Semantic Responsibility

Abstract

In this paper I attempt to develop a notion of responsibility (semantic responsibility) that is to the notion of belief what epistemic responsibility is to the notion of justification. ‘Being semantically responsible’ is shown to involve the fulfilment of cognitive duties which allow the agent to engage in the kind of reason-laden discourses which render her beliefs appropriately sensitive to correction. The concept of semantic responsibility suggests that the notion of belief found in contemporary philosophical debates about content implicitly encompasses radically different classes of beliefs. In what follows I make those different types explicit, and sketch some implications for naturalisation projects in semantics and for accounts of the (putative) non-conceptual content of perceptual experiences.     

Reading Like a Nun: The Composition of Convent Libraries in Renaissance Europe

In this article the author examines the composition of convent libraries in Renaissance Europe—specifically, Italy and Spain. While much research on monastic libraries has occurred, little has concerned convent libraries. They are unique because they include writing both by and for women. The author used previous historical research to form an overview of a convent library's composition. Examining monastic and Tridentine rules regarding literature collected and produced in convents allows one to understand if ecclesiastical legislation restricted convent literature. From there, examining scribal work performed in convents, a few known convent holdings, and the works written by nuns themselves can illuminate the holdings of a convent library. These methods lead to the conclusion that convent libraries contained collections rich in social history and women's history because they contained some of the only literature by, for, and about women.     

Determining the Temporal Limits of a Visual Sample for Visual Regulation

The author examined the minimum amount of time needed for vision to increase aiming accuracy and decrease movement duration. Participants selected when they would receive a visual sample during aiming movements by pressing a switch held with the left hand. The sample was one of the following durations: 40 ms, 30 ms, 20 ms, 10 ms, or 0 ms (no vision). Decreased accuracy in the no-vision condition compared to the vision conditions was observed when the duration of the impending sample was unknown (Experiment 1). Samples 40 ms in duration were sufficient to decrease endpoint variability when the duration of the sample was known before the movement (Experiment 2). These results indicate that short visual samples can be used to decrease movement time and increase accuracy and that knowledge of the impending visual context can impact the individual's subsequent behavior.     

Sex Selection Technology: A Prediction of Its Use and Effect

We surveyed 281 undergraduates to assess their sexual preference for a firstborn child and their willingness to use sex selection technology. Results indicated overall preference for a boy among these respondents whether or not they indicated a willingness to use reproductive technology. Black women reported a greater willingness to use technology than did White women (p < .05), and older respondents (p < .10) also reported a greater intention to use the technology. Catholics were less willing to use technology than all other religious sects (p < .05). Of the 51 respondents who indicated their willingness to use technology, 73% preferred sons (p < .01). This finding held across sex, race, religion, age, and income levels. Support for the women's movement was unrelated to either preference or projected use of sex selection technology.     

Processing Fat-Related Information in Individuals at Risk for Developing an Eating Disorder

The authors examined the effect that being at risk for developing an eating disorder has on the lexical processing of words related to fat and words not related to fat. Individuals (n = 17) at risk for developing an eating disorder were compared with controls (n = 31) using a lexical decision task in which fat-related words (e.g., large), unrelated words (e.g., fair), neutral words (e.g., post), and pseudowords (e.g., flirp) were given. The results revealed an expected Group x Stimuli interaction for reaction times indicating that at-risk individuals were significantly faster at processing fat-related words than words unrelated to fat. The authors discuss these results within the context of how fat-related stimuli are processed in at-risk individuals and how models of information processing can aid in the interpretation and understanding of eating disorders.     

Delinquent Peer Group Formation: Evidence of a Gene X Environment Correlation

Emerging evidence suggests that variants of specific genes may influence some youths to seek out or associate with antisocial peers. Using genotypic data (N = 1,816) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (J. R. Udry, 1998, 2003), the authors tested this possibility. They found that the 10R allele of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene was associated with self-reported delinquent peer affiliation for male adolescents from high-risk environments (β range = .13-.14) despite controlling for delinquent involvement, self-control, and drug and alcohol use. The authors discuss the importance of using a biosocial framework to examine issues related to adolescent development.     

Books Recently Published

The development of the concept of time in third, fifth, and seventh graders of two Israeli social groups—advantaged Westerners (n = 144) and disadvantaged Easterners (n = 120)—was compared. Contrary to expectations, no difference in performance was found between the social groups throughout the entire age range. In both groups performance, while far from reaching perfection, increased with age. In addition, disparity between our findings and those of Siegler and Richards cast doubts on the generalizability of the rules they extracted through the rule-assessment method.     

Effects of Visual Information and Task Constraints on Intersegmental Coordination in Playground Swinging

The authors investigated how and to what extent visual information and associated task constraints are negotiated in the coordinative structure of playground swinging. Participants (N = 20) were invited to pump a swing from rest to a prescribed maximal amplitude under 4 conditions: normal vision, no vision, and 2 visual conditions involving explicit phasing constraints. In the latter conditions, participants were presented with a flow pattern consisting of a periodically expanding and contracting optical structure. They were instructed to phase the swing motion so that the forward turning point coincided with either the maximal size (enhanced optical flow) or the minimal size (reduced optical flow) of the presented flow pattern. Removal of visual information clearly influenced the swinging behavior, in that intersegmental coordination became more stereotyped, reflecting a general stiffening of the swinger. The conditions involving explicit phasing requirements also affected the coordination, but in an opposite way: The coordination became less stereotyped. The two phasing instructions had differential effects: The intersegmental coordination deviated more from normal swinging (i.e., without phasing constraints) when optical flow was enhanced than when it was reduced. Collectively, those findings show that visual information plays a formative role in the coordinative structure of swinging, in that variations of visual information and task constraints were accompanied by subtle yet noticeable changes in intersegmental coordination.     

Contextual Connections to Puns in Tom Swifties

Previous research conducted with short fables was replicated in this study with Swifties in which sentence length and presence of a pun were controlled. Of the 24 one-sentence word plays shown to each participant, half had an enhanced contextual connection that was predicted to increase appropriateness and detection of the incongruity, resulting in heightened perceived cleverness and humor. Results supported predictions, showing especially strong enhancement of perceived cleverness. The authors suggest that this outcome could be generalized to other forms of word play.     

The Potential Effect of Instrument Titles on Teacher Ratings of Child Behavior

Abstract

The present study investigated the possible effect of instrument titles on prospective teacher ratings of child behavior utilizing a posttest-only control group experimental design. Though statistical analyses revealed no main effects for label (label vs. no label) or major focus of study (regular education vs. special education), all groups rated a normal child's behavior in the clinically elevated range on several dependent variables. Implications tor those professionals in the fields of education and psychology are discussed along with the need for additional research in the area.