Is the mind-body interface microscopic?

This paper puts forward the hypothesis that consciousness might be linked to matter in a way which is more sophisticated than the traditional macroscopic Cartesian hypothesis suggests.Advances in the biophysics of the nervous system, not only on the level of its macroscopic functioning but also on the level of individual ion channels, have made the question of how finely consciousness is tied to matter and its dynamics more important. Quantum mechanics limits the attainable resolution and puts into doubt the idea of an infinitely fine-woven attachment. A recent approach to physics rekindles such a rationalist hope. Endophysics focuses on the global implications of microscopic computer simulations of chemical and biophysical processes. A complete artificial universe can be set up in the computer. It produces non-classical and nonlocal effects inside — on the interface that exists between an internal observer (fluid neuron) and the rest of the world. This interface is finer than any brain property to which the status of the mind-body interface has been attributed hitherto. A new class of experiments becomes possible in the artificial world and, by analogy, in the real world. Magnetic resonance imaging experiments, routinely performed under open-loop conditions, can be repeated under psychophysical (closed-loop) conditions — in search for microscopically induced changes in the perceived and measured structure of the world.     

EFFECTS OF SETTING EVENTS ON THE PROBLEM BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES

Two studies analyzed the effects of preceding setting events on the problem behavior of students with severe disabilities. Using ABAB withdrawal designs, the occurrence versus nonoccurrence of preceding setting events was analyzed in relation to the frequency of problem behavior. Data were collected throughout a student's school day, with interventions focusing upon the elimination of setting events that occurred before school. The results indicate that (a) the occurrence of preceding setting events was related to higher frequencies of problem behavior and (b) interventions designed to eliminate preceding setting events were consistently associated with low frequencies of problem behavior.     

Development of a drinking self-efficacy questionnaire

Self-efficacy has been postulated as a construct of central importance in the acquisition, maintenance, and treatment of addictive behavior. To date research has largely examined the role of outcome expectancies but literature on the relationship of self-efficacy and drinking is still unclear. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a Drinking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (DSEQ). In Study I, 251 students were used to test the factor structure of the DSEQ. Factor analysis of the DSEQ showed three clear factors accounting for 60% of the common variance. These factors can be summarized as self-efficacy in situations characterized by social pressure, opportunistic drinking, and emotional relief. Study II used 138 people from a general community sample and discriminant analyses showed that the DSEQ has good discriminant validity. The findings suggest that the DSEQ has potential for use in research examining the role of drinking self-efficacy in problem drinkers.This paper was partly supported by grants from the NH&MRC to Dr. Oei.     

ESTABLISHING OPERATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ASSESSMENT,TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR

This paper seeks to integrate Michael's (1982, 1993) discussion of the concept of the establishing operation (EO) with existing conceptual and empirical analyses of problem behavior in people with developmental disabilities. The paper begins with a summary of Michael (1993), which seeks to describe his concept of the EO and place it briefly in historical context. The role of EOs in evoking and establishing motivation for problem behavior is considered in some detail. A case is made for the greater consideration of EOs in the functional analysis of problem behavior, and specific suggestions for detecting the operation of conditioned establishing operations are offered. Turning to treatment, the paper considers the role played by EOs in existing procedures and discusses the development of treatment strategies that seek to modify EOs, extinguish EOs, and modify the responses evoked by EOs. Finally, consideration is given to the implications of EOs for the more systemic treatment and prevention of problem behavior.     

Ethnomethodology and the Rashomon Problem

In his doctoral dissertation, Harold Garfinkel critically examined Talcott Parsons' classical formulation of the problem of order referred to as the Hobbesian problem. Garfinkel's criticism can be summarized under the following three headings: (1) common sense rationality replaces scientific rationality; (2) the level of the premises of conduct replaces the level of de facto action; (3) congruence theory replaces the correspondence theory. The aim of this paper is to make some observations on the structure of the problem of order which Garfinkel discovered through this criticism. I propose to call it the Rashomon problem after Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon. Ethnomethodology can be regarded as an attempt to solve the Rashomon problem.     

Interpersonal Skills Training to Reduce Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior: Limited Evidence and the Need for an Evidence-Based System of Care

The prevention of aggressive and delinquent behavior during childhood and adolescence is one of the highest priorities for public health and crime prevention. The most common approach to preventing or treating these conduct problems has been to provide interpersonal skills training to the affected youth. This paper reviews all randomized controlled trials evaluating interpersonal skills training programs as an intervention to reduce conduct problems. Research shows that such programs have weak empirical support as isolated interventions. An alternative evidence-based system of care is described. Such a system would include behavioral parent training and behavioral classroom-based interventions for young children at risk of developing problems, as well as multisystemic family therapy or multidimensional treatment foster care for chronic delinquents. Within such a network of services, interpersonal skills training could play an important supportive role. Such a system holds the greatest promise for reducing the prevalence of aggressive and delinquent behavior in communities.     

Führt Der Physikalismus Zu Absurden Konsequenzen?

Does Physicalism lead to absurd results? Franz von Kutschera argued in his book ?Grundfragender Erkenntnistheorie” that the weakest version of physicalism, i. e. the thesis that physical facts determine all the facts there are, leads to the absurd result that events in a remote future determine the present brain states of a person. It is shown that the argument is flawed in several respects and that the absurd result is not a consequence of physicalism but of an auxiliary premiss of Kutschera's.     

Effects of idiosyncratic stimulus variables on functional analysis outcomes.

As the methods for the functional analysis of problem behavior have continued to develop, there has been a greater focus on the specificity of controlling variables, both antecedents and consequences. Accelerating research interest in the role of antecedents reveals that a large array of stimulus variables can influence the rate of problem behavior. Indeed, the variety of these stimuli is so great that it is sometimes possible to overlook specific stimulus variables during initial assessment. The present study shows that a failure to identify these very specific (idiosyncratic) stimulus variables is serious because their presence can systematically alter the outcomes of functional analyses that are designed to assess the motivation of problem behavior. Guidelines are therefore discussed concerning when to suspect that idiosyncratic stimuli might be acting to influence assessment data, thereby promoting a search for additional stimulus variables whose identification can aid in improving the design of functional analysis conditions.