The Domain and Interpretation of Utility Functions: An Exploration

This paper proposes an exploration of the methodology of utility functions that distinguishes interpretation from representation. While representation univocally assigns numbers to the entities of the domain of utility functions, interpretation relates these entities with empirically observable objects of choice. This allows us to make explicit the standard interpretation of utility functions which assumes that two objects have the same utility if and only if the individual is indifferent among them. We explore the underlying assumptions of such an hypothesis and propose a non-standard interpretation according to which objects of choice have a well-defined utility although individuals may vary in the way they treat these objects in a specific context. We provide examples of such a methodological approach that may explain some reversal of preferences and suggest possible mathematical formulations for further research. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

元好问论诗绝句阐释热点举隅——以女郎诗、诗囚、心画心声为例

明清时期,元好问论诗绝句逐渐进入文人的视野,并成为关注热点。对元好问论诗绝句的阐释出现了“女郎诗”、“诗囚”、“连城璧”、“心画心声”等诸多阐释热点。围绕元好问绝句论诗所展开的论争,出现了不同甚至相互对立的观点。这一现象说明以绝句论诗既存在一定的局限性,也具有巨大的张力,蕴藏着极大的阐释空间。     

农民维权活动的理法抗争及其理论解释——两起征地案例的启示

基于对广西两个征地案例的研究,本文发现,农民维权抗争的实践逻辑,不能用现有的“日常反抗”、“法权抗争”和“规则模式”框架来解释。当地农民维权活动的一般性特征可称之为“理法抗争”,其行为理据、策略选择和目标制定都在合“理”合“法”的框架内。具体表现为：对被征土地的“待价而沽”、积极运用“拖”的抗争策略、在集体行动中并用“理”与“法”的行动策略,不使事态失控,不与地方政府交恶。农民的“理法”抗争,既根植于乡土社会,也因中国政府政治合法性的转变而导致的国家对稳定的刚性需求、地方追求经济绩效和维稳工作实践之间始终存在某种张力,正是这种张力促使农民在与地方政府争取拥有平等对话主体资质的抗争过程中形成某种“默契”。     

文学文本接受的人文特性

本文立足于人文主义立场,针对中国古典文学传统研究方法存在的教条历史主义倾向和文本形式／内容概念的偏颇,指出在文学研究中以历史意识取代历史主义,强调艺术形式的人文主体性。认为在建构文学这一人文学科的客观性时,不应以实体化和本质主义的形而上学态度剥夺主体的决定性地位,提倡在文学活动中以接受理论为指引集中关注接受活动本身,在多种文化要素之间的对话与交流中,实现文学的人文特性。     

百回本《水浒传》的文本构成与意义诠释

对古典小说作出诠释,是实现其意义的重要途径。小说的文本构成对意义的诠释有着客观规定性,对小说的文本构成进行研究是十分必要的。百回本《水浒传》的文本受到已有故事的限定,这些故事本身具有时代的特定意义。在最终由某位文人写定时,其对故事的选择、补充和完善又进而规定了文本的意义。因此,在对百回本《水浒传》的意义作出诠释时,必须注意两点:一、文本整体与部分之间的内在联系,即文本构成的整体性;二、文本构成对其意义的客观规定性。只有考虑到文本构成与意义之间的内在关联,才能对其意义作出合乎实际的诠释。     

The Interpretation of Line of Regard by Prelingually Deaf Children

The ability of 5- to 12-year-old deaf children to utilise and interpret another person's visual line of regard (where the eyes are looking) was studied in four experiments using cartoon faces. The children had little difficulty in determining whether or not a face was looking directly at them. They had more difficulty, however, with more complex tasks requiring them to infer mental states of desire and intention from line of regard and to ignore line of regard when it was inappropriate to attend to this cue. Deaf children raised in a hearing environment appear to have more difficulty with these more complex tasks than hearing children. The results are discussed in terms of the special difficulties facing some deaf children in the development of skills involving utilisation of line of regard and the implications for the development of joint attentional behaviour, theory of mind and dyadic social interaction in deaf and hearing children.     

美国蒙哥马利市黑人抵制公共汽车运动的起因及特点

2 0世纪五六十年代美国爆发了黑人民权运动。它是美国“第二次重建”以来规模最大、延缓时间最长、打击面最广的一次民权运动。它以蒙哥马利市黑人抵制公共汽车运动为起点 ,呈现出有效的组织性、广泛的参与性和抵制的非暴力性特点     

The Cognitive Basis of Future-oriented Prosocial Behavior

Two experiments examined the development of future-oriented prosocial behavior in relation to developing theory of mind and executive functioning. Children from 3;0 to 4;6 were given a series of trials in which they had to make a choice between immediate and delayed sticker rewards, where these rewards accrued either to self, to a play partner, or were shared. They also were presented with standard theory of mind tasks (in Experiment 1) assessing the understanding of belief and desire and an executive function task (in Experiment 2) in which the children had to inhibit pointing to a baited box in order to win the cookie within. Results showed that for 4-year-olds, the tendency to opt for delayed rewards in order to share with the partner was correlated with theory of mind. For younger 3-year-olds, the children's ability to inhibit pointing to the baited box was significantly correlated with the tendency to choose delayed over immediate sticker rewards. These results indicate that children's ability to show future-oriented prosocial or sharing behavior is linked developmentally both to the ability to imagine conflicting noncurrent mental states and the ability to inhibit responding to perceptually salient events.     

The influence of an older sibling on preschoolers’ lie‐telling behavior

In the present study, children’s (2‐ to 5‐years old) lie‐telling was examined in relation to theory of mind (first‐order false belief understanding), executive functioning (measuring inhibitory control in conjunction with working memory), and presence of siblings in the home (no siblings vs. siblings; younger siblings vs. older siblings).  Lie‐telling was observed using a temptation resistance paradigm. Overall, of the 152 (74.9%) children who peeked at the toy, 73 (48%) lied during the temptation resistance paradigm. Children with higher scores on measures of first‐order false belief understanding, and measures that relied on inhibitory control, were more likely to lie compared to their truthful counterparts.  Additionally, children with older siblings were more likely to lie to the research assistant, and this relationship was independent of performance on cognitive tasks. Overall, results demonstrate that having an older sibling has an independent, direct effect on the development of young children’s lie‐telling abilities, irrespective of cognitive ability. These findings support the argument that lie‐telling is a behavior that is facilitated by both cognitive and social factors.     

唯识宗、禅宗对"境界"理论的构建作用

"境界"是中国文艺批评中的重要理论范畴.不同佛教宗派的境界理论对中国文艺批评境界理论的形成有着多重的构建性作用.特别是法相唯识宗的境界观构建了中国文艺批评境界理论的结构性心理空间.中国禅宗则使这一空间转换为审美境界,从而完成了对中国文艺境界理论的基础性建构.     

农村留守老人需要社会关怀

本文分析了我国农村留守老人的形成原因,并对农村留守老人的社会关怀展开具体论述。对农村留守老人施以社会关怀,既是农村留守老人的主观愿望,又是农村经济发展的客观需要。对这一问题的探讨,具有很强的现实意义。