The production of determiners: evidence from French.

In numerous languages determiner forms depend not only on semantic information but also on several other kinds of information, such as the grammatical gender of the controlling noun or the phonological properties of the context. In the present research we contrasted two possible accounts of determiner retrieval: one in which every type of required information is bundled into a unitized representation for determiner retrieval and one in which each type of information can individually activate determiner forms. These alternative hypotheses were investigated in three experiments in which native speakers of French named pictures with simple [determiner + noun] or complex [determiner + adjective + noun] noun phrases. In the experiments, the properties of the contextual cues that drive the retrieval of the determiner were manipulated - for example, we manipulated the number of determiner forms that are compatible with a given grammatical gender and the number of grammatical genders that a given determiner form can be used with. Neither hypothesis can fully account for the results of the three experiments. However, a hybrid hypothesis that combines the principal features of the two hypotheses provides a good account of the data.     

Worlds within Worlds: Kabbalah and the New Scientific Paradigm

Beginning with relativity and quantum theory, the deterministic view that has dominated and shaped Western culture for more than 2,500 years has begun to unravel, leading to the emergence of a new paradigm. This new paradigm effectively reformulates the project of science, conceiving of existence as an interpenetrating web of coevolving, cocreative relationships. By exploring Kabbalah and the new scientific paradigm within the context of shared evolutionary principles, I seek to demonstrate a viable alternative to the prevailing deterministic worldview. By going beyond the limits of determinism and re–visioning existence as an evolutionary, emergent phenomenon, we can establish a new basis for an authentic dialogue between science and religion.     

计算机自适应性测验(CAT)选题策略的新进展

在计算机自适应性测验(CAT)中,传统的项目选题策略正面对越来越多的问题,比如:测验的安全,项目的曝光率,项目的平衡应用等等。分层选题策略的新发展-A-STR和BAS-选题策略部分地解决了传统的选题策略所面临的难题。能够有效地控制高区分度项目的曝光率,增加低区分度项目的曝光率,平衡项目的应用,提高测验效率,降低测验成本等等。为计算机自适应测验的选题策略提供了一种更加有效的方法,也为我国开展计算机自适应测验提供了一种思路。     

Subjective Career Success and Emotional Well-Being: Longitudinal Predictive Power of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation

In a 3-year longitudinal study, we found in a sample of young professionals (N=82; 44% male; age range: 28 to 39 years) that self-reported behaviors reflecting selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) predicted global and work-specific subjective well-being (multiple correlations ranged from R=.22 to R=.44). In addition to optimization (i.e., implementing goal-relevant means), it was especially the degree of compensation (i.e., investing goal-relevant means to counteract losses) that predicted how emotionally balanced individuals felt and how satisfied they were with their work situation 3 years later. These longitudinal predictions were quite robust when controlling for personality variables (NEO). Results are consistent with previous cross-sectional findings and demonstrate how the SOC framework might be successfully applied to the domain of vocational behavior.     

视觉选择性注意脑机制研究进展

视觉选择性注意一直是认知心理学的研究热点之一。注意的早晚期选择问题和基于空间与基于客体的选择问题是选择性注意研究中长期争论的两大理论问题。脑成像研究不仅为解决这些争论提供了有力的证据 ,而且深化和拓展了这两大问题的研究。该文介绍了脑成像研究在上述两个领域的主要研究成果 ,并展望了今后相关问题的研究重点。     

Les représentations de l’entretien structuré chez les recruteurs

We studied recruiters’ representations of the structured interview. In Study 1, 90 recruiters were interviewed. They define “structure” mainly as a schema or list of questions. The terms “structured” and “unstructured” also have different connotations. This can create a social desirability bias in surveys on selection practices, causing an overestimation of the real prevalence of structured interviewing. In Study 2, 59 recruiters responded to a questionnaire. Attitudes towards structured interviews are positive, but representations diverge from scientific definitions, especially regarding unstructured interviews. Recruiters’ representations allow flexibility in practice while maintaining a positive self-image.     

Validité de construit d’une épreuve de jeu de rôle dans le cadre d’un centre d’évaluation chez des officiers de marine.

The present study was designed to obtain validity estimates for a role-play test. Participants were 125 french Navy officers who were rated by a pool of professional assessors and psychologists. All the assessors received reccurring training sessions, focusing on the behavioral checklist, on rating errors, and on share frame of reference. The assessment procedure included role play exercise, cognitive ability scale (g factor) and personality scale (big five factors). First, exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the data gathered, and four factors were identified (authoritarianism, oral communication, consideration with others and frankness). In a nomological perspective, we also analysed the links between the exercises dimensions, personality inventorie and intelligence scale. The findings suggest that role play dimension, personality and intelligence seem to measure different thinks.     

Model structure adequacy analysis: selecting models on the basis of their ability to answer scientific questions

Models carry the meaning of science. This puts a tremendous burden on the process of model selection. In general practice, models are selected on the basis of their relative goodness of fit to data penalized by model complexity. However, this may not be the most effective approach for selecting models to answer a specific scientific question because model fit is sensitive to all aspects of a model, not just those relevant to the question. Model Structural Adequacy analysis is proposed as a means to select models based on their ability to answer specific scientific questions given the current understanding of the relevant aspects of the real world.     

Abnormality, cognitive virtues, and knowledge

Causal analyses of one’s knowing that p have recently emphasized the involvement of cognitive virtues in coming to believe that p. John Greco suggests that in order to deal with Gettier-type cases, a virtue analysis of knowing should include a requirement that one’s knowing does not in a certain way involve abnormality. Yet Greco’s emphasis on statistical abnormality either renders his analysis subject to a generality problem or to objections regarding certain Gettier-type cases. When we instead consider abnormality in the sense of a causally differentiating factor in relation to a causal contrast situation, the account remains unclear concerning its application to an interesting non-Gettier-type case concerning chance. The exploration of these shortcomings casts doubt on the epistemological usefulness of the schema, ‘If you know, then there is no abnormality in your being right.’     

Mother nature's tolerant ways: Why non-genetic inheritance has nothing to do with evolution

Recently a number of theorists have suggested that evolution can use non-genetic or environmental inheritance to pass on adaptations (e.g. [Mameli, M. (2004). Nongenetic selection and nongenetic inheritance. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 55, 35-71]). Furthermore, it has been suggested that non-genetic, or environmental factors, can play a central role in the process of evolution that is not captured by the neo-Darwinian view which places natural selection centre stage (e.g. [Odling-Smee, J. J., Laland, K. N., & Feldman, M. W. (2003). Niche construction: The neglected process in evolution. New Jersey: Princeton University Press]). In this paper we present and clarify neo-Darwinian theory and then take issue with the notions of contemporary gene-centred selection and inheritance that non-genetic inheritance theorists have used. We claim that they have misunderstood the distinction and relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic inheritance and we clarify this with a number of examples from the behavioural and biological sciences. According to this analysis there is no such thing as biologically independent non-genetic inheritance, all extrinsic inheritance is a consequence of traits and dispositions that are intrinsic to an organism and intrinsic design can only be explained through neo-Darwinism. We point to the implications this view has for current conceptions of cultural evolution.