Fundamental failure to think logically about scientific questions: An illustration of tunnel vision with the application of Wason's Card Selection Test to criminal evidence

Logic and science are in some respects fundamentally different disciplines, in that for example, application of rules of logic can yield conclusions that are at odds with physical reality. Not surprisingly, people have ample difficulty with logical thinking. Nonetheless, in some instances, logical thinking can fuel empirical decision making. In the current research, it was established that applying rules of logic to a particular area of empirical decision making, that is, criminal fact finding, is indeed quite difficult (Study 1). Furthermore, the ability to think logically was found to be associated with superior evaluation of criminal evidence (Study 2). Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Developmental effects of economic and educational change: Cognitive representation in three generations across 43 years in a Maya community

We studied the implications of social change for cognitive development in a Maya community in Chiapas, Mexico, over 43 years. The same procedures were used to collect data in 1969–1970, 1991, and 2012—once in each generation. The goal was to understand the implications of weaving, schooling and participation in a commercial economy for the development of visual pattern representation. In 2012, our participants consisted of 133 boys and girls descended from participants in the prior two generations. Procedures consisted of placing colored sticks in a wooden frame to make striped patterns, some familiar (Zinacantec woven patterns) and some novel (created by the investigators). Following Greenfield (2009), we hypothesised that the development of commerce and the expansion of formal schooling would influence children's representations. Her theory postulates that these factors move human development towards cognitive abstraction and skill in dealing with novelty. Furthermore, the theory posits that whatever sociodemographic variable is changing most rapidly functions as the primary motor for developmental change. From 1969 to 1991, the rapid development of a commercial economy drove visual representation in the hypothesised directions. From 1991 to 2012, the rapid expansion of schooling drove visual representation in the hypothesised directions.     

四卡问题的内容促进效应的实验研究

本研究设计了２种抽象材料和４种具体材料的四卡问题,对４３６名大学生进行测试,以考察被试解决四卡问题时所采用的思维方式并检验命题内容对推理的影响。结果表明,四卡问题十分困难,具体内容的四卡问题并不能产生促进效应,大学生的推理表现出“匹配偏向”的特点。     

USING COMPLEX AUDITORY—VISUAL SAMPLES TO PRODUCE EMERGENT RELATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Six participants with autism learned conditional relations between complex auditory‐visual sample stimuli (dictated words and pictures) and simple visual comparisons (printed words) using matching‐to‐sample training procedures. Pre‐ and posttests examined potential stimulus control by each element of the complex sample when presented individually and emergence of additional conditional relations and oral labeling. Tests revealed class‐consistent performance for all participants following training.     

Why pigeons say what they do: reinforcer magnitude and response requirement effects on say responding in say-do correspondence

The effects of reinforcer magnitude and response requirement on pigeons' say choices in an experimental homologue of human say-do correspondence were assessed in two experiments. The procedure was similar to a conditional discrimination procedure except the pigeons chose both a sample stimulus (the say component) and a comparison stimulus that corresponded to it (the do component). Correspondence was trained on red, green, and white key colors before the duration of food presentations following correspondence on each key color (Experiment 1) and the number of key pecks required as the say response on each key color (Experiment 2) were manipulated in an attempt to influence the initial say response. The frequency of say responses on each key color coincided with programmed changes in the duration of food presentations and the key-peck requirements assigned to each key color. Correspondence accuracy remained stable in all conditions, even those in which the say responding occurred primarily on two of the three key colors. Implications for human behavior are discussed.     

Problemas epistemológicos del concepto y definición de la psicología

RESUMEN

Todavía es reciente, en Psicología, el predominio de una actitud “epistemolófoba”, que rechazaba como acientífico cualquier intento de reflexión metacientífico sobre el objeto de la psicología y las formulaciones explicativas que define. En los últimos años, esta actitud ha cambiado y los psicólogos vuelven a considerar pertinente y necesaria la reflexión. En este trabajo se analizan los diversos modos de explicación de la conducta, sin exclusiones y a partir de la premisa de la “sobredeterminación” de la propia conducta. Se define la psicología científica como la ciencia de los principios, estructuras y funciones de la formalización conductual de la interrelación respectiva del hombre y su medio natural y social.     

Narraciones orales y escritas en niños. Un estudio sobre sus diferencias

Resumen

El objetivo de este trabajo fue comprobar las diferencias existentes entre las modalidades oral y escrita de expresión. El tipo discursivo elegido para la comparación fue la narración espontánea, fundamentalmente por la literatura psicológica y psicolingüística que la apoya. Se analizaron 64 narraciones, 32 orales y 32 escritas de otros tantos sujetos todos ellos alumnos del último trimestre de primer curso de E.G.B. Las variables analizadas fueron nivel narrativo, cohesión y presencia de marcadores, M. L. E., cantidad de palabras, cantidad y tipo de nexos, cantidad y tipo de formas verbales.

Los resultados parecen demostrar que es más lo que une que lo que separa a ambas modalidades si no existe a la vez de la comparación intermodal la comparación inter discursiva. Así no resultan diferentes significativamente más que los marcadores narrativos (las medidas más altas son dé la modalidad escrita) y la productividad del texto, (las medidas más altas cuantitativamente son de la modalidad oral); el resto de variables no son significativamente diferentes.