Neuroscientific data may be usefully invoked in the arbitration of debates concerning the scope of representational theories of the mind. Contemporary cognitivists (e.g. Fodor) tend toward theoretical imperialism in that they argue that all types of intelligent behaviour, including perceptual-motor skills, can be explained within the framework of representationalism. Phenomenologists (e.g. Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Dreyfus) argue that the scope of cognitivism is not as vast as its proponents suppose. They claim that perceptual-motor skills are non-representational and thus fall beyond the purview of cognitivism. I argue that this debate can be resolved in favour of the phenomenologists by citing the neuroscientific evidence for the claim that there are two distinct neural memory systems: (1) a hippocampal system which operates over neurally realized Fodorian representations and subserves rational thought and action and (2) a non-representational striatal system which subserves perceptual-motor skills.

The focus of this study is the impact of fertility problems on couples as a unit. The meaning of fertility problems and how couples reported they communicated were the main areas of interest. A cross-sectional semi-structured interview study was employed. Ten couples were recruited via the Hull FVF unit and interviewed by the primary researcher. The interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Two super-ordinate themes emerged: Expectations of life -"What's it all about? " highlighted the lifecycle expectations people have; how when our expectations are not met one considers one's commitments and goals in life; and the impact of fertility treatment on all of these factors. Dealing with ongoing fertility problems - 'When it doesn't happen how we expect" presented the differing responses to ongoing infertility with feelings of resentment and acceptance emerging. Communication was revealed to play an important, yet complex, role in the experience of continued fertility problems. Women seemed to have a greater need for communicating, both with their partner and with others. The couples that reported effective communication were also more likely to report successfully managing any differences as well as satisfaction with their relationship. The themes were discussed in relation to previous theory and research; the stress and coping model was found to be helpful for guiding the research process, but did not seem sufficient to fully explain the depth of meaning the fertility problems had for the couples. Further research on couple communication is recommended. The main clinical implications of the study pointed to couples needing time out from treatment to process their experiences and for counselling to be offered more regularly at different points in time.

The thesis investigates the effects of false memory and belief in the paranormal on reports of events. The first chapter reviews the existing literature on false memory. The main theories of how false memory develops are described and the individual differences of those susceptible to false memories are considered. The paranormal belief literature is then examined, particularly with regard to the cognitive differences between believers and disbelievers. It is concluded that these differences would be suggestive of a relationship between paranormal belief and false memory. The second chapter considers the relationship between imagination inflation, paranormal belief and ESP. No correlation between the factors was found. The third chapter examines whether pre-event suggestion and belief in the paranormal can affect experiences of `ghostly' phenomena in an allegedly haunted location. Evidence for the effect of belief in the paranormal was found, but there was no effect of pre-event suggestion or an interaction between the two factors. The fourth chapter investigates the effects of positive and negative during-event suggestion and paranormal belief on reports of events in the seance room, and the fifth chapter explores the effects of duringevent suggestion on reports of a key bending video. There was some evidence that during-event suggestion is effective in altering reports of events, and the causes for this effect are considered. Paranormal belief was not shown to consistently affect acceptance of suggestion, but may affect reports of phenomena which are judged to be paranormal. The thesis concludes that during-event suggestion and negative suggestion are areas which offer great potential for further research. The relationship between paranormal belief and false memory development has not been demonstrated. However, it has been shown that belief and suggestion can affect the manner in which situations are attended to and interpreted.

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-69).

No description available.

The motivation to explore the subject matter of this thesis arises from two interlinked processes: (1) the experience of the power and pervasiveness of a "basic split" experienced in therapy in the unity of the individual, (2) the tendency in the unitary discipline psychology for theorists to adopt views which are polar opposites. In trying to understand these phenomena one has to explore the basic paradox of being which has fascinated thinkers and mystics down through the ages, the paradox of the One and the many, and thus the phenomenon of change. This paradox is explored in mythology, in the "philosophia perennis" and as encountered in high-energy sub-atomic physics. Out of this emerges the awareness of Being as One but as embodying a dynamic polar process, the first of whose manifestations is the male and the female process (or Yin/Yang in Chinese). The male/female process is defined and explored and it is shown that the female process has been progressively ignored and largely repressed in the West. I demonstrate this process in a metabletic (hermeneutical phenomenological) study of Greek sacred architecture. Metabletics as defined by its originator, J.H. van den Berg, is "the theory of change" or a psychology of history. It is thus a particularly suitable method of analysing the cultural-historical process of the repression of the female process in Western society. The emergence of the male process as predominant in the West is explored hermeneutically through the emergence of the individual and the suppression of the old unity centred in the Mother Goddess, and the receding of the Father God to the heavens. The choice by the great Greek philosophers of the male process is particularly important because of their emphasis on the Logico-Mathematical Sequential (L.M.S.) mode of knowing and perception at the expense of the female process, Intuitive-Creative Holistic (I.C.H.) mode.The dominance of the male process in the West is traced from the aboriginal female-process state through neolithic village culture to the rise of the first cities. Processes studied are the rise of kingship, war, private property and the splitting of labour. The roots of anomie and alienation are described. The emergence of god as powerful ruler and lawgiver is shown. The splitting of the male/female process leads to the splitting of the individual from him/herself, from others, from the world and from the divine. This is traced in the mystery religions, in religious dualism, in the rise of the Judaeo-Christian tradition and Gnosticism. The split and its effects are demonstrated in Western science and psychology. The necessity and possibility of integration in science and in psychology is demonstrated through the integration of our process of knowing and perceiving which is used as a model for the integration of psychology. The effects of the male/female split on the individual in Western society are shown. The split in our society leads to anomie and alienation, which produce "socioses". These affect the child born into the society and lead to a "Parent/Child" split. The possibility of healing the split in the individual, between people, between humankind and the world and in re-establishing our unity in the One is illustrated. The unity of the One is experienced through the dynamic polar interaction of the male/female process.

