Heuristic Tool Research Articles

Students’ performance and typical errors in filling empty probabilistic visualizations with probabilities or frequencies

Abstract It has been established that, in Bayesian tasks, performance and typical errors in reading information from filled visualizations depend both on the type of the provided visualization and information format. However, apart from reading visualizations, students should also be able to create visualizations on their own and successfully use them as heuristic tools in modeling tasks. In this paper, we first want to broaden the view on Bayesian reasoning to probabilistic tasks with two binary events in general and embed the whole process of solving these tasks using probabilistic visualizations in a modified modeling framework. Thereby, it becomes apparent that most of the steps remained untouched by existing research. Second, in the present empirical study, we focused on one part of the largely unexplored creation process and examined entering statistical information into empty visualizations as heuristic tools. N = 172 participants had to enter conditional and joint probabilities or the corresponding frequencies into empty visualizations in a paper-and-pencil test. We analyze (a) students’ performance when entering information in visualizations and (b) typical errors, both dependent on the information format (probabilities vs. natural frequencies), which empty visualization structure (2⨯2 table, double tree, net diagram) was provided, and type of information (conditional vs. joint information). The well-known positive effect of natural frequencies on participants’ performance was evident when entering conditional information into 2⨯2 tables and net diagrams. However, with respect to joint information, no superior effect of frequencies was observed. Furthermore, the theoretical implementation of our research in a modeling cycle allows us to identify desiderata for future research.

Towards post-human storytelling: Pushing boundaries in decentring the human

Can storytelling be(come) post-human? If so, how? This article shares creative insights from a collaborative inquiry at the intersection of queer, neurodivergent, and ecological writing. Writing from the fringes of our various disciplines and levels of precarity within the academy, we came together as a collective of researchers who share an interest in creative methods and an orientation towards storytelling as “a political and heuristic tool” involving “human and nonhuman” processes (Wiame, 2018). We made use of new materialist and posthuman perspectives as we grappled with an empathy that neither anthropomorphises nor objectifies the nonhuman Other, and seeks to portray the agency of a world that does not centre on the human, or not only the human. We sought to rewrite the human as marginal. This work, informed by theories of writing and artmaking as ways of knowing, engaged in poetic inquiry and co/autoethnography. Responding individually to shared creative prompts, we explored possibilities of writing as nonhuman entities. We then compared our writings, observing rhizomatic connections and branchings-out to explore the challenges and possibilities of post-human storytelling. Our article describes these insights and signals unfolding directions for ongoing inquiry and the challenges of storying from the margins of the human.

A Design Sprint to Develop Human Factors-Based Heuristics to Aid in Product Procurement Decisions

Product substitution is a common dilemma in healthcare settings as products become unavailable due to supply chain shortages or other factors. Substitute products can pose risks to patient safety when not carefully selected. This study developed a human factors-based heuristic evaluation tool to help healthcare professionals make informed decisions when choosing substitute products. The heuristic evaluation tool was developed through a design sprint that involved human factors experts and healthcare practitioners. Stakeholder evaluation led to improvements in heuristic evaluation categories. The final proposed tool evaluated products across five categories: product safety, usability, use, storage and maintenance, organizational support, and cost.

The Faith of Nicaea, the Hierarchy of Truths, and the Restoration of Eucharistic Communion between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches

AbstractThe paper discusses the problem of Orthodox‐Catholic disunity by naming non‐theological and discussing theological issues behind the issues in bilateral dialogues between the Churches. The main theological issue is the absence of agreement on which doctrinal differences should or should not count as church‐dividing. The author argues that the concept of the ‘hierarchy of truths’, introduced by Vatican II's Unitatis Redintegratio is a promising heuristic tool for distinguishing the doctrines that pertain to the ‘fundamental Christian faith’ and other important doctrines that do not have the same authoritative status. The author proposes that the agreement on the ‘Nicene faith’ could function as a sufficient condition for the Eucharistic communion between the two Churches on two grounds of the use of the Creed in the rites of initiation and the liturgy. The author subsequently articulates three potential objections to his proposal, responds to these objections, and finishes the paper with what could be called a ‘Nicene Formula of Reunion’. The proposed Formula includes a commitment to seeking an increasingly greater convergence on doctrinal and ecclesiastical issues on which there is continuing, although not church‐dividing disagreement.

