Empathy and Cognitive Flexibility as Correlates of Forgiveness

Problem. For the past three decades, there has been a growing body of literature related to the topic of forgiveness. The idea that empathy, consisting of both emotional and cognitive aspects, plays an integral role in the process of forgiveness is widely supported in the literature, although there is limited empirical evidence for this claim. Beyond interest in examining the relationship between forgiveness and empathy, this research also aimed to explore the role of cognitive flexibility in the forgivenessprocess, considering both the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cognitive flexibility. Method. The Enright Forgiveness Inventory, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the NEO Personality Inventory--Revised were used as measures of forgiveness, empathy, and cognitive flexibility respectively. Only two of the five scales on the NEO were analyzed in this study; the Openness to Experience scale was used as a measure of intrapersonal cognitive flexibility and the Agreeableness scale as a measure of interpersonal cognitive flexibility. Canonical Correlation Analysis was used to determine the proportion of variance created by the correlation of the two groups of variables: (a) the subscales of the forgiveness inventory and (b) the subscales of the empathy and cognitive flexibility inventories. A total of 208 undergraduate students from a local university participated in the study. Results. The analysis resulted in one significant dimension with a canonical correlation of .33 and 11% of the variance shared between the two groups of variables. Results further indicated that Agreeable individuals tended to have more positive and less negative thoughts as well as more positive and less negative behavior toward an individual by whom they had felt hurt. In turn, the components of forgiveness as a whole were shown to predict interpersonal cognitive flexibility. Conclusions. Scores reflecting an agreeable personality style, which measured interpersonal cognitive flexibility, were shown to predict cognitive and behavioral components of forgiveness. Likewise, the components of forgiveness as a whole were shown to be a predictor of interpersonal cognitive flexibility. Not only do these findings contribute to the existing body of literature in the field of forgiveness, they also provide implications for future research and clinical practice

Archaeological remote sensing: visualisation and analysis of grass-dominated environments using airborne laser scanning and digital spectral data

The use of airborne remote sensing data for archaeological prospection is not a novel concept, but it is one that has been brought to the forefront of current work in the discipline of landscape archaeology by the increasing availability and application of airborne laser scanning data (ALS). It is considered that ALS, coupled with imaging of the non-visible wavelengths using digital spectral sensors has the potential to revolutionise the field of archaeological remote sensing, overcoming some of the issues identified with the most common current technique of oblique aerial photography. However, as with many methods borrowed from geographic or environmental sciences, archaeologists have yet to understand or utilise the full potential of these sensors for deriving archaeological feature information. This thesis presents the work undertaken between 2008-11 at Bournemouth University that aimed to assess the full information content of airborne laser scanned and digital spectral data systematically with respect to identifying archaeological remains in non-alluvial environments. A range of techniques were evaluated for two study areas on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire (Everleigh and Upavon) to establish how the information from these sensors can best be extracted and utilised. For the Everleigh Study Area archive airborne data were analysed with respect to the existing transcription from archive aerial photographs recorded by English Heritage's National Mapping Programme. At Upavon, spectral and airborne laser scanned data were collected by the NERC Airborne Research and Survey Facility to the specifications of the project in conjunction with a series of ground-based measures designed to shed light on the contemporary environmental factors influencing feature detectability. Through the study of visual and semi-automatic methods for detection of archaeological features, this research has provided a quantitative and comparative assessment of airborne remote sensing data for archaeological prospection, the first time that this has been achieved in the UK. In addition the study has provided a proof of concept for the use of the remote sensing techniques trialled in temperate grassland environments, a novel application in a field previously dominated by examples from alluvial and Mediterranean landscapes. In comparison to the baseline record of the Wiltshire HER, ALS was shown to be the most effective technique, detecting 76% of all previously know features and 72% of all the total number of features recorded in the study. Combining the spectral data from both January and May raised this total to 83% recovery of all previously known features, illustrating the value of multi-sensor survey. It has also been possible to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of a wide range of visualisation techniques through detailed comparative analysis and to show that some techniques in particular local relief modelling (ALS) and single band mapping (digital spectral data) are more suited to the aims of archaeological prospection than others, including common techniques such as shaded relief modelling (ALS) and True Colour Composites (digital spectral data). In total the use of “non-standard” or previously underused visualisation techniques was shown to improve feature detection by up to 18% for a single sensor type. Investigation of multiple archive spectral acquisitions highlighted seasonal differences in detectability of features that had not been previously observed in these data, with the January spectral data allowing the detection of 7% more features than the May acquisition. A clearer picture of spectral sensitivity of archaeological features was also gained for this environment with the best performing spectral band lying in the NIR for both datasets (706-717nm) and allowing detection c.68% of all the features visible across all the wavelengths. Finally, significant progress has been made in the testing of methods for combining data from different airborne sensors and analysing airborne data with respect to ground observations, showing that Brovey sharpening can be used to combine ALS and spectral data with up to 87% recovery of the features predicted by transcription from the contributing source data. This thesis concludes that the airborne remote sensing techniques studied have quantifiable benefit for detection of archaeological features at a landscape scale especially when used in conjunction with one another. The caveat to this is that appropriate use of the sensors from deployment, to processing, analysis and interpretation of features must be underpinned by a detailed understanding of how and why archaeological features might be represented in the data collected. This research goes some way towards achieving this, especially for grass-dominated environments but it is only with repeated, comparative analyses of these airborne data in conjunction with environmental observations that archaeologists will be able to advance knowledge in this field and thus put airborne remote sensing data to most effective use

