On the alpha-function, chaotic cats, and unconscious memory

Wilfred Bion, the noted psychoanalyst, introduced the term “alpha-function” to refer to mental operations that transform raw sense data into elements of experience that can be stored as unconscious memory. The paper weaves a theoretical thread between supposedly orthogonal fields of inquiry (Bion's psychoanalysis, chaotic systems, biology, Peircean semiotics) to (a) suggest that the alpha-function may be interpreted in terms of a chaotic transformation known as “Arnold's Cat Map” and (b) present a novel conception of unconscious memory.     

Linguistic Convergence to Observed Versus Expected Behavior in an Alien-Language Map Task

Individuals shift their language to converge with interlocutors. Recent work has suggested that convergence can target not only observed but also expected linguistic behavior, cued by social information. However, it remains uncertain how expectations and observed behavior interact, particularly when they contradict each other. We investigated this using a cooperative map task experiment, in which pairs of participants communicated online by typing messages to each other in a miniature “alien” language that exhibited variation between alien species. The overall task comprised three phases, in each of which participants were told that they would be paired with a different partner. One member of the pair was given explicit linguistic expectations in each phase, while the software controlled whether or not observed behavior from their partner would be consistent or inconsistent with these expectations. The other participant was given no such expectations, allowing us to control for the role of expectation. Participants converged to both observed and expected linguistic behavior, and convergence was boosted when observation and expectation were aligned. When expected and observed behavior were misaligned, participants updated their expectations, though convergence levels did not drop. Furthermore, participants generalized what they learned about one partner to apparent novel partners of the same alien species. We also discuss individual variation in convergence patterns and the lack of a relationship between linguistic convergence and success at the map task. Findings are consistent with observations outside the laboratory that language users converge toward expected linguistic behavior. They also have broader implications for understanding linguistic accommodation and the influence of social information on linguistic processing and production.     

Human factors in GIScience laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University

The human factors in GIScience Laboratory (Human Factors Lab) of The Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Geography is located in University Park, PA (USA). University Park and bordering State College, PA are found in the heart of PA between the cities of New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Pittsburgh, PA. The laboratory is directed by Dr. Alexander Klippel and is part of the GeoVISTA Center. The Human Factors Lab contributes to Penn State Geography’s strong tradition as a leader in research on map perception, spatial cognition, and behavior in spatial environments. This report focuses upon basic research topics in spatial cognition, including: (1) perceptual and cognitive factors in map symbolization and design, (2) the creation of cognitively ergonomic route directions for next generation location based services (LBS), (3) You-Are-Here maps and the creation of a sense of place through map-like representations, (4) the conceptualization and representation of dynamic phenomena (i.e., geographic movement pattern), and (5) the relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic conceptualization.     

试论江永河洛变先后天八卦图式思想

江永为清朝杰出的经学家、天文学家、音韵学家。他终生潜心于教学与著述,为探索科学与实学做出了鲜明的表率。在易学上则比较注重对河图、洛书的阐发。江永主张河图、洛书衍生先、后天八卦。为论证自己的观点,江永运用了"河图中宫五、十"生成万物的思想。他认为河图之四方、八个数字皆由五、十所生成。只要我们让河图横列的乾九、兑四、离三、震八站立起来排列在左边,让河图纵列的巽二、坎七、艮六、坤一排列在右边,即可以得到先天八卦图。接着,把河图五行与八卦五行相对应,在河图五行方位中引入先天八卦五行,则后天八卦图跃然纸上。     

薛中离图书易学思想浅析——以《图书质疑》为中心

本文以明代岭南思想家薛中离的《图书质疑》为中心,对薛中离的图书易学思想进行初步探讨,指出薛氏沿着"图书明——太极明——一体之学明"的理路,由驳斥析补说开始,重释图书易理,发挥诠释其"心外无物"、"主一立极"之心性思想,有着较强的浑一性和践履性的特征。