A Socio-Historical Mapping of Translation Fields: A Case Study of English Self-Help Literature in Arabic Translation

Abstract This study advances the application of Pierre Bourdieu’s social field as a heuristic conceptual tool in the context of translation studies, offering a methodological framework that integrates socio-historical analysis with bibliographical research. By exploring the field of Arabic translations of English self-help literature in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) between 1982 and 2016, the article illustrates how Bourdieu’s conceptualisation of social fields can be operationalised to define the boundaries, agents, production, and practices within a translation field. A bespoke bibliographical database comprising 993 translated self-help titles was constructed to provide a detailed mapping of the field’s historical trajectory and production dynamics. Through this integration of theory and empirical data, the study demonstrates how field theory can enrich the analysis of translation as a social practice, revealing the interactions between translation agents and the socio-historical forces that shape the production of translations. The findings suggest that this integrated approach can serve as a heuristic model for the socio-historical analysis of translation fields across different language pairs, temporal periods, and geographic contexts, contributing to future research in translation sociology and translation bibliographies.

Pedagogy of lucid dreams — a new direct lightning activity in the context of an inclusive paradigm

Some facts about the benefits of lucid dreaming pedagogy in the context of educational activities and life are considered, which can be taken into account by educators working with children and youth with special educational needs. Children of two groups are considered: children with special mental and psychological needs and children with specific problems in the context of sensory and motor functions of the body. Children with physical problems cannot be fully rehabilitated; in some cases, such children are unhappy due to significant impairments in their motor functions. According to the paradigm of the “world created by God as just”, such children can and should be happy and find fulfillment in the social environment, in learning and in physical activity. For this purpose, the authors propose to apply the “pedagogy of lucid dreaming,” which shows that lucid dreams are the most important educational resource. The “pedagogy of lucid dreaming” is conceptualized. It turns out that according to the spiritual and religious paradigm, which expresses the dictum that “God created a just world,” children with special educational needs should be full-fledged social beings, successful and happy in our world. As a special psychophysiological state of the human body, dreams are a kind of “parallel” reality, psychophysiologically equivalent to this reality. If the main task of a human being as a representative of Homo sapiens is to cognize and master the inner and outer worlds, then sleep accounts for about a third of the manifestation of these worlds, measured in the time of human life. Thus, a person is immersed in dreams for many years of his or her life. The nature of this “somnambulistic reality” remains largely a mystery that can be understood using both objective experimental data and subjective control data. The latter can be an effective heuristic tool for understanding the phenomenon of “REM sleep” with dreams, in which people, as a rule, do not control their behavior and are not aware of themselves. At the same time, the main theoretical and practical toolkit of lucid dreaming pedagogy is the concept of functional asymmetry of the human brain hemispheres, which reveals three strategies of human reflection and mastery of the world: right-hemispheric, left-hemispheric, interhemispheric — paradoxical, meditative, which combines the first two strategies, when artistic and rational thinking activities as two polar strategies of cognition of the world are integrated within one person.

Yet Another Heuristic: Assessing Eudaimon versus Makarios in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

Abstract This paper discusses the debate regarding the terms makarios (“blessed”) and eudaimon (“happy”) in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. In it, I identify two scholarly conclusions regarding these terms: (1) the distinction thesis: that the words mean different things in the text, and (2) the interchangeability thesis: that the words do not mean different things in the text, and may be substituted for one another. I argue that the theories should both be used as heuristic tools of analysis, rather than only one of them being used as a universal rule to be applied to the text. Additionally, I argue that a third heuristic device is needed: I forward that while makarios and eudaimon are sometimes interchangeable (contra the distinction thesis) they are not synonymous (contra the interchangeability thesis). Rather, in some cases, both terms can be translated as “happy,” but they are being used by Aristotle in reference to subjects with distinct natures. In these instances, eudaimonia can sometimes be interpreted as a properly human term, which we cannot apply to the gods. Or, if it is applied to the gods, it must be applied in a distinct, qualified way. Meanwhile, makarios can sometimes be interpreted as a properly divine term, used in reference to the gods or to a god-like status achieved by a human being who has superseded normal human achievement or capacity.

