The mass/count distinction: evidence from on-line psycholinguistic performance.

Under the hypothesis that the mass/count distinction in English is marked by a monovalent lexical feature, this article investigates whether features, lexical or morphosyntactic, play a role in simple lexical decision. Research findings have yet to settle how many features are accessed during lexical decision and to what extent morphosyntactic features are computed out of context. We used two on-line lexical decision experiments (simple and morphosyntactic priming). Results show that the lexical feature "mass" is computed in both experiments. However, the morphosyntactic feature "plural" is subject to task-specific effects and surfaces only where operative.     

UNFOUNDED FEARS,INFLATED HOPES,PASSIONATE MEMORIES: JEWISH SELF-DEFENCE IN 1960s ARGENTINA

In late 1963, the Argentine Foreign Ministry expressed its concern to Israeli diplomats about several matters “that might disturb relations between the two countries.” Specifically, it referred to “military training” that Jewish youth were receiving in camps in the province of Buenos Aires under the supervision of Israeli instructors. The Argentine authorities' concern was caused by the formation of Jewish self-defence groups in the Argentine capital determined to confront the provocations of anti-Semitic, nationalist right-wing bullies. Based on both diplomatic documents and a series of interviews with former members of Jewish self-defence groups, this article analyses the establishment, structure, recruitment methods, training and activities of these organizations. Our main argument is that the concern of Argentine authorities was exaggerated, as well as were the fears of Jewish-Argentines of a possible pogrom, following the kidnapping of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina.     

Can men talk about problems with weight? The therapeutic implications of a discourse analytic study

This paper discusses the implications for counsellors of a discourse analytic study examining men's talk about body weight. It is argued that research in the area of problems with body has neglected the growing pressures on men to manage body as a feature of self. This research perpetuates the dominant discursive construction of men's relationship to body as unproblematic — a construction that may present many barriers to men in seeking help for any distress encountered. An analysis of men's talk is discussed in terms of the expectation that body is not problematic and the observable downplaying of any concerns acknowledged. The accountability of body as a site of regulation also emerges within the extracts presented. It is argued that this property within the accounts resonates with work highlighting the growing pressures on men to exercise control over body. The contradictions between the two discourses identified are discussed in terms of their therapeutic implications. It is postulated that male distress emerging from the growing pressures to maintain body weight may be neglected within primary care and therapeutic domains if discourses formulating such difficulties as not relevant to men remain dominant.     

Measures of reliability for profiles and test batteries

A general index of reliability, termed “canonical reliability,” is developed for use with profiles, or more generally, for use with vectors of random variables. Canonical reliability is defined as the ratio of the average squared distance among true scores to the average squared distance among observed scores. Based on Mahalonobis distances, canonical reliability is shown to be consistent with multivariate analogues of parallel form correlations, squared correlation between true and observed scores, and an analysis of variance formulation. The index of reliability based on Cronbach and Gleser'sD ² is also derived from the general formulation. A comparison of the Mahalonobis andD ² approaches indicates that score vectors usingD ² distances are more reliable; however, both methods of comparing profiles are useful depending on the nature of the information that is desired. Transforming the observed variables to independent canonical variates provides a basis for comparing profiles on maximally reliable profile dimensions. For illustrative purposes, profile reliability is calculated and interpreted for the WISC subscales for a 7 1/2 year age group.     

Is this problem likely to be solved? A cognitive schema of effective problem solving

The present study tested the existence of a cognitive schema that guides people's evaluations of the likelihood that observed problem-solving processes will succeed. The hypothesised schema consisted of attributes that were found to distinguish between retrospective case reports of successful and unsuccessful real world problem solving (Lipshitz & Bar Ilan, 1996 Lipshitz, R. and Bar Ilan, O. 1996. How problems are solved: Reconsidering the phase theorem. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 45: 48–60.  [Google Scholar]). Participants were asked to evaluate the likelihood of success of identical cases of problem solving that differed in the presence or absence of diagnosis, the selection of appropriate or inappropriate solutions, and the pairing of diagnosis with appropriate or non-appropriate solutions. Consistent with the proposition, diagnosis affected perceived likelihood of success, albeit only when solution quality was held constant, and appropriate diagnosis with a compatible solution produced higher perceived likelihood of success than appropriate diagnosis with incompatible solutions. In addition, results showed that solution quality played a significant role, and that compatibility with a six-phase rational model of problem solving played no role in judging likelihood of success.     

