Why Strawson’s Basic Argument Is Not Impressive: an Answer from Frankfurt,Christman and Ekstrom

Philosophia - Galen Strawson defends his pessimist position with his famous “Basic Argument”. He attempts to prove that no agent can meet the demands for the ultimate moral...     

Mindsets,shopping motivations and compulsive buying: Insights from China

This study investigates how mindsets (i.e., the beliefs that individuals have about the nature of human characteristics) are associated with compulsive buying behavior (i.e., the tendency to buy impulsively and obsessively). In particular, we test the relationships between consumer mindsets, three shopping motivations (deal proneness, social comparison, and hedonic motives) and compulsive buying. Based on a survey of 421 respondents conducted in China, our findings reveal the mechanism through which mindsets affect compulsive buying. The results show that when consumers believe in the consistency of personal traits (fixed mindset), they tend to be more vulnerable to deal offers and social comparison. These motivations increase the desire to seek hedonic pleasure, which is associated with a greater propensity for compulsive buying. However, when consumers believe that personal traits can be changed and developed (growth mindset), they seek hedonic pleasure in shopping, which result in a greater tendency to engage in compulsive buying. The present study adds to the existing body of knowledge by unveiling how different mindsets are associated with compulsive buying. In terms of practical implications, this study provides policy makers and marketers with a better understanding of the different motivations that lead to compulsive buying.     

The asymmetric effect of regulatory fit on moral judgments of other-oriented lies

We examined whether regulatory fit effects are asymmetric—namely, whether they occur only among individuals with a promotion focus or a prevention focus. We adopted a task where individuals make moral judgments of other-oriented lies and conducted three studies. The results indicated that prevention-focused individuals judged other-oriented lies based on a vigilant strategy as more moral than lies based on an eager strategy (Studies 1 and 2). Meanwhile for promotion-focused individuals, there were no differences between eager and vigilant strategies on moral judgments of other-oriented lies. Additionally, the results suggested that the feeling of rightness is an underlying mechanism of the regulatory fit effects of prevention focus (Study 3).     

A multiplex view of leadership structure in management teams

In the hope of complementing the structural perspective in upper echelon research and advancing a fine-grained understanding of dyadic leadership influence in management teams, the current study combines two types of intrateam structures—leadership network and friendship network—to create a multidimensional conceptualization of leadership structure in management teams. Specifically, we propose that management teams with a denser singular leadership network (i.e., a network consisting of many leadership ties that are not coupled with friendship ties) should have lower management team cohesion, which subsequently renders worse business unit performance. To contrast, management teams with a denser multiplex network (i.e., a network consisting of many leadership ties that are coupled with friendship ties) should have higher management team cohesion, which subsequently renders better business unit performance. Guided by structural contingency perspective, we further propose that management team task interdependence will strengthen team cohesion's positive impact on business unit performance. To test the hypothesized model, we collected team-level social network data and multiple-wave survey data from 697 managers nested in 148 hotels (i.e., 148 management teams) owned by a large hospitality company. We also obtained objective performance data for each hotel (i.e., occupancy percentage rate and revenue per available room per day) as the criterion measure. The data supported our hypotheses. The theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.     

Self-referential tags in the discourse of people with Alzheimer's disease

In a study of the discourse of 100 people with Alzheimer's disease treated for 12 months with donepezil, we observed that, as a group, they used a form of tag, described here as a self-referential tag (SRT), 14 times more frequently than did caregivers. Patients use SRTs to check propositions dependent on episodic memory as in I haven't seen the doctor recently, have I? and to monitor information flow as in I told you that already, didn't I? Based on criteria developed for distinguishing checking from monitoring tags, we document the type and frequency of patients' SRT use in the ACADIE corpus and analyze these in relation to standard measures of cognitive function (Mini Mental State Exam and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive sub-scale) at baseline and 12 months. Patients using monitoring SRTs (N=31), with or without checking SRTs, show significantly better cognitive test scores at 12 months, than are seen in patients who never use tags (N=29), or who only use checking tags (N=40). SRT use may be an independent measure of potential treatment responsiveness.     

The Mother–Daughter Relationship as a Resource for Korean Women's Career Aspirations

Korean college women's career aspirations were examined among 482 Korean college women in South Korea. The inability of women to envision themselves in a career has been largely attributed to formal education that perpetuates gender inequality. As such, this study investigated the inter-relationships between external factors (school experiences and peer influences) and internal factors (maternal influences with the mother–daughter relationship) in Korean women's development of self-perception and in the significance of their sex-role behaviors (career orientation and feminist identification). The structural equation model (SEM) utilized in this study revealed that Korean women's career orientation was determined directly by their nontraditional sex-role attitudes and by a close, continuous, and satisfactory relationship with their mothers. Overall, maternal influences on the development of daughters' career orientation outweigh other factors encountered in schools, and emerge as key predictor variables in Korean women's career development.     

