Dinosaurs of a Feather

<正>From the earliest days of paleontological research, the origin of birds was an area of special interest. Largely thanks to the work of Thomas Huxley and the     

Moral luck and computer ethics: Gauguin in cyberspace

I argue that the problem of ‘moral luck’ is an unjustly neglected topic within Computer Ethics. This is unfortunate given that the very nature of computer technology, its ‘logical malleability’, leads to ever greater levels of complexity, unreliability and uncertainty. The ever widening contexts of application in turn lead to greater scope for the operation of chance and the phenomenon of moral luck. Moral luck bears down most heavily on notions of professional responsibility, the identification and attribution of responsibility. It is immunity from luck that conventionally marks out moral value from other kinds of values such as instrumental, technical, and use value. The paper describes the nature of moral luck and its erosion of the scope of responsibility and agency. Moral luck poses a challenge to the kinds of theoretical approaches often deployed in Computer Ethics when analyzing moral questions arising from the design and implementation of information and communication technologies. The paper considers the impact on consequentialism; virtue ethics; and duty ethics. In addressing cases of moral luck within Computer Ethics, I argue that it is important to recognise the ways in which different types of moral systems are vulnerable, or resistant, to moral luck. Different resolutions are possible depending on the moral framework adopted. Equally, resolution of cases will depend on fundamental moral assumptions. The problem of moral luck in Computer Ethics should prompt us to new ways of looking at risk, accountability and responsibility.     

School psychologists' perceptions of priorities for dealing with the dropout problem

A sample of 444 (245 males and 199 females) Nationally Certified School Psychologists were surveyed to determine which causes of dropping out should be national priorities. A Principal Axis Factoring with oblimin rotation was conducted using the 42-item School Psychologist's Dropout Survey. The five factors which emerged were Criminal/Victimization, Different from Peer Group, School Conflict, Dysfunctional Family/Lack of Support, and Family Responsibilities. The factors comprised of items with loadings of .40 or higher were added together for each factor to obtain subscale total scores for each participant. Then, for each subscale all total scores were added together and divided by 444 to obtain an average subscale total score for the entire sample. This process was followed for all five subscales. Finally, the average subscale scores were ranked to identify which causes of dropping out were viewed by school psychologists as the most important national priority. School psychologists perceived school conflicts and dysfunctional families as the primary causes of dropping out that should be national priorities. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Students' application of the concept of interdependence to the issue of preservation of species: Observations on the ability to generalize

One of the aims of science education is that students should be able to apply scientific principles to contemporary issues. Individual interviews were used to investigate the way in which students (63 12-year-olds and 60 16-year-olds) applied the ecological concept of interdependence of species to the issue of preservation of species. Students were shown a list of items representing a range of living things and were asked to select those which they would want to save from extinction and explain their reasoning. Although most students used the concept of interdependence for some items, they did not apply it in a scientifically consistent way to all types of living things. Three probable reasons for this lack of consistency were anthropocentricism, mixed reasons (students appeared to spontaneously choose another type of reason depending on what image the item immediately provoked), and opposite reasons (students interpreted the idea of interdependence as applying to some types of living things but not to others). J Res Sci Teach 34: 837–850, 1997.     

Texas Cowboy Boots: America's Material Culture Melting Pot

Cowboy boots are some of the most recognizable dress icons in the United States and symbolize the American West. The mythology of these material culture objects has been built over hundreds of years in many types of oral and written narratives. The purpose of this study was to combine secondary sources focusing on specific dimensions of cowboy boots with interviews of bootmakers and firm owners, developing a clearer understanding of the multicultural evolution of this material culture icon. Results indicate that although most bootmakers are aware of the multicultural origins of cowboy boots, they do not possess a complete comprehension of the origins and development of this material culture icon.     

A Comparative Study or Western and Japanese Practices Geared Towards Improved Learning and New Product Performance

Increasingly, the long‐term success of a company resides in its ability to develop and market successful new products in a cost‐and time‐effective manner. In general, Japanese companies have outperformed their Western counterparts in bringing new products to market over the last 10 to 20 years. This has given them a substantial advantage in long‐term economic development. The authors hypothesize that the differences between the dominant models of corporate culture in Japan and the U.S. account for the Japanese advantage. In comparison to U.S. companies, Japanese companies tend to emphasize long‐term leadership, decentralized decision making, a flatter work structure using cross‐functional work teams, and rewarding teams for the ability to learn from mistakes. As a result of these differences, Western companies are more likely to utilize “single, loop” learning, where new products are developed using established (and unquestioned) procedures. Conversely, Japanese companies rely on “double‐loop” or “deutero” learning styles, which encourage employees to leverage their past experiences when proposing new product innovations. The authors conclude by outlining a research program for testing their as‐gumptions about the relations among nationality, corporate culture, learning styles, and new product success.     

Identifying at‐risk preschoolers: The discriminant validity of the differential ability scales

The discriminant validity of the Upper Preschool Level of the Differential Ability Scales (DAS) was studied using 32 at‐risk preschoolers (females = 14, males = 18) with a mean age of 57.28 months (SD = 4.43) and 30 normal preschoolers (females = 13, males = 17) with a mean age of 56.40 months (SD = 6.46). The results indicated that the DAS was an excellent measure to use when trying to differentiate between at‐risk and normal preschoolers. The DAS could reliably identify, better than chance, whether a child was at‐risk or normal. Specifically, the General Conceptual Ability score was found to be approximately 77% accurate in correctly classifying at‐risk from normal preschoolers. In addition, the use of the DAS in an abbreviated format by selecting specific core and/or diagnostic subtests during the preschool screening process was strongly supported. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.