What is a Conspiracy Theory?

In much of the current academic and public discussion, conspiracy theories are portrayed as a negative phenomenon, linked to misinformation, mistrust in experts and institutions, and political propaganda. Rather surprisingly, however, philosophers working on this topic have been reluctant to incorporate a negatively evaluative aspect when either analyzing or engineering the concept conspiracy theory. In this paper, we present empirical data on the nature of the concept conspiracy theory from five studies designed to test the existence, prevalence and exact form of an evaluative dimension to the ordinary concept conspiracy theory. These results reveal that, while there is a descriptive concept of conspiracy theory, the predominant use of conspiracy theory is deeply evaluative, encoding information about epistemic deficiency and often also derogatory and disparaging information. On the basis of these results, we present a new strategy for engineering conspiracy theory to promote theoretical investigations and institutional discussions of this phenomenon. We argue for engineering conspiracy theory to encode an epistemic evaluation, and to introduce a descriptive expression—such as ‘conspiratorial explanation’—to refer to the purely descriptive concept conspiracy theory.

Cognitive–Evaluative Dimension of Pain in Neuropathic Pain Relapse in Sciatica: A Case Report

The cognitive–evaluative (C–E) dimension of pain is commonly observed in patients with a relatively long duration of pain. However, little is known about the effects of pain relapse on the C–E dimension of pain. Moreover, the improvement process of the C–E dimension of pain following treatment is unknown. The objective of this case report was to (a) demonstrate that the C–E dimension was affected in the acute phase of neuropathic pain in cases of pain relapse, and (b) demonstrate the improvement process of the C–E dimension of pain. A woman was diagnosed with low back pain (LBP) and sciatica. The patient had previously experienced symptoms of LBP and sciatica; thus, this episode was a case of pain relapse. At the beginning of rehabilitation, the C–E dimension of pain was present in addition to the sensory–discriminative (S–D) dimension of pain. It was observed that improvement of the C–E dimension of pain was delayed in comparison with that of the S–D dimension of pain. The C–E dimension of pain was observed with pain relapse even though it was in the acute phase of pain. This case provides a novel insight into the C–E dimension of pain. Moreover, the delay in improving the C–E dimension of pain indicates a difference in the improvement process for each pain dimension.

The creepy, the bad and the ugly: exploring perceptions of moral character and social desirability in uncanny faces

We used implicit and explicit measures to study whether “real” uncanny faces (by faces of Botox users and very ugly people) will be associated with perceptions of bad moral character and social avoidance. Implicit measures showed that uncanny faces were more strongly associated with negative aesthetic evaluations (“ugliness”) than with negative moral evaluation (“moral disgust”). At the explicit level, participants preferred greater social distance from uncanny faces than from neutral faces and inferred that they shared fewer moral values with uncanny faces than with neutral faces. Contrary to our hypotheses, only Ugly faces (but not Botox faces) were perceived as more likely to commit behaviors that indicate bad moral character. However, when this analysis was restricted to “sick” immoral actions, Botox faces were perceived as more likely to be engage in these kind of behaviors than neutral faces. Although exploratory in nature, this investigation suggest that ugliness (more than creepiness) may be the crucial evaluative dimension underlying rapid moral inferences from faces.

Mapping Evaluation, Appraisal and Stance in Discourse (2000–2015): A Bibliometric Analysis

The present study employs a bibliometric analysis to examine the research trends in the field of evaluation, appraisal and stance. The bibliometric information of publications between 2000 and 2015 was retrieved from the Web of Science SSCI Core Collection database. The indicators analyzed include the number of publications by year, most frequently explored topics, most cited works, major individual contributors, publication venues, distribution among countries/regions and institutions. Our findings showed that the annual publications increased dramatically, revealing an upward trend in this research field. The results concerning the most frequently addressed topics suggested that EAP has been a fruitful domain in terms of the evaluative dimension of discourse. Besides, future research will feature more discipline-specific and language-specific empirical studies and comparative cross-linguistic studies. Pedagogical applications of evaluation research also need to be explored. Citation results indicated that the groundbreaking monographs in this field generate the highest citation counts, and that the most cited works cover a variety of sub-fields of linguistics, which may further prove the heterogeneous nature of the evaluative dimension of language.

