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Personality and Social Psychology... Aug 2023The idea of "purity" transformed moral psychology. Here, we provide the first systematic review of this concept. Although often discussed as one construct, we reveal ~9... (Review)
Review
ACADEMIC ABSTRACT
The idea of "purity" transformed moral psychology. Here, we provide the first systematic review of this concept. Although often discussed as one construct, we reveal ~9 understandings of purity, ranging from respecting God to not eating gross things. This striking heterogeneity arises because purity-unlike other moral constructs-is not understood by what it but what it : obvious interpersonal harm. This poses many problems for moral psychology and explains why purity lacks convergent and divergent validity and why purity is confounded with politics, religion, weirdness, and perceived harm. Because purity is not a coherent construct, it cannot be a distinct basis of moral judgment or specially tied to disgust. Rather than a specific moral domain, purity is best understood as a loose set of themes in moral rhetoric. These themes are scaffolded on cultural understandings of harm-the broad, pluralistic harm outlined by the Theory of Dyadic Morality.
PUBLIC ABSTRACT
People are fascinated by morality-how do people make moral judgments and why do liberals and conservatives seem to frequently disagree? "Purity" is one moral concept often discussed when talking about morality-it has been suggested to capture moral differences across politics and to demonstrate the evolutionary roots of morality, especially the role of disgust in moral judgment. However, despite the many books and articles that mention purity, there is no systematic analysis of purity. Here, we review all existing academic articles focused on purity in morality. We find that purity is an especially messy concept that lacks scientific validity. Because it is so poorly defined and inconsistently measured, it should not be invoked to explain our moral minds or political differences.
Topics: Humans; Morals; Judgment; Disgust; Politics; Religion
PubMed: 36314693
DOI: 10.1177/10888683221124741 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2018Numerical knowledge, including number concepts and arithmetic procedures, seems to be a clear-cut case for abstract symbol manipulation. Yet, evidence from perceptual... (Review)
Review
Numerical knowledge, including number concepts and arithmetic procedures, seems to be a clear-cut case for abstract symbol manipulation. Yet, evidence from perceptual and motor behaviour reveals that natural number knowledge and simple arithmetic also remain closely associated with modal experiences. Following a review of behavioural, animal and neuroscience studies of number processing, we propose a revised understanding of psychological number concepts as grounded in physical constraints, embodied in experience and situated through task-specific intentions. The idea that number concepts occupy a range of positions on the continuum between abstract and modal conceptual knowledge also accounts for systematic heuristics and biases in mental arithmetic, thus inviting psycho-logical approaches to the study of the mathematical mind.This article is part of the theme issue 'Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.
Topics: Cognition; Concept Formation; Humans; Knowledge; Mathematical Concepts
PubMed: 29914993
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0125 -
Frontiers in Robotics and AI 2021A robot swarm is a decentralized system characterized by locality of sensing and communication, self-organization, and redundancy. These characteristics allow robot... (Review)
Review
A robot swarm is a decentralized system characterized by locality of sensing and communication, self-organization, and redundancy. These characteristics allow robot swarms to achieve scalability, flexibility and fault tolerance, properties that are especially valuable in the context of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), specifically in unknown environments that evolve over time. So far, research in SLAM has mainly focused on single- and centralized multi-robot systems-i.e., non-swarm systems. While these systems can produce accurate maps, they are typically not scalable, cannot easily adapt to unexpected changes in the environment, and are prone to failure in hostile environments. Swarm SLAM is a promising approach to SLAM as it could leverage the decentralized nature of a robot swarm and achieve scalable, flexible and fault-tolerant exploration and mapping. However, at the moment of writing, swarm SLAM is a rather novel idea and the field lacks definitions, frameworks, and results. In this work, we present the concept of swarm SLAM and its constraints, both from a technical and an economical point of view. In particular, we highlight the main challenges of swarm SLAM for gathering, sharing, and retrieving information. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this approach against traditional multi-robot SLAM. We believe that swarm SLAM will be particularly useful to produce abstract maps such as topological or simple semantic maps and to operate under time or cost constraints.
PubMed: 33816567
DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.618268 -
Revista Medica de Chile Jan 2009Similar to what occurs in literature, art and other human endeavours, every scientific report is based in previous work done by others. The new paper should add...