Toward a modular understanding of school-to-work transitions: Comparing Italy and Austria

Comparative analyses investigating school-to-work transitions (SWT) aim to explain how institutional characteristics shape national differences in the transition from education to employment. Researchers often rely on typologies and classifications to simplify the complex processes involved. While typologies serve as useful heuristic tools, they can also lead to oversimplification and neglect of the multilevel governance structures and territorial disparities. Our modular approach integrates various research strands to enhance understanding of the relational and spatial dynamic underlying the transition from education to the labor market. We use analytical dimensions from previous studies to structure a small-N comparison, accounting for a higher degree of complexity. Empirically, we explore the theoretical argument through the in-depth comparison of SWT systems in two diverse cases with contrasting outcomes: Italy and Austria. The analysis reveals significant hybrid traits in both countries that are often overlooked by SWT typologies. In addition, we gain insights into how multilevel institutional configurations interact with the socio-economic context contributing to diverging SWT outcomes.

Интуиция как девайс познания в эпоху цифровизации: преимущества и опасности применения

The article examines the increased interest in the phenomenon of intuition in the digital age. According to the authors, the use of intuition as a heuristic tool for generating ideas, hypothesizing and evaluating arguments within the framework of philosophical and scientific knowledge is the most important task of modern individuals. In an effort to analyze the conditions under which intuition will contribute to improving the quality of scientific and philosophical research, the authors show various interpretations of the concept of “intuition” in the history of philosophy, highlighting the complexity and versatility of this phenomenon. Intuition, according to the authors, serves as a voice of the unconscious, to which the reins of rationality and critical thinking are applied. Amidst a crisis of rationality, intuition emerges as an irrational impulse that problematizes existing knowledge, thereby facilitating the production of new hypothetical insights. The aim of the article is to conduct a philosophical analysis of the risks associated with the application of intuition in the process of cognition, while simultaneously expanding the potential applicability of intuition in the digital world. Methodological basis of the research incorporates elements of historical-philosophical reconstruction, philosophical questioning, and employs both a systemic approach and methods of philosophical analysis. Following the point of view of coherence, the authors suggest that intuitive judgments embedded within a broader system of propositions contribute to structuring philosophical and scientific arguments in a coherent sequence. The authors conclude that intuition in the era of digitalization is a valuable heuristic tool associated with the level of development of metacognitive awareness, with the work of productive imagination and critical thinking. These processes together enable the utilization of intuition as a starting point for further analysis of problems, thus increasing its effectiveness and minimizing the risks of erroneous decisions.

“Flowerishes” and Burke’s “Methodology of the Pun”: Pariah Femininity and Women’s Roller Derby Names

ABSTRACT We apply Burke’s “flowerish” and the feminist construct of “pariah femininity” to the symbolically rich and frequently bawdy realm of women’s roller derby names (RDNs). The “flowerish,” Burke’s geometric arrangement of epigrams, is a heuristic tool for exploring the ways in which RDNs enact “perspective by incongruity” as part of their performative challenges to the norms of hegemonic femininity. Our “flowerishes” are thematically curated collections of names that trade heavily on taboos surrounding the female body – particularly sex and death. Here, sex and death evoke Burke’s “combat myth” where eros and thanatos operate as opposing alternatives. In the puns that dominate RDNs, sex and death provide the dialectal impulses by which “pariah femininity” transcends the limitations of traditional femininity.

Co-designing transport models as a heuristic planning tool.

