Opposition to the ideal system as leitmotif in nineteenth century Anglo-Canadian psychology.

Discusses the character of the anti-Cartesian philosophical commitments of the following major figures in the early history of psychology in English Canada: William Lyall, George Paxton Young, John Clark Murray, and John Watson. Despite their varying backgrounds, their ideas converged in opposition to what Thomas Reid had referred to as the ideal system, his shorthand label for Cartesianism in general. The skepticism and individualism of Cartesianism were seen as particularly inimical to the development of psychology as a truly moral, that is, truly social, science. These early psychologies anticipated, in several interesting respects, more recent moves within psychology away from positivist science toward what is now again being described as moral science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information Integration in the Building and Construction Industries

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of the development of integration technology within or concurrently with the ISO/STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product) standardization project. Three different types of activity in the STEP project are described: developments of methods and tools, definition of meaning of data and data-structures, and implementation levels of interfaces. Several STEP related projects are briefly reviewed.     

Studies in spatial learning: I. Orientation and the short-cut.

(This reprinted article originally appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1946, Vol 36, 13–24. The following abstract of the original article appeared in PA, Vol 20:2297.) The original rough formulation of the expectancy theory is difficult to distinguish from the alternative stimulus-response doctrines, partly because of the implicit definition of the matrix "x expects a goal at location L" which makes it equivalent to the matrix "x runs down the practiced path" when certain conditions are fulfilled. A substitute definition is suggested which makes the former matrix equivalent to "x runs down the path which points directly to the location L" when certain conditions are fulfilled. To determine whether the class defined by this latter definition has members, 56 "maze-wise" female rats were trained to run in a simple maze to obtain food. When the original path was blocked and a choice among 18 different paths was presented, 36% chose the path pointing directly toward the goal. The other rats chose the other paths in a chance fashion… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modelling multiple views on buildings

The building practice is characterized by its loose organization of the different participants, that each perform a specific role in a building project and have a specific view on the building project data. When modelling building information, it is useful to base the structure of a building model on these views. This can be done by the use of aspect models. This paper presents an approach in which aspect models are used to store view specific information. The approach is illustrated with an outline of a building reference model. The building reference model consists of a general kernel and view dependent aspect models. This model is first worked out for one decomposition level, the space unit level. After that the model is extended with other decomposition levels.     

Conducting risk evaluations for future violence: Ethical practice is possible.

Psychologists frequently testify in court about an individual's risk for future violence. Decades ago, the basis for such testimony was problematic, but the field has made significant progress. However, recent criticisms raise ethical concerns about risk evaluations and state that current methods do not meet admissibility standards. Responding to such criticisms is important for expert witness involvement in these evaluations. We note that it is feasible to conduct thorough ethical evaluations that will aid judicial and clinical decision making. We argue that the courts find this information necessary, and well-informed professionals can make valid and important contributions in these proceedings. To leave the courts without access to the best science available could cause more harm than good. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)