Logics of some kripke frames connected with Medvedev notion of informational types

Intermediate prepositional logics we consider here describe the setI() of regular informational types introduced by Yu. T. Medvedev [7]. He showed thatI() is a Heyting algebra. This algebra gives rise to the logic of infinite problems from [13] denoted here asLM ₁. Some other definitions of negation inI() lead to logicsLM _n (n ). We study inclusions between these and other systems, proveLM _n to be non-finitely axiomatizable (n ) and recursively axiomatizable (n < ). We also show that formulas in one variable do not separateLM from Heyting's logicH, andLM _n (n < ) from Scott's logic (H+S).     

Maps between some different kinds of contraction function: The finite case

In some recent papers, the authors and Peter Gärdenfors have defined and studied two different kinds of formal operation, conceived as possible representations of the intuitive process of contracting a theory to eliminate a proposition. These are partial meet contraction (including as limiting cases full meet contraction and maxichoice contraction) and safe contraction. It is known, via the representation theorem for the former, that every safe contraction operation over a theory is a partial meet contraction over that theory. The purpose of the present paper is to study the relationship more finely, by seeking an explicit map between the component orderings involved in each of the two kinds of contraction. It is shown that at least in the finite case a suitable map exists, with the consequence that the relational, transitively relational, and antisymmetrically relational partial meet contraction functions form identifiable subclasses of the safe contraction functions, over any theory finite modulo logical equivalence. In the process of constructing the map, as the composition of four simple transformations, mediating notions of bottom and top contraction are introduced. The study of the infinite case remains open.     

Anxiety,aspirations, and self-concept in the achievement process: A longitudinal model with latent variables

Recent research suggests that anxiety is not a single, unified reaction to perceived threat, but rather a cluster of interrelated factors whose relationships to performance change as the individual progresses from one test event to another. This study investigated the presumed linkages between traitlike predispositions to perceive threat and achievement performance, as mediated by statelike anxiety arousal on a longitudinal basis (Perceived Threat Anxiety Arousal Impaired Performance). College students were administered self-report questionnaire measures during a preenrollment period, after the first two midterms, and following the last two midterms in a general psychology course. Four performance measures and 26 motivational indicators were fitted to a 10-factor latent model using LISREL model-fitting techniques. Path-analytic interpretations of this structural model provided little evidence for the commonly held view that traitlike threat perceptions mediate performance via statelike anxiety reactions. Far more promising, theoretically, are those influences on test performance stemming from the self-attributional, cognitive domain. Overall, the findings support a recent reinterpretation of achievement anxiety as stemming from the disruptive effects of diminished ability perceptions (and hence, impaired personal worth), rather than from the interfering influence of diffused emotional arousalper se.     

On “Liberating” Theology from Christianity: Religious Values and Political Philosophy

The widely analyzed phenomenon of liberation theology needs to be discussed primarily at the theoretical level of its relation to political philosophy. Essentially, liberation theology serves as a means to co-opt the ideas, institutions, and motivations of religious people into the service of modern ideology, particularly Marxism. To fully comprehend this school of thought, one must understand it as an aspect of modern Gnosticism. That is, liberation theology accepts the reconstruction of human and cosmic purpose through an interpretation of classical religious ideas in the light of Marxist categories, themselves with direct and intelligible roots in political philosophy. Liberation theology proposes a this-wordly salvation as the content of the original revelation, while retaining all of the original religious terminology. The final test of such a proposal lies in its purpose and effect. The avowed justification of liberation theology, that is, the alleviation of the poor, can be best achieved by other means and ideas more in conformity with the tenets and means of classical religion and philosophy, which themselves cannot be reduced to mere politics.     

Hostile aggression and type A behavior

Type A and Type B male college students were given the opportunity to display hostile aggression against an insulting confederate on a bogus ESP task, using either aversive noise or a monetary penalty. Preliminary correlational analyses confirmed that Ss' aggressive responding covaried directly with their reported desire to hurt the confederate but was, in contrast, unrelated to their reported desire to help the confederate. Thus, Ss' aggressive behavior was motivated by hostile intentions. Subsequent analyses revealed that Type As were more aggressive and reported a greater desire to hurt the confederate than Type Bs, regardless of the mode of aggression. These data support the results of a recent study which questioned the intuitively appealing assumption that Type As should only display aggressive behavior when motivated by some external achievement goal.     

