Natural semantic-temporal differentiation
Main concepts: line, flatness, three-dimensional, n-dimensional
space, set of values
Measurement by Osgood Charles Egerton method is measure of measurement
adequacy and of measurement object adequacy.
Procrustean bed of Osgood's semantic differential cuts alive poly-dimensional psychical space (semantic space) with the help of three scales in three directions and gets three responses from this poly-dimensional semantic space. In the ideal case this three-dimensional cut is good for four-dimensional space investigation, because three-dimensional space could be transformed into four-dimensional one by adding the fourth co-ordinate, and the three-dimensional space is
a cut of four-dimensional space (but not of poly-dimensional one).
What is four-dimensional space in psyche? The answer is: this is a space of two requirements. The explanation for this is, that the space of one requirement is a flatness, because requirement has two dimensions: subject-dimension and temporal dimension
Pi (Csub, Ct)
Csub is here a subject constituent
Ct is the a temporal constituent
Pi is a requirement of smth
The evaluation of the world in terms or requirement and in terms
of things, which have something to do with the requirement Pi,
differs from the state, when there is no attitude, before the
appearing of any attitude. We can speak about the measure of
this relation and we can value the relation in terms of this
requirement. Being a romantic, Shelley could see the world with
constant requirement and in terms of this requirement and he could
find and express his attitude towards the world so, that o lot of
things of the world had something to do with Shelley's requirement
of seeing the world this way: to see the eternity at one moment,
the whole world in a grain of sand and the sky in a bud of a flower.
When there is no attitude, it means cipher on the scale of subject
attitude. In this case one con see no subject sence in this subject
(which is noted with this word).
Let's return to the space of two requirements. The space of two
requirements is four-dimensional one. Is this space closer or
farther to the psychical reality in the laboratory? This question
we must consider in every concrete experimental situation - if the
psychologist manages to create the space that he wants to measure.
The explanation: Osgood C.E made artificially a quasi-requirement
to value something in three directions, to take part in the experiment, and on the background stood one more serious requirement.
Let us assume, that the quasi-requirement of taking part in Osgood
experiments was really transformed into desire of valuing something
with the help of three scales. Let's assume that people followed
this three quasi-requirements of stating the value of words meanings and not taking the time into account (for the purity of the
experiment).It was actually assumed, not to consider the factor
of time. If the temporal aspect was discussed before the people
had been involved into the experiment? What was said by that?
I need you for two hours and you'll get 10$ for this? If such a
contract really took place? If yes, then this is the quasi-requirement of taking part Pi (10$, 2 hours). This quasi-requirement
was also transformed into quasi-requirement of valuing something
after a person had agreed to take part in the experiment. So, a
quasi-requirement appeared, and the people wanted to value the
world of meanings and the words with the help scales 1, 2, 3
(power, activity and value). Is a person, who takes part in the
experiment, honest? That is another inevitable question. The
primary requirement of taking part in the experiment has not disappeared.
Does Osgood's semantic differential method correspond to the wealth
of the psychical world of men? What do we investigate with the help
of this method? An artificially created perspective from the point
of view of the investigated eunuch, with tacit assumption that our
investigated person lives and takes part in our experiments in accordance with Osgood's doctrine. Or does the person taking part
in our experiments live in accordance with the doctrine of another
genius observer, Sigmund Freud, is this person full of libido and
sees the world in terms of it?
Let's call the ghost of C. E. Osgood.
What does C. E. Osgood say?
Let's now call the ghost of S. Freud.
What does S. Freud say?
Osgood: Let's not take libido into account.
Freud: This is impossible.
Is this enough to show how many conditional, metaphorical,
idealistic elements there are in C. E. Osgood's semantic differential method? Yes, it is enough.
Let's go on and turn to the semantic spaces.
There are some variants:
1. In psychical reality there are not only transformations of
quasi-requirement of taking part in laboratory psychological
experiments, but also we have overlapping of two requirements.
