Ritualized Objects: How We Perceive and Respond to Causally Opaque and Goal Demoted Action

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 170-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Mark Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Operational Definition ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Ordinary Objects ◽  
Positive Goal ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
Birthday Cake ◽  
As If

AbstractRituals are able to transform ordinary objects into extraordinary objects. And while rituals typically do not cause physical changes, they may imbue objects with a particular specialness – a simple gold band may become a wedding ring, while an ordinary dessert may become a birthday cake. To treat such objects as if they were ordinary then becomes inappropriate. How does this transformation take place in the minds of observers, and how do we recognize it when we see it? Here, we suggest that two under-examined elements of ritual need deeper consideration within the context of ritual cognition. We propose a fully integrated operational definition in which these two critical ritual elements – causal opacity and goal demotion – are included. In a pre-registered experiment one-hundred and one adults, in a 2 × 2 mixed-within participants design observed actions performed upon profane objects. These actions were either ordinary (causally transparent and goal apparent) or ritualized (causally opaque and goal demoted), and were described as a blessing, a curse, or were not described at all. Contrary to established findings and pre-registered predictions, we found that ritualized actions alone are not enough to influence perceptions of, and attributions towards, objects, and that positive goal information (blessings) are more behaviorally persuasive than negative information. However, we found that participants recalled ritualized action in greater detail and with more specificity than ordinary actions. In effect, we demonstrate that causal opacity and goal information interact to allow us to recognize a ritual as a ritual.

scholarly journals Preprint file (FINAL / In Press)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Kapitány ◽  
Mark Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Operational Definition ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Ordinary Objects ◽  
Positive Goal ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
Birthday Cake ◽  
As If

Rituals are able to transform ordinary objects into extraordinary objects. And while rituals typically do not cause physical changes, they may imbue objects with a particular specialness - a simple gold band may become a wedding ring, while an ordinary dessert may become a birthday cake. To treat such objects as if they were ordinary then becomes inappropriate. How does this transformation take place in the minds of observers, and how do we recognize it when we see it? Here, we suggest that two under-examined elements of ritual need deeper consideration within the context of ritual cognition. We propose a fully integrated operational definition in which these two critical ritual elements - causal opacity and goal demotion - are included. In a pre-registered experiment one-hundred and one adults, in a 2 x 2 mixed-within participants design observed actions performed upon profane objects. These actions were either ordinary (causally transparent and goal apparent) or ritualized (causally opaque and goal demoted), and were described as a blessing, a curse, or were not described at all. Contrary to established findings and pre-registered predictions, we found that ritualized actions alone are not enough to influence perceptions of, and attributions towards objects, and that positive goal information (blessings) are more behaviorally persuasive than negative information. However, we found that participants recalled ritualized action in greater detail and with more specificity than ordinary actions. In effect, we demonstrate that causal opacity and goal information interact to allow us to recognize a ritual as a ritual.

scholarly journals V.—On some Physical Changes in the Earth's Crust

1889 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-171
Author(s):  
Charles Ricketts
Keyword(s):  
Earth’S Crust ◽  
The West ◽  
Red Sandstone ◽  
Maximum Thickness ◽  
The Government ◽  
Earth's Crust ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
The Hill ◽  
As If

On the western flanks of the Malverns, the Upper Silurians are folded in several great anticlinals and synclinals, formed parallel to the axis of the Hill itself. To the west of Ledbury and again near Woolhope these contorted strata dip beneath the Old Red Sandstone, which, as computed by Phillips, has a maximum thickness of 8000 feet, that of the Upper Silurians being 2690 feet.The thickness of the strata of which the Longmynd is formed has been estimated by the Government Surveyors at not less than 26,000 feet, as exposed in their highly inclined edges; the beds dipping at an average inclination of 60° to the W.N.W. They thus appear as if they had been tilted by pressure against the more ancient rocks of the Caer Caradoc Range.

scholarly journals Self-regulatory consequences of observing others making goal progress: A longitudinal field study in weight loss groups

