Using an Example Statement Increases Information but Does Not Increase Accuracy of CBCA,RM, and SCAN

Verbal credibility assessment methods are frequently used in the criminal justice system to investigate the truthfulness of statements. Three of these methods are Criteria Based Content Analysis (CBCA), Reality Monitoring (RM), and Scientific Content Analysis (SCAN). The aim of this study is twofold. First, we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of CBCA, RM, and especially SCAN. Second, we tested whether giving the interviewee an example of a detailed statement can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of these verbal credibility methods. To test the latter, two groups of participants were requested to write down one true and one fabricated statement about a negative event. Prior to this request, one group received a detailed example statement, whereas the other group received no additional information. Results showed that CBCA and RM scores differed between true and fabricated statements, whereas SCAN scores did not. Giving a detailed example statement did not lead to better discrimination between truth tellers and liars for any of the methods but did lead to the participants producing significantly longer statements. The implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analyse des pratiques professionnelles en formation initiale des enseignants : dispositifs et retentissements

The present paper deals with an analysis of professional practices in initial teacher education. We prove how some characteristics of the system, depending on the nature of the proposed protocol or the size of the group, modify the nature of the reflexive work, as well as the perception of the interests and relevance of this kind of system. In order to do so, we rely on a survey precising the main effects and consequences of these systems on the trainee teacher's representations of their professional acts and identity development.     

青少年网络游戏体验与网络游戏成瘾的交叉滞后分析

该研究采用青少年网络游戏体验量表和网络游戏成瘾量表,对北京某中学初一、初二、初三和高二年级247名中学生进行为期四个月的追踪研究,考察被试在追踪期间网络游戏成瘾倾向的变化,以及网络游戏体验与网络游戏成瘾的因果关系及其内在心理机制。结果表明:(1)青少年的网络游戏成瘾倾向在追踪研究期间保持相对稳定。(2)网络游戏体验与网络游戏成瘾相关显著。(3)交叉滞后分析结果表明,网络游戏体验是网络游戏成瘾的预测变量。进一步的回归分析表明,网络游戏体验对青少年网络游戏成瘾为同时性的预测。     

The Importance of Cartesian Triangles: A New Look at Descartes's Ontological Argument

In this paper, I argue that commentators have missed a significant clue given by Descartes in coming to understand his 'ontological' proof for the existence of God. In both the analytic and synthetic presentations of the proof throughout his writings, Descartes notes that the proof works 'in the same way' as a particular geometrical proof. I explore the significance of such a parallel, and conclude that Descartes could not have intended readers to think that the argument consists of some kind of intuition. I argue that for Descartes the attribute of existence is a 'second-order' attribute that is demonstrated to belong to the idea of God on the basis of 'first-order' attributes. The proof, properly understood, is in fact a demonstration. Having brought to light the geometrical parallels between the ontological and geometrical proofs, we have new evidence to resolve the 'intuition versus demonstration' controversy that has characterized much of the discussion of Descartes's ontological argument.     

Kant and the Problem of Simultaneous Causation

The argument of Kant's Second Analogy provides only for causal connections between successive appearances, but, as Kant himself immediately notes, in many cases cause and effect are simultaneous. This essay examines Kant's solution to the resulting problem of simultaneous causation. I argue that there are, in fact, at least two distinct problems falling together under the rubric 'simultaneous causation', both reflecting significant features of paradigmatic causal-explanatory scenarios within Newtonian mechanics - a problem about the 'persisting simultaneity' of a continuous or sustaining cause with its effect, and a problem about the 'instantaneous simultaneity' of what Kant calls the causality of a cause with the onset of its effect. An exploration of the ingenious conceptual resources which Kant brings to bear on these problems turns out to yield interesting and important insights regarding his philosophy of mathematics as well.     

The effect of implementation intentions on physical activity among obese older adults: A randomised control study

The objective of this study is to quantify situational impacts on coping compared to the impact of personal characteristics. A facet design was used to systematically vary three situational features (ambiguity, social context, and concern at stake) in twenty vignettes of stressful situations that were presented to a sample of 430 healthy persons to elicit coping responses. In addition, relevant personal characteristics (mental health, self-esteem, perceived social support, and dispositional coping styles) were assessed. A series of variance component analyses demonstrated that for eight types of coping behavior, variability within individuals across situations was larger than variability between individuals. Multilevel analyses, accounting for both the person level and the situation level in the data, were employed to identify the situational features and personal characteristics that were responsible for situation-related variance and person-related variance respectively. Results demonstrate that all three situational features proved significant contributors to differentiated situation-specific coping patterns. No single personal factor could be identified as relevant in shaping coping behaviors, although the combined impact of personal factors explained a considerable amount of variance at the personal level. It is concluded that the study of situational features is a promising way to understand in which way situations shape coping behavior, and may be helpful in guiding the development of coping scales tailored to specific situations.     

Applying Cluster Analysis to Define a Typology of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in a Medically-Evaluated,Random Community Sample

This study involved a randomly selected, medically-evaluated, community-based sample of 166 individuals with chronic fatigue. Participants diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and medically-explained chronic fatigue reported significantly more severe fatigue following exertion than the idiopathic chronic fatigue group, and participants with medically-explained chronic fatigue also reported significantly more severe fatigue following exertion than the psychiatrically-explained chronic fatigue group. A cluster analysis was performed to define a typology of chronic fatigue symptomatology for participants diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Three clusters emerged. Cluster 1 contained only one participant with chronic fatigue syndrome and was characterized by relatively low post-exertional fatigue. Cluster 2 contained a small proportion of individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome and was characterized by most severe post-exertional fatigue and most improvement in fatigue following rest. Cluster 3 contained the highest proportion of individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome, and was characterized by high post-exertional fatigue and fatigue not alleviated by rest.     

How did compulsory personal therapy during counselling training influence personal and professional development?

Aim: This study explored the influence of personal therapy on professional and personal development in a qualitative investigation. Method: Six semi‐structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings: All participants recognised the important influence of personal therapy on personal growth. Influences on personal development were experienced in the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual worlds of participants. It was felt that skills, a better understanding of therapeutic relationships, and general support, enhanced professional development. Conclusion: In combination this can lead to an increase in self‐awareness and thus a more effective professionalism in counsellors.     

What is an Empirical Analysis of Causation?

Philosophical accounts of causation have traditionally been framed as attempts to analyze the concept of a cause. In recent years, however, a number of philosophers have proposed instead that causation be empirically reduced to some relation uncovered by the natural sciences: e.g., a relation of energy transfer. This paper argues that the project of empirical analysis lacks a clearly defined methodology, leaving it uncertain how such views are to be evaluated. It proposes several possible accounts of empirical analysis and argues that the most promising approach would treat it as a contingent identity discovered by identifying the relation (or relations) that most nearly approximate the inferential role of causal concepts in a psychological theory of causal judgment.