Albion College

About: Albion College is a education organization based out in Albion, Michigan, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Higher education. The organization has 485 authors who have published 754 publications receiving 20907 citations.

Inference to the Best Explanation: A Common and Effective Form of Archaeological Reasoning

Abstract: Processual and postprocessual archaeologists implicitly employ the same epistemological system to evaluate the worth of different explanations: inference to the best explanation. This is good since inference to the best explanation is the most effective epistemological approach to archaeological reasoning available. Underlying the logic of inference to the best explanation is the assumption that the explanation that accounts for the most evidence is also most likely to be true. This view of explanation often reflects the practice of archaeological reasoning better than either the hypothetico-deductive method or hermeneutics. This article explores the logic of inference to the best explanation and provides clear criteria to determine what makes one explanation better than another. Explanations that are empirically broad, general, modest, conservative, simple, testable, and address many perspectives are better than explanations that are not. This article also introduces a system of understanding explanation that emphasizes the role of contrastive pairings in the construction of specific explanations. This view of explanation allows for a better understanding of when, and when not, to engage in the testing of specific explanations.

The Role of Social Cognition in the Religious Fundamentalism‐Prejudice Relationship

Abstract: The study examines the indirect effects of religious fundamentalism on prejudice through cognitive style and fear of invalidity. Undergraduates (n= 199) completed measures of religious fundamentalism, homophobia, modern racism, hostile and benevolent sexism, need for cognition, need for structure, preference for consistency, and fear of invalidity. Need for cognition partially mediated the relationship between religious fundamentalism and both homophobia and benevolent sexism. Preference for consistency partially mediated the relationship between religious fundamentalism and hostile sexism. The indirect effect of religious fundamentalism on modern racism through preference for consistency approached statistical significance. The interaction between need for structure and fear of invalidity partially mediated the relationship between religious fundamentalism and both homophobia and hostile sexism, with individuals high in need for structure and low in fear of invalidity having higher religious fundamentalism and prejudice.

Observations of Binary Stars with the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument. VI. Measures during 2014 at the Discovery Channel Telescope

Abstract: We present the results of 938 speckle measures of double stars and suspected double stars drawn mainly from the Hipparcos Catalog, as well as 208 observations where no companion was noted. One hundred fourteen pairs have been resolved for the first time. The data were obtained during four observing runs in 2014 using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at Lowell Observatory's Discovery Channel Telescope. The measurement precision obtained when comparing to ephemeris positions of binaries with very well-known orbits is generally less than 2 mas in separation and 05 in position angle. Differential photometry is found to have internal precision of approximately 0.1 mag and to be in very good agreement with Hipparcos measures in cases where the comparison is most relevant. We also estimate the detection limit in the cases where no companion was found. Visual orbital elements are derived for six systems.

Multiple paternity in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum

Abstract: For over a decade, we have been studying the reproductive behavior of the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, in the Dry Torugas off the Florida Keys, an important mating and nursery ground for this species. In the course of these studies, we have used a variety of tags and tagging protocols to monitor individual animals. Here we report the use of molecular methods for the genetic analysis of nurse sharks. Specifically we have analyzed genetic variation at the MHC II alpha locus using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the amplified products. We found this technique to be a relatively rapid and reliable method for identifying genetic differences between individual sharks. Applying this method to a family of sharks consisting of a mother and 32 pups, we demonstrate that at least four fathers must have fathered this brood. Multiple paternity in the nurse shark suggests a mechanism by which populations of this species may maximize genetic variability. This seems especially valuable for philopatric species whose migratory movement, and thus potential for genetic diversity, is limited.