Detection of gender-related categories by 10-month-old infants

Thirty-two 10-month-olds completed an habituation procedure where a male or female face was paired with a specific object. Results reveal 10-month-olds can form categories based on correlations among attributes of social information. Basic processes involved in gender role formation are present in 10-month-olds.     

Simulating correlated multivariate nonnormal distributions: Extending the fleishman power method

A procedure for generating multivariate nonnormal distributions is proposed. Our procedure generates average values of intercorrelations much closer to population parameters than competing procedures for skewed and/or heavy tailed distributions and for small sample sizes. Also, it eliminates the necessity of conducting a factorization procedure on the population correlation matrix that underlies the random deviates, and it is simpler to code in a programming language (e.g., FORTRAN). Numerical examples demonstrating the procedures are given. Monte Carlo results indicate our procedure yields excellent agreement between population parameters and average values of intercorrelation, skew, and kurtosis.     

Evaluating skills correlated with discriminated responding in multiple schedule arrangements

One potential solution for excessively high‐rate functional communication responses (FCR) is to establish stimulus control of the FCR through a multiple schedule. However, several studies have demonstrated difficulty with establishing discriminated responding across multiple schedule components. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate how participants’ skills related to color discrimination may be related to the emergence of discriminated responding in a multiple schedule with colors as the schedule‐correlated stimuli. Three secondary aims of the current study were to evaluate: a) varied multiple schedule arrangements, b) if topographically dissimilar stimuli facilitated the emergence of discriminated responding, and c) if employing different colored stimuli across multiple schedule arrangements reduced the likelihood that discriminated responding emerged simultaneously across varied arrangements. Nine participants’ ability to match, select, tact, and respond intraverbally to colors was assessed, and 1 of 2 evaluations of multiple schedule arrangements were conducted. Results indicated that participants’ ability to select and tact colors was strongly correlated with the efficacy of standard multiple schedule arrangements. Additionally, multiple schedule arrangements employing topographically dissimilar stimuli were observed to be equally as effective as standard arrangements and the inclusion of different colored stimuli across arrangements did not reduce the likelihood that discriminated responding emerged simultaneously across all conditions, when it was observed to emerge at all.     

Electron-phonon interactions in conducting polymers

The magnetic properties of conducting polymers are investigated within a one-dimensional periodic Anderson model in which effects stemming from electron–lattice intercations are explicitly included. The effective Hamiltonian derived via bosonization exhibits ferromagnetic ground state in the intermediate coupling regime. For these ferromagnetic polymers, the results show that phononic contributions have insignificant effect on ferromagnetism.     

The “New Cognitive Science of Religion” and Religious Pluralism

Abstract : The “new cognitive science of religion” (Lawson, McCauley, Boyer, Sperber, Tremlin, Pysiäinen, Hinde) finds that certain of the brian's “inference systems” press us to postulate gods or other supernatural agents where knowledge and control are lacking. In this article we explore the implications of this new “explanatory” appraoch for Christian theology, pluralism, and worship life.     

God’s Melancholia

Donald Capps’s (Capps 1997, 2001, 2002a, b) male melancholia theory has been of interest to me during the past few years (Carlin 2003, 2006, 2007), and Capps (2004, 2007a, b) himself has been publishing more on the topic. In his psychobiographical book on Jesus, Capps (2000) notes that psychologists of religion have been reluctant to psychoanalyze Jesus, and here I note that even fewer have been willing to diagnose God, one recent exception being J. Harold Ellens (2007). In this article, I explore the melancholia issue further, this time applying the theory to God by means of theological concepts that deal with the Trinity and the passion of God. And while this article is playful (Pruyser 1974; cf. Dykstra 2001), the upshot is more serious: If men are incurably religious and melancholic, as Capps argues, and if men, by and large, are the creators of religion, wouldn’t one expect to find traces of this melancholy in religion, particularly in its sacred texts and doctrines? By identifying these tendencies in religion, especially in God, the pastoral psychologist, I believe, is helping contemporary Christian men—especially fathers and sons—recognize their own melancholy selves and, perhaps, helping them get along a little better.     

Preferences for multi-attributed alternatives: Traces, dominance, and numerical representations

This paper analyzes conjoint measurement models allowing for intransitive and/or incomplete preferences. This analysis is based on the study of marginal traces induced on coordinates by the preference relation and uses conditions guaranteeing that these marginal traces are complete.Within the framework of these models, we propose a simple axiomatic characterization of preference relations compatible with the notion of dominance. We show that all such relations have a nontrivial numerical representation.Our results allow us to establish useful connections between two lines of thought in the area of decision analysis with multiple attributes that have largely remained unrelated: the one based on conjoint measurement and the one emphasizing the idea of dominance.     

规则空间模型在瑞文智力测验中的认知诊断分析

规则空间模型是一种基于统计模式识别和分类的认知诊断方法,此方法可以根据被试的作答反应,分析诊断被试的认知属性掌握情况。以往智力测验只是报告测验分数,对被试能力解释较为简单,缺乏必要的认知诊断分析。本文根据瑞文标准推理测验的难度层级特点,分析其所包含属性及其连接关系,并运用规则空间模型将所有被试划分在48种典型反应模式中,而且大部分被试都会集在几个典型反应模式中。本文对这些典型反应模式进一步分析被试的认知状态,并为教育辅导与人员选拔安排提供建议。     

基于属性多级化的认知诊断计算机化自适应测验设计与实现

本研究在传统CD-CAT的基础上进行拓展, 开发设计了可以处理属性多级化的CD-CAT (记为pCD-CAT), 而且当测验所有属性的水平数L_k = 2时则pCD-CAT可简化为CD-CAT, 因此传统CD-CAT是本研究设计开发pCD-CAT的一个特例。Monte Carlo模拟实验结果表明：基于属性多级化框架下设计的pCD-CAT具有较好的诊断正确率、题库安全性和较高的测验效率, 弥补了传统CD-CAT不足; 当属性多级化时, 若采用传统CD-CAT方法, 则诊断正确率很不理想(属性模式判准不到30%), 表明传统CD-CAT在属性多级化测验情景时不适宜, 而本文设计的pCD-CAT是一种不错的选择(属性模式判准高达80%以上)。总之, 本研究对于进一步拓展CD-CAT在实践中的应用提供了新方法和新技术支持。     

评论不一致性对消费者的双面影响:产品属性与调节定向的调节

以往有研究指出在线评论的不一致性会给企业带来负面影响,也有研究发现存在正面影响。之所以会存在两种截然相反的结论是因为,以往研究没有深入分析评论内容,忽略了造成不一致性的根源所在。通过引入产品属性及消费者调节定向,力图解释以往两种看似冲突的结论。结果表明:评论不一致性会通过影响消费者对产品的风险和独特性感知进而影响其购买意向;垂直属性评论(水平属性)不一致性越高,越会激发消费者的风险感知(独特性感知),进而降低(提高)购买意向;并且消费者调节定向对产品属性的调节作用会进一步调节。