Medical ethics in Britain

This paper describes ‘the medical ethics scene’ in Britain. After giving a brief account of the structure of British medical ethics and of the roles of the different groups involved it mentions some of the important medico-moral events and issues of the fairly recent past, and describes in greater detail four important examples of professional, legal, governmental and media concerns with medical ethics, themselves illustrating the wide variety of interests wishing to influence the British medical profession's ethics. The examples offered are the development of research ethics committees, the Sidaway case concerning informed consent, the Warnock Committee's Report on in vitro fertilisation and associated issues, and the 1980 Reith Lectures on ‘Unmasking Medicine’. In the final section a fairly new methodological development in British medical ethics is described in which the medical profession is increasingly recognising the need to add to traditional medical ethics education, with its longstanding history of the inculation and enforcement of ethical norms, an element of philosophical or critical medical ethics, at the heart of which is justification of substantive medico-moral claims in the light of counterarguments.     

Ambiguity,generality, and indeterminacy: Tests and definitions

The problem addressed is that of finding a sound characterization of ambiguity. Two kinds of characterizations are distinguished: tests and definitions. Various definitions of ambiguity are critically examined and contrasted with definitions of generality and indeterminacy, concepts with which ambiguity is sometimes confused. One definition of ambiguity is defended as being more theoretically adequate than others which have been suggested by both philosophers and linguists. It is also shown how this definition of ambiguity obviates a problem thought to be posed by ambiguity for truth theoretical semantics. In addition, the best known test for ambiguity, namely the test by contradiction, is set out, its limitations discussed, and its connection with ambiguity's definition explained. The test is contrasted with a test for vagueness first proposed by Peirce and a test for generality propounded by Margalit.The earliest version of this paper was presented to The Logical Grammar Study Group at The University of Alberta, which included, at that time, Matthew Dryer, Bernard Linsky, Jeff Pelletier, and Len Schubert, Among others. Section 2 of the paper was presented 25 May, 1987 at the annual meeting of the Canadian Philosophical Association (Hamilton, Ontario); and Section 1 was presented 22 January, 1900 to the Department of Philosophy at the University of Ottawa. I am grateful to these audiences and others who have provided helpful criticism and comments.     

“Either a medal or a corporal”: The effects of success and failure on the evaluation of decision making and decision makers

This paper is concerned with judgment by outcomes—justifying decisions and rewarding decision makers in case of success, and condemning both in case of failure. Officers in the Israel Defense Forces evaluated four versions of the same case of decision making in a military setting. In two versions the decision maker obeys his orders, in two he disobeys them to take a normatively appropriate action; one of each decision is successful, one of each fails. Though the cases are identical except for the above differences, successful decisions are considered more justified and to follow from superior decision making processes; decision making processes are perceived as more satisfactory when they lead to success, and successful decision makers are perceived more favorably than their unsuccessful counterparts. Role expectations regarding appropriate action influenced the justification of decisions and perceived favorability of decision makers and interacted with outcome valence in determining the allocation of reward and punishment and the evaluation of the decision making process. The paper discusses implications of the findings to Behavioral Decision Theory, Attribution Theory, and Organizational Learning.     

An Early Buddhist Text on Logic: Fang Bian Xin Lun

The Fang Bian Xin Lun is a text on Buddhist logic which is thought to be the earliest one still to be extant. It appears in Chinese only (T1632). The great Italian indologist Giuseppe Tucci, believing that the text was originally a Sanskrit text, translated it into Sanskrit and gave it the title Upāyahṛdaya. The paper provides the historical background of the development of logic in Classical India up to the time of this text, summarizes its content and translates its first section.