The allocation of time to temporally defined behaviors: responding during stimulus generalization.

In one stimulus condition, reinforcement depended on rats holding a lever for a duration having both minimum and maximum boundaries. During a second light intensity, reinforcement was not available for some rats; for others, reinforcement depended on a second response duration requirement. Generalization test stimuli controlled the same response durations found during training, and the amount of time allocated to a given response duration depended on the proximity of the test stimulus to the training stimulus which controlled that particular duration. The results indicated that a gradient of stimulus control does not reflect an underlying continuous change in responding, but is a result of the mixing of responses previously controlled by stimuli present during conditioning.     

Prevalence of Cognitively Intact Individuals Residing in Extended Care Nursing Facilities

There appears to be a relative absence of studies that have examined the prevalence of cognitively intact individuals who reside in extended care facilities. Prevalence data were collected on 296 persons who resided in 3 extended care nursing facilities in Central Virginia. Cognitive intactness was evaluated via the Minimum Data Set Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) and an author-generated survey (i.e., Cognitively Intact Survey [CI Survey]) of select nursing staff members at each facility. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was utilized to examine the accuracy of the two measures in identifying cognitive intactness. Findings indicated that prevalence rates of cognitively intact residents varied as a function of the measures utilized to assess intactness. Specifically, a significantly greater proportion of the total sample of residents was judged to be cognitively intact via the CI Survey (34.12%) as compared to the CPS (26.01%). The level of interjudge agreement between the two measures was found to be moderately high (K = 0.68). When the MMSE was employed to verify individuals' levels of intactness, the percentages of residents predicted to actually be cognitively intact were somewhat lower for each measure. Specifically, based on the data obtained via the CI Survey, 22.75% of the total sample were predicted to actually be cognitively intact, whereas 17.85% of the sample were predicted to be intact based on the CPS results. Findings are discussed in light of factors that may have contributed to the differential prevalence rates of cognitively intact individuals obtained across the measures utilized in this study. Concerns regarding the utilization of the MMSE as a criterion measure of cognitive intactness in persons residing in extended care nursing facilities are provided, along with data on the living environments/roommate statuses of those residents judged to be intact via the CI Survey. Implications for the design of future extended care nursing units, as well as future research, are also included.     

计算机动态测验中问题解决过程策略的分析：多水平混合IRT模型的拓展与应用

学生在完成计算机动态测验过程中, 会产生大量带有时间标记的过程性数据。本研究基于5个国家(地区) 3196名学生在PISA2012一道交通问题解决任务上的139990条数据, 将多水平混合IRT (MMixIRT)模型进行拓展, 用于探索问题解决过程策略的类别特点。结果表明, 该模型不仅可以基于行为序列对不同国家(地区)学生在解决问题时策略使用情况的典型特征进行分析, 还可以提供个体水平的能力估计值。拓展的MMixIRT模型可用于分析过程性数据的特征。     

Do conscientious athletes value world peace? Personality traits and value preferences of young athletes and non-athletes

The preferred values and personality traits of young athletes allow to predict their decisions in the sports context. Of 120 primary and junior high school students that were surveyed, including 60 students following an extended sports curriculum and 60 students following a standard curriculum. The athletes practiced soccer, basketball and swimming. The Picture-Based Value Survey for Children based on Schwartz's theory of universal values and the Picture-Based Personality Survey for Children predicated on the Big Five model of personality were used in this study. Regression analysis with an interaction effect of type of school program on relationships between values and personality traits was carried out. Effects were observed between the type of program and preference for Universalism and Conscientiousness and preference for Hedonism and Agreeableness. In athletes, Conscientiousness correlated positively with preference for Universalism. In non-athletes, a positive correlation was found between Agreeableness and preference for Hedonism.     

MINDSCAPES AND LANDSCAPES: EXPLORING THE EXTENDED MIND

This brief article introduces a symposium discussing the extended mind thesis and its suggestive relation to religious thought. Essays by Mark Rowlands, Lynne Rudder Baker, Teed Rockwell, Joel Krueger, Leonard Angel, and Matthew Day present a variety of perspectives.     

Of Power and Compassion

Abstract: While military and economic power are obviously central instruments of policy in international relations, there are a number of reasons why power alone is insufficient to succeed in fighting terrorism. Three central reasons are discussed in this essay: the limitations and the dilemma of power; the proposition that the most threatening form of terrorism, such as al‐Qaeda's, is conducted by nonstate actors, conventional deterrence against whom is less effective; and the role of motivation in conflicts where the distribution of power is asymmetrical. In addition to these objective reasons, it is argued that the foreign‐policy strategies pursued ultimately affect the actors' own values.     

Is revenge about retributive justice,deterring harm,or both?

This paper explores the vast literature on revenge and retributive punishment to ascertain whether revenge seekers are primarily seeking retribution or to deter future harm. This review considers research findings from social, consumer, evolutionary, and industrial/organizational psychology. Revenge is defined as an action in response to some perceived wrongdoing by another party that is intended to inflict damage, injury, discomfort, or punishment on the party judged responsible. In support of the perspective that revenge is about retribution, vengeance is typically triggered only by unjust harms, revenge‐seekers report a moral imperative, justice beliefs predict revenge, and justice‐related information has the greatest influence on punishment calculations. On the other hand, a plethora of findings in economic games such as serial prisoner dilemmas reveal that tit‐for‐tat style revenge is an effective means of deterring future harm. Overall, the evidence seems to support a retribution model of revenge over a deterrence model; however, as this review describes in its conclusion, the psychology of revenge is in need of further investigation along several key dimensions.     

Regarding a Risk‐Pooling System of compensation

In this paper, I propose and defend a distinct and novel approach to compensation for risk impositions. I call it the Risk‐Pooling System of compensation. This system suggests that when X performs an action that imposes a risk of harm to Y, then X is liable to Y, and is therefore obliged to make an ex ante compensation that is roughly equivalent to the expected cost of potential harm to a social‐ risk pool. If and when Y suffers harm as a result of the risk imposed by X, they then receive an ex post compensation roughly equivalent to the cost of actual harm suffered. This system of compensation creates a social buffer between the risk imposer – the one who has the duty to pay compensation into the pool – and the victim – the one who has the right to receive compensation from the social pool. I contend that the Risk‐Pooling System is an improvement over its alternatives due to its capacity to produce the best social utilities, particularly, in terms of reducing information costs, obtaining optimal deterrence in the society and creating incentives for people to be engaged in social activities.     

Googled assertion

Recent work in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science can help to explain why certain kinds of assertions—made on the basis of information stored in our gadgets rather than in biological memory—are properly criticizable in light of misleading implicatures, while others are not.     

Improving Intergroup Relations with Extended Contact among Young Children: Mediation by Intergroup Empathy and Moderation by Direct Intergroup Contact

A correlational study investigated extended contact as a strategy to improve outgroup attitudes and stereotyping and to prepare children for future contact. Additional aims were to investigate when and why the effects of extended contact occur. In particular, intergroup empathy was tested as a mediator and direct contact (i.e. cross‐group friendship) as a moderator of extended contact. Participants were Italian and immigrant elementary school children. Results showed that extended contact was associated with improved intergroup empathy, which, in turn, was associated with more positive outgroup attitudes, stereotypes and behavioural intentions. These effects were significant only among participants with a low or moderate level of direct contact. The theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.