This is the simplest case.
2. A person stays himself in the psychical reality of the experiment
(it must be so in the ideal case), with his requirements and without
any transformations in accordance with experimenter-psychologist's
conditions.
3. In psychical reality of the experiment a person denies himself,
pushes his requirement aside, disown them and clears himself of
them and he follows exactly the psychologist's directions, he is
like an empty vessel, which absorbs the test of valuing smth impartially with the help of three Osgood's scales.
How can we find a way of this three variants situation?
The answer is the following. In the real experimental situation
we can substitute Osgood's semantic differential for the natural
semantic differential. Create the situation of meaning valuing with
the help of C. E. Osgood's method. Pi (10$, 2 hours) and don't discuss how long will the experiment last. Let the investigated person
work in the experimental situation (created with the help of
semantic differential) an hour, two hours, three, five, twenty
and you should notice, how the situation, created by you, changes,
how quasi-requirement of taking part in the experiment by the
semantic differential method substitutes for quite different
differentions. For all three cases we have the differentiation in
terms of actual requirements for this moment. On this changing
basis the aiming and the valuing of reality and the meaning valuing takes place.
Everything is in movement. And the differentiation is in movement,
too.
One fact takes place: psychical reality of the value of any meaning,
any subject, which can be useful or unuseful for the satisfaction
of a requirement in terms of time. So the value of requirement's
subject constituent takes place.
The main question is: What units (not points) does the person use
for valuing smth in the current moment. This is the question about
the scale of the current moment, about the measure for the moment.
Stevens Stanley Smith scales change in time.
Every moment of objective time can be interesting only in terms
of subjective time. Every moment of objective time in terms of
actual requirement can be expressed with the help of ratio h / k,
where
h is the coefficient of requirement subject accumulation,
k is the coefficient of the spent time
This ratio h / k determines the measure of semantic space.
The unit for the measure of semantic space is the changing ratio of
the coefficients of subject and temporal constituents of an actual
requirement.
The explanation. Here we don't offer to refuse from C. E. Osgood's
method. Psychology is grateful C. E. Osgodd for the setting or the
problem of sence measurements, for the successful method of personal
sence measurement, for the looking for an adequate method. Each of
us used to learn the meanings measurement method by Osgood's method.
But we have to go on.
We offer to renovate Osgoog's method for measurement by two scales
in accordance with two constituents of actual or actually created
requirement.
We call them so:
- preference by the subject constituent of the requirement
- preference by the temporal constituent of the requirement
So, we came closely to the object of the measurement at the current
moment of an actual psychical process. A psychologist can instruct
the investigated person (in a way Osgood did it) - how to value by
the preference be the subject and by the temporal scales. The
ratio of such values h1 / k1 can show the actual state, but only
this state at the moment t1. The measurements in the next state
will give one more ratio h2 / k2 for the moment t2. So, we have
the possibility for investigating of dynamic. The difference
between t2 and t1 we can measure be an objective method - with
the help of watches.
One can use this new method with the classic Osgoog's one. We can
dose h2 and h1, k2 and k1 out, measure the difference in
preferences and do conclusions about semantic space measure
changes.
So, we make the method of measurement closer to the object of
measurement. We hope, this method will provide more adequate
vision and measurement of the object.
A. Pestov
22.05.1999
An explanation for dilettantes
Every morning you have your breakfast and your smiling
servant brings you your coffee or tee and ask you: "How much
sugar, sir?" You accomplish an act of subject-temporal
differentiation. You correspond with your requirement in
sugar in terms of subjects and time. You answer: "Two
pieces please" (neither one, nor three, nor five) or
you answer: "No, thank you, without sugar please". It
goes without saying that you mean "now, at that moment",
and nothing else. To make the temporal side (aspect) of
subject-temporal differentiation brighter the servant has
not to perform his/her functions immediately after he/she
has asked you "How much sugar, sir?" The temporal aspect
appears with the question about the sugar, it's time to