Metáforas, analogías y experimentos mentales como condicionales contrafácticos: Una aproximación metafilosófica a la metodología cientifica

In this paper I try to show two things: first, that some methodological devicessuch as metaphors, analogies and thought experiments can be subsumedunder the more general category of counterfactual conditional, and second,that epistemic force of these same devices lies on the reliability of thecognitive capacities which take place in counterfactual reasoning. I analyzeWilliamson’s theory of imagination according to which, imagination is thefactive and reliable capacity behind counterfactual reasoning. I conclude with three objections to this theory in order to show that the epistemic statusof these methodological devices has not been established yet.En este trabajo intento sostener que ciertas herramientas metodológicascomo metáforas, analogías y experimentos mentales forman una estructuraanillada en la que el condicional contrafáctico sería la categoría más generalque subsume a todas las anteriores.Posteriormente intento mostrar que la pregunta por el poder epistémico dedichas herramientas descansa en la fiabilidad de las capacidades cognitivasque intervienen en el razonamiento contrafáctico. Analizo la propuesta deWilliamson según la cual, es la imaginación la capacidad que sustenta elrazonamiento contrafáctico y concluyo con tres objeciones a esta teoría

Metaphors, Analogies, and Thought Experiments as Counterfactual Conditionals: a Metaphilosophical account of Scientific Methodology.

(Spa) En este trabajo intento sostener que ciertas herramientas metodológicas como metáforas, analogías y experimentos mentales forman una estructura anillada en la que el condicional contrafáctico sería la categoría más general que subsume a todas las anteriores. Posteriormente intento mostrar que la pregunta por el poder epistémico de dichas herramientas descansa en la fiabilidad de las capacidades cognitivas que intervienen en el razonamiento contrafáctico. Analizo la propuesta de Williamson según la cual, es la imaginación la capacidad que sustenta el razonamiento contrafáctico y concluyo con tres objeciones a esta teoría.(Eng) In this paper I try to show two things: first, that some methodological devices such as metaphors, analogies and thought experiments can be subsumed under the more general category of counterfactual conditional, and second, that epistemic force of these same devices lies on the reliability of the cognitive capacities which take place in counterfactual reasoning. I analyze Williamson’s theory of imagination according to which, imagination is the factive and reliable capacity behind counterfactual reasoning. I conclude with three objections to this theory in order to show that the epistemic status of these methodological devices has not been established yet

Produção em série personalizada: habitação flexivel, evolutiva e adaptável

Projet

Improving the use of interactive systems

Os avanços que se têm verificado, quer ao nível das técnicas de design quer de usabilidade, não são ainda suficientes para ultrapassar alguns dos desafios enfrentados no uso de sistemas interativos. Sendo os utilizadores finais, em especial os principiantes, os mais prejudicados. Estes têm que se adaptar aos diferentes sistemas que utilizam para realizar as suas tarefas diárias. Ou por tentativa e erro ou através da obtenção de ajuda, têm de aprender qual a sequência de passos e como realizá-los para executar uma tarefa. Apesar de alguns sistemas interativos já oferecerem estilos de interação que atendem às necessidades dos diferentes tipos de utilizadores, isso pode não ser suficiente e muitos ainda não o fazem. É nesse sentido que aqui se apresenta uma abordagem de suporte à utilização de sistemas interativos. Esta faz uso de modelos de tarefas enriquecidos e da computação orientada por imagem, para conseguir a automatização de tarefas. A ferramenta USS (User Support System) serve de base à adaptação de sistemas interativos às necessidades dos utilizadores. A abordagem abrange ainda outras duas aplicações: 1) Sistema de Ajuda, que permite a adição de ajuda baseada na demonstração, facilitando a aprendizagem e o uso de um sistema interativo; e 2) Sistema de Simplificação, que permite a integração, numa GUI simplificada, de tarefas relativas a diferentes sistemas interativos. A abordagem pretende melhorar a eficiência dos utilizadores e reduzir os desafios que estes enfrentam ao tentar executar tarefas, utilizando um ou vários sistemas interativos. O trabalho é ilustrado por meio de alguns casos de estudo, juntamente com a discussão dos resultados de viabilidade e utilidade do mesmo.The advances achieved at the design or usability techniques level, are still not enough to overcome some of the challenges faced in the use of interactive systems. End-users, and particularly beginners, are the most affected. They have to adapt to different systems they use to perform their daily tasks. They have to learn, or by trial and error or by getting help, what sequence of steps should follow and how to accomplish them to perform a task. Some interactive systems offer different interaction styles to attend different user needs, but the great majority still do not. This is sometimes not enough and several systems do not even do it yet. We present here an approach to support the use of interactive systems by task automation that relies on enriched task models and image-driven computing. USS (User Support System) tool is the basis for the adaptation of interactive systems to users’ needs. The approach also covers two other applications: 1) Help System, that enables the addition of demonstration-based help to existing interactive systems, making their learning and use easier, and 2) Simplifying System, for the integration of tasks related to different interactive systems, in a new simplified GUI. The approach aims to improve the users’ efficiency and reduce the challenges they face when trying to perform tasks using one or multiple interactive systems. The work is illustrated by means of some case studies together with the discussion of the viability and utility of it

