Early Impulse Control: Treatment of Potential Errors within Pre-Programming and Control

Abstract

Early aiming adjustments following an online perturbation are made possible by impulse control. This process may unfold even earlier when perturbations impose a greater risk of a costly overshoot error. Participants executed upward and downward aims to mediate the cost of potential errors—downward overshoots require more energy to correct against gravity. On 33% of the trials, texture elements on the aiming surface were shifted following onset to appear congruent or incongruent with the aiming direction, and consequently generate a misperception of the limb moving slower or faster, respectively. Thus, the risk of potential errors could be influenced by the online perturbation (e.g., increased perceived likelihood of overshooting following the incongruent background). Findings indicated greater undershooting for down compared to up, which reflects the principle of movement optimisation. There was also more undershooting for an incongruent compared to congruent background, which is consistent with early online adjustments counter-acting the misperceived limb velocity. However, there were no interactions throughout the movement trajectory. We suggest that while the initial pre-programme considers the cost of potential errors (target direction), early impulse control fails to discriminate the likelihood of these errors occurring following an online perturbation (moving background).     

Tolerance more than equality? Two facets of tolerance towards immigrants among Czech adolescents

ABSTRACT

This study focused on facets of tolerance towards immigrants among Czech adolescents, drawing on data from 9^th and 10^th graders (n = 2003). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between tolerance towards immigrants and support for democracy, repression potential, right-wing authoritarianism, and out-group trust. Results showed that tolerance towards immigrants should be treated as a two-dimensional concept: support for equal rights, focused on equality in labour market, housing or access to education, and support for cultural rights, encompassing acceptance of immigrants’ rights to practice their culture and religion. We found that Czech adolescents were generally more supportive of equal rights than of cultural rights, and that out-group trust explained most of the variance for both dimensions of tolerance towards immigrants. The study also indicated ambiguous effects in the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism, repression potential and support for equal/cultural rights of immigrants with out-group trust used as moderating variable.     

Rethinking relationships in cyberspace

ABSTRACT

The ubiquity of the internet, which has been extensively theorised in the social sciences, provides, for some, a radically new context in which we must rethink both the significance and the performance of being human. For others, the internet is an extension rather than revision of our pre-existing practices, meaning that what it is to be human remains largely unchanged. This is a stimulating and pressing context for theological anthropological reflection: theological doctrines do not specifically address cyberspace, but they suggest idea(l)s of being human that are, on the one hand, enduring and yet can also be read as flexible for different contexts. What, then, are the challenges and promises that digital contexts pose for models of theological anthropology, specifically ones that highlight the significance of human relationships? Do digital contexts overstretch idea(l)s of human nature? On what grounds can we assess and reflect on our conduct in cyberspace?     

Toward Assessing and Improving Survey Questions on Religion: The ARDA's Measurement Wizard

Developing survey measures of religion is deceptively difficult. As religion in America becomes more diverse and research projects become more global, finding a shared vocabulary that taps into concepts of interest and selecting response categories that capture the full range of choices becomes ever more challenging. This research project introduces new tools and techniques for exploring and evaluating past survey measures of religion, including a new software tool that draws on the ARDA's massive collection of survey measures. We offer two examples to demonstrate how these resources can serve to evaluate past survey measures of religion and improve future measures.     

THE TOTALITARIAN STATE OF MIND

The paper describes the development of Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy for use with complex depression (DITCC), and a pilot study testing DITCC’s effectiveness. The pilot found large pre-post improvements in well-being and distress; moderate rates of reliable improvement and clinically significant change; and curvilinear declines in depression and anxiety. Treatment completers and near-completers (N= 19) showed a significant curvilinear decline in symptoms of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7). The results provide preliminary evidence that DITCC can be used as an effective treatment approach for complex depression. However, further research is needed to test its effectiveness in different settings with a larger sample size, using appropriate comparison groups under controlled conditions to further elaborate the short-term and long-term effects.     

线上社交焦虑:社交媒体中的人际负性体验

线上社交焦虑指个体在社交媒体交往情境中感知到的紧张和恐惧等人际负性体验,包含隐私担忧、交往焦虑和负面评价恐惧三个方面。线上社交焦虑可以通过质性分析法、实验诱发法和问卷测量法进行研究。线上社交焦虑既会受到社交媒体自身特点、个体特征因素、网络欺凌和文化因素的影响,还会对个体的心理与行为产生后效。未来研究者需要开发有效的本土化测量工具、探索其形成和作用机制、关注线上社交焦虑悖论以及推动对其干预。     

Virtues and ethics within Watsuji Tetsurō’s Rinrigaku

ABSTRACT

In the second volume of Rinrigaku, Watsuji Tetsurō focuses on developing his notion of betweenness (aidagara 間柄) through the ethical organisations (jinrinteki soshiki 人倫的組織) of family, local community, economics, cultural community, and the state. Although those who have commentated on the later volumes have focused on the controversy which surrounds Watsuji’s account of the state, very little attention has been paid to the role of virtues within his thought. It is precisely this academic lacuna which this enquiry is intended to address. In this paper, there are two particular aims which I hope to achieve: firstly, I will seek to explicate the role which virtues play within Watsuji’s ethical system, and secondly, I will attempt to evaluate how the virtues inform Watsuji’s normative approach.