No description available.

Neuroscience makes use of many metaphors in its attempt to explain the relationship between our brain and our behaviour. In this thesis I contrast the most commonly used metaphor - that of computation driven by neuron action potentials - with an alternative view which seeks to understand the brain in terms of an agent learning from the reward signalled by neuromodulators. To explore this reinforcement learning model I construct computational models to assess one of its key claims — that the neurotransmitter dopamine signals unexpected reward, and that this signal is used by the brain to learn control of our movements and drive goal-directed behaviour. In this thesis I develop a selection of computational models that are motivated by either theoretical concepts or experimental data relating to the effects of dopamine. The first model implements a published dopamine-modulated spike timing-dependent plasticity mechanism but is unable to correctly solve the distal reward problem. I analyse why this model fails and suggest solutions. The second model, more closely linked to the empirical data attempts to investigate the relative contributions of firing rate and synaptic conductances to synaptic plasticity. I use experimental data to estimate how model neurons will be affected by dopamine modulation, and use the resulting computational model to predict the effect of dopamine on synaptic plasticity. The results suggest that dopamine modulation of synaptic conductances is more significant than modulation of excitability. The third model demonstrates how simple assumptions about the anatomy of the basal ganglia, and the electrophysiological effects of dopamine modulation can lead to reinforcement learning like behaviour. The model makes the novel prediction that working memory is an emergent feature of a reinforcement learning process. In the course of producing these models I find that both theoretically and empirically based models suffer from methodological problems that make it difficult to adequately support such fundamental claims as the reinforcement learning hypothesis. The conclusion that I draw from the modelling work is that it is neither possible, nor desirable to falsify the theoretical models used in neuroscience. Instead I argue that models and metaphors can be valued by how useful they are, independently of their truth. As a result I suggest that we ought to encourage a plurality of models and metaphors in neuroscience. In Chapter 7 I attempt to put this into practice by reviewing the other transmitter systems that modulate dopamine release, and use this as a basis for exploring the context of dopamine modulation and reward-driven behaviour. I draw on evidence to suggest that dopamine modulation can be seen as part of an extended stress response, and that the function of dopamine is to encourage the individual to engage in behaviours that take it away from homeostasis. I also propose that the function of dopamine can be interpreted in terms of behaviourally defining self and non-self, much in the same way as inflammation and antibody responses are said to do in immunology.

This thesis introduces and explores a novel construct for studying human beliefs in social science: doxastic spaces. These flexible analytical devices are demonstrated as capturing three key properties of beliefs which are difficult to depict through other formats: the relational, relative, and reflexive properties of beliefs. The doxastic-space paradigm developed by this thesis is likewise shown to enable new and insightful theories about belief formation and change. Two such theories cultivated herein are quantized evidence theory (QET) and entropy-based social learning (EBSL). These theories prioritise not only the evidential bases of beliefs, but also the cognitive limitations on memory and attention that people face in constructing and updating beliefs about their worlds. Such bases and limitations underscore not only the role that context has to play in sculpting beliefs, but also the reciprocal function of beliefs in helping to determine and demarcate context. Part of that context is discussed as being other people relevant in social judgment and learning situations. And interplay between beliefs and context is used to aid explanation for unstable tendencies in neglectful cognition. The work mixes theoretical and empirical investigation of the doxastic-space framework, and suggests that it may serve social science by working to not only forge deeper comprehension of belief dynamics but also to operate as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND HUMANITIES. / Includes bibliographies. / by Edward Palmer Stabler, Jr. / Ph.D.