Recently the transportation sector has witnessed several new technologically driven disruptions that have amplified the complexity of city planning and policymaking. Traditional well-established processes of decision-making in urban planning and transportation are proving insufficient to deal with this degree of complexity and uncertainty. This paper proposes an alternative approach, combining qualitative and normative urban design, with quantitative and predictive transport modelling. This requires urban designers and transport modellers to co-create goal-driven and agile transport models that act as a heuristic tool to guide planning decisions in early design stages. Heuristic modelling is informed by design optioning and vice versa in an iterative loop. A case study is presented to demonstrate how this approach is operationalized to study the impacts of automated vehicles on urban planning. Design workshops are used as a method to elicit responses from stakeholders, which are used to co-create the simulation models. This collaborative process grounds the research in real-world practice and enhances the communication of design proposals and research findings across disciplines. By integrating design thinking methods with agent-based transport simulations, this approach provides a better understanding of emergent effects in complex urban systems and improves stakeholder engagement in the planning process.This article is part of the theme issue 'Co-creating the future: participatory cities and digital governance'.

Translation, a measure of force of attraction? States, international organizations and the consecrating power of translation

ABSTRACT Based on the premise that both translations and collective bodies have historically been used to build collective identities, shape their images, and defend their interests, this article examines several projects constituting the translation policy of the Intellectual Cooperation Organization (1925–1945) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1945–) from a soft-power perspective. In the first section, I identify several contemporary trends in translation studies that share an interest in the state, though I also delve into parallel critiques against methodological nationalism. The second section addresses states and international organizations as agents of translation that maximize the potential of translation as a soft-power resource. The third and the fourth section examine two specific translation projects as soft-power resources from the perspective of the producing end. The fifth section examines the way the press of the time covered said projects and discusses their reception in different social spaces. This case study is used as a heuristic tool to discuss states as relevant objects of study in translation studies, the multiple receptions of translations, and the consecrating power of translation.

Exploring the impact of multiple stressors on cultural and ecological values: A case study from Te Rerenga Parāoa (Whangārei Harbour), Aotearoa New Zealand

Estuarine systems often have degraded ecology and functioning due to the multiple interacting stressors that they face. While conventional management might address such a situation with narrow focus, ecosystem based management provides a more holistic and adaptive option allowing for multiple objectives and values. Such an approach has some commonality with that of the Indigenous Māori of New Zealand, who have holistic, interconnected and intergenerational aspirations. In this study we utilised Te-Rerenga-Parāoa, Whangārei Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand as a case study to explore how ecological and Māori knowledge systems and approaches may align to address complex multi-stressor and multi-value scenarios common to estuarine systems. To achieve this we co-developed a Bayesian network heuristic modelling tool which provided a probabilistic framework to consider the relationship between stressors and the outcome states for ecological function and cultural values. The process of model development itself was a rewarding exercise of joint learning. For example, this process illustrated that while western ecological values can focus on endpoints such as abundance, cultural values were more diverse, experiential in nature, with value often centred on a cultural practise being enabled, not just the ecological component the value was connected to. Once the model was developed we considered three specific scenarios relating to harbour dredging, environmental degradation from land use changes, and fishery extraction. Model predictions for these scenarios generally matched expectations, but were generic in nature and could therefore benefit from more specificity relating to aspects such as spatial scale and context around cultural interpretation. Overall, the model demonstrated generic utility as an interactive educational tool for resource managers considering the broader impacts (on ecology and cultural values) of major societal challenges.

Introducing S.C.O.P.E.™ (Schizophrenia Clinical Outcome Scenarios and Patient-Provider Engagement), an Interactive Digital Platform to Educate Healthcare Professionals on Schizophrenia Care.

