and differential information with regard to demographic differences and the mediating processes across a school transition.     

The Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale: Cross-Cultural Information

Results on the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA; Suinn, Rikard-Figueroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987) confirm similarities between Singapore Asians and United States Asians on acculturation factors. The research also compared mean values on the SL-ASIA scale as a method of adding validity information regarding the scale. Singapore Asians did achieve a score indicative of Asian identity, whereas Asian Americans obtained a mean score indicative of higher Western acculturation.     

Self-focused attention in schizophrenic patients with and without auditory hallucinations and normal subjects: A comparative study

Self-focused attention has been implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders, but little research has examined this in schizophrenic subjects. In this study, a sample of schizophrenic patients experiencing auditory hallucinations, schizophrenic patients not experiencing auditory hallucinations and normal controls were asked to complete the private self-consciousness subscale of the Self Consciousness Scale. It was found that patients experiencing auditory hallucinations exhibited significantly higher levels of self-focus than those not experiencing hallucinations, although they did not differ from normal subjects. It was also shown that level of self-focus predicted whether or not subjects experienced hallucinations. These results, and their implications, are discussed with reference to the literature.     

Effects of ethanol on reinforced variations and repetitions by rats under a multiple schedule.

Response sequences emitted by five Long-Evans rats were reinforced under a two-component multiple schedule. In the REPEAT component, food pellets were contingent upon completion of a left-left-right-right (LLRR) sequence on two levers. In the VARY component, pellets were contingent upon variable sequences (i.e., a sequence was reinforced only if it differed from each of the previous five sequences). The rats learned to emit LLRR sequences in the REPEAT component and variable sequences in VARY. Intraperitoneal injections of ethanol (1.25, 1.75, and 2.25 g/kg) significantly increased sequence variability in REPEAT, thereby lowering reinforcement probability, but had little effect on sequence variability in the VARY component. These results extend previous findings that alcohol impairs the performance of reinforced repetitions but not of reinforced variations in response sequences.     

A counselling service for nurses in training

An account is given of the inception and development of a counselling service for nurses in training at a large London teaching hospital. The aims of the service are described, as are the evolving role of the counsellor and the use made of the service both by student nurses and other members of the hospital organisation. Some recommendations are made concerning the future development of counselling services within National Health Service hospitals.