Social and solipsistic observer training: Effects on agreement with a criterion

The need to train accurate, not necessarily agreeing, observers is discussed. Intraobserver consistency as an intermediate criterion in such training is proposed and contrasted with the more familiar criterion of interobserver agreement. Videotaped observations of social interactions between handicapped and nonhandicapped preschoolers provided the medium for examining the criterion agreement of four observers trained against each type of standard. Observers generally failed to show high levels of criterion agreement whether trained to a within- or to a between-observer agreement standard. The results varied somewhat with the frequency of behaviors, however. Correlations between interobserver agreement and intraobserver consistency were variable but somewhat higher when interobserver agreement was the training criterion than when intraobserver consistency was the criterion. Correlations between interobserver agreement and criterion agreement ranged from — .16 to .89 during interobserver agreement training. Correlations between intraobserver consistency and criterion agreement ranged from — .23 to .99 during intraobserver consistency training.     

Factors Perceived as Helpful by the Members of Self-Help Groups: An Exploratory Study

The factors perceived as helpful by members of three different types of self-help groups are examined, using the 12 factors identified by Yalom as operative in group psychotherapy. Questionnaires were given to 45 members of self-help groups, asking for their views of the most and least helpful aspects of their experiences of their group, and for their judgement of its effectiveness. Results indicated that members of a group concerned with social and personal support in the face of a socially problematic situation (widowhood) found the experience of Universality to be the most helpful factor, while Self-Disclosure was least helpful. Members from a group for the physically sick (asthma sufferers) also reported the least helpful factor to be Self-Disclosure, but said that the most helpful factor was Guidance. By contrast, the group concerned with providing 'therapy' for depressives reported Cohesiveness to be most helpful, and Guidance to be least helpful. Comparison with other studies using similar methodologies with different group populations suggests that the factors likely to be effective in self-help groups for the socially unsupported and physically sick on the one hand, and for the psychologically disturbed on the other, may differ.     

On the relationship between stimulus intensity and duration of visible persistence

Stimulus intensity and duration of visible persistence have been found to vary directly in some studies but inversely in others. Hawkins and Shulman (1979) have proposed that this inconsistency can be resolved by separating the studies that employed a decrement-threshold measure of persistence (Type I measure) from those that measured the total duration of persistence (Type II measure). They suggested that Type I measures yield an inverse relationship, whereas Type II measures yield a direct relationship between intensity and persistence. Hawkins and Shulman's model is incomplete in ways that are easily remedied. However, the model is totally contradicted by the experimental evidence. A new resolution of the inconsistent results is proposed in terms of retinal afterimages.     

Working memory theory of hippocampal function needs qualification

To compare the predictive value of "cognitive map" and "working memory" theories of hippocampal function, the performance of rats with dorsal hippocampal lesions was compared to that of control rats in a series of experiments. In Experiment I, experimental rats learned a spatial alternation task with normal ease, but in Experiment II, they were significantly impaired on an elevated 8-arm radial maze. In Experiment III, the performance of the same experimental and control rats was compared on two versions of a 16-arm enclosed radial maze. In the first version, carpet inserts served as cues to mark eight unbaited arms and each of the remaining arms contained one food pellet. While both experimental and control rats successfully avoided the set of cued arms, experimental rats reentered uncued baited arms more frequently than did control rats. In the second version no intramaze cues were provided, but the spatial distribution of baited and unbaited arms remained the same as that used in the first version. In this uncued version, experimental rats both entered unbaited arms and reentered baited arms more frequently than did control rats, i.e., they were impaired in both "reference" and "working" memory. These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that hippocampal lesions result in an impaired capacity to form cognitive maps but they are not compatible with the working memory hypothesis. Furthermore, twelve separate evaluators classed experimental rats as using fewer mapping and more orientation strategies than control rats in the 8-arm maze.     

Studies of birth rates: social-psychological aspects

This is a general review of world literature and attitudes toward propaganda campaigns aimed at regulating population growth in the USSR. The goals, strategies, and psychological methods used in such campaigns are examined, and social attitudes toward population dynamics and family planning are explored. (SUMMARY IN ENG)