Religiosity/Spirituality Matters on Plant-Based Local Medical System

Journal of Religion and Health - Religiosity/spirituality can affect health and quality of life in myriad ways. Religion has been present since the first moments of our evolutionary history,...     

Conditional or Unconditional Forgiveness? An Instrument to Measure the Conditionality of Forgiveness

Among the beliefs and concepts people hold about the nature of forgiveness, their notions of conditionality and unconditionality have not received sufficient study. The concept of conditional forgiveness posits that before forgiveness can be granted, the offender must take certain steps and meet specific conditions. From an unconditional forgiveness concept, the victim can forgive independently of the behavior of the wrongdoer. Hence, the aim of our study has been to develop a strong psychometric instrument to measure the beliefs people hold about the conditionality of forgiveness. This article presents the development and validation of a tool to measure these beliefs. Study 1 comprised 181 participants, whereas 492 conformed Study 2 and 109 took part in Study 3. Internal consistency and validity were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, along with correlational analysis to test convergent validity, stability, and prediction capability. Results show a two-dimensional structure of the Conditional–Unconditional Forgiveness Scale, indicating the appropriateness of this tool to assess beliefs about the conditionality of forgiveness. The belief in the unconditional nature of forgiveness showed positive and significant correlations with all the measurements of offense-specific forgiveness. On the other hand, the belief that forgiveness should be conditional showed lower correlations with all the forgiveness measurements. Not only the ultimate level of forgiveness the subjects experienced but also their emotional experience of the process can be very different depending on their views of forgiveness, among them their beliefs about conditionality.     

The Preference for Pointing With the Hand Is Not Universal

Pointing is a cornerstone of human communication, but does it take the same form in all cultures? Manual pointing with the index finger appears to be used universally, and it is often assumed to be universally preferred over other forms. Non‐manual pointing with the head and face has also been widely attested, but it is usually considered of marginal significance, both empirically and theoretically. Here, we challenge this assumed marginality. Using a novel communication task, we investigated pointing preferences in the Yupno of Papua New Guinea and in U.S. undergraduates. Speakers in both groups pointed at similar rates, but form preferences differed starkly: The Yupno participants used non‐manual pointing (nose‐ and head‐pointing) numerically more often than manual pointing, whereas the U.S. participants stuck unwaveringly to index‐finger pointing. The findings raise questions about why groups differ in their pointing preferences and, more broadly, about why humans communicate in the ways they do.     

Knowledge and question asking

The ability and the motivation for question asking are, or should be, some of the most important aims of education. Unfortunately, students neither ask many questions, nor good ones. The present paper is about the capacity of secondary school pupils for asking questions and how this activity depends on prior knowledge. To examine this, we use texts containing different levels of information about a specific topic: biodiversity. We found a positive relationship between the amount of information provided and the number of questions asked about the texts, supporting the idea that more knowledgeable people ask more questions. Some students were warned that there would be an exam after the reading, and this led to a diminishing number of questions asked, and yet this still did not significantly improve their exam scores. In such a case, it seems that reading was more concerned with immediacy, hindering critical thinking and the dialog between their previous ideas and the new information. Thus, question asking seems to be influenced not only by the amount of knowledge, but also by the reader's attitude towards the information.     

Modulatory influence of dopamine receptors on consolidation of object recognition memory

The role of dopamine receptors in regulating the formation of recognition memory remains poorly understood. Here we show the effects of systemic administration of dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists on the formation of memory for novel object recognition in rats. In Experiment I, rats received an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of vehicle, the selective D1 receptor agonist SKF38393 (1.0 and 5.0mg/kg), or the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole (1.0 and 5.0mg/kg) immediately after training. In Experiment II, rats received an injection of vehicle, the dopamine receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.1 and 0.05 mg/kg), or the D2 receptor antagonist raclopride (0.5 and 0.1mg/kg) before training, followed by an injection of vehicle or the nonselective dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine (0.05 mg/kg) immediately after training. SKF38393 at 5mg/kg produced an enhancement of novel object recognition memory measured at both 24 and 72 h after training, whereas the dose of 10mg/kg impaired 24-h retention. Posttraining administration of quinpirole did not affect 24-h retention. Apomorphine enhanced memory in rats given pretraining raclopride, suggesting that the effect was mediated by selective activation of D1 receptors. The results indicate that activation of D1 receptors can enhance recognition memory consolidation. Importantly, pharmacological activation of D1 receptors enhanced novel object recognition memory even under conditions in which control rats showed significant retention.     

On some putative graph-theoretic counterexamples to the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles

Recently, several authors have claimed to have found graph-theoretic counterexamples to the Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles (PII). In this paper, I argue that their counterexamples presuppose a certain view of what unlabeled graphs are, and that this view is optional at best.     

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the self-report Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire -4+ (PDQ-4+) in psychiatric outpatients

We examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the self-report Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+) in a sample of 437 psychiatric outpatients. Psychometric properties were assessed through internal consistency analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and concurrent validity. Results indicate that the Spanish version of the PDQ-4+ has moderate internal consistency, which was acceptable for 7 of the 12 self-report scales. The factor structure roughly replicated the DSM-IV clusters. The presence of Personality Disorders was associated with the character dimensions of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).     

The role of a lifetime history of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in adults with ADHD: implications for clinical practice

IntroductionAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) are frequently co-occurring disorders in children and adolescents. However, their clinical status among adults is still under discussion. This study analyzes how the current clinical presentation of adult ADHD might be influenced by a lifetime history of CD and ODD. METHODS: We compared three groups of patients: ADHD without history of CD/ODD (n = 178), ADHD + history of ODD (n = 184), and ADHD + history of CD (n = 96). RESULTS: A history of CD (and to a lower extent ODD) is associated with a more severe and externalizing profile.ConclusionPast CD and ODD entail a significant negative mental health impact on persistent ADHD, reinforcing the importance of actively assessing the developmental history of adult ADHD patients.     

Motivational Interviewing Promotes Adherence and Improves Wellbeing in Pre-Dialysis Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

Low rates of adherence to medical treatments and adverse emotional states are a widespread problem in advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD). Motivational interviewing using the stages of change model is an effective combination in promoting behavior modifications. The objective of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of an individual, pre-dialysis intervention program (monthly sessions of 90 min over a 6-month period) in terms of adherence, emotional state and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Forty-two patients were evaluated for adherence, depression, anxiety and HRQL with standardized self-report questionnaires. Biochemical markers were also registered. The results show that after the intervention, patients reported significantly higher levels of adherence, lower depression and anxiety levels, and better HRQL (i.e., general health and emotional role domains). Biochemical parameters were controlled significantly better after the intervention, except for iPTH. These findings highlight the potential benefit of applying individual psycho-educational intervention programs based on motivational interviewing and using the stages of change model to promote adherence and wellbeing in ACKD patients.     

The extended cognition thesis: Its significance for the philosophy of (cognitive) science

While the extended cognition (EC) thesis has gained more followers in cognitive science and in the philosophy of mind and knowledge, our main goal is to discuss a different area of significance of the EC thesis: its relation to philosophy of science. In this introduction, we outline two major areas: (I) The role of the thesis for issues in the philosophy of cognitive science, such as: How do notions of EC figure in theories or research programs in cognitive science? Which versions of the EC thesis appear, and with which arguments to support them? (II) The potentials and limits of the EC thesis for topics in general philosophy of science, such as: Can naturalism perhaps be further advanced by means of the more recent EC thesis? Can we understand “big science” or laboratory research better by invoking some version of EC? And can the EC thesis help in overcoming the notorious cognitive/social divide in science studies?