Interfacial waves between two piezoelectric half-spaces with electro-mechanical imperfect interface

We study the propagation of shear horizontal waves between the interface of two piezoelectric materials with an electro-mechanical imperfect contact. Mechanical and electrical imperfections are modeled by means of a spring and a capacitor, respectively. The corresponding mathematical expressions for the imperfect contact are given in this article. The system of differential equations for the waves in the considered half-space is derived and the associate solutions are found. A general expression for the dispersion relation, not reported previously in the literature, is given in an explicit form, with the diverse limit cases analyzed in detail. In some of these limit cases, new expressions are also obtained, which predict the existence of interfacial waves. In the other cases, where already reported results exist, a comparison with them is done. Some physical interpretations are derived from the limit cases. The influence of mechanical and electrical imperfect contacts are shown in some numerical examples.     

Change detection inflates confidence on a subsequent recognition task

A face viewed under good encoding conditions is more likely to be remembered than a face viewed under poor encoding conditions. In four experiments we investigated how encoding conditions affected confidence in recognising faces from line-ups. Participants performed a change detection task followed by a recognition task and then rated how confident they were in their recognition accuracy. In the first two experiments the same faces were repeated across trials. In the final two experiments novel faces were used on each trial. Target-present and target-absent line-ups were utilised. In each experiment participants had greater recognition confidence after change detection than after change blindness. The finding that change detection inflates confidence, even for inaccurate recognitions, indicates recognition certainty can be a product of perceived encoding conditions rather than authentic memory strength.     

Prover9's Simplification Explained Away

This note discusses P. Oppenheimer and E. Zalta's ‘A Computationally-Discovered Simplification of the Ontological Argument’ [this journal, 2011]. I try to explain why the simplification presented there was successful and comment on the technical aspects of the method they applied.     

Semantic priming in French children with varying comprehension skills

Semantic priming was analysed in two groups of French children contrasted on comprehension skills with a visual lexical-decision task using a long SOA (800 ms). Two relation types between related primes and targets were examined: pure semantic relation (categorical vs. functional), and lexical association strength (strong vs. weak). Targets were preceded by related, unrelated, and neutral primes. Skilled comprehenders showed semantic priming only for category-related words, whatever their association strength, and without any evidence of an associative boost. Less-skilled comprehenders also showed semantic priming for category-related words, irrespective of their association strength, but with an indication of an associative boost. They also displayed semantic priming for function-related awords that are strongly associated, but not for those that are weakly associated. These results are discussed within the theoretical frame proposed by Plaut and Booth (2000 Plaut, D. C. and Booth, J. R. 2000. Individual and developmental differences in semantic priming: Empirical and computational support for a single-mechanism account of lexical processing. Psychological Review, 4: 786–823.  [Google Scholar]).     

Co-occurrence frequency evaluated with large language corpora boosts semantic priming effects

In recent decades, many computational techniques have been developed to analyse the contextual usage of words in large language corpora. The present study examined whether the co-occurrence frequency obtained from large language corpora might boost purely semantic priming effects. Two experiments were conducted: one with conscious semantic priming, the other with subliminal semantic priming. Both experiments contrasted three semantic priming contexts: an unrelated priming context and two related priming contexts with word pairs that are semantically related and that co-occur either frequently or infrequently. In the conscious priming presentation (166-ms stimulus-onset asynchrony, SOA), a semantic priming effect was recorded in both related priming contexts, which was greater with higher co-occurrence frequency. In the subliminal priming presentation (66-ms SOA), no significant priming effect was shown, regardless of the related priming context. These results show that co-occurrence frequency boosts pure semantic priming effects and are discussed with reference to models of semantic network.     

Paraphrase and the Symmetry Objection

There is a puzzle about the use of paraphrase in philosophy, presented most famously in Alston's [1958] ‘Ontological Commitments’, but found throughout the literature. The puzzle arises from the fact that a symmetry required for a paraphrase to be successful seems to necessitate a symmetry sufficient for a paraphrase to fail, since any two expressions that stand in the means the same as relation must also stand in the has the same (unwanted) commitments as relation. I show that, while this problem does undermine some conceptions of paraphrase, on a proper understanding of paraphrase the puzzle gets no purchase. Since paraphrase is an important component of Quinean approaches to meta-ontology, this paper constitutes a partial defence of Quinean meta-ontology. Since paraphrase is an important component of traditional methods of philosophical inquiry, this paper constitutes a partial defence of traditional modes of philosophizing as well.     

条件推理的语义关系表达形式效应

作者用以大学生为被试的实验考察, 基本条件句语义关系表达形式(充分关系、必要关系和析取关系表达形式)和作为心理模型外显建构的可能性判断任务对条件推理的可能影响。实验结果发现, 条件推理的语义关系表达形式效应显著, 条件句语义关系表达形式对被试条件推理有显著的影响, 条件推理成绩随条件句语义关系表达的外显程度增加而增加; 被试在可能性判断任务中对条件句所含心理模型的外显建构并没有明显改善条件推理的成绩; 在有可能性判断任务条件下, 被试外显心理模型建构的成绩变化模式并不能一致地预测条件推理成绩的变化模式。这些结果说明, 人们的条件推理可能并不是完全基于心理模型建构, 而是还受对条件句前后件之间语义关系理解的影响; 条件句表达形式中语义关系的外显内隐模式影响对条件句语义关系的知觉理解难易, 从而影响相应条件推理的成绩。     

Modal Platonism: an Easy Way to Avoid Ontological Commitment to Abstract Entities

Modal Platonism utilizes “weak” logical possibility, such that it is logically possible there are abstract entities, and logically possible there are none. Modal Platonism also utilizes a non-indexical actuality operator. Modal Platonism is the EASY WAY, neither reductionist nor eliminativist, but embracing the Platonistic language of abstract entities while eliminating ontological commitment to them. STATEMENT OF MODAL PLATONISM. Any consistent statement B ontologically committed to abstract entities may be replaced by an empirically equivalent modalization, MOD(B), not so ontologically committed. This equivalence is provable using Modal/Actuality Logic S5@. Let MAX be a strong set theory with individuals. Then the following Schematic Bombshell Result (SBR) can be shown: MAX logically yields [T is true if and only if MOD(T) is true], for scientific theories T. The proof utilizes Stephen Neale’s clever model-theoretic interpretation of Quantified Lewis S5, which I extend to S5@.     

THE VARIETY OF PANENTHEISMS

Abstract. In this article I review the efforts of eighteen scientists and theologians, recorded in this book, to describe the relation of God to the universe during a conference sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation at Windsor Castle in 2001. Theologians from several branches of Christian faith articulate their understanding of panentheism, revealing a considerable diversity. I deal with each author in relation to six issues: the way God acts, how God's intimate relation to the world is to be described, the relation of God to spacetime, whether God is dependent upon the world, what type of language is used, and the problem of dipolar panentheism. I identify significant differences between these authors, suggest where fruitful dialogue is possible, and distinguish between intelligibility and plausibility in comparing dipolar panentheism with other types.     

概念组合的理论模型

概念组合是将两个或多个概念组合成一个新概念的过程,生成的新概念被称为组合概念。组合概念的解释策略及影响因素已成为概念研究中的热点问题。研究者相继提出了关系竞争理论、双重加工理论和约束理论等模型。但是,这些理论模型只能解释特定的实验现象,对某些稳定的实验现象（如涌现特征、范畴效应等）却缺乏解释力度。文章提出,未来的研究应该整合已有的实验现象和理论模型,关注概念组合的时间进程,深入考察语境的作用,并系统地研究组合概念的涌现特征和范畴效应。