Approach, Avoidance, and the Perception of Credibility

Based on a functional approach to credibility judgments, the authors hypothesize that receivers’ judgments of senders’ credibility involve an evaluative dimension (i.e., good–bad) and are associated with approach and avoidance tendencies. In three experiments (total N = 645), participants (receivers) judged the credibility of suspects (senders) denying involvement in a mock theft. While watching or reading the message, receivers performed an approach-related (arm flexion) or an avoidance-related (arm extension) motor action. Although receivers’ affective evaluations of senders (good–bad) correlated strongly with credibility judgments in all three experiments, the results of the arm position manipulation were mixed. In Experiment 1, receivers in an arm flexion (vs. arm extension) state judged the sender as more credible, but only when informed beforehand about the upcoming credibility judgment. In Experiment 2 and 3, however, there was no evidence of an arm position effect on credibility judgments. A cross-experimental meta-analysis revealed that the effect of the manipulation was statistically indistinguishable from zero, Hedges’ g = 0.07, 95% CI [−0.09, 0.22], and provided strong support for the null hypothesis. Multiple interpretations of the results are discussed.

The evaluative dimension of metaphor in discourse: Nn the possibilities of bringing together conceptual metaphor theory and appraisal theory

The mechanisms of metaphorical evaluation have to date been little explored in the study of evaluative language and the study of metaphor, despite some earlier attempts to place them more firmly on the linguistic science agenda. The founders of Conceptual Metaphor Theory have argued that metaphor structures thought by influencing not only our understanding of concepts, but also our ability of criticising, evaluating and stance taking (Lakoff, Johnson 1999: 2), which is sporadically mentioned in approaches to linguistic evaluation, but with no theoretical or practical interaction with existing analyses of metaphor in discourse. The present paper explores the nature of metaphorical evaluation, drawing on the example of metaphorical representations of language in newspaper discourse. The analysis of the discourse on language is used to discuss metaphorical evaluation, to empirically examine its prominence in the discourse, and its contribution to the construction of meaning, as well as to discuss the broader theoretical and methodological implications. The findings point to the importance of metaphor in the evaluative subsystem of graduation, seen in the interaction of metaphorical and hyperbolic meanings. More broadly, it is argued that bringing together conceptual metaphor analysis and Appraisal Theory analysis offers a rich theoretical apparatus for socio-cognitive discourse analysis.

Approach, Avoidance, and the Perception of Credibility

Based on a functional approach to credibility judgments, the authors hypothesize that receivers’ judgments of senders’ credibility involve an evaluative dimension (i.e., good–bad) and are associated with approach and avoidance tendencies. In three experiments (total N = 645), participants (receivers) judged the credibility of suspects (senders) denying involvement in a mock theft. While watching or reading the message, receivers performed an approach-related (arm flexion) or an avoidance-related (arm extension) motor action. Although receivers’ affective evaluations of senders (good–bad) correlated strongly with credibility judgments in all three experiments, the results of the arm position manipulation were mixed. In Experiment 1, receivers in an arm flexion (vs. arm extension) state judged the sender as more credible, but only when informed beforehand about the upcoming credibility judgment. In Experiment 2 and 3, however, there was no evidence of an arm position effect on credibility judgments. A cross-experimental meta-analysis indicated a small and non-significant effect of the manipulation, Hedges’ g = 0.07, 95% CI [−0.09, 0.22]. Multiple interpretations of the results are discussed.

Fear and Reason

The subject of this paper is a particular kind of fear. The danger to which it is a response is the possibility that the evaluative dimension of life from which we derive the values by which we live is arbitrary. If it were arbitrary, nothing we value would be valuable. There are strong reasons both for and against this kind of fear. I am concerned with understanding these reasons and judging their strengths and weaknesses.

Developing and Sustaining a Study Abroad Program as Viewed Through a Caring Lens

Facilitating global learning for students of nursing presents unique challenges. In this paper, the authors describe a study abroad/away program for faculty and students. This experience is part of the students’ plan of study within their 4-year curriculum. The infrastructures needed to initiate the program and lay the foundation for building, implementing, and maintaining the experiences are defined. Students’ blogs are shared in order to illustrate caring nursing practice. Projected plans for future activities and the evaluative dimension are discussed.

Paul Hiebert's Worldview Model: Understanding Cultural Encounters

According to Paul Hiebert, worldview is a set of our assumptions which lies in the core of a culture. Worldviews provide us cognitive foundation, validate our norms, and give emotional security. His worldview model has three dimensions: cognitive, affirmative and evaluative. Cognitive dimension relates to the knowledge which guides us to perceive the reality of self and surroundings. Affirmative dimension relates to our feelings, emotions, and behavior. So we react to the action on the basis of our feelings. Likewise evaluative dimension relates to the judgment - what is right and wrong. This paper discusses how his worldview model can be used to understand encounters among the cultures. Further, it explores how culture affects the construct of social reality and vice versa. It also investigates how it is useful to theorize concepts of 'us' and 'them'.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hjsa.v5i0.7041 Himalayan Journal of Sociology & Anthropology-Vol. V (2012) 82-94