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Reynolds ◽  
Thomas Llewelyn Webb ◽  
Kathleen McCulloch ◽  
Grainne Fitzsimons
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Goal Pursuit ◽  
Longitudinal Field ◽  
Goal Progress ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Positive Goal ◽  
Weight Loss Programme ◽  
As If

Objective. What happens when people see others making progress toward a goal that they also hold? Is it motivating or could it undermine goal pursuit because people feel that they have made progress themselves (i.e., they experience vicarious goal satiation)? Methods. We investigated these questions in a longitudinal field context – a group weight loss programme. N = 132 participants who were overweight or obese and attended weekly weight loss classes completed questionnaires over 11 weeks to investigate the consequences of observing other people making progress toward their goal of losing weight. Results. Observing others making good progress was associated with participants holding stronger intentions to lose weight themselves (B = 0.04, p = .012), positive goal-related affect (B = 0.27, p = .017), and feeling that they were also making progress themselves (B = 0.22, p < .001). However, observing others making good progress was also associated with losing a smaller amount of weight over the following week (B = .13, p = .005). Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of observing others making good progress, via feelings about their own progress, on changes in weight, B = .02, 95% CI [.00, .04].Conclusions. People who view others making progress tend to be less successful at losing weight themselves over the following week. The findings suggest that this is, in part, explained by the person feeling as if they have made progress themselves; thereby providing the first demonstration of vicarious goal satiation in a field context.

FR-IR Molecular Microanalysis System

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-271
Author(s):  
John A. Reffner ◽  
William T. Wihlborg
Keyword(s):  
Fourier Transform ◽  
Fourier Transform Infrared ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Ir Microscopy ◽  
Normal Functions ◽  
Infrared Microspectroscopy ◽  
Infrared Spectral ◽  
Ft Ir

The IRμs™ is the first fully integrated system for Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microscopy. FT-IR microscopy combines light microscopy for morphological examination with infrared spectroscopy for chemical identification of microscopic samples or domains. Because the IRμs system is a new tool for molecular microanalysis, its optical, mechanical and system design are described to illustrate the state of development of molecular microanalysis. Applications of infrared microspectroscopy are reviewed by Messerschmidt and Harthcock.Infrared spectral analysis of microscopic samples is not a new idea, it dates back to 1949, with the first commercial instrument being offered by Perkin-Elmer Co. Inc. in 1953. These early efforts showed promise but failed the test of practically. It was not until the advances in computer science were applied did infrared microspectroscopy emerge as a useful technique. Microscopes designed as accessories for Fourier transform infrared spectrometers have been commercially available since 1983. These accessory microscopes provide the best means for analytical spectroscopists to analyze microscopic samples, while not interfering with the FT-IR spectrometer’s normal functions.

Improvement of an artificial test substrate technique for evaluation of em immunocytochemical labeling

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 762-763
Author(s):  
G. D. Gagne ◽  
M. F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Bovine Serum Albumin ◽  
Serum Albumin ◽  
Bovine Serum ◽  
Artificial Substrate ◽  
Chemical Fixation ◽  
As If

We recently described an artificial substrate system which could be used to optimize labeling parameters in EM immunocytochemistry (ICC). The system utilizes blocks of glutaraldehyde polymerized bovine serum albumin (BSA) into which an antigen is incorporated by a soaking procedure. The resulting antigen impregnated blocks can then be fixed and embedded as if they are pieces of tissue and the effects of fixation, embedding and other parameters on the ability of incorporated antigen to be immunocyto-chemically labeled can then be assessed. In developing this system further, we discovered that the BSA substrate can also be dried and then sectioned for immunolabeling with or without prior chemical fixation and without exposing the antigen to embedding reagents. The effects of fixation and embedding protocols can thus be evaluated separately.

