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Self-reported prospective and retrospective memory among middle aged and older autistic and non-autistic people
Get PDFObjective: Self-reported memory difficulties are common among older adults, but few studies have examined memory problems among autistic middle-aged and older people. The current study examines self-rated prospective (PM) and retrospective (RM) memory difficulties and their associations with age in middle-aged and older autistic and non-autistic people.
Methods: 350 autistic people (58% assigned-female-at-birth; age-range: 40-83 years) and 350 non-autistic adults matched on age, birth-sex and education level were included in the analysis. Participants completed the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) which includes questions about PM vs. RM (memory type), environment-cued vs. self-cued (cue), and short vs. long delay (delay).
Results: Autistic people reported significantly more PM and RM difficulties than the comparison group. Both groups reported more difficulties with PM (vs. RM), self-cued (vs. environment-cued), and short (vs. long) delay. No significant interactions were observed. Among autistic people, younger age was associated with reporting more PM and RM difficulties, but this pattern was not observed among non-autistic people.
Conclusions: Autistic people may be at reduced risk for memory problems as they age, compared to their same-age non-autistic peers. Further studies are required to explore the association between self-reported memory challenges and memory task performance among autistic older people
‘Sand in a Picnic’: Kenneth Minogue on Ideology
No full textIn this article, I examine Kenneth Minogue’s critique of ideology. Minogue (1930–2013) was an important thinker in the New Right and has some claim to be a ‘founder of Thatcherism’. He argued that ‘ideology’ involves four assumptions: a category of victimhood; a view of society as a system; an account of true and false reality; and the belief in secular salvation or social perfection. Marxism was the paradigmatic case. This account differs from more common, neutral understandings of the term. Minogue contrasted his account of ‘ideology’ with ‘politics’, which he argued should involve debate between individuals of ‘goodwill’ with legitimate differences of value and opinion. I argue that this account of politics still involves scope for significant doctrinal and policy disagreement. The collapse of Marxism after 1989 led Minogue to broaden his application of ideology to cover forms of liberalism in which he perceived the pursuit of social perfection. I conclude that while Minogue’s attack on the dangers of salvationist ideology was influential, after the collapse of communism he expanded the application of the term to cover many areas of legitimate political debate
England: General Population Health Landscape
Get PDFThis paper explores the population health of those living within England. With the health of the population facing changes, such as global aging, life expectancies and retirement ages have subsequently increased. Ethnic minorities have been found to be more susceptible to poorer health than their Caucasian counterparts, with minorities developing chronic diseases and disabilities. Therefore, this research delves into health, ethnicity, age and disability data, obtained from the 2021 UK Census, as well as the weekly Coronavirus datasets provided by the Mayor of London. Prior to conducting any analysis, all datasets were cleaned and transformed to exclude any data related to the Welsh population. The datasets were then visualised into graphs, such as bar, line and pie charts to display any relationships, but also frequencies of health across a 5-point Likert Scale: Very Good, Good, Fair, Bad and Very Bad. Overall, the research concluded that the majority of England’s population have very good to good health, thus may be considered as healthy. Those living in the capital (London) are relatively healthier than those that live outside. But the health landscape has slightly adjusted since the onset of Coronavirus, with population health marginally decreasing as a consequence. Moreover, the paper possesses an opportunity to delve into the effects of Long Covid on England’s population
(Re)viewing Postsecularity through the Pragmatic Pursuits of New Religious Movements in India
Get PDFIn the contemporary postsecular context, where the influence of religion has become increasingly significant, this study explores the substantial influence of New Religious Movements (NRMs) in India. Focusing on Brahma Kumaris (BKs), a prominent NRM, this study examines their role as proponents of social change across various public spheres in modern society. The BKs’ deviation from traditional religious doctrines, their emphasis on self-transformation, and their capacity to adapt to contemporary challenges render them particularly relevant in the postsecular context. This study analyzes the pragmatic approach that BKs employ to engage with and assert their influence in contemporary public life. Specifically, it delineates five critical processes that underpin the organization’s pragmatic pursuits: detraditionalization, synergism, gender sensitization, agro-spiritualism, and digitalization. By subverting varied normativities and contesting the religious/secular dyad through their pragmatic pursuits, the BKs illuminate the shapeshifting edges and fluid integration of religion and secularity within the contemporary postsecular milieu
Normalising Children’s Diverse Languages and Literacies in Primary Schools in England
No full textThis article reports on the project ‘Creating space for multilingualism in superdiverse schools’ which sought to challenge the monolingual norm in schools and society. We investigated ways to normalise and leverage children’s diverse languages and literacies in the primary school in the context of an after-school Multilingual Club. We empowered primary school children to employ their multilingual knowledge and abilities to enhance curricular learning and wellbeing, contributing to confident multilingual identities. Moreover, we encouraged class teachers to include children’s multilingual repertoires and develop their agency as reflective practitioners
AI’s backwards vision [invited letter]
