THE DIVINE SPIRIT AS CAUSAL AND PERSONAL

Theists in general and Christians in particular have good grounds for affirming divine action in relation to twenty‐first‐century science. Although humans cannot perceive with their five senses the causation—both divine and creaturely—at work in our world, they have reasons to believe God acts as an efficient, but never sufficient, cause in creation. The essential kenosis option I offer overcomes liabilities in other kenosis proposals, while accounting for a God who acts personally, consistently, persuasively, and yet in diversely efficacious ways. We can reasonably infer that the love, beauty, and truth expressed in creation derive from divine and creaturely causation.     

It's Complicated: Corporate Sustainability and the Uneasiness of Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique and field of expertise aimed at modeling the complete ‘cradle-to-grave’ life of goods and services, as well as their multiple impacts on environmental and human well-being. Although not new, in recent years LCA has become a central tool in corporate and government initiatives to improve overall product sustainability. These initiatives show how corporate supply chains have become increasingly important sites and objects of knowledge production. But the production process is not straightforward. LCA practitioners must navigate complicated relationships with corporations that serve as both clients and sources of vital information. The challenges of generating knowledge deemed both credible and useful are compounded by the complexity, diversity and contingency of product life cycles, as well as by ongoing debates about exactly how product sustainability should be modeled and assessed. While some of these challenges are unique to LCA, others reflect tensions common to many fields that assess corporate conduct in order to improve it.     

Synthesis and characterizations of NiTiO3 nanoparticles prepared by the sol–gel process

Nanocrystalline nickel titanate (NiTiO₃) composite powders were prepared by the sol–gel process combined with a surfactant-assisted template method. The resulting powders were calcined at different temperatures ranging from 150°C to 750°C for 2 h in air. The results revealed that a pure hexagonal phase of NiTiO₃ could be obtained at the low temperature of 750°C. The phase evolution of NiTiO₃ was investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Particle size and morphology were studied by transmission electron microscopy.     

Association between self-reported and performance-based navigational ability using internet-based remote spatial memory assessment

ABSTRACT

Traditionally, studies of spatial memory tend to utilise table-top tasks that focus on new spatial learning, however these in-lab procedures may not be reflective of real world spatial memory or navigation. This study investigated the relationship between self-rated navigation abilities and performance on a naturalistic Internet-based assessment of spatial memory for environments learned long ago. Results indicated that self-rated navigation ability was significantly associated with most of the remote spatial memory metrics. Familiarity with the geographical area tested, as well as frequency of visits, significantly predicted performance on the remote spatial memory measures. These results support the use of internet testing for performance-based navigation abilities in the assessment of remote spatial memory.     

Constructing autobiographical events within a spatial or temporal context: a comparison of two targeted episodic induction techniques

ABSTRACT

Recalling and imagining autobiographical experiences involves constructing event representations within spatiotemporal contexts. We tested whether generating autobiographical events within a primarily spatial (where the event occurred) or temporal (the sequence of actions that occurred) context affected how the associated mental representation was constructed. We leveraged the well-validated episodic specificity induction (ESI) technique, known to influence the use of episodic processes on subsequent tasks, to develop variants that selectively enhance spatial or temporal processing. We tested the effects of these inductions on the details used to describe past and future autobiographical events. We first replicated the standard ESI effect, showing that ESI enhances generating episodic details, particularly those that are perception-based, when describing autobiographical events (Experiment 1). We then directly compared the effects of the spatial and temporal inductions (Experiment 2 and 3). When describing autobiographical events, spatial induction enhanced generating episodic details, specifically perception-based details, compared to the control or temporal inductions. A greater proportion of the episodic details generated after the temporal induction were gist-based than after the spatial induction, but this proportion did not differ from a control induction. Thus, using a spatial or temporal framework for autobiographical event generation alters the associated details that are accessed.     

