The Importance of the Default Mode Network in Creativity—A Structural MRI Study

Anecdotal reports as well as behavioral studies have suggested that creative performance benefits from unconscious processes. So far, however, little is known about how creative ideas arise from the brain. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the neural correlates of creativity by means of structural MRI research. Given that unconscious and less controlled processes are important in creative thinking, structural brain research may find a positive correlation between well‐established creativity measures and cortical thickness in brain structures of the default mode network (i.e., the counterpart of the cognitive control network). Individuals performed the Alternative Uses task by which an individual's cognitive flexibility and the average uniqueness and average creativity of a participant's ideas were assessed. We computed optimized voxel‐based‐morphometry (VBM) to explore the correlation between inter‐individual differences in creativity and inter‐individual differences in gray matter volume. For all creativity measures, a positive correlation was found between creative performance and gray matter volume of the default mode network. These findings support the idea that the default mode network is important in creativity, and provide neurostructural support for the idea that unconscious forms of information processing are important in creativity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Probabilistic Regresses and the Availability Problem for Infinitism

Recent work by Peijnenburg, Atkinson, and Herzberg suggests that infinitists who accept a probabilistic construal of justification can overcome significant challenges to their position by attending to mathematical treatments of infinite probabilistic regresses. In this essay, it is argued that care must be taken when assessing the significance of these formal results. Though valuable lessons can be drawn from these mathematical exercises (many of which are not disputed here), the essay argues that it is entirely unclear that the form of infinitism that results meets a basic requirement: namely, providing an account of infinite chains of propositions qua reasons made available to agents.     

Introduction

This introduction presents selected proceedings of a two‐day meeting on the regress problem, sponsored by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and hosted by Vanderbilt University in October 2013, along with other submitted essays. Three forms of research on the regress problem are distinguished: metatheoretical, developmental, and critical work.     

WHY WE NEED RELIGION TO SOLVE THE WORLD FOOD CRISIS

Scholars and practitioners addressing the global food crisis have rarely incorporated perspectives from the world's religious traditions. This lacuna appears in multiple dimensions: until recently, environmentalists have tended to ignore food and agriculture; food justice advocates have focused on food quantities, rather than its method of production; and few scholars of religion have considered agriculture. Faith‐based perspectives typically emphasize the dignity and sanctity of creation and offer holistic frameworks that integrate equity, economic, and environmental concerns, often called the three legs of sustainability. Faith‐based perspectives can provide new paradigms through which to assess food, consumption, and production and the attendant social relations; assess our scientific, economic, and social approaches; and acknowledge the moral and religious dimensions of the world food crisis.     

活体肝移植伦理相关问题的质性研究

活体肝移植术虽部分解决了供肝短缺问题,但需从活的供体身上切取部分肝脏,使其承担手术创伤甚至死亡的风险,故存在诸多伦理问题。本文应用质性研究,对7名与活体肝移植相关的不同领域专家及6名手术相关者进行访谈,采用 Nvivo9．0软件辅助对访谈资料进行了分析。探讨活体肝移植的伦理审查、供体选择及心理评估的相关伦理问题。结果显示,尽管活体肝移植手术仍在全国多家医院进行,目前政府对活体肝移植伦理审查和监管更加严格,伦理审查缺少对供体、受体的心理综合评估。因此,建议建立健全并推广死亡器官捐赠注册系统以增加肝源,减少活体肝移植对供体带来的健康风险,并开发适用的心理综合评估工具,评估结果应列入伦理审查范围。     

医学伦理审查如何适应转化医学的要求

随着转化医学的兴起,医学伦理审查面临前所未有的机遇与挑战.如何使医学伦理审查工作更好地适应转化医学发展的需要,提高审查质量,成为亟需解决的问题.在分析当前我国医学伦理审查工作现状和主要问题的基础上,进一步探讨了可行的解决方法,如进一步明确和强化管理部门服务功能、保证伦理委员会成员多样性和重视伦理审查多视角、强化伦理委员会后续跟踪审查、规范伦理审查委员的培训与继续教育等,为我国医学伦理审查工作的规范化发展和医学伦理审查质量的进一步提高提供参考.     

山东省医疗机构医学伦理委员会运行现状调查

为了解山东省医疗机构医学伦理委员会的运行现状、人员构成和任免情况、伦理审核状况和运行情况,课题组对山东省17地市58家医疗机构进行了问卷调查.结果显示,成立医学伦理委员会的有27家,占46.55％,其中12家成立了多种类别的伦理委员会,且大部分成立时间较短.医院伦理委员会成员的总人数平均为19.89人,本单位成员占94.77％,96.30％的主任委员由行政领导兼任.调查发现,目前仍存在成员结构需完善、培训交流较欠缺、相关政策支持力度不够、伦理审核能力有待加强等问题.     

艾滋病科研设计的伦理思考

艾滋病严重地影响着人类的健康及生活质量,艾滋病相关因素的研究迫在眉睫,其科研中包含着一系列的伦理问题,如艾滋病患者的依从性问题,艾滋病患者进行试验研究的双盲、随机、对照等原则问题及艾滋病患者科研相关质量问题.要深刻地理解和认识这些伦理问题,在艾滋病科研设计中注意理解和尊重受试者,制定出有效而合乎伦理的科研政策,加强交流,从而得到艾滋病患者和家属以及社会的认同,以有利于在不同范围内进行科研合作.     

谈《疏五过论》的五种过错对当今医生的教育意义

传统的医学道德观认为：“医乃仁术”、“生命至贵”等就是“‘大医精诚”。医者要做到“大医精诚”,就要避免《疏五过论》中医者的五种过错,使患者保持健康的生命。所以,医生要以严谨认真的工作态度,充分了解患者的病情;以生物心理社会医学模式来处理患者;不能急功近利,追求名誉,应常怀仁爱之心建立和谐的医惠关系。医生处理患者的态度及自身的道德修养直接影响患者的健康和生命,这种理念应该成为医生终生追求的目标,这样才能顺应新医改的要求。     

Influence of Culture on Ethical Decision Making in Psychology

This study focused on the influence of American and Chinese cultures on consequentialism orientation in decision-making within the broader context of psychologists’ academic roles and responsibilities. In addition, this study hypothesized that educational level would affect culturally influenced ethical decision making in both cultures. Based on the American Psychological Association Ethics Code, 20 ethical scenarios in 5 domains in psychology were created and used to examine the influence of culturally ethical beliefs on psychologists’ decision making among 181 participants. The results indicated that significant cultural differences in consequentialism orientation differentiated Chinese and American participants and influenced their resolution of ethical issues.