Properties of the portuguese version of the empowerment scale with mental health organization users

Background: This study examines the reliability and validity of the Portuguese version of the Empowerment Scale (ES) to be used in the community/psychosocial mental health field. Authors also reviewed the properties of the development and cross-cultural adaptation of the ES. Because mental health services are required to encourage empowerment and recovery-oriented interventions, adequate empowerment-oriented outcome measures are needed to evaluate services and study interventions across countries. Methods: The current research was part of a larger research project with 213 participants. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to observe the ES’s construct-related validity, and a reliability analysis for internal consistency. The ES concurrent validity with the recovery and psychiatric symptoms measures was also assessed using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: The CFA supported the five-factor configuration for the refined model of measure as satisfactory. The Portuguese version of the ES presented an overall satisfactory reliability (α = .79) and was positively correlated with personal recovery (r = .71) and inversely with psychiatric symptoms (r = −.22). Conclusions: The overall scale was considered reliable and valid to be used by Portuguese researchers and practitioners to evaluate empowering interventions in mental health services. Furthermore, in the effort to increase ES construct-related validity, this article suggests further improvements to enhance the empowerment measure.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT

Recovery assessment scale : Testing validity with portuguese community-based mental health organization users

Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000176.suppThe aim of the present study was to develop the Portuguese version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS-P), and to assess the validity of the findings using the revised test, with 213 users from 5 nonprofit community-based mental health organizations. Participants in the assessment completed a self-reported survey investigating their sense of personal recovery, personal empowerment, capabilities achievement, psychiatric symptoms’ frequency, and demographic data. Evidence from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using the 24-item version of the test, validated a 4-factor structure for the RAS-P model based on the dimensions of Personal Goals and Hope, Managing Help Needs, Supportive Interpersonal Relationships, and Life Beyond Symptoms, consistent with components of the recovery process. Convergent and discriminant validity was also achieved using bivariate correlation coefficients among the 4 subscales’ scores, between the overall scale and the subscales, and in relation to external variables. Findings allowed for the interpretation that the RAS-P is measuring a particular psychological construct, which is different from symptoms of the mental illness. A hypothesized significant association with personal empowerment and with capabilities achievement was demonstrated. Positive association was also found between participants’ use of recovery-oriented services such as independent housing or supported employment programs. The RAS-P scores also revealed excellent internal consistency for the overall scale ( .90), and good consistency for the subscales ( .75), which attest to its precision in measurement. In conclusion, the study proved the RAS-P a reliable and useful tool in the context of the community mental health practice.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT

Capital cultural digital de docentes universitarios: un estudio de caso en tiempos de pandemia por Covid-19