No full textInvited letter in Prospect Magazine responding to Daron Acemoglu's article titled "AI’s biggest secret"
Platformed Logics of Online Protest
Get PDFIn October 2022, Just Stop Oil protesters threw soup at a Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery London, glued themselves to the wall below, and asked the public what was more important in the face of climate emergency: art or all life. This essay explores on/off/on/off/online protest acts, breaking into online image-streams. It seeks to complicate debates on online protest by bringing nuanced attention to the question: who speaks in online protest? Online platforms figure the soup throwers as reputations, characters and personalities; their agency as protesters depends on their strategic use of these recalcitrantly humanist categories
Forced Smile Creates Positive Mood: A Qualitative Analysis With A VR Experience
No full textWe developed a VR project that uses smile tracking as a novel interaction mechanic to foster emotional well-being and prompt reflection on the meaning of a smile in social connection. This is based on a broad literature that indicates that ‘faking’ a smile can result in a genuine improvement in mood. We conducted an experiment in 60 participants within two between-groups and analyzed the qualitative data of 11 selected participants in this paper in order to understand in detail what the experience of faking smiles is like. Through guided exploration in a VR environment and smile-triggered transformations of NPCs, players reported improved mood, relaxation, and a sense of healing. Although some initially perceived the mechanic of the smile as ‘forced’, they ultimately transitioned to genuine amusement and deeper engagement. In addition, the experience highlighted the participants’ realization that their real-world smiles are sometimes too subtle, potentially affecting social bonds
A Virtuous Ethics of AI: Conviviality as a Regulatory Framework
Get PDFIn recent years, we have seen the AI industry grow astronomically, becoming a technology that will seemingly impact all elements of our daily lives in the near future. AI omnipresence is now treated by many as almost inevitable, leaving only the question of who should control this technology. This has, understandably, drawn much concern from regulators (both at the state and international level), as well as from many within the AI industry. Unfortunately, there has ethical framework for such regulation should be. This article presents two contrasting ethical frameworks of justice in relation to AI: John Rawls (1999) theory of justice as fairness and Ivan Illich’s (1973) notion of conviviality. This article critiques the Rawlsian approach as being too concerned with an abstract notion of a ‘fair’ playing field when establishing notions of justice (through its concepts of the original position and difference principle) and ignoring, or even embracing, injustice of outcomes. In contrast, this article argues in favour of the conviviality approach, presenting it as an ethical framework based in virtue and concerned primarily with rather than hypothetical and semantic notions of fairness. This includes showing how conviviality can be applied practically, applying a comprehensive (or ‘thick’) notion of sustainability to AI. This thick sustainability considers the entire lifecycle of AI development in considering regulation, including the impacts on ecology as well as the impacts on people. Thus, the conviviality approach de-centres technology and re-centres both humans and our natural environment, providing a holistic ethical framework which must underpin any serious regulation of AI
Genital Modifications in Prepubescent Minors: When May Clinicians Ethically Proceed?
Get PDFWhen is it ethically permissible for clinicians to surgically intervene into the genitals of a legal minor? We distinguish between voluntary and nonvoluntary procedures and focus on nonvoluntary procedures, specifically in prepubescent minors (“children”). We do not address procedures in adolescence or adulthood. With respect to children categorized as female at birth who have no apparent differences of sex development (i.e., non-intersex or “endosex” females) there is a near-universal ethical consensus in the Global North. This consensus holds that clinicians may not perform any nonvoluntary genital cutting or surgery, from “cosmetic” labiaplasty to medicalized ritual “pricking” of the vulva, insofar as the procedure is not strictly necessary to protect the child’s physical health. All other motivations, including possible psychosocial, cultural, subjective-aesthetic, or prophylactic benefits as judged by doctors or parents, are seen as categorically inappropriate grounds for a clinician to proceed with a nonvoluntary genital procedure in this population. We argue that the main ethical reasons capable of supporting this consensus turn not on empirically contestable benefit–risk calculations, but on a fundamental concern to respect the child’s privacy, bodily integrity, developing sexual boundaries, and (future) genital autonomy. We show that these ethical reasons are sound. However, as we argue, they do not only apply to endosex female children, but rather to all children regardless of sex characteristics, including those with intersex traits and endosex males. We conclude, therefore, that as a matter of justice, inclusivity, and gender equality in medical-ethical policy (we do not take a position as to criminal law), clinicians should not be permitted to perform any nonvoluntary genital cutting or surgery in prepubescent minors, irrespective of the latter’s sex traits or gender assignment, unless urgently necessary to protect their physical health. By contrast, we suggest that voluntary surgeries in older individuals might, under certain conditions, permissibly be performed for a wider range of reasons, including reasons of self-identity or psychosocial well-being, in keeping with the circumstances, values, and explicit needs and preferences of the persons so concerned. Note: Because our position is tied to clinicians’ widely accepted role-specific duties as medical practitioners within regulated healthcare systems, we do not consider genital procedures performed outside of a healthcare context (e.g., for religious reasons) or by persons other than licensed healthcare providers working in their professional capacity