Unit price as a useful metric in analyzing effects of reinforcer magnitude.

In this paper, we applied the behavioral-economic concept of unit price to the study of reinforcer magnitude in an attempt to provide a consistent account of the effects of reinforcer magnitude on behavior. Recent research in the experimental analysis of behavior and in behavioral pharmacology suggests that reinforcer magnitude interacts with the schedule of reinforcement to determine response rate and total consumption. The utility of the unit-price concept thus stems from its ability to quantify this interaction as a cost-benefit ratio (i.e., unit price = characteristics of the schedule of reinforcement divided by magnitude of reinforcement). Research employing the unit-price concept has shown that as unit price increases, a positively decelerating function exists for consumption (i.e., a function with an increasingly negative slope, when plotted on log coordinates) and a bitonic function exists for response rate. Based on these findings, the present analysis applied the unit-price concept to those studies of reinforcer magnitude and drug self-administration that examined the effects of reinforcer magnitude on response rate using simple schedules of reinforcement (e.g., fixed-ratio schedule). This resulted in three findings: (a) Reinforcer-magnitude manipulations and schedule manipulations interact in a manner that can be quantified in terms of unit price as benefit and cost factors, respectively; (b) different reinforcer-magnitude manipulations are functionally interchangeable as benefit factors in the unit-price ratio; and (c) these conclusions appear warranted despite the differences in reinforcers (food or drug), species (dogs, monkeys, or rats), and schedules (interval or ratio), and despite the fact that these studies were not designed for a unit-price analysis. In methodological terms, these results provide further evidence that employing the unit-price concept is a parsimonious method for examining the effects of reinforcer magnitude. In theoretical terms, these results suggest that a single process may underlie the effect of combined reinforcer-magnitude and schedule manipulations.     

中国和澳大利亚父母报告的儿童社会性发展

采用作者编制的《３－９岁儿童社会性发展量表》的英译本,在２８４名澳大利亚儿童中进行测试。结果表明,对于社会文化背景差异巨大的中国和澳大利亚,本量表具有较好的稳定性和跨文化适用性。儿童社会性发展的各个方面,在中澳父母心目中占有不同地位：中国父母重视自我意识、社会技能、意志品质,而澳大利亚父母更重视社会技能和社会情绪的发展。在中澳两个样本中,女孩的社会性发展量表得分均高于男孩。     

自由回忆和线索回忆测验中的系列位置效应

本文以96个中国汉字为材料,使用自由回忆和线索回忆测验方法,对20名被试进行6组分测验和最后所有汉字的总测验。发现自由回忆分测验中存在明显的系列位置效应,总测验出现负近因现象;线索回忆分测验也表现出明显的系列位置效应,但最后的总测验没有出现负近因现象。上述结果验证了Bjork和Whitten（1974）提出的顺序或情景理论。     

卡车驾驶员速度估计研究

用速度知觉测试仪,对251名男性卡车驾驶员在四种实验条件下的速度估计准确性进行了测量。结果发现：安全组卡车驾驶员的速度估计准确性优于事故组卡车驾驶员,两者在低速条件下差异不显著,高速条件下差异显著;事故组卡车驾驶员的高估次数高于安全组卡车驾驶员,低速条件下两者不显著.高速条件下差异显著;事故多发组与安全组卡车驾驶员的速度估计准确性在高速及低速长距离条件下差异显著;速度及距离对速度估计准确性有显著影响,且两者之间存在显著的交互作用;年龄对速度估计准确性无显著影响。     

医学伦理学概念之探究

医学伦理学的概念看起来很简单,一般情况下人们便习以为常地接受了作为应用规范伦理学的一个分支的科学地位,而忽视了医学对医学伦理学所起的作用。本文认为：医学伦理学的具体内容是医学科技与伦理道德两因素相互作用的产物,对其相互作用的形式和产物的具体分析和总结便可构成这门学科的理论体系。     