Digital technology has transformed the social interaction, besides that, the recent pandemic stablished changes in order to live in certain normality; the educational area is not the exception, in that sense, it is imminent to identify the teacher in his new social space. The article approaches aspects of the three states of the cultural capital in order to make a metaphor within a digital context that exposes the current problematic; by means of the studied Bourdieu´s dimensions about society and particularly, of his capital. In accordance of that, it highlights the emerge of concepts as the habitus, practices and teachers’ identity within his social space. The method is sustained by a mixed process, with a random sample of 179 participants of a public university in the northwestern of Mexico. The results indicate the teachers´ digital cultural capital when Covid-19 cropped up; some of them needed to acquire new equipment and others training to cope the new technological requirements. Despite the latest events, teachers adapted favorably, although there was evident that they were concerned about their students. It stands out that the majority have enough acknowledgements that allow them to manage the current problems.La tecnología digital ha transformado la interacción social y aunado a ello, la reciente pandemia estableció cambios para vivir con relativa normalidad; el ámbito educativo no es la excepción, en este sentido, se vuelve inminente identificar al docente en ese nuevo espacio social. El artículo aborda aspectos de los tres estados del capital cultural para realizar una metáfora dentro de un contexto digital que expone la problemática actual; a través de vertientes estudiadas por Bourdieu sobre la sociedad y en lo particular, de su capital. En concordancia, destaca el surgimiento de conceptos como el habitus, prácticas e identidad del docente dentro de su espacio social. El método se sostiene de un proceso mixto, con una muestra aleatoria de 179 participantes de una universidad pública del noroeste de México. Los resultados dan cuenta del capital cultural digital del docente al presentarse Covid-19; algunos vieron la necesidad de adquirir nuevos equipos y otros requirieron capacitación para enfrentar las nuevas demandas tecnológicas. Pese a los recientes acontecimientos, los docentes se adaptaron favorablemente a lo nuevo, aunque sus inquietudes respecto a sus estudiantes, se vio evidente. Destaca que la mayoría cuenta con reconocimientos suficientes que le permitan afrontar la problemática actual

A Methodology for Classifying Search Operators as Intensification or Diversification Heuristics

Selection hyper-heuristics are generic search tools that dynamically choose, from a given pool, the most promising operator (low-level heuristic) to apply at each iteration of the search process. The performance of these methods depends on the quality of the heuristic pool. Two types of heuristics can be part of the pool: diversification heuristics, which help to escape from local optima, and intensification heuristics, which effectively exploit promising regions in the vicinity of good solutions. An effective search strategy needs a balance between these two strategies. However, it is not straightforward to categorize an operator as intensification or diversification heuristic on complex domains. Therefore, we propose an automated methodology to do this classification. This brings methodological rigor to the configuration of an iterated local search hyper-heuristic featuring diversification and intensification stages. The methodology considers the empirical ranking of the heuristics based on an estimation of their capacity to either diversify or intensify the search. We incorporate the proposed approach into a state-of-the-art hyper-heuristic solving two domains: course timetabling and vehicle routing. Our results indicate improved performance, including new best-known solutions for the course timetabling problem

Clasificación de buenas prácticas mediadas por tecnología portátil en licenciatura en traducción, Baja California

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has covered several areas of daily life; and in the last two decades of the present millennium, it has been settled on diferent spheres of society, one of them is education. In that way, education is been beneited by the technological mediation that is been used as a pedagogical tool. In the case of translation, ICT are considered basic elements of the profession, the use of these technologies are important even in the teacher-student relations in translation area. Under this perspective, the present article, by means of a quantitative-perspective methodology, carry out a 41 documents review in order to describe the relation between mobile technologies and good practices mediated by this technology in translation academic ield

What transformation? A qualitative study of empowering settings and community mental health organizations

This article is based on empowering settings research and has a two-fold objective: to propose an adaptation of the empowering community settings framework to community mental health organizations practice to foster recovery and community integration; and to discuss how the adapted framework is a relevant tool to challenge community mental health transformation at multiple levels of analysis. The current study was anchored in a larger qualitative research project. It used a case study approach, with 8 in-depth interviews with diverse participants from one community mental health organization. The adapted model proved useful to guide transformational practice in community mental health programs and for evaluation of organizational empowerment and multilevel community-oriented interventions. Suggestions and implications for future research are also presented.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT