Fragments of R-Mingle

The logic RM and its basic fragments (always with implication) are considered here as entire consequence relations, rather than as sets of theorems. A new observation made here is that the disjunction of RM is definable in terms of its other positive propositional connectives, unlike that of R. The basic fragments of RM therefore fall naturally into two classes, according to whether disjunction is or is not definable. In the equivalent quasivariety semantics of these fragments, which consist of subreducts of Sugihara algebras, this corresponds to a distinction between strong and weak congruence properties. The distinction is explored here. A result of Avron is used to provide a local deduction-detachment theorem for the fragments without disjunction. Together with results of Sobociski, Parks and Meyer (which concern theorems only), this leads to axiomatizations of these entire fragments — not merely their theorems. These axiomatizations then form the basis of a proof that all of the basic fragments of RM with implication are finitely axiomatized consequence relations.Special issue of Studia Logica: Algebraic Theory of Quasivarieties Presented by M. E. Adams, K. V. Adaricheva, W. Dziobiak, and A. V. Kravchenko     

Clinical Implications and Methodological Challenges in the Study of the Neuropsychological Correlates of Cannabis,Stimulant, and Opioid Abuse

Chronic consumption of several drugs of abuse (cannabis, stimulants, opioids) has been associated with the presence of neuropsychological impairments in a broad range of functions. Nevertheless, in recent years neuropsychological research on substance abuse has focused on the study of impairments in the executive functions linked to the prefrontal cortex and their influence on the personality, cognitions, and behaviors of the substance abusers. The aim of our review is, first, to summarize the main neuropsychological impairments shown by classic studies, as well as these new discoveries in executive functioning; second, to consider the mediating role of neuropsychological status on treatment outcomes and analyze the impact of these impairments in clinical practice with drug addicts; and third, to review the principal methodological challenges associated with research in the field of the neuropsychology of substance abuse. We also highlight the convenience of intervening in those functions most relevant to the abusers' persistence in consumption and risk of relapse.     

语义关联性对重复知盲效应的影响：来自汉语成语的证据

重复知盲是在快速系列视觉呈现任务中对第二个重复刺激的加工缺陷。以汉语中反义字和成语为实验材料,采用全部报告任务,探讨刺激的语义关联性对重复知盲的影响。实验1以汉语单字为材料,采用单因素三水平（目标刺激之间的语义关系：无关、相同、相反）被试内设计,结果是重复字产生重复知盲效应,反义字产生语义启动效应。实验2以成语为材料,采用2（目标刺激之间的语义关系：相同、无关）×2（位置：前位置、后位置）设计,结果是语义关联性消解了重复知盲效应。结果表明：（1）反义字不产生重复知盲效应。（2）语义关联性消解成语中重复字的重复知盲效应。（3）实验结果支持竞争假设。     

The impacts of task relevance and cognitive load on adults’ decision information search

ABSTRACT

Higher relevance may increase older adults’ engagement in cognitively demanding activities; however, whether this effect will maintain when available cognitive resources are limited? Consequently, we investigated the joint impact of task relevance and cognitive load on older and younger adults’ decision search behaviors. We adopted a 2 (age: young/old) × 2 (cognitive load: without load/with load) × 2 (task relevance: high/low) mixed design. Sixty-one younger and 63 older adults completed high-relevance and low-relevance decisions. Our results revealed that older (vs. younger) adults took more time and more alternative-based search before decision-making. Both age groups sampled less information with an additional memory task. Additionally, they spent more time and effort to sample more information on high-relevance (vs. low-relevance) decisions; however, such differences disappeared when with an additional memory task. Task relevance promoted both age groups' search engagement, but this effect was subjected to their available cognitive resources.     

Relevance theory,pragmatic inference and cognitive architecture

Relevance Theory (RT) argues that human language comprehension processes tend to maximize “relevance,” and postulates that there is a relevance-based procedure that a hearer follows when trying to understand an utterance. Despite being highly influential, RT has been criticized for its failure to explain how speaker-related information, either the speaker’s abilities or her/his preferences, is incorporated into the hearer’s inferential, pragmatic process. An alternative proposal is that speaker-related information gains prominence due to representation of the speaker within higher level goal-directed schemata. Yet the goal-based account is still unable to explain clearly how cross-domain information, for example linguistic meaning and speaker-related knowledge, is integrated within a modular system. On the basis of RT’s cognitive requirements, together with contemporary cognitive theory, we argue that this integration is realized by utilizing working memory and that there exist conversational constraints with which the constructed utterance interpretation should be consistent. We illustrate our arguments with a computational implementation of the proposed processes within a general cognitive architecture.

Abbreviations: ACT-R Adaptive Control of Thought - RationalCOGENT Cognitive Objects within a Graphical ENvironmenTCS/SS Contention Scheduling/Supervisory SystemRBCP Relevance-Based Comprehension ProcedureRT Relevance Theory     

《大学章句》中的"出发点丧失"问题

先秦儒学史上,《中庸》对"过之"问题的强调,以及对由此引出的"真知"问题的处理,从根本上确立了心性论在儒学中的地位.宋明时代,《论语》、《大学》、《中庸》、《孟子》几经遴选最终脱颖而出,成为平起平坐的圣人之书.朱熹于"四书"之中最重《大学》.《大学章句》既是对《大学》的注释,同时也是在系统阐述朱子本人所服膺的修身之道.然而,《大学章句》在借用《中庸》、《孟子》的"性"概念时,几乎完全忽略了与之相应的"过之"与"真知"问题.顺此继续追踪,我们发现,《大学章句》虽设定了"仁义礼智之性",但实际上并未将其作为修身的出发点.在对"过之"与"真知"问题缺乏深刻体会的情况下,《大学章句》试图以"格物致知"作为获取真知的途径.然而,"格物致知"所蕴含的怀疑精神,最终却使实践者陷入了"不知该如何格致"的"出发点丧失"困境.