Psychological Groups and Political Psychology: A Response to Huddy's "Critical Examination of Social Identity Theory"

In a recent article in this journal, Leonie Huddy (2001) asks whether the social identity approach developed by Tajfel, Turner, and their collaborators can "advance the study of identity within political science" (p. 128). She concludes that "various shortcomings and omissions in its research program" (p. 128) hinder the application of the approach to political phenomena. This paper presents a response to Huddy's evaluation of the social identity approach. Several aspects of her account of social identity work are challenged, especially her suggestion that it ignores subjective aspects of group membership. The interpretation of the minimal group paradigm is discussed in detail, as are issues of identity choice, salience, and variations in identity strength. The treatment of groups as process in social identity theory and self–categorization theory is given particular emphasis.     

Understanding Native American healing practices

Counselor cultural competency with respect to Native Americans requires understanding of common healing practices and ceremonies and of their spiritual significance. Historical trauma serves as a general backdrop for Native America experience and identity. Particular tribal practices and the individual's degree of affiliation with such practices provide a more specific context for client worldview. Knowledge of the symbolic significance of common ceremonies and healing practices will support counseling efforts to be relevant and effective with respect to Native American clients. Direct interaction and involvement with Native American communities facilitate a deeper understanding of Native American cultural identity and healing practices.     

3～5岁幼儿错误信念理解能力的发展趋势

基于以往支持心理理论执行功能表达论的研究结果,对标准错误信念任务修正后采用阶段性错误信念任务,运用实验法对101名3~5岁儿童进行研究。结果发现:(1)新任务保留了标准错误信念任务的优势,能勾勒出幼儿错误信念理解能力的发展趋势;(2)3~5岁儿童表现出不同层次和水平的错误信念理解能力;(3)具体分析儿童错误信念的理解能力发展的心理模式,发现每一年龄组具有的错误信念理解能力,都是其更高水平能力发展的基础,支持表达论。     

大学生家庭功能与情绪表达性、情感体验的关系

本研究为探讨大学生家庭功能与情绪表达性、情感体验之间的关系,采用家庭亲密度和适应性量表、情感量表、情绪表达性量表对851名大学生进行施测,并利用结构方程模型进行分析。结果表明:(1)家庭功能对大学生情绪表达性及情感体验具有显著的预测作用;(2)情绪表达性在家庭功能与负性情感间具有部分中介作用。     

The role of social categorization and identity threat in the perception of migrants

This paper investigates how the categorization of migrant workers shapes their reception. In an experiment with Northern Irish Protestants we manipulated the representation of Poland to make the Catholicism of Polish migrants either more, or less, salient. Furthermore, judgements of Polish migrants were obtained under conditions designed to encourage participants to believe that sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland was either resolved, or still a strong feature of the present social landscape. Overall, results showed that when Poland's Catholicism was salient, participants were less welcoming of Polish migrants. Furthermore, this effect was mediated by increases in the level of symbolic threat participants believed the migrants posed to participants' (Protestant) community identity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Habituation in Aplysia: The Cheshire Cat of neurobiology

The marine snail, Aplysia californica, is a valuable model system for cell biological studies of learning and memory. Aplysia exhibits a reflexive withdrawal of its gill and siphon in response to weak or moderate tactile stimulation of its skin. Repeated tactile stimulation causes this defensive withdrawal reflex to habituate. Both short-term habituation, lasting <30 min, and long-term habituation, which can last >24 h, have been reported in Aplysia. Habituation of the withdrawal reflex correlates with, and is in part due to, depression of transmission at the monosynaptic connection between mechanoreceptive sensory neurons and motor neurons within the abdominal ganglion. Habituation-related short-term depression of the sensorimotor synapse appears to be due exclusively to presynaptic changes. However, changes within the sensory neuron, by themselves, do not account for more persistent depression of the sensorimotor synapse. Recent behavioral work suggests that long-term habituation in Aplysia critically involves postsynaptic processes, specifically, activation of AMPA- and NMDA-type receptors. In addition, long-term habituation requires activity of protein phosphatases, including protein phosphatases 1, 2A, and 2B, as well as activity of voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ channels. Cellular work has succeeded in demonstrating long-term, homosynaptic depression (LTD) of the sensorimotor synapse in dissociated cell culture and, more recently, LTD of the glutamate response of isolated motor neurons in culture (“hemisynaptic” LTD). These in vitro forms of LTD have mechanistic parallels to long-term habituation. In particular, homosynaptic LTD of the sensorimotor synapse requires elevated intracellular Ca²⁺ within the motor neuron, and hemisynaptic LTD requires activity of AMPA- and NMDA-type receptors. In addition, activation of group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) can induce hemisynaptic LTD. The demonstration of LTD in vitro opens up a promising new avenue for attempts to relate long-term habituation to cellular changes within the nervous system of Aplysia.     

Bestowal Without Appraisal: Problems in Frankfurt’s Characterization of Love and Personal Identity

Harry Frankfurt characterizes love as “a disinterested concern for the existence of what is loved, and for what is good for it.” As such, he views romantic love as an inauthentic paradigm for love since such love desires reciprocation, sexual gratification and so on. I argue that Frankfurt’s conception of love is (a) too general—he does not distinguish between the type of love one has for one’s partner, one’s country, a moral ideal, etc., (b) it overemphasizes the role of bestowal at the expense of the part played by appraisal and (c) it is insufficiently social. Certain forms of love, romantic love and friendship for instance, are defined largely in terms of reciprocation. For Frankfurt, reciprocation is somewhat of an accidental feature of love. This deficiency in Frankfurt’s conception of love can be traced to a problem in his conception of selfhood which I argue is insufficiently social in nature.

Dynamical agents: Consciousness, causation, and two specters of epiphenomenalism

The aim of this paper is to defend the causal efficacy of consciousness against two specters of epiphenomenalism. We argue that these challenges are best met, on the one hand, by rejecting all forms of consciousness-body dualism, and on the other, by adopting a dynamical systems approach to understanding the causal efficacy of conscious experience. We argue that this non-reductive identity theory provides the theoretical resources for reconciling the reality and efficacy of consciousness with the neurophysiology of the brain and body.

同性恋认同发展的理论模型述评

本质论取向的阶段模型和社会建构论取向的影响因素模型是早期的同性恋认同发展理论,两者对性倾向是否为人类的本质属性产生了激烈的争论。当代发展心理学从生态化理论、毕生发展观、生命历程观出发试图对这两种研究取向进行整合,并提出了相应的模型。未来的研究应该注意同性恋认同发展多样性的特点,正确理解对外暴露在认同发展中的作用,并把纵向研究作为以后的研究方向。最后,提出了中国同性恋认同的特点和本土化研究的假设