Differential effect of TEA on long-term synaptic modification in hippocampal CA1 and dentate gyrus in vitro.

The effectiveness of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and high-frequency stimulation (HFS) in inducing long-term synaptic modification is compared in CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) in vitro. High-frequency stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP) at synapses of both perforant path-DG granule cell and Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell pathways. By contrast, TEA (25 mM) induces long-term depression in DG while inducing LTP in CA1. The mechanisms underlying the differential effect of TEA in CA1 and DG were investigated. It was observed that T-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) blocker, Ni2+ (50 microM), partially blocked TEA-induced LTP in CA1. A complete blockade of the TEA-induced LTP occurred when Ni2+ was applied together with the NMDA receptor antagonist, D-APV. The L-type VDCC blocker, nifidipine (20 microM), had no effect on CA1 TEA-induced LTP. In DG of the same slice, TEA actually induced long-term depression (LTD) instead of LTP, an effect that was blocked by D-APV. Neither T-type nor L-type VDCC blockade could prevent this LTD. When the calcium concentration in the perfusion medium was increased, TEA induced a weak LTP in DG that was blocked by Ni2+. During exposure to TEA, the magnitude of field EPSPs was increased in both CA1 and DG, but the increase was substantially greater in CA1. Tetraethylammonium application also was associated with a large, late EPSP component in CA1 that persisted even after severing the connections between CA3 and CA1. All of the TEA effects in CA1, however, were dramatically reduced by Ni2+. The results of this study indicate that TEA indirectly acts via both T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and, as a consequence, induces LTP. By contrast, TEA indirectly acts via only NMDA receptors in DG and results in LTD. The results raise the possibility of a major synaptic difference in the density and/or distribution of T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and DG of the rat hippocampus.     

Differential Effect of TEA on Long-Term Synaptic Modification in Hippocampal CA1 and Dentate Gyrus in vitro

The effectiveness of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and high-frequency stimulation (HFS) in inducing long-term synaptic modification is compared in CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) in vitro. High-frequency stimulation induces long-term potentiation (LTP) at synapses of both perforant path-DG granule cell and Schaffer collateral-CA1 pyramidal cell pathways. By contrast, TEA (25 mM) induces long-term depression in DG while inducing LTP in CA1. The mechanisms underlying the differential effect of TEA in CA1 and DG were investigated. It was observed that T-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) blocker, Ni²⁺ (50 μM), partially blocked TEA-induced LTP in CA1. A complete blockade of the TEA-induced LTP occurred when Ni²⁺ was applied together with the NMDA receptor antagonist, D-APV. The L-type VDCC blocker, nifidipine (20 μM), had no effect on CA1 TEA-induced LTP. In DG of the same slice, TEA actually induced long-term depression (LTD) instead of LTP, an effect that was blocked by D-APV. Neither T-type nor L-type VDCC blockade could prevent this LTD. When the calcium concentration in the perfusion medium was increased, TEA induced a weak LTP in DG that was blocked by Ni²⁺. During exposure to TEA, the magnitude of field EPSPs was increased in both CA1 and DG, but the increase was substantially greater in CA1. Tetraethylammonium application also was associated with a large, late EPSP component in CA1 that persisted even after severing the connections between CA3 and CA1. All of the TEA effects in CA1, however, were dramatically reduced by Ni²⁺. The results of this study indicate that TEA indirectly acts via both T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and, as a consequence, induces LTP. By contrast, TEA indirectly acts via only NMDA receptors in DG and results in LTD. The results raise the possibility of a major synaptic difference in the density and/or distribution of T-type VDCCs and NMDA receptors in CA1 and DG of the rat hippocampus.     

阅读潘菽

为纪念潘菽先生诞辰110周年(2007)和逝世20周年(2008),中国科学院心理研究所、中国心理学会和人民教育出版社联合编辑出版了<潘菽全集>.     

大学生自尊发展的特点

采用自编《大学生自尊评定问卷》,探讨1104名大学生自尊发展的特点。结果表明：（1）随着年级的增长大学生自尊呈稳定发展趋势,重要感、胜任感、归属感三个维度上表现出显著的年级差异。（2）大学生自尊发展存在着显著的性别差异,男生发展水平显著高于女生,性别差异主要体现在归属感维度。（3）文科生外表感维度得分显著高于理科生,独生子女、城市学生以及学生干部在自尊总分及其三个维度得分显著高于非独生子女、农村学生以及非学生干部。