Virtual book

Actions in time: A virtual book

David Clarke

University of Nottingham

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Preface

As a university academic, I have published a fair number of articles, book chapters and books in the course of my career. (A full list can be found by clicking here.) Many of these are conventional kinds of things, published in conventional kinds of places, and are already as well-known (or as unknown) as they deserve to be.

But the ideas I care about most have always been the hardest to publish, and many of them have languished as unpublished manuscripts, conference talks, or papers in relatively obscure journals.

Whenever I find someone with similar interests, I have to go searching through my computer files for half-forgotten draft papers to flesh out the conversation, and then I probably overlook something else which would have been more relevant -- all very unsatisfactory.

So I decided to create this 'virtual book' -- a collection of the 'weird and whacky' things I have wanted to say for years, all in one place where I can find them, and in a convenient package for other people to sample if they want to.

It is, and will remain, a work in progress. There is quite a lot still to add which is written already, and over time I hope to write more things along similar lines.

I hope you find something to agree with; something to enjoy; and something to disagree with so passionately that it helps you to clarify just why you think exactly the opposite.

David Clarke

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Contents

OVERVIEW AND APPROACHES

A map [click]

A schematic diagram of the overall program of research.

Aphorisms [click]

Fundamental problems [click]

Clarke, D. D.  (1987)  Fundamental problems with fundamental research: A meta-theory for social psychology. Philosophica, 40, 23-61.

This paper starts off with a rather extreme statement, to the effect that social psychology is a false category, with no empirical (especially neuroscientific) justification.  If I were writing that today, in the light of what we have since discovered about mirror neurones etc, I would make the point more cautiously, or in a different way. Nevertheless, I think the argument still retains some of its force.

Natural psychology [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1988) In defence of 'Natural Psychology'. Paper to British Psychological Society, Social Psychology Section Annual Conference, University of Kent at Canterbury, 24th September.

Structured judgement [click]

Clarke, D. D. (2004) 'Structured Judgement Methods' - The best of both worlds? In Todd, K. Z., Nerlich, B., McKeown, S. and Clarke D. D. (eds.) Mixing Methods in Psychology: The integration of qualitative and quantitative methods in theory and practice. Hove & New York: Psychology Press. ISBN 0-415-18649-8 (Hbk) ISBN 0-415-18650-1 (Pbk) Pp 81 - 100.

Action Systems [click]

Clarke, D. D.  with Crossland, J. (1985)  Action Systems: An introduction to the analysis of complex behaviour.  London: Methuens.

This is a whole (short) book within the virtual book, and it spans and overlaps with some of the other material.

Actions, Minds and the Arrow of Time [click]

Inaugural lecture,  University of Nottingham, May 8th 2000. As notes with diagrams.

Extending the discipline [click]

Clarke, D. D. (2006) Extending the scientific discipline of psychology in order to deal with the complexity of applied practice. Invited keynote address at BPS Division of Educational and Child Psychology annual conference 'Moving educational and child psychology forward: Issues and evidence', Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth, January 4th - 6th.

This consists of the Powerpoint slides from a talk, so it is not completely self-explanatory. Nevertheless, some parts may be useful to illustrate the arguments made elsewhere in the virtual book.

THE ROLE OF EMOTION

Heart of the mind [click]

Clarke, D. D.  (1986)  The heart of the mind: A speculation on the fundamentals of human psychology.  In L. van Langenhove, J.M. de Waele and R. Harré (eds.) Individual persons and their actions - Essays in honour of Prof. Dr. J.P. de Waele.  Brussels: Free University of Brussels, University Press.

Relationships [click]

Clarke, D. D.  (1987)  Emotion, decision and the long-term course of relationships.  In R. Burnett, P. McGhee and D. D.  Clarke (eds.)  Accounting for relationships: Explanation, representation and knowledge.  London: Methuen. pp.3-21.

Micro-affect [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1993) Asynchronous affect and virtual action. Paper to Workshop on Architectures Underlying Motivation and Emotion (WAUME 93), University of Birmingham, 11th August.

Personal knowledge [click]

Milton, N., Clarke, D. and Shadbolt, N. (2006). Knowledge engineering and psychology: Towards a closer relationship. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 64(12), 1214-1229.

PATTERNS AND SEQUENCES

Why do sequences matter? [click]

Fractals [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1988) Fractal symmetry and the structure of action. Paper submitted to BPS Social Section Conference, September 1988

Super-reversal [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1999) Super-reversal in judgemental forecasting. Paper to ISF'99 (International Institute of Forecasters, International Symposium on Forecasting, 1999). Washington DC, 27th-30th June.

Comparing sequences [click]

Ainsworth, S. E., Clarke, D. D. and Gaizauskas, R. (2002) Using edit distance algorithms to compare alternative approaches to ITS authoring.  In S. A. Cerri, G. Gouardres and F. Paraguau (eds.) Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2363. Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Proceedings of 6th International Conference ITS 2002, Biarritz and San Sebastian, June 2-7. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 3540 43750 9. Pp 873-882.

FORECASTING

Forecasting [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1992) Qualitative judgemental forecasting methods for use in strategic decision making. In Proceedings of IDASCO '92: International Conference on Information-Decision-Action Systems in Complex Organisations. London: Institution of Electrical Engineers, Conference Publication, No. 353.

MISCELLANEOUS / FUN STUFF

Undergrad project [click]

Clarke, D. D. and  Jones, S. (1971)  Foveal and peripheral detail vision. Undergraduate project, Cambridge University, Department of Experimental Psychology.

My final-year project as an undergraduate.

(The experimental apparatus is [here])

D.Phil. thesis [click]

That's Oxford-speak for a PhD.

Nephron [click]

Clarke, D. D.  (1972)  Nephron: a game.  Oxford Medical School Gazette 25(1), 41.

My first publication?

Story [click]

Clarke, D. D. (1975) Tones of suspicion. Entry for 'The Best Mystery Story of the Year' competition, Cheltenham Literary Festival.