The Logic and Meaning of Plurals. Part I

Contemporary accounts of logic and language cannot give proper treatments of plural constructions of natural languages. They assume that plural constructions are redundant devices used to abbreviate singular constructions. This paper and its sequel, “The logic and meaning of plurals, II”, aim to develop an account of logic and language that acknowledges limitations of singular constructions and recognizes plural constructions as their peers. To do so, the papers present natural accounts of the logic and meaning of plural constructions that result from the view that plural constructions are, by and large, devices for talking about many things (as such). The account of logic presented in the papers surpasses contemporary Fregean accounts in its scope. This extension of the scope of logic results from extending the range of languages that logic can directly relate to. Underlying the view of language that makes room for this is a perspective on reality that locates in the world what plural constructions can relate to. The papers suggest that reflections on plural constructions point to a broader framework for understanding logic, language, and reality that can replace the contemporary Fregean framework as this has replaced its Aristotelian ancestor.     

Visually perceived eye level and horizontal midline of the body trunk influenced by optic flow

The eye level and the horizontal midline of the body trunk can serve, respectively, as references for judging the vertical and horizontal egocentric directions. We investigated whether the optic-flow pattern, which is the dynamic motion information generated when one moves in the visual world, can be used by the visual system to determine and calibrate these two references. Using a virtual-reality setup to generate the optic-flow pattern, we showed that judged elevation of the eye level and the azimuth of the horizontal midline of the body trunk are biased toward the positional placement of the focus of expansion (FOE) of the optic-flow pattern. Furthermore, for the vertical reference, prolonged viewing of an optic-flow pattern with lowered FOE not only causes a lowered judged eye level after removal of the optic-flow pattern, but also an overestimation of distance in the dark. This is equivalent to a reduction in the judged angular declination of the object after adaptation, indicating that the optic-flow information also plays a role in calibrating the extraretinal signals used to establish the vertical reference.     

一种有神的信仰是怎样建立起来的(二)

(二)使灌输得以成立的强 化保障机制 1.无质疑的通读学法方式 一个不可避免的问题是,大 部分"法轮功"学员在刚刚开始 看书听讲时,特别对有神论的思 想观念,都会或多或少出现怀 疑、困惑甚至排斥,也会在相互 交流时将心中的疑问提出。包括 学了一段时间以后也仍有部分人 半信半疑。周围也会有议论和反 对的意见。对于这些情况,李洪 志有大量的针对性论述。     

Young adult drivers' sensitivity to changes in speed and driving mode in a simple vehicle simulator

The study was done to check replication of changes in sensitivity with a simple simulator as had been obtained in an experiment using the real road situation. Another purpose was to control simulator sickness which could have confounded data from testing with a simulator or in actual driving. Sensitivity of the drivers (72 healthy young adults, M age = 24 yr., SD = 5) while performing the driving task was measured in terms of subjective ratings of simulator sickness and affect, and physiological measures (i.e., galvanic skin responses and skin temperature) at different driving speeds and in driving mode conditions, using a simple vehicle simulator. Analysis showed measures of drivers' state, including simulator sickness, physiological indices, and subjective reports, increased with driving speed (30 --> 90 -->120 km/hr.) and driving mode change from the regular speed to sudden increasing to sudden decreasing speeds. Particularly, the results suggest that the increased autonomic nervous activation induces increase of rated simulator sickness. Based upon the same tendency in change of the simulator sickness and physiological state with driving speed and driving mode conditions, it was concluded that, if the results obtained from the simulator experiment can be generalized to the real situation, the simulator sickness must be considered a confounding factor. The results also suggest that the changes in human sensitivity are dependent upon aspects related to speed of a vehicle and driving mode.     

Sex ratio in Chinese suicide

In the county of Chuanzhou of China, the male/female sex ratio for suicides was lower in the wealthier districts.     

Item selection methods with exposure and time control for computerized classification test

Computerized classification testing (CCT) commonly chooses items maximizing information at the cut score, which yields the most information for decision-making. However, a corollary problem is that all examinees will be given the same set of items, resulting in high test overlap rate and unbalanced item bank usage, which threatens test security. Moreover, another pivotal issue for CCT is time control. Since both the extremely long response time (RT) and large RT variability across examinees intensify time-induced anxiety, it is crucial to reduce the number of examinees exceeding the time limitation and the differences between examinees' test-taking times. To satisfy these practical needs, this paper proposes the novel idea of stage adaptiveness to tailor the item selection process to the decision-making requirement in each step and generate fresh insight into the existing response time selection method. Results indicate that a balanced item usage as well as short and stable test times across examinees can be achieved via the new methods.     

Trust me if you can: The effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service

Building trust and enhancing consumers' participation are critical for the growth of peer-to-peer sharing economy. This research explores the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service and its underlying psychological mechanisms. The results indicate that driver username has a significant impact on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service, as a driver with a real name elicits greater intention to use ride-sharing service than a driver with a screen name (studies 1, 2, 3a, 3b, and 3c). In addition, the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service is serially mediated by social presence and trust (study 2). Importantly, the effect of driver username on passengers' intention to use ride-sharing service is moderated by driver reputation (studies 3a, 3b, and 3c). A high (vs. low) reputation facilitates the impact of driver username on passengers' usage intention. Based upon these findings, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Life satisfaction trajectories among junior high school students in China: The role of parent–child communication

A 3-year follow-up test (from grades 7 to 9) was administered to 807 junior high school students from two regions in Hunan Province, China, using multilevel analysis to examine trends in junior high school students' life satisfaction, differences by gender and location of life and the effects of father–child/mother–child communication on the development of life satisfaction. The results showed that (1) Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction showed a decreasing trend from the seventh grade to the ninth grade, and there was a significant decreasing process in the eighth grade; (2) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant positive predictive effect on Chinese junior high school students' life satisfaction and (3) father–child communication and mother–child communication had a significant negative predictive effect on the decreasing trend of life satisfaction, in which the effect of mother–child communication was particularly significant.     

第三次医学革命与理论思维

第三次医学革命是指我们站在传染病世界危机的边缘上,各国无一幸免。传染病仍是世界范围内的第一位死亡原因。来自首次感染和重复感染的威胁是抗生素耐药菌惊人的增长。现在理论思维已从机遇思维转向逆向思维。     

英语单词记忆过程中策略的选用和评价的研究

问卷结果表明 :普通大学生和 GRE考生在有关记忆过程的知识方面没有差异 ;绝大多数 GRE考生有选用“较多的”策略趋势 ,且在规定单词记忆量和精细加工策略方面差异显著 ;两类被试在对策略的评价的总体上具有一致性 ,但两类被试在选择比较有效和值得推荐的策略时 ,在一些自我监控策略上的选取比率表现出差异 ,在选择效果不佳和基本无效策略时 ,在某些一般记忆加工策略上选取比率也存在差异 ;绝大多数被试推荐策略是基于经验 ,判定策略无效是源于直觉判断。本文结合前人的研究成果 ,探讨了知识、情景因素与策略的选择和运用的关系 ;提出了实际学习情景下策略有效性意识形成的两个因素及可能途径。