Moral error theory,explanatory dispensability and the limits of guilt

Philosophical Studies - Recently, companions in guilt strategies have garnered significant philosophical attention as a response to arguments for moral error theory, the view that there are no...     

On relations among perceptual and cognitive measures of information processing

Tests of visual information processing and verbal information processing were administered to 178 Ss. Intercorrelations showed low positive relationships between two sets of two cognitive measures each, the Sentence Completion Test (Schroder, Driver, & Streufert, 1967) and the Interpersonal Topical Inventory (Tuckman, 1965), and the Interpersonal Topical Inventory and the Polarity Scale (1965), and a high negative correlation between preference for highly complex and for moderately complex visual stimuli. Factor analysis showed three reliable major factors. There was little evidence for a relationship between perceptual and cognitive processing characteristics, which indicates some danger for general theorists.     

Neutrality and curiosity: elements of technique

In the past three decades, neutrality has come under increasing criticism. The idea that a psychoanalyst can leave himself out of the therapeutic exchange has come to be seen as either an impossible dream or a myth. We propose that examining neutrality through the lens of curiosity allows for a new appreciation of the ongoing and vital importance of this psychoanalytic attitude. Our hypothesis is that curiosity and neutrality are linked, and that to maintain a neutral stance, the analyst must be able to direct a relatively conflict-free curiosity toward the workings of the analysand's mind as well as his own.     

An Apparatus for the Study of Motor Learning Under Threat of Electric Shock

The utility of Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RPM) as a measure of intelligence (IQ) was studied. RPM was administered to 380 Vocational Rehabilitation applicants and correlated with selected variables and IQ measures. The results indicate that use of RPM 1948 British norms on U. S. Vocational Rehabilitation and general populations is a viable procedure where there is no need for IQ accuracy over 120. RPM did show a ceiling of about IQ 120. Construct validity was reinforced by correlations of RPM with other standard IQ measures. RPM shows the same race effect as is found regularly—the white mean is higher than the black mean—and is related to number of years education.     

Sequential effects on speeded information processing: a developmental study

Two experiments were performed to assess age-related changes in sequential effects on choice reaction time (RT). Sequential effects portray the influence of previous trials on the RT to the current stimulus. In Experiment 1, three age groups (7-9, 10-12, and 18-25 years) performed a spatially compatible choice task, with response-to-stimulus intervals (RSIs) of 50 and 500 ms varied between trial blocks. In Experiment 2, three age groups (7-9, 15-16, and 18-25 years) performed the task with spatial stimulus-response (S-R) mappings (compatible versus incompatible) varied between participants. For adults, the experiments yielded a pattern of sequential effects suggestive of "automatic facilitation" (i.e., a first-order repetition effect and a higher order benefit-only pattern for short RSIs) and "subjective expectancy" (i.e., a first-order alternation effect and a higher order cost-benefit pattern for long RSIs). Automatic facilitation was more pronounced for incompatible responses than for compatible responses. Both experiments showed the anticipated decrease in automatic facilitation with advancing age. Finally, the first-order alternation effect showed the predicted age-related increase, but the cost-benefit pattern revealed an opposite trend, suggesting that the first-order and higher order indexes of subjective expectancy may relate to dissociable mechanisms.     

Being Tough Versus Tender: The Impact of Country-Level and Individual Masculinity Orientations as Moderators of the Relationship Between Job Insecurity and Job Attitudes

Having a job constitutes one of the most potent means of attaining ‘masculine’ goals such as status, success, and material rewards. In the present research, we examine whether masculinity, both as a country-level value and an individual orientation, moderates the relationship between job insecurity and job attitudes. In Study 1, we draw on cross-cultural data of 20,988 employees from 17 countries. We find that job insecure individuals from countries with higher masculinity values show stronger decrements in job satisfaction (but not commitment). Shedding light on the underlying mechanism, we show that the moderating effect of masculinity is transmitted through two social job characteristics, perceived supervisor interpersonal justice and coworker support. We then constructively replicate the moderating effect of masculinity in Study 2. In a one-country sample of 319 employees, individual masculinity orientations likewise strengthen the negative relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Our research highlights that country-level and individual masculinity orientations yield comparable effects in the job insecurity appraisal process, and provides insight into how cultural values can be enacted at the individual level.