Despite evidence of benefits beyond those of oral antipsychotics, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) are underused in schizophrenia treatment. Underuse may be partially a result of misconceptions held by some healthcare professionals (HCPs) pertaining to LAIs. A panel of four experts convened between January 2022 and May 2022 to identify these misconceptions, and example cases or scenarios were created to illustrate common clinical situations relevant to these beliefs. Ultimately, an online platform and heuristic tool, Schizophrenia Clinical Outcome Scenarios and Patient-Provider Engagement (S.C.O.P.E.™), was developed to help prescribing clinicians and other HCPs better understand common clinical dilemmas, as well as the place for LAIs in schizophrenia treatment. Three main misconceptions related to the use of LAIs to treat schizophrenia were identified and included "physicians/providers know when patients are nonadherent", "patients do not accept/want LAI treatment", and "LAIs are only appropriate for patients who have demonstrated nonadherence". All misconceptions are refuted by current evidence and were used to develop clinical scenarios with questions to consider when patients present to various sites of care for treatment. These cases are presented on the S.C.O.P.E. educational platform. The platform also includes videos designed to help non-prescribing HCPs and mental health professionals address patient/caregiver concerns and to communicate LAI benefits. In addition, S.C.O.P.E. provides a section with information about each LAI that is currently FDA approved in the United States for the treatment of schizophrenia, to help familiarize HCPs with characteristics of LAIs. S.C.O.P.E. is an educational tool designed for HCPs to help improve their understanding of how to manage common clinical dilemmas in the treatment of people with schizophrenia, to clarify the role of LAIs in medication management, and to increase understanding of the characteristics of available LAIs. S.C.O.P.E. also aims to improve care in schizophrenia by facilitating increased awareness to patients and caregivers.

Visual Pleasures? Wehrmacht Vernacular Trophy Photographs and the Female Other in Nazi-Occupied Europe

ABSTRACT Innumerable historical snapshots from World War II depict German soldiers visually celebrating their victories over an enemy or conquered population. Trophy photographs of German soldiers serve as one valuable heuristic tool to probe German visual cultures and military performances of the self. Indulging in common pictorial tropes that include fixating on female bodies, they have largely been ignored by Holocaust scholars who tend to concentrate on photographs of violence and their evidentiary value. This article places German images of wartime courtship and sexual conquest in dialogue within a broader spectrum of images depicting encounters with women in Nazi-occupied Europe. Photographs of hookups and flirtation with the female vanquished population enable us to embed Nazi warfare and the Holocaust not only in the larger context of conquest and exploitation, but also the cultural and affective mindset of combatants. Delving into the multifaceted histories of these images allows one to deconstruct the violence that lurks beneath the esthetically ‘benign’ visibility and to question the ambivalent affective power of the hyper-violent photographs. In the aggregate, images of violence, humiliation, and non-injurious sexual desire expose a range of behaviors and further shine a light on the ways in which mass violence and genocide are embedded in photographs. The article investigates different motives and ways in which German soldiers visually and physically conquered foreign women and how they ogled and photographically appropriated them. By scrutinizing body language, gestures, facial expressions, and poses the article peels back different layers of the camera’s gaze and of the depicted German soldiers and female subjects, while simultaneously scrutinizing the intersection of sexuality and violence, where desire, spectacle, and esthetics converge into visual pleasure.

The end of law and other miracles

This article explores various attempts to critique law with reference to an authority or idea that is seen as transcending law in its existing forms. As heuristic tools, I use a distinction between prophetic and apocalyptic discourses, the former referring to discourses that remain sceptical to the possibility of suspending law in any absolute sense; the latter describing discourses that articulate a belief in or commitment to a radical break with the law, envisioning a coming law-free age. To give concreteness to my argument, I focus, in the first part, on the critical interaction between Daniel Bensaïd and Alain Badiou as a typical illustration of the tension between prophetic and apocalyptic discourses. In the subsequent parts, I take the analysis a step further by relating it to various historical discourses on divine law. Drawing on Christine Hayes’ claim that there are overlooked resources in the ancient rabbinic constructions of divine law, I suggest that some of these resources are reactivated – albeit unknowingly – in Bensaïd’s political thinking. Especially in his original conception of revolutionary temporality, Bensaïd provides tools for elaborating a different way of coping with the limits of law, thereby avoiding some of the shortcomings of apocalyptic political theologies.