Development of an Everyday Spatial Behavioral Questionnaire

The authors developed a 12-category, 116-item critical incident questionnaire of spatial behavior. The authors administered the Everyday Spatial Behavioral Questionnaire (ESBQ) to volunteer undergraduates (114 women, and 31 men) and tests of spatial ability to establish both the reliability and construct validity of the instrument. The authors found that Cronbach's alpha across the subscale scores was .92, and that 8 of the 12 subscales had alphas of .70 or greater. The authors found validity of the ESBQ through canonical correlation analysis. Specifically, spatial tests, gender, and age variables, jointly with the ESBQ subscales, identified 2 apparent continua of spatial skills. The authors labeled the first continuum movement through space (from moving a vehicle at one end of the continuum, to moving one's own body through space at the other end of the continuum). The authors labeled the second identified continuum drawing/perceiving perspective/path finding, and it appeared to represent a continuum of 3-dimensional visualization or redirection. Another suggested label was dimensional discernment. Thus, the ESBQ is a first step toward identifying new ways to think about and quantify people's spatial experience.     

The Construction of Symmetry in Children and Adults

The development of the concept of symmetry is important to an overall understanding of cognitive development in children and to spatial cognition in particular. Age differences in the construction of the 3 types of symmetry (bilateral, translational, and radial) were investigated in children and adults engaged in block construction. Children 2–4.5 years old produced bilateral symmetry in low frequencies independent of their precise vertical alignment of blocks. Children 4–12 years old and adults produced all 3 types of symmetry. The hypothesis predicting the sequence and frequency of the 3 types of symmetry based on an analysis of spatial complexity was partially supported. Bilateral symmetry was produced at significantly higher frequencies than the other 2 types across all age groups. Children 5–12 years old produced adult levels of bilateral symmetry while children 9–12 years old reached adult levels of construction of translational and radial symmetry.     

Recovery of Lost Transfer Effects

Tracking tasks known to facilitate or interfere with one another were investigated under various sequences of alternation. Double and treble alternating sequences of 2 tasks were used. 6 groups of 12 Ss practiced for 20 10-sec. trials, with 50-sec. intertrial intervals. Trend analyses were employed in comparing the results of the double and treble alternating sequences with the single alternating sequence and postshift trials of the previous study (Laszlo & Pritchard, 1969). The results showed that facilitation or interference lost with single alternation was recovered with double or treble alternating sequences. Rate and degree of recovery appeared to depend upon the degree of transfer between tasks and strategies employed by S. These results were discussed in terms of motor program consolidation.     

First-Trial Adaptation to Prism Exposure

Terminal target-pointing error on the 1st trial of exposure to optical displacement is usually less than that expected from the optical displacement magnitude. Such 1st trial adaptation was confirmed in 2 experiments (N = 48 students in each) comparing pointing toward optically displaced targets and toward equivalent physically displaced targets (no optical displacement), with visual feedback delayed until movement completion. First-trial performance could not be explained by ordinary target undershoot, online correction, or reverse optic flow information about true target position and was unrelated to realignment aftereffects. Such adaptation might be an artifact of the asymmetry of the structured visual field produced by optical displacement, which induces a felt head rotation opposite to the direction of the displacement, thereby reducing the effective optical displacement.     

The Simon Effect With Wheel-Rotation Responses

The authors examined clockwise and counterclockwise wheel-rotation responses to high- or low-pitched tones presented in participants' (N = 96, Experiment 1; N = 48, Experiment 2; N = 48, Experiment 3) left and right ears. In Experiment 1, a Simon effect (fastest responding when tone location and direction of wheel turn corresponded) was obtained when participants' hands were at the top or middle of the wheel but not at the bottom. With line bottom hand placement, a Simon effect was induced by instructions emphasizing hand movements but not by instructions emphasizing wheel movements (Experiment 2), and by a visual cursor controlled by the wheel but not one triggered by the response (Experiment 3). The results of the experiments showed that the nature of the task and the instructed action goal influence the direction of the Simon effect.