Formation of partially and fully elaborated generalized equivalence classes

Most complex categories observed in real-world settings consist of perceptually disparate stimuli, such as a picture of a person's face, the person's name as written, and the same name as heard, as well as dimensional variants of some or all of these stimuli. The stimuli function as members of a single partially or fully elaborated generalized equivalence class when they occasion the mutual selection of each other after the establishment of some subset of relations among the stimuli. Indeed, it is these generalized relations among stimuli that enable an individual to respond appropriately to the inevitable flux of natural environments. The present experiments involved procedures for producing both types of generalized equivalence class and for evaluating their retention. Granting the formal and functional similarities that exist between generalized equivalence classes and natural categories, natural kinds, and fuzzy superordinate classes, the variables responsible for the emergence of the former might also account for the emergence of the latter three phenomena. In Experiment 1, After forming an A'-B' class, a B'-C relation was trained and generalization tests were conducted with B'-C, C-B', A'-C, and C'-A. Two of 5 participants passed the tests documenting the formation of A'-B'-C classes. Failures occurred in the A'-C and C-A' tests but not the B'-C and C-B' tests. Failures were also correlated with time between A'-B' class formation and C-based testing and with the absence of baseline confirmation when training and testing were separated by about one week. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 but presented baseline confirmation probes immediatley prior to testing when training and testing were separated by one week; all participants then formed partially elaborated generalized equivalence classes. In Experiment 3, 5 of 6 participants formed fully elaborated generalized equivalence classes, represented as A' = B' = C'.     

Jesus, Historians, and the Psychology of Historiography: A Response to My Respondents

It is remarkable to me that my book became a part of the SBL Dissertation Series. For this I thank Walter Wink who brought the work to the attention of, Wayne Rollins. And I am thankful to Wayne Rollins for bringing the book to the attention of the right people at the SBL, most particularly Rex D. Matthews and Mark Allan Powell. I am grateful to Mark Allan Powell for promoting the process of publication so we would have a book in hand at the Psychology and Biblical Studies book review session, now over two years ago. I am very appreciative of Lewis Rambo, editor of this journal, and J. Harold Ellens, special editor of this issue, for making possible the continued discussion of these ideas.     

The persons‐in‐relation perspective: Towards a philosophy for counselling in society

This paper is the first in a planned series, which aims to articulate and synthesise the persons‐in‐relation perspective in counselling and psychotherapy, drawing together the contributions of the philosopher John Macmurray, the psychotherapist Ian Suttie and the psychoanalyst Ronald Fairbairn. The paper introduces the persons‐in‐relation perspective, derived from Macmurray's work. It outlines the historical and cultural context leading to the emergence of modernism, and the response of personalism. It summarises John Macmurray's life and philosophy, focusing on his account of knowledge, its relation to the senses and the emotions, and his view of persons, society and religion. The paper goes on to develop a hypothesis about the rise of counselling in Britain, linking it to the decline of religion, the conflict between individualism and collectivism, and the re‐emergence of the persons‐in‐relation perspective. It concludes by posing challenges for the person‐centred and psychodynamic orientations, and for counselling as a whole.     

Virtual HR: The impact of information technology on the human resource professional

Accelerated investment and innovation in information technology (IT) offers prospects for conducting business in ways that are radically different from the past. Despite the growing presence of IT within organizations, however, we do not have a clear understanding of how IT impacts the role of professionals. We address this issue by investigating how jobs in one professional occupational segment, human resources (HR) professionals are influenced by extensive use of IT within the human resource department. Specifically, we examine how HR professionals handle HR information as well as the expectations placed on them resulting from an increased reliance on IT. Our findings suggest that IT enables HR professionals to more efficiently access and disseminate information while it also influences what is expected of them. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

Spirituality and Trauma: The Role of Clergy in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

An increased awareness of the spiritual aspects of health and illness has recently led to changes in psychiatry residency training as well as hospital accreditation requirements. The spiritual impact of trauma has been an area of particular interest, as trauma evokes certain existential questions and crises. It is estimated that from 5–11% of trauma survivors will go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the spiritual challenges of the experience of trauma, patients with PTSD could benefit from spiritual assessment and intervention as part of their overall treatment plan, and clergy can be utilized to perform this. The literature exploring the spiritual impact of trauma and the use of clergy in the treatment of trauma survivors is reviewed. The methods used by three chaplains in a residential treatment program for PTSD at one facility are described and discussed. Both the literature and the experiences of the clergy suggest that exploration of trauma-related existential conflicts in patients with PTSD is beneficial. However, there is a notable dearth of controlled scientific studies evaluating the effectiveness of spiritual interventions with this treatment population. The need for controlled studies to verify the usefulness of spiritual assessment and intervention in patients with PTSD is noted, and a more rigorous analysis of how clergy can best serve this treatment population is encouraged.     

Reframing the Fields

The conception of metaphoric process elaborated by Mary Gerhart and Allan Russell illuminates a key mechanism often involved in the most significant advances in science and religion. Attention to this conceptual device provides a productive way to reframe the relationships and dialogues between the fields. The theory has compelling implications for reframing the understanding of theology and its task.     

基督宗教伦理学的理论特质

本文从检讨道德与宗教的关系出发,具体分析基督宗教伦理学的各种重要定义以及由此引出的基本问题。在此基础上,作者又逐一检讨了基督宗教伦理学独特的思想本质。最后,作者对基督宗教伦理学的展开历史以及每一历史时期的特点作了简明而清晰的梳理。     

Heart and spirit

In qualitative interview research with 25 psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists in London, Sydney and Melbourne, the author explored how these clinicians experienced, conceptualised and worked with spiritual issues. Bringing to bear their experience on both sides of the couch, this 'information-rich' sample of mainly senior practitioners reflected on a psychoanalytically informed view of spirituality, and its understanding in clinical practice. Two methods of analysis were used. The technique of 'narrative finding' was followed by coding of core ideas, themes and concepts expressed. Participants noted that spirit may be the 'blind spot' of psychoanalysis, and reflected that what they had wanted in their own analyses-and consider that what patients want-is to be able to have spiritual issues addressed in a similar manner to other matters, not prejudged as infantile or pathological. In participants' concepts and experience of spirit, a comfort / challenge dimension was identified. Comfort was taken in having a 'wider view', a more inclusive sense of inter-relatedness, with challenge involving a heightened sense of the unknown and a greater degree of uncertainty.     

Like a Phoenix from Its Ashes? On the Fate and Future of the International Association for the Psychology of Religion

This paper provides some information on the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR, Internationale Gesellschaft für Religionspsychologie, founded 1914), especially on its recent organization and on its revitalized yearbook Archiv für Religionspsychologie (Archives for the Psychology of Religion). The present self-understanding of the IAPR is presented, its interdisciplinary character is discussed and some suggestions for practical aims are provided.     

Caring for Nature: From Fact to Value, from Respect to Reverence

Abstract. Despite the classical prohibition of moving from fact to value, encounter with the biodiversity and plenitude of being in evolutionary natural history moves us to respect life, even to reverence it. Darwinian accounts are value‐laden and necessary for understanding life at the same time that Darwinian theory fails to provide sufficient cause for the historically developing diversity and increasing complexity on Earth. Earth is a providing ground; matter and energy on Earth support life, but distinctive to life is information coded in the genetic molecules that superintends this matter‐energy. Life is generated and regenerated in struggle, persists in its perishing. Such life is also a gift; nature is grace. Biologists and theologians join in celebrating and conserving the genesis on Earth, awed in their encounter with this creativity that characterizes our home planet.