Discusses problems of general interest in developmental psychology that can be successfully studied in the domain of food; these include (1) development of food likes and dislikes; (2) establishment of the edible/inedible distinction; (3) disgust and contagion; (4) transgenerational communication of preferences; and (5) transition to food…

Looks at the usefulness of a stable realism for questions related to the description and understanding of art works. Explores two theories which may resolve the antagonism between representational meanings and their assertion as true properties of the work: (1) Wiggin's concept of authentic effect; and (2) Petit's theory of rectification and…

Examines how the interpretation of historical events and the values on which the interpretation is based inform our knowledge of decision making in education. The historian's analysis of policy-related events is based not only on the shared ideals or inherent values of historical research but in the choices which individual historians make. (KS)

Three studies examined preschoolers' judgments of moral and personal rules. Children were interviewed about punishment, the relative importance of various rule violations, and authority. Children reported that moral transgressions were more wrong than personal rule violations and that moral rule violators deserved greater punishment than did…

Examines the influence of verbal descriptions on impression judgments formed through communicative interactions among college students. Finds that only positive descriptions influenced judgments of negative persons and that order of presentation was not significant. Suggests that interactive judgment processes may differ significantly from…

In understanding the transformation of novices into proficient practitioners, theories of know-how and tacit knowledge have limited use. Examination of the dimensions of context that influence informal learning in the workplace supports practical judgment as an explanatory model. (Contains 21 references.) (SK)

Examines the distinctions and interrelations between necessary and contingent knowledge and relates these concepts to the distinction between scientific and empirical validity. Considers how these distinctions can be applied to an understanding of morality, arguing for a relational rather than absolutist approach to questions of necessity. (JPB)

Considers the value of information contained within a library's online public access catalog. Assesses the value of MARC records; authority records; indexes; location and status information; and value for an individual. (LRW)

Ever since the first UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was held in the mid-1980s panels of academics have had to make subjective judgements about the quality of work submitted by institutions. In preparation for the 2008 RAE, the four Funding Councils (Higher Education Funding Council for England, Scottish Higher Education Funding Council,…

When forecasters and decision makers describe uncertain events using verbal probability terms, there is a risk of miscommunication because people use different probability phrases and interpret them in different ways. In an effort to facilitate the communication process, the authors investigated various ways of converting the forecasters' verbal…

The "raw data" that aesthetics is meant to explain is the aesthetic experience. People have experiences that they class off from other experiences and label, as a class, the aesthetic ones. Aesthetic experience is basic, and all other things aesthetic--aesthetic properties, aesthetic objects, aesthetic attitudes--are secondary in their importance…

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a judgement-based framework for adult job and career choices. This approach is set out as a perceptual-judgemental-reinforcement approach. Job choice is viewed as cognitive acquisition over time and is epitomised by a learning process. Seven testable assumptions are derived from the model. (Contains 1…

A large literature has developed in which labor market contracts are used to estimate the value of a statistical life (VSL). Reported estimates of the VSL vary substantially, from less than $100,000 to more than $25 million. This research uses meta-analysis to quantitatively assess the VSL literature. Results from existing studies are pooled to…

Employing Searle's views, I begin by arguing that students of Mathematics behave similarly to machines that manage symbols using a set of rules. I then consider two types of Mathematics, which I call "Cognitive Mathematics" and "Technical Mathematics" respectively. The former type relates to concepts and meanings, logic and sense, whilst the…

The author discusses validation hierarchies grounded in the tradition of quantitative research that generally consists of the criteria of validity, reliability and objectivity and compares this with similar criteria developed by the qualitative tradition, described as trustworthiness, dependability and confirmability. Although these quantitative…