Client process in short term dynamic psychotherapy1

In this study, a single case design was used to examine significant client events in a process of short-term dynamic psychotherapy. The Category System of Client Good Moments (Mahrer, 1988) was used as a measure of therapeutic process. Client speaking turns were rated for three sessions (early, middle, and late) of the complete sixteen session treatment conducted according to davanloo's (1978) model of short-term dynamic psychotherapy (STDP), and categories of good moments identified. The results showed that the salient client change-events were related to the client's (a) provision of significant information, (b) exploration of feelings, and (c) insight and understanding across the three sessions. Additionally, the results also showed a statistically significant increase in client-reported behavior change and sense of well-being for the late session. The results suggest that in-session report of behavior change is an important component of therapeutic process. The implications of these results for an atheoretical, data-driven understanding of therapeutic change processes are presented.     

TALK ABOUT FICTION

I present a novel explanation of the apparent truth of certain remarks about fiction, such as an utterance of 'Salieri commissioned the Requiem' during a discussion of the movie Amadeus. I criticize the traditional view, which alleges that the uttered sentence abbreviates the longer sentence 'it is true in the movie Amadeus that Salieri commissioned the Requiem'. I propose a solution which appeals to some independently motivated results concerning the contexts relevant for the semantic evaluation of indexical expressions.     

Iconic storage in the two hemispheres

Three experiments have tested for the existence of laterality effects in iconic storage by employing a Sperling partial-report paradigm and lateralized presentations of alphabetical or pattern material. Even though an overall laterality effect was found in favor of the right visual field for the alphabetical material and in favor of the left visual field for the pattern material, the amount and time decay of partial-report advantage was similar in the two visual fields. These results indicate that hemispheric asymmetries occur beyond the iconic stage of visual information processing.     

Containment Logics: Algebraic Completeness and Axiomatization

Studia Logica - The paper studies the containment companion (or, right variable inclusion companion) of a logic $$\vdash $$ . This consists of the consequence relation $$\vdash ^{r}$$ which...     

Towards a semantics for biscuit conditionals

This essay proposes a semantic analysis of biscuit-conditionals, such as Austin’s classic example “there are biscuits in the cupboard if you want some”. The analysis is grounded on the ideas of contextual restrictions, and of non-character encoded aspects of meaning, and provides a rigorous framework for the widespread intuitions that (i) the if-clause in a biscuit-conditional is truth-conditionally idle, but (ii) it ‘qualifies’ the speech-act in question. In the concluding section of this essay, the analysis is also applied to the importantly similar phenomenon of speech-act adverbs.

THE “SCIENTIFIC MIRACLE OF THE QUR’ĀN,” PSEUDOSCIENCE,AND CONSPIRACISM

This article, after tracing a precise classification of the exegetical trend known as i?jāz ?ilmī, summarizes and discusses the criticism leveled at it and examines how the “scientific interpretation” of the Qur’ān is liable to blend with pseudoscience and conspiracy theories to the detriment of a solid harmonization of science and religion and of a genuine appreciation of natural science. Furthermore, the article offers some practical ideas that can be implemented in order to effectively and fairly address i?jāz ?ilmī in the Muslim world.     

Maternal aggression as a model for acute social stress in the rat: A behavioral-electrocardiographic study

Maternal aggression of lactating rats was used to induce acute social stress in a resident-intruder paradigm. Behavioral and electrocardiographic responses of male intruders were simultaneously recorded. Cardiac electrical activity was measured by means of a telemetry system which ensured preservation of intruder's behavioral repertoire. Behavioral response to maternal attack was evaluated in terms of percent time spent in passive/submissive (p/s) and active/non-submissive (a/ns) patterns. This allowed us to classify the intruders as submissive, non-submissive, and intermediates. During the test, a significant decrease of average R-R interval (R-R) compared to baseline conditions and the occurrence of arrythmias of different nature were found. Ventricular arrhythmias, including premature ventricular beats and ventricular tachycardias, were present in all the intruders while R-R fluctuations and II degree atrioventricular (A-V) blocks only appeared in submissive and intermediate rats. Most ventricular arrhythmias occurred within the upper range of heart rate and were preceded by periods of low R-R variability. These electrocardiographic events were temporally associated with a/ns behavioral patterns and were related to an increased prevalence of sympathetic activity. On the other hand, R-R fluctuations and II degree A-V blocks preceded by high R-R variability were synchronized with p/s behavior and were ascribed to a predominant inhibitory effect of vagal activation which becomes more pronounced as the level of sympathetic activity increases. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.