Similar to what occurs in literature, art and other human endeavours, every scientific report is based in previous work done by others. The new paper should add something original but a basic law of scientific honesty demands that any mention ideas, observations or thinking that has been previously proposed or published by others, should be acknowledged properly in the text and in the references. Plagiarism is identified when the authors of a scientific report use ideas or text that belong to others and present them as original, the previous source is concealed or it is referred to in a different context. The authors of a paper that contains plagiarism have the intention to mislead the readers, pretending to be the original authors of an idea that was expressed previously by others, or to be the owners of results shown by them. Plagiarism is a dishonest behaviour and, when discovered, may have dangerous consequences because the editors of the journal may publish a notice of retraction that will be inserted by Medline in both papers: the plagiarized and the plagiarizer, to be noticed by everyone who accesses to either of them in the Internet.
Topics: Biomedical Research; Humans; Periodicals as Topic; Plagiarism; Scientific Misconduct
PubMed: 19399315
DOI: No ID Found -
Abstract concepts and emotion: cross-linguistic evidence and arguments against affective embodiment.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Feb 2023How are abstract concepts such as 'freedom' and 'democracy' represented in the mind? One prominent proposal suggests that abstract concepts are grounded in emotion....
How are abstract concepts such as 'freedom' and 'democracy' represented in the mind? One prominent proposal suggests that abstract concepts are grounded in emotion. Supporting this 'affective embodiment' account, abstract concepts are rated to be more strongly positive or more strongly negative than concrete concepts. This paper demonstrates that this finding generalizes across languages by synthesizing rating data from Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Polish and Spanish. However, a deeper look at the same data suggests that the idea of emotional grounding only characterizes a small subset of abstract concepts. Moreover, when the concreteness/abstractness dimension is not operationalized using concreteness ratings, it is actually found that concrete concepts are rated as more emotional than abstract ones. Altogether, these results suggest limitations to the idea that emotion is an important factor in the grounding of abstract concepts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.
Topics: Humans; Emotions; Linguistics; Language; Concept Formation; Asian People
PubMed: 36571116
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0368 -
Revue Medicale de Liege 2014In developed countries, suicide is a real public health problem. However, in contrast with a classical idea, suicide is not specific to young people. Indeed, late life... (Review)
Review
In developed countries, suicide is a real public health problem. However, in contrast with a classical idea, suicide is not specific to young people. Indeed, late life suicide is a cause for major concern, particularly for those over 75 years. Psychiatric disorders, and more specifically major depression, are clearly the most important risk factors. However, socio-environnemental factors, such as life events and social isolation, should not be overlooked. Physical disorders are also important clinical elements. Unfortunately, all these risk factors are not very specific to suicide and the early detection and treatment of people at high risk remain important challenges.
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Humans; Mental Disorders; Risk Factors; Suicide; Suicide Prevention
PubMed: 25065251
DOI: No ID Found -
Revista de Saude Publica Jun 2007A critical approach from the standpoint of social philosophy is taken aiming at analyzing aspects of current production of knowledge and technologies in health...
A critical approach from the standpoint of social philosophy is taken aiming at analyzing aspects of current production of knowledge and technologies in health promotion. Its capacity of generating perplexities, dilemmas and dissatisfactions is also evaluated, despite its strength and effectiveness in many levels. The analysis is based on Ivan Illich's "social iatrogenesis," Peter Skrabanek's "coercive healthism," and Giorgio Agamben's theoretical approach of "homo sacer"--a man whose life is worthless. The limits and dilemmas of the idea of personal responsibility are discussed as a persuasion strategy in health promotion discourses and practices. All these proposals produce "persecutory health" as a side effect.
Topics: Attitude to Health; Health Promotion; Health Status; Humans; Iatrogenic Disease; Primary Prevention; Risk Management; Social Responsibility
PubMed: 17516001
DOI: 10.1590/s0034-89102007000300019 -
Biosemiotics Apr 2012The present paper proposes a definition for the complex polysemic concepts of consciousness and awareness (in humans as well as in other species), and puts forward the...
