Augmentation, agency, and the spreading of the mental state

This unpublished article was written around 2009 for a journal special issue of a journal which never materialized. In 2018, the article was rewritten and published in the Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Disability. It can be found on PhilPapers as Drayson and Clark (2018), 'Cognitive Disability and the Embodied, Extended Mind'

Can Toothache Cause Heartbreak?

Poor mouth care and heart disease are two major health concerns worldwide. Both conditions occur in humans and in many mammals, including our pets. “Periodontal” is the word used to refer to structures surrounding the teeth, including the gums and bone. Scientists have seen a connection between poor periodontal health and the increased risk of developing heart disease. It is thought that the bacteria found in dental plaque enters the bloodstream once the gums become inflamed. These bacteria travel through blood vessels, helping blockages called atherosclerotic lesions to form, which narrow the passageways of blood to the heart. In severe cases, lesions can dislodge from the arteries and completely block blood flow to the heart, leading to heart disease and heart failure. Scientific studies have shown that poor periodontal health significantly increases the risk of developing heart disease. Interestingly, it seems our canine companions are suffering the same effects. Brushing teeth could save lives

The effects of changes in the referential problem space of infants and toddlers (homo sapiens): implications for cross-species comparisons

Recent reviews have highlighted the tendency in the comparative literature to make claims about species’ relative evolutionarily adaptive histories based on studies comparing different species tested with procedurally and methodologically different protocols. One particularly contentious area is the use of the Object Choice Task (OCT), used to measure an individual’s ability to use referential cues, which is a core attribute of joint attention. We tested human children with versions of the OCT that have been previously used with dogs and nonhuman primates to see if manipulating the set-up would lead to behavioral changes. In Study 1, we compared the responses of 18-month-olds and 36-month-olds when tested with and without a barrier. The presence of a barrier between the child and the reward did not suppress performance but did elicit more communicative behavior. Moreover, the barrier had a greater facilitating effect on the younger children, who displayed more communicative behavior in comparison with older children, who more frequently reached through the barrier in acts of direct prehension. In Study 2, we compared the behavior of 36-month-olds when the reward was within reaching distance (proximal) and when it was out of reach (distal). The children used index-finger points significantly more in the distal condition and grabbed more in the proximal condition, showing that they were making spatial judgements about the accessibility of the reward rather than just grabbing per se. We discuss the implications of these within-species differences in behavioral responses for cross-species comparisons

Extended cognition and the metaphysics of mind

Advocates of the ‘extended mind' - the claim that cognitive processes can and do extend outside the head - have generally had little to say on the metaphysics of mind, preferring to concentrate on the explanatory role which extended cognition can play in empirical cognitive science research. Recently, however, claims have been made about the relationship between extended cognition and traditional functionalism in the philosophy of mind. In this paper I explore these claims and suggest a way of clarifying the debate

Matilda the Musical : the potential value of the arts in children's nursing education

Background: Final-year children’s nursing students evaluated the content of their course and there was strong evidence they would benefit from supplementary teaching of safeguarding before qualification. Aim: To explore the potential for the arts to enable children’s nursing students to think critically and reflectively about the safeguarding of children and young people. Method: An action research approach was used, recruiting final-year children’s nursing students in one university in the south of England. Questionnaires containing open and closed questions were used to collect data after a field trip to see Matilda the Musical, followed by discussion boards. Findings: Data analysis indicated the use of the arts was a departure from traditional pedagogy, which was relished and described by the students as an interesting and exciting way of learning. Students highlighted how ‘seeing’ Matilda aided them later on the discussion boards to identify categories of abuse and correlate this with the effects of abuse. Conclusion: The use of musical theatre and discussion boards was beneficial to acquiring knowledge and bonding when delivering safeguarding teaching to final-year children’s nursing students

HIV and AIDS Stigma and Discrimination in China: Results from a National Survey

Because stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes and tendencies are largely prevalent in China, national and local mass media interventions have an important role to play in making Chinese citizens aware of the debilitating effects of stigma and discrimination and in reinforcing information on HIV/AIDS to reduce baseless fears of transmission

HIV and AIDS Stigma and Discrimination in China: Results from a National Survey

Because stigmatizing and discriminatory attitudes and tendencies are largely prevalent in China, national and local mass media interventions have an important role to play in making Chinese citizens aware of the debilitating effects of stigma and discrimination and in reinforcing information on HIV/AIDS to reduce baseless fears of transmission

Sunbeams from Space Mirrors Feeding Solar Farms on the Ground at Dusk and Dawn

For 40 years, the systems designers of space solar power have given their greatest attention to wireless power as microwave transmission from space to earth. The approach taken in this application is to place space satellites in lower sunsyncronous orbits for the purpose of gathering and focusing sun’s rays into a beam of reflected sunlight. The simple idea and application of this design is to extend the solar day of terrestrial solar farms, thereby increasing solar production capacity to 60 percent and reducing solar electricity costs to under 6 cents/kWh by delivering sunlight to a given location some 14 (rather than 6 or 7) hours per day. Advisors: Lewis Fraas, Prof. Don Flournoy, Kyle Perkins Reflected Sunlight from Space Journal on Vimeo