What role should public opinion play in ethico-legal decision making?:the example of selecting sex for non-medical reasons using preimplantation genetic diagnosis

In this article we consider the prohibition on the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis to select an embryo on the basis of its sex for non-medical reasons. We use this as a case study to explore the role that public consultations have and should play in ethico-legal decision making. Until the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 was amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008, non-medical sex selection of an embryo was not statutorily regulated but it was the policy of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority that such selection should not occur. However, since 2009 it has been a criminal offence to select an embryo on the basis of its sex for non-medical reasons. We consider the reasons given for this change and explore the role that ‘public opinion’ had in the decision making process. On the face of it, asking the public what they think seems reasonable, fair and democratic, and those who are not in favour of public consultations being accorded great weight in matters of policy may appear out of touch and as wanting to impose their moral views on the public at large. But there are problems with doing so, especially when seeking to regulate ethically controversial issues. We discuss whether regulation should be influenced by public opinion obtained via ‘public consultations’, and utilise sex selection for non-medical reasons as an example of how (apparently) public opinion was used to support the criminalisation of this practice

EHRs Connect Research and Practice: Where Predictive Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, and Clinical Decision Support Intersect

Objectives: Electronic health records (EHRs) are only a first step in capturing and utilizing health-related data - the challenge is turning that data into useful information. Furthermore, EHRs are increasingly likely to include data relating to patient outcomes, functionality such as clinical decision support, and genetic information as well, and, as such, can be seen as repositories of increasingly valuable information about patients' health conditions and responses to treatment over time. Methods: We describe a case study of 423 patients treated by Centerstone within Tennessee and Indiana in which we utilized electronic health record data to generate predictive algorithms of individual patient treatment response. Multiple models were constructed using predictor variables derived from clinical, financial and geographic data. Results: For the 423 patients, 101 deteriorated, 223 improved and in 99 there was no change in clinical condition. Based on modeling of various clinical indicators at baseline, the highest accuracy in predicting individual patient response ranged from 70-72% within the models tested. In terms of individual predictors, the Centerstone Assessment of Recovery Level - Adult (CARLA) baseline score was most significant in predicting outcome over time (odds ratio 4.1 + 2.27). Other variables with consistently significant impact on outcome included payer, diagnostic category, location and provision of case management services. Conclusions: This approach represents a promising avenue toward reducing the current gap between research and practice across healthcare, developing data-driven clinical decision support based on real-world populations, and serving as a component of embedded clinical artificial intelligences that "learn" over time.Comment: Keywords: Data Mining; Decision Support Systems, Clinical; Electronic Health Records; Implementation; Evidence-Based Medicine; Data Warehouse; (2012). EHRs Connect Research and Practice: Where Predictive Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, and Clinical Decision Support Intersect. Health Policy and Technology. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1112.166

Myth-busting in an Aboriginal pre-university bridging program: Embedding transformative learning pedagogy

Pre-university bridging programs can address the significant under-representation of Indigenous students in Australian universities by providing culturally supported alternative pathways into undergraduate study. However, successful completion of bridging programs does not always correlate with university enrolment for Indigenous students. This paper offers a pedagogical rationale for an Indigenous bridging program that aims to address this discrepancy. The program curriculum challenges deficit myths about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and education, while developing foundational academic skills for university study. Leveraging Transformative Learning and Cultural Interface theories, the program aims to empower students with the opportunity to develop their own narratives about Indigeneity and university, free from deficit stereotypes. Since implementation of this myth-busting pedagogy, Indigenous student records indicate marked improvement in bridging program pass rates and in transitions into undergraduate study. Additionally, enrolments into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) tripled. Students’ weekly reflections, collected over seven iterations of the course, suggest that the transformative pedagogy developed students’ self-awareness, self-efficacy, self-confidence and sense of belonging at university

Pay openness movement: Is it merited? Does it influence more desirable employee outcomes than pay secrecy?

Organizations are currently moving toward increased pay openness in the workplace; thus, it is important to determine the influence pay communication practices (pay secrecy and pay openness) have on employee outcomes and whether the increase in pay openness is merited and more beneficial for organizations. The purpose of this article is to analyze pay communication’s influence on workplace deviance and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). Specifically, pay secrecy practices are hypothesized to influence employees to engage in less OCBs and more workplace deviance. Informational justice and distributive justice perceptions are included as mediators. Pay secrecy leads to greater workplace deviance as well as less OCBs and justice perceptions and thus, inferring the pay openness movement is merited. A Pay Communication scale was developed and validated for this study. Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are provided

How Affirmative Action Context Shapes Collegiate Outcomes at America’s Selective Colleges and Universities

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the affirmative action context in the United States changed. Affirmative action in higher education was banned in several states, and the Supreme Court ruled in Grutter (2003) that affirmative action, while constitutional, should be implemented via holistic evaluation of applicants. In this article, we use two datasets to examine how affirmative action context relates to academic outcomes at selective colleges and universities in the United States before and after the Grutter decision and in states with and without bans on affirmative action. Underrepresented minority students earned higher grades in the period after the Grutter decision than before it, indicating that the holistic evaluation method required by Grutter may enhance educational outcomes for these students. In contrast, we find no support for the idea, proposed by critics of the policy, that banning affirmative action leads to better collegiate outcomes for Black and Latino students at selective institutions