The present paper proposes a definition for the complex polysemic concepts of consciousness and awareness (in humans as well as in other species), and puts forward the idea of a progressive ontological development of consciousness from a state of 'childhood' awareness, in order to explain that humans are not only able to manipulate objects, but also their mental representations. The paper builds on the idea of qualia intended as entities posing regular invariant requests to neural processes, trough the permanence of different properties. The concept of semantic differential introduces the properties of metaphorical qualia as an exclusively human ability. Furthermore this paper proposes a classification of qualia, according to the models-with different levels of abstraction-they are implied in, in a taxonomic perspective. This, in turn, becomes a source of categorization of divergent representations, sign systems, and forms of intentionality, relying always on biological criteria. New emerging image-of-the-world-devices are proposed, whose qualia are likely to be only accessible to humans: emotional qualia, where emotion accounts for the invariant and dominant property; and the qualic self where continuity, combined with the oneness of the self, accounts for the invariant and dominant property. The concept of congruence between different domains in a metaphor introduces the possibility of a general evaluation of truth and falsity of all kinds of metaphorical constructs, while the work of Matte Blanco enables us to classify conscious versus unconscious metaphors, both in individuals and in social organizations.
PubMed: 22347988
DOI: 10.1007/s12304-011-9116-2 -
Science & Education 2023Balancing disciplinary knowledge and practical reasoning in problem solving is needed for meaningful learning. In STEM problem solving, science subject matter with...
Balancing disciplinary knowledge and practical reasoning in problem solving is needed for meaningful learning. In STEM problem solving, science subject matter with associated practices often appears distant to learners due to its abstract nature. Consequently, learners experience difficulties making meaningful connections between science and their daily experiences. Applying Dewey's idea of practical and science inquiry and Bereiter's idea of referent-centred and problem-centred knowledge, we examine how integrated STEM problem solving offers opportunities for learners to shuttle between practical and science inquiry and the kinds of knowledge that result from each form of inquiry. We hypothesize that connecting science inquiry with practical inquiry narrows the gap between science and everyday experiences to overcome isolation and fragmentation of science learning. In this study, we examine classroom talk as students engage in problem solving to increase crop yield. Qualitative content analysis of the utterances of six classes of 113 eighth graders and their teachers were conducted for 3 hours of video recordings. Analysis showed an almost equal amount of science and practical inquiry talk. Teachers and students applied their everyday experiences to generate solutions. Science talk was at the basic level of facts and was used to explain reasons for specific design considerations. There was little evidence of higher-level scientific conceptual knowledge being applied. Our observations suggest opportunities for more intentional connections of science to practical problem solving, if we intend to apply higher-order scientific knowledge in problem solving. Deliberate application and reference to scientific knowledge could improve the quality of solutions generated.
PubMed: 35125658
DOI: 10.1007/s11191-021-00310-2 -
PeerJ 2023Systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to high-intensity functional training (HIFT) have been conducted. However, due to a restricted pool of available research,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to high-intensity functional training (HIFT) have been conducted. However, due to a restricted pool of available research, these investigations are often limited in scope. As such, a scoping review investigating the present literature surrounding the acute physiological response to HIFT-based exercise was chosen as a more appropriate structured review.
METHODOLOGY
A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework. Three large scale databases were searched to reveal any article pertaining to HIFT and related exercise terminology.
RESULTS
A total of 2,241 articles were found during the initial search. Following this, titles, then abstracts, and full-texts were reviewed to determine inclusion eligibility. A total of 60 articles which investigated a combined total of 35 unique HIFT workouts were included within this review.
CONCLUSIONS
A variety of physiological parameters and HIFT workouts have been examined. Markers of intensity (., blood lactate concentrations, heart rate) have been most consistently assessed across all studies, and these support the idea that HIFT workouts are typically performed at high-intensity. In contrast, the inclusion of most other measures (., hormonal, markers of inflammation and damage, energy expenditure, performance) has been inconsistent and has thus, limited the possibility for making generalized conclusions. Differences in study methodologies have further impacted conclusions, as different studies have varied in sample population characteristics, workouts assessed, and time points. Though it may be impossible to comprehensively research all possible HIFT workouts, consistent adoption of population definitions and workload quantification may overcome this challenge and assist with future comparisons.
Topics: Humans; High-Intensity Interval Training; Exercise; Inflammation
PubMed: 36620744
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14493