“Where is Dementia?” A Systematic Literature Review Exploring Neuroanatomical Aspects of Dementia

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (15) ◽  
pp. 9-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chorong Oh ◽  
Leonard LaPointe
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Behavioral Symptoms ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Precise Diagnosis ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Language Literature

Dementia is a condition caused by and associated with separate physical changes in the brain. The signs and symptoms of dementia are very similar across the diverse types, and it is difficult to diagnose the category by behavioral symptoms alone. Diagnostic criteria have relied on a constellation of signs and symptoms, but it is critical to understand the neuroanatomical differences among the dementias for a more precise diagnosis and subsequent management. With this regard, this review aims to explore the neuroanatomical aspects of dementia to better understand the nature of distinctive subtypes, signs, and symptoms. This is a review of English language literature published from 1996 to the present day of peer-reviewed academic and medical journal articles that report on older people with dementia. This review examines typical neuroanatomical aspects of dementia and reinforces the importance of a thorough understanding of the neuroanatomical characteristics of the different types of dementia and the differential diagnosis of them.

Understanding functional illiteracy from a policy, adult education, and cognition point of view: Towards a joint referent framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Bulajić ◽  
Miomir Despotović ◽  
Thomas Lachmann
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Components Of Reading ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract. The article discusses the emergence of a functional literacy construct and the rediscovery of illiteracy in industrialized countries during the second half of the 20th century. It offers a short explanation of how the construct evolved over time. In addition, it explores how functional (il)literacy is conceived differently by research discourses of cognitive and neural studies, on the one hand, and by prescriptive and normative international policy documents and adult education, on the other hand. Furthermore, it analyses how literacy skills surveys such as the Level One Study (leo.) or the PIAAC may help to bridge the gap between cognitive and more practical and educational approaches to literacy, the goal being to place the functional illiteracy (FI) construct within its existing scale levels. It also sheds more light on the way in which FI can be perceived in terms of different cognitive processes and underlying components of reading. By building on the previous work of other authors and previous definitions, the article brings together different views of FI and offers a perspective for a needed operational definition of the concept, which would be an appropriate reference point for future educational, political, and scientific utilization.

“The Unconscious” in Current Psychology

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Norman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Verbal Report ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Unconscious Processing ◽  
Unconscious Processes ◽  
Intermediate States ◽  
Definition Of

A series of vignette examples taken from psychological research on motivation, emotion, decision making, and attitudes illustrates how the influence of unconscious processes is often measured in a range of different behaviors. However, the selected studies share an apparent lack of explicit operational definition of what is meant by consciousness, and there seems to be substantial disagreement about the properties of conscious versus unconscious processing: Consciousness is sometimes equated with attention, sometimes with verbal report ability, and sometimes operationalized in terms of behavioral dissociations between different performance measures. Moreover, the examples all seem to share a dichotomous view of conscious and unconscious processes as being qualitatively different. It is suggested that cognitive research on consciousness can help resolve the apparent disagreement about how to define and measure unconscious processing, as is illustrated by a selection of operational definitions and empirical findings from modern cognitive psychology. These empirical findings also point to the existence of intermediate states of conscious awareness, not easily classifiable as either purely conscious or purely unconscious. Recent hypotheses from cognitive psychology, supplemented with models from social, developmental, and clinical psychology, are then presented all of which are compatible with the view of consciousness as a graded rather than an all-or-none phenomenon. Such a view of consciousness would open up for explorations of intermediate states of awareness in addition to more purely conscious or purely unconscious states and thereby increase our understanding of the seemingly “unconscious” aspects of mental life.

Don’t Put Me in This Group

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-93
Author(s):  
Jort de Vreeze ◽  
Christina Matschke
Keyword(s):  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Group Memberships

Abstract. Not all group memberships are self-chosen. The current research examines whether assignments to non-preferred groups influence our relationship with the group and our preference for information about the ingroup. It was expected and found that, when people are assigned to non-preferred groups, they perceive the group as different to the self, experience negative emotions about the assignment and in turn disidentify with the group. On the other hand, when people are assigned to preferred groups, they perceive the group as similar to the self, experience positive emotions about the assignment and in turn identify with the group. Finally, disidentification increases a preference for negative information about the ingroup.

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