The overall pattern of the evolution of information in dissipative,material systems

I have argued for the reality of a second law of infodynamics. That is, that the information carrying capacity in a system, as viewed from within, must continue to increase as long as the system supports internal observation. I will be concerned here with matters of scale, as well as with system senescence (rigidity produced by the asymptotic approach to maximum information storage within a system). My major categories derive from a view of system development, and are: immaturity, maturity and senescence. As an immature system grows in size, It deploys information over ever smaller scales as it transforms from the vagueness of immaturity toward ever more definite embodiment. This eventually results in an information overload, gradually eroding system adaptability as it increasingly inhibits the variety of system responses by limiting its ability to further qualify stored information;     

现代针灸学研究应当警惕被文化绑架

针灸学的文化属性由其漫长的历史积淀特质所决定,针灸学的科学属性由其在现实中治疗疾病的有效性及其机制的探索过程所决定.针灸学的文化属性与科学属性犹如硬币的正反两面永远无法分离,但无法实现同一个角度的双面认识.不能以其文化属性而排斥科学属性,不能利用文化角度的认识方法和认识结果取代科学角度的探索方法和探索结果,反之亦然.文化的针灸可以努力固守,以保个性的纯洁与永恒;但科学的针灸需要不断发展,以超越个性文化而走向科学大同.现代针灸学研究应当警惕被文化绑架.     

A COMPARISON OF TIME DELAY AND DECREASING PROMPT HIERARCHY STRATEGIES IN TEACHING BANKING SKILLS TO STUDENTS WITH MODERATE HANDICAPS

Four students with moderate handicaps were taught to cash checks and to use an automatic teller through either a decreasing prompt hierarchy or time delay procedure. The strategies were compared within a multielement design. Results indicated that both strategies led to the acquisition of the target tasks; however, the decreasing prompt hierarchy was more efficient. Four and 8-week follow-up probes indicated that the strategies were equally effective in producing maintenance of performance.     

强势品牌广告竞争的溢出效应

本研究探讨同一品类两个强势品牌广告竞争对弱势品牌产生的影响, 研究尝试将广告重复、广告长度作为操控广告竞争强度的具体手段, 运用感知到的广告竞争水平来表示广告竞争强度。研究结果表明, 同一品类两个品牌同时进行广告重复的水平不同, 可以导致被试感知到的广告竞争水平有显著差异, 广告重复次数越多, 被试感知到的广告竞争强度越高, 广告长度对感知到的广告竞争作用不显著。研究同时发现：随着两个强势品牌广告竞争强度的提高, 消费者对弱势品牌的品牌态度降低, 这表明强势品牌广告竞争对弱势品牌具有溢出效应。另外, 研究还发现产品涉入度和产品属性相似性对强势品牌广告竞争的溢出效应具有调节作用, 涉入度低的产品和属性相似性高的产品溢出效应更大。本研究丰富了溢出效应理论, 增加了溢出效应类别, 同时对同一品类内部的广告实践具有重要的指导意义。     

权力层级与团队绩效关系：权力与地位的一致与背离

本研究致力于探讨在权力与地位不一致的背景下, 权力层级与团队绩效研究的分歧。本研究提出权力层级与团队绩效的关系取决于团队的层级一致性——权力与地位的匹配度。具体地, 当层级一致(权力与地位匹配)时, 权力层级促进团队绩效; 当层级不一致(权力与地位不匹配)时, 权力层级抑制团队绩效。本研究结合问卷、实验和二手数据方法来验证假设, 研究1通过对46个大学生创业实践团队的两阶段问卷调查, 发现层级一致性对权力层级与团队绩效的关系具有调节作用。此后, 研究2通过一项涉及64个团队的实验来揭示因果关系, 发现权力争夺在权力层级和层级一致性的交互与团队绩效的关系中起中介作用。最后研究3通过203个观测值的互联网公司二手数据重复验证了层级一致性的调节作用, 并提升了本研究的生态效度。本研究为权力层级的研究做出了一定的贡献, 并为团队管理提供了启示。     

重参数化的多分属性诊断分类模型及其判准率影响因素

多分属性比传统的二分属性提供更多更详细的诊断反馈信息, 符合对知识技能的多水平要求, 具有较好的应用前景。本文首先介绍了多分属性和多分Q矩阵的概念; 之后重参数化了3个分别满足连接、分离和补偿缩合规则的多分属性诊断分类模型并研究了其判准率影响因素, 结果发现它们的判准率(1)均随多分属性数量的增加而降低, 建议实际使用中不宜高于5个; (2)均随多分属性的最高水平数增加而降低, 建议实际使用中不宜高于4水平; (3)均随多分属性间统计相关性增加而增加, 但影响不大; (4)受多分属性层级结构的影响较大; (4)受被试量影响不大; (5)均随题目数量增加而增加且影响较大。最后, 针对“多分属性与多级评分的关系”和“多分属性与二分属性之间的关系”这两个问题进行了讨论。以期为实证研究者提供相关的理论支持和使用建议。     

RITUAL, TIME, AND ENTERNITY

Abstract. It is argued here that the construction of time and eternity are among ritual's entailments. In dividing continuous duration into distinct periods ritual distinguishes two temporal conditions: (1) that prevailing in mundane periods and (2) that prevailing during the intervals between them. Differences in the frequency, length, and relationship among the rituals constituting different liturgical orders are considered, as are differences between mundane periods and ritual's intervals with respect to social relations, cognitive modes, meaningfulness, and typical interactive frequencies. Periods, it is observed, relate to intervals as everchanging to never-changing, and close relationships of never changing to eternity, eternity to sanctity, and sanctity to truth are proposed. In the argument that ritual's "times out of time" really are outside mundane time, similarities to the operations of digital computers and Herbert Simon's discussion of interaction frequencies in the organization of matter are noted.     

不确定归类的类别等级一致性限制与分离

该文以大学生被试,实验考察在集中呈现类别成员信息的非对齐类别等级结构条件下的不确定归类。实验结果表明,对个体的不确定归类会受类别的上下级包含关系限制而保持等级一致性,导致出现下级归类错误或上级归类错误;而对群体的不确定归类不会受类别上下级包含关系限制而保持等级一致性,而是与类别层次的实际分布相一致,出现上下级归类的分离。     

Rehabilitating AI: Argument Loci and the Case for Artificial Intelligence

This article examines argument structures and strategies in pro and con argumentation about the possibility of human-level artificial intelligence (AI) in the near term future. It examines renewed controversy about strong AI that originated in a prominent 1999 book and continued at major conferences and in periodicals, media commentary, and Web-based discussions through 2002. It will be argued that the book made use of implicit, anticipatory refutation to reverse prevailing value hierarchies related to AI. Drawing on Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's (1969) study of refutational argument, this study considers points of contact between opposing arguments that emerged in opposing loci, dissociations, and casuistic reasoning. In particular, it shows how perceptions of AI were reframed and rehabilitated through metaphorical language, reversal of the philosophical pair artificial/natural, appeals to the paradigm case, and use of the loci of quantity and essence. Furthermore, examining responses to the book in subsequent arguments indicates the topoi characteristic of the rhetoric of technology advocacy.     

Monadic Fuzzy Predicate Logics

Two variants of monadic fuzzy predicate logic are analyzed and compared with the full fuzzy predicate logic with respect to finite model property (properties) and arithmetical complexity of sets of tautologies, satisfiable formulas and of analogous notion restricted to finite models.