Survival from the Brain's Perspective

The concern about man's harmful impact on the environment focuses attention on the external environment, i.e., the real world out there, which may not survive in a form to support life. But supporting life of an individual is in the hands of that individual's brain, which is primarily concerned with various needs of the internal environment, also referred to as the self. Confronted with diverse and often competing needs, the brain has evolved a complexity in man, which makes it doubtful that any one collective strategy may be effective in preserving the external environment.     

Psychological Interventions and Genetic Testing: Facilitating Informed Decisions About BRCA1/2 Cancer Susceptibility

Genetic testing for inherited cancer susceptibility, based on the recently identified. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, will soon be available on a large scale. However, at present, genetic test results do not lead to clearly indicated diagnostic or preventive measures, and the nature of the psychological impact of BRCA1/2 testing is still largely unknown. This uncertainty, combined with preliminary evidence suggesting significant individual differences in reactions to genetic susceptibility feedback, constitutes a unique challenge for any individual contemplating such testing. We outline the nature of this challenge and then propose an intervention strategy designed to help individuals make deeply processed and psychologically well-informed decisions with regard to their genetic susceptibility. The intervention is guided by recent research findings and theory on the cognitive–emotional processing of cancer-risk information. Specifically, the goal is to prepare the individual for genetic testing by (1) cognitively and emotionally activating, or preliving, the individual's potential reactions to testing feedback; (2) facilitating accurate appraisal of the individual's cognitive–emotional reactions; and (3) enabling the individual to process these reactions through the use of well-established clinical techniques.     

Heidegger im Gespr?ch mit Hegel: Zur Negativit?t bei Hegel

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit freundlicher Genehmigung von Dr. Hermann Heidegger konnte hierbei ein unveröffentlichtes Manuskript als Grundlage dienen. Die Seitenangaben beziehen sich auf die Abschrift dieses Textes, der sich im Heidegger-Archiv unter der Signature A 37 befindet.     

Information processing and human sequential predictive behaviour

Human sequential predictive behaviour is analysed in relation to information theory and information processing theory. The problem consists of the sequential prediction of stochastic-ergodic series of symbols. These sequences are described in terms of information theory (objective structure of the task) and the problem solving process in terms of information processing theory (problem space). The predictions of the behaviour of Ss, deduced from task environment and problem space, are confirmed by statistical analyses of the observed experimental behaviour of Ss. The necessity of further research on this and related problems is emphasized.