THE ‘VOLATILE’ MARXIAN CONCEPT OF THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT

The thesis of this paper is that even some of the most fundamental concepts of Marxism have been used and abused to fit their advocates' purposes. More specifically, the interpretation of the concept of the "dictatorship of the proletariat" has been subject to a dual development. First, the dictatorship of the proletariat has come to denote an increasingly violent regime. Second, the term has been used to refer to a rule exercised by an ever smaller segment of society. This paper seeks to analyze and elucidate this much disputed and frequently misunderstood Marxist concept. In the first part Marx's use of the term is examined. The second section explores how the same concept was explicated in the writings of some of the most important first generation Marxist thinkers and "practitioners" like Engels, Lenin, Kautsky, Bukharin, and Stalin. Following the summary of my findings I attempt to formulate some meaningful generalizations about the usage of the concept by Marxist thinkers.     

Attitudes toward the unconscious

As a keynote to a conference bringing together psychoanalysts and analytical psychologists, this paper addresses different mythic attitudes toward the unconscious, Starting with the caricatures of Oedipus and Narcissus that the author feels Jung and Freud originally projected onto each Other in the course of their quarrel. He moves on to the fairytale-like stories of Perseus and Beauty and the Beast to discover mote complex images of the stance taken in relation to the unconscious by present-day analysts: working within both die Jungian and the Freudian traditions.     

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY AS A MODEL FOR STRUCTURING THE RELATIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY

Abstract. A strategy for deeding systematically with such complex relationships as those between science and theology is presented after a brief overview of the historical record and illustrated in terms of the concept of divinity. The application of that strategy to the title relationships yields a multilogical/multilevel solution which presents certain analogies to or isomorphisms with the doctrine of the Trinity. These concern mainly the multilogical/multilevel character of both conceptualizations and the relational and contextual reasoning required to conceive them. Furthermore, certain characteristics of the doctrine facilitate the dialogue between theologians and scientists on account of their similarity with such scientific concepts as diversity in unity, multiplicity of relationships, nonseparability, and nonclassical logic.     

Predicting and scaling hens' preferences for topographically different responses

Six hens were exposed to several concurrent (second-order) variable-interval schedules in which the response requirements on the alternatives were varied. The response requirements were one key peck versus five key pecks, one key peck versus one door push, and five key pecks versus one door push. Response- and time-allocation ratios undermatched the obtained reinforcement ratios but were well described by the generalized matching law. Time and response bias estimates from two pairs of response requirements were used to predict bias in the third pairing. The predicted values were close to those obtained; this result supports the notion that both numerically and topographically different responses act as constant sources of bias within the generalized matching law. The differences between the response and time biases could be accounted for by the different times needed to complete each response requirement. The results also suggest that the door push is a useful operant for research with domestic hens.     

教师评分用语词义赋值特征的分析

本研究运用模糊统计试验方法对教师的六组定性的评分用语词 (符号 )进行了经验赋值。参加赋值的是 2 66名小学教师。结果表明 ,六组评分用语词 (符号 )都是模糊概念 ,其中每种评分方式中处于最高等级的词 (符号 )的模糊度最小 ,处于中间等级的词 (符号 )的模糊度居中 ,处于最低等级的词 (符号 )的模糊度最大。词 (符号 )义的模糊度与评价的把握度呈现负相关 ,即词 (符号 )义越具体 ,模糊度越小 ,赋值的把握度就越大 ;反之 ,词义越含混 ,模糊度越大 ,赋值的把握度就越小。教师对各种评分用语词 (符号 )的赋值受百分制的“及格—不及格”的划分的影响 ,受评分方式中等级数目的影响 ,即增加评分等级会减少评分用语词 (符号 )的模糊度 ,增加赋值的把握度 ,还受评分用语词 (符号 )本身数量特征的影响。在各种评分方式中 ,评语词 (符号 )在心理量表上的距离是不等的。本研究的结果对教育评价的实践具有一定的参考价值。