Accommodating Presuppositions

In this paper I elaborate on previous criticisms of the influential Stalnakerian account of presuppositions, pointing out that the well-known practice of informative presupposition puts heavy strain on Stalnaker’s pragmatic characterization of the phenomenon of presupposition, in particular of the triggering of presuppositions. Stalnaker has replied to previous criticisms by relying on the well-taken point that we should take into account the time at which presupposition-requirements are to be computed. In defense of a different, ‘semantic’ (in a sense) account of the phenomenon of presupposition, I argue that that point does not suffice to rescue the Stalnakerian proposal, and I portray Lewisian ‘accommodation’ as one way in which speakers adjust themselves to one another in the course of conversation.     

Punishment of Schedule-Induced Drinking by Lick-Dependent Delays in Food Presented at Different Frequencies

The Psychological Record - Three food-deprived rats (80% of their free-feeding weights) developed schedule-induced drinking after being exposed to a multiple fixed-time schedule (FT 60-s FT 18-s)...     

Impact of emotional appeal on non-profit advertising: A neurophysiological analysis

The number of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) has increased in the past years, and they rely on advertising to communicate their causes. Although the effectiveness of NPO advertising has been studied previously, there is still no consensus about which appeal (emotionally positive or negative) increases its effectiveness. On the other hand, the most prevalent research approaches to NPO advertising are traditional research methodologies based on declarative techniques. So, the purpose of this study is to identify which appeal (positive or negative) in NPO advertising is more effective at the three levels of effectiveness (perceptual or communicational effectiveness, psychological or attitudinal effectiveness and behavioural effectiveness), providing a new approach based on the analysis of consumers' unconscious responses to advertising. We conducted an experiment with 113 participants whose neurophysiological responses were evaluated through electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye tracking (ET) while they watched NPO advertisements with a randomly assigned emotional appeal (positive or negative). In addition, a survey revealed behavioural responses. The results showed that considering the psychological or attitudinal effectiveness, positively framed ads are more effective, as there is a positive effect on attitudes towards the ad and a higher positive emotional valence. On the other hand, in perceptual effectiveness, where attention is considered an important variable, the negatively framed ads showed more significant time in the area of interest (AOI) of the image area of the ad, and longer time in the AOI text was observed for positively framed ads. Furthermore, regarding behavioural effectiveness, negatively framed ads seem more effective in eliciting actual donations. The results suggest that a positive appeal is more effective in generating a more positive attitude and a positive emotional valence towards the advertisement, which could benefit the NPO in the long term. But a negative appeal is more effective if the goal is to achieve immediate donations.     

The neural bases of sport fan reactions to teams: Evidence from a neuroimaging study

This study uses neuroimaging methods to identify patterns of brain activation among sport fans in reaction to team stimuli. In a whole-brain analysis without selected regions in advance, the purposes were to identify the structures involved when fans are exposed to positive, neutral, and negative events and to learn what events activate more limbic networks. A total of 53 individuals participated in and functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment involving the presentation of videos in various situations. Findings indicate the activation of the cingulate gyrus and other structures of the limbic system, as the hippocampus and parahippocampus. We also found involvement of the ventral tegmental area of the reward system. Additionally, brain activity in emotional regulation and memory areas were more influenced by positive than neutral and negative videos. It was also found the involvement of other areas not directly included in the limbic or reward systems. This study provides the neural basis of fan reactions to team-related stimuli. Sport clubs should be aware that negative content seems to be suppressed from emotional memory and positive videos trigger more emotion and memory areas than neutral and negative videos.     

Funcionalismo y ciencia cognitiva,lenguaje y pensamiento,modularidad y conexionismo: Entrevista con Jerry A. Fodor

RESUMEN

La obra de Jerry A. Fodor ha tenido una determinante influencia en el desarrollo de la llamada “Psicología Cognitiva“. Durante todo ese tiempo el profesor Fodor ha publicado una gran cantidad de artículos y libros que actualmente se consideran clásicos de la psicología. Su influencia va más allá de la psicología y se le considera uno de los pioneros de la llamada “ciencia cognitiva”. En esta entrevista, realizada y presentada por el profesor García-Albea, Fodor hace un recuento de su biografía, obra y, también, de las relaciones que ha mantenido con otros autores de la filosofía y la psicología clásicos, como él, dentro de la ciencia cognitiva. Nos habla además, el profesor Fodor, de los principales conceptos de su teoría: lengua del pensamiento, modularidad, teoría funcionalista, etc. Para finalizar esta entrevista, el entrevistado realiza una reflexión sobre las teorías dominantes en ciencia cognitiva, y comenta el futuro de la psicología a la luz de las actuales propuestas en investigación.     

Conceptual Analysis and Empirical Observations of Animal Minds

Philosophia - The relation between conceptual analysis and empirical observations when ascribing or denying concepts and beliefs to non-human animals is not straightforward. In order to reflect on...     

Association of hypertension-related distress with lack of self-care among hypertensive patients

Research on factors associated with poor adherence to self-care focuses primarily on psychiatric emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, whereas non-psychiatric chronic-disease-related emotional distress has received little attention in hypertensive patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of hypertension-related distress with the lack of self-care including low adherence to pharmacological treatment, lack of regular physical activity, low intake of fruits and vegetables and frequent intake of high-salt foods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 in two family medical units affiliated with the Mexican Institute of Social Security. The study included 487 hypertensive patients >19 years of age. The conceptual framework for the study was based on the Health Promotion Model. The analysis included multiple Poisson regression models. We found that 21.1% of participants had hypertension-related distress. Low adherence to pharmacological treatment was identified in 45.8% of patients, whereas 46.8% lacked regular physical activity, 30.8% reported a low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and 54.6% frequently consumed foods high in salt content. Hypertension-related distress was associated with lack of regular physical activity and low intake of fruits and vegetables. These findings highlight the importance of addressing distress in order to improve self-care of hypertensive patients.     

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sexual Behavior Profiles: The SEX360 Model

The diversity of sexual behaviors is driven by multiple determinants, including physiological, cultural, educational, and sociological factors. However, the definition of sexual behavior profiles has been barely addressed from a comprehensive point of view. We aimed to develop a multidisciplinary questionnaire for defining individual sexual behavior profiles. The questionnaire was developed by a panel of experts with research experience in the fields of urology, gynecology, psychology, anthropology, and sexology. The list of items was defined in a focus group session and was based on four categories—family-oriented, loving, recreational, and functional—resulting from the combination of two axes: traditional versus non-traditional and sexual benefit versus extra-sexual benefit. Real-time Delphi dynamics was used to assign a weight to each question and a bias to the corresponding responses. The final questionnaire included 50 items considered relevant for describing sexual profiles; the final questionnaire was named SEX360. Of the 50 items included in SEX360, 14 were considered essential for computing the final score; 9 of them were associated with 2 categories, 4 of them with 4 categories, and 1 of them with 3. Nine items referred to the category “family-oriented”, 10 to “loving”, 8 to “recreational”, and 9 to “functional”. The weights assigned to each question ranged from 3.00 to 4.33, and the centers of gravity ranged from 1 to 4. The questionnaire proposed shows the existence of a vast diversity of sexual behavior profiles and may serve as a tool for sexual behavior research.