Choice,Conditioned Reinforcement,and the Prius Effect

Psychologists have long been intrigued with the rationales that underlie our decisions. Similarly, the concept of conditioned reinforcement has a venerable history, particularly in accounting for behavior not obviously maintained by primary reinforcers. The studies of choice and of conditioned reinforcement have often developed in lockstep. Many contemporary approaches to these fundamental topics share an emphasis on context and on relative value. We trace the evolution of thinking about the potency of conditioned reinforcers from stimuli that were thought to acquire their value from pairings with more fundamental reinforcers to stimuli that acquire their value by being differentially correlated with these more fundamental reinforcers. We discuss some seminal experiments (including several that have been underappreciated) and some ongoing data, all of which have propelled us to the conclusion that the strength of conditioned reinforcers is determined by their signaling a relative improvement in the organism''s relation to reinforcement.     

Law and Gospel,and Youth and Family Ministry

Abstract : If “faith comes through hearing” the word of God comprised in law and gospel, how do the imperatives that characterize ‘Youth and Family Ministry’ make such hearing possible? Here, literature delineating ‘Youth and Family Ministry’ is analyzed in light of its biblical foundations. The primary lens implemented in this analysis is the law/gospel hermeneutic advocated by Martin Luther and other reformers.     

Asymmetry of reinforcement and punishment in human choice

The hypothesis that a penny lost is valued more highly than a penny earned was tested in human choice. Five participants clicked a computer mouse under concurrent variable-interval schedules of monetary reinforcement. In the no-punishment condition, the schedules arranged monetary gain. In the punishment conditions, a schedule of monetary loss was superimposed on one response alternative. Deviations from generalized matching using the free parameters c (sensitivity to reinforcement) and log k (bias) were compared in the no-punishment and punishment conditions. The no-punishment conditions yielded values of log k that approximated zero for all participants, indicating no bias. In the punishment condition, values of log k deviated substantially from zero, revealing a 3-fold bias toward the unpunished alternative. Moreover, the c parameters were substantially smaller in punished conditions. The values for bias and sensitivity under punishment did not change significantly when the measure of net reinforcers (gains minus losses) was applied to the analysis. These results mean that punishment reduced the sensitivity of behavior to reinforcement and biased performance toward the unpunished alternative. We concluded that a single punisher subtracted more value than a single reinforcer added, indicating an asymmetry in the law of effect.     

医本仁术 命大于天——反思一尸两命案

孕妇因呼吸道感染求诊,必须实施剖腹产手术,医院因陪同人员拒不在手术知情同意书上签字,未能进行手术并眼睁睁地看着孕妇和胎儿死亡。本案是个极其个别的案例,但是仔细反思足以说明当前的相关法律法规尚有不足,医院处理也有许多值得商榷之处。除了法律法规之外,不仅医患沟通出了障碍,临床医务人员之间的交流,更是需要大大加强。     

加强情商培养 构建急诊和谐的医患关系

急诊科是医院救治急、危、重患者的第一线,也是医患冲突高发的科室,因此善于沟通和交流的高情商成为急诊科医生的必备品质之一;本文从情绪调控、心理学、利益得失、人文素养、语言艺术等角度探讨了急诊科医生情商培养在构建和谐医患关系中的重要作用。     

经典力学革命中的概念图式变化

经典力学革命中起核心作用的是运动概念的变化。亚里士多德力学把运动理解成位移,这种运动概念与因果解释图式一起,限定了力学解释的基本特征。为了解决抛体问题而引入的冲力理论是一个过渡,伽利略在用冲力理论解释自由落体运动时改变了思考问题的方向,转向新的运动概念——运动就是瞬时运动。这个概念结合力学解释的因果图式预告了惯性定律。     

评“自己讲”、“讲自己”的哲学史观——与张立文先生商榷

近年来,走出中国哲学的合法性危机、探索中国哲学史研究的范式创新是学者们关注较多的话题。在讨论中,也出现了一些有建设性的意见。其中,著名学者张立文先生的“自己讲”、“讲自己”的观点尤其引人瞩目。张先生在此方面的系列观点,对于增进中国学者研究中国哲学的自主性来说,有一定的积极意义。然而,张先生关于“自己讲”、“讲自己”、“中国哲学转生规律”以及“和合学”的论述尚存在诸多待改进的方面。全面、客观地评价“自己讲”、“讲自己”的哲学史观,对于提高中国哲学研究的理论水平来说具有重要意义。     

论健康权的国际合作与援助义务

目前,在全球健康领域存在诸多不平等,各国均有义务对外开展合作与援助。这种健康权的国际合作与援助义务主要以国际法规则和有关政治承诺为基础,由此也明确了该义务的依据和范围。我国作为发展中的大国,要辩证地看待这项国际义务：既应积极履行该项国际义务,同时也要努力寻求国际合作,并完善本国健康权保护体系。     

关于“代孕爸爸”事件的生命伦理与法律问题思考

全球首位“代孕爸爸”托马斯·比提的高调出现,带来了一场激烈的关于生命伦理与法律的大讨论。变性人的婚姻、生育及代孕问题让我们不得不对变性手术、人工辅助生殖技术以及代孕技术这些新兴生命技术进行再思考。我们不仅要肯定新兴生命技术的合理性,也要防止其所产生的潜在负面影响。合理利用新兴生命技术,客观地分析该事件并制定相应的法规是避免出现伦理道德和社会混乱的有效途径。