Supporting and Thwarting Autonomy in the High School Science Classroom

This investigation examined relations between adolescent students' daily and cumulative perceptions of teachers' practice and their experience of autonomy. Two-hundred and eighteen high school science students in 43 classes participated in a 6-week diary study. Multilevel modeling results suggested that perceptions of 8 out of 9 practices predicted a change in students' daily autonomy. Results also revealed that autonomy-relevant practices interacted with time, each other, and characteristics of students and classrooms. Implications are discussed.     

A RANDOMNESS‐BASED THEODICY FOR EVOLUTIONARY EVILS

We develop and knit together several theodicies in order to find a more complete picture of why certain forms of (nonhuman) animal suffering might be permitted by a perfect being. We focus on an especially potent form of the problem of evil, which arises from considering why a perfectly good, wise, and powerful God might use evolutionary mechanisms that predictably result in so much animal suffering and loss of life. There are many existing theodicies on the market, and although they offer helpful resources, we combine and further develop several proposals to produce a composite theodicy that avoids certain shortcomings of the individual theodicies. An important element of our project is locating a role for randomness in cosmic and biological evolution. In particular, we show how randomness might enhance or enable certain goods, including everlasting goods, at the risk of temporary evils.     

The role of delight in driving repurchase intentions

A channel differentiator for brick-and-mortar retail stores is the availability of salespeople to assist customers directly in their purchase decision. This research considers two aspects of customer interactions with retail salespeople that lead to perceptions of extraordinary service and enhance repurchase intentions: customer comfort and salesperson expertise. Retail customers desire value-added informational assistance from the salesperson to minimize ambiguity associated with the product and to reduce the risk associated with a purchase decision. A retail salesperson needs to make customers feel comfortable so that the customer will share specific needs during the interaction, and the salesperson can recommend appropriate products and services. Our findings reveal that while both customer comfort and salesperson expertise positively influence satisfaction with the salesperson and customer delight, only customer delight leads to repurchase intentions. While satisfaction is a commonly asserted goal for retailers; the present research suggests that in a transaction-based environment, elevated emotions such as customer delight represent a more powerful predictor of repurchase intentions. This research provides evidence of trainable salesperson behaviors that enhance customer perceptions of extraordinary service and offer firms an opportunity for significant performance gains.     

行为自主决策、亲子亲合与个体主观幸福感的关系:留守与非留守青少年的比较

以374名农村青少年为被试,基于留守青少年和非留守青少年的比较,探讨了个体行为自主决策、亲子亲合与主观幸福感之间的关系,并检验了亲子亲合与性别的调节作用。结果表明：（1）行为自主决策能够显著正向预测农村留守和非留守青少年的生活满意度;父子亲合和母子亲合能显著正向预测两类青少年的积极情绪和生活满意度,负向预测其消极情绪。（2）对于非留守青少年,行为自主决策与母子亲合对主观幸福感的预测作用存在性别差异：行为自主决策仅能够显著正向预测非留守男生的积极情绪和生活满意度,母子亲合则显著负向预测非留守女生的消极情绪;但是,这种性别差异不存在于留守青少年之中。（3）对于非留守青少年,母子亲合在其行为自主决策与生活满意度之间关系中的调节作用显著：低母子亲合水平下,行为自主决策能够显著正向预测其生活满意度;高母子亲合水平下,行为自主决策与其生活满意度之间不存在关联。     

Chronic Patients’ Autonomy in Iranian Hospitals: A Qualitative Study

The autonomy of chronic patients in Iranian hospitals is challenged by impaired functioning resulting from chronic illness, a negative image in society, and effects related to hospitalization. Comprehensive interviews and observations of 34 patients, nurses, and physicians were performed to assess the autonomy of chronic patients in Iran. Conceptualization, constant comparison, and the combination of data resulted in the identification of 5 main categories related to autonomy: welcoming paternalism, self-expression, self-proof, shared decision making, and self-determination. Authority scrambling was a central category describing chronic patients’ perceptions of their autonomy during hospitalization. These patients sought to maintain their independence despite serious threats to their autonomy.     

Adult attachment styles and cognitive vulnerability to depression in a sample of undergraduate students: the mediational roles of sociotropy and autonomy

We analysed the mediational role of the personality dimensions of sociotropy and autonomy in the relationship between certain styles of attachment and depressive symptoms. In order for us to do so, a group of university students filled out the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Revised Personal Style Inventory (PSI-II) and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ). Individuals having attachment styles with a negative model of self (preoccupied and fearful) obtained significantly higher scores in the BDI than those having attachment styles with a positive model of self (secure and dismissing), which coincides with previous research. We followed the standard procedure of Baron and Kenny of linear regression in order to perform the mediational analyses. The preoccupied attachment style-depressive symptoms relationship was mediated by sociotropy. It was also found that autonomy exerted a significant mediational effect on the relationship between the fearful attachment style and depressive symptoms. These results are consistent with the notion that insecure attachment predisposes individuals to the development of depressogenic personality styles. Thus, the findings of the present study contribute to improving the understanding of the factors involved in the development of vulnerability to depression. Furthermore, the results point out the importance of evaluating both attachment style and sociotropy/autonomy personality dimensions for the treatment of depressive patients.     

NATURAL FREEDOM

Abstract: Three critics of Freedom Evolves ( Dennett 2003 ) bring out important differences in philosophical outlook and method. Mele's thought experiments are supposed to expose the importance, for autonomy, of personal history, but they depend on the dubious invocation of mere logical or conceptual possibility. Fischer defends the Basic Argument for incompatibilism, while Taylor and I choose to sidestep it instead of disposing of it. Where does the burden of proof lie? O'Connor's candid expression of allegiance to traditional ideas that I reject highlights a fundamental difference in assumptions about how—and why—to do philosophy. There are indeed definable varieties of free will that are incompatible with determinism. Do they matter? I have argued, against philosophical tradition, that they don't.     

关于医疗同意书的若干法律问题的思考

医疗知情同意书与病人知情权密切相关,还涉及病人的自我决定权和隐私权。对知情同意书的本质及其法律效力,签署主体及告知的标准进行了一些探讨。     

3～5岁儿童独立性结构的验证性因素分析

独立性包括自我依靠、自我控制和自我主张。编制110个项目的儿童独立性问卷,进行项目筛选,保留47个项目。用47项目问卷,用另一样本验证性因素分析,用最大似然法,Amos修正,保留20个项目。再用另外两个样本验证问卷的合理性。多样本验证性因素分析结果支持了3～5岁儿童独立性包括自我依靠、自我控制和自我主张三维度的理论建构。