(In)visible by Design: An Analysis of a Domestic Labor Platform

Since the rise of platform labor, food delivery, and ride hailing workers have become a visible part of cityscapes, unlike platform workers in the domestic sector. The invisibilization and economic devaluation of reproductive tasks, especially in the private sphere, has a long history.Although platforms are not likely to yield a radical transformation in this sector, qualitative changes concerning the invisibility of work outsourced by households can be observed. In this contribution, we draw from the analytical framework of (in)visibility of/in platform-mediated work and map it against our research findings on a key platform in domestic cleaning in Europe, including netnographic data and interviews with workers and clients. Using the framework as a heuristic tool leads us to a more nuanced understanding of (in)visibility in platform-mediated cleaning in perceptible, institutional, and individual terms. Moreover, we argue that the interrelations between these three layers of (in)visibility offer novel insights for making sense of worker organizing and collective action, the practices related to leaving the platform, and the issue of workers’ occupational identity of domestic cleaners. As such, the study contributes to the current debates on platform labor and domestic work, including the value-visibility relation and the role of digital platforms therein.

Resurgent Religion, Resurgent Patriarchy? Strictly Observant Religion, Gender, and the State

A triple transformation is shaping societies around the world: the rise of strictly observant religion, the backlash against gender equality, and the growing influence of neoliberalism and authoritarianism in state affairs. While each of these phenomena has been intensively studied by social scientists, we know very little about their overlapping confluence. This introduction to the Special Issue “Strictly Observant Religion, Gender and the State in the 21st Century” outlines how we might make sense of the increasing traction of liberal sexual politics and the concurrent rise of neo-traditionalist movements. Rather than providing a unified theory, we propose the concept of “strictly observant religion,” a “social system which aims at structuring all aspects of life around strict adherence to religious doctrines”, as defined by Tobias Müller in his contribution to this special issue. As such, it serves as a heuristic tool to study these macro-transformations through thick descriptions of people’s striving, believing, and struggling. By locating the collection’s contributions in current debates and summarizing key insights, we outline possible pitfalls and pathways for future research in the sociology of religion, feminist theory, and political sociology.

Heuristic determination of parent β matrix orientation from Burgers oriented α precipitates in Ti alloys

A heuristic stereographic tool has been developed supporting identification of un-measurable parent β grain orientations in Ti alloys from electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) without computation. The method involves the use of inverse pole figure (IPF) Euler angle color patterns of α laths in Burgers oriented α/β crystals. The approach employs the use of composite stereographic projections of two fundamental α/β variants of the Burgers orientation relationship (BOR), overlaid with a commonly used IPF Euler angle color scheme for α lath orientations. Use of the heuristic tool associates many α lath orientations via EBSD-IPF derived Euler angle color patterns with the required, but usually un-measurable parent β grain orientation. Results from use of the heuristic tool are compared with observations from EBSD-IPF scans that directly measured α lath and parent β grain orientations. A reference look-up table associating characteristic α lath color patterns with orientation of their underlying parent β grain is provided. It is shown that the use of the heuristic tool to determine orientations of interest enables identification of un-measurable parent β grain orientations rather than obtaining an approximate answer using complicated computational methods. The new tool yields fairly accurate results avoiding post-processing, and often does not require the presence of more than two or three variants.

Culture War Complexity: How Contaminated Words and Heterodox Positions Challenge Traditional Dichotomies

AbstractThis essay addresses some of the key terminological conflicts of the ongoing culture war between “wokes” and “anti-wokes” in many Western societies. In a public debate culture where words and labels are rapidly contaminated when appropriated by the “other side,” it is increasingly difficult to make sense of the key positions and battle lines to decode who is battling whom. The “culture war matrix” serves as a heuristic tool to contain some of the central culture war positions in an otherwise fragmented space of mediated discourse. Two intersecting tensions are suggested between woke and anti-woke and between cancel culture and free speech. While this two-dimensional understanding by no means exhausts the complex positionings in the culture war landscape, it represents an alternative to the one-dimensional dichotomy-thinking, which reduces the struggle to a matter of left versus right. In conclusion, a third way of understanding contemporary culture wars is suggested by focusing on heterodox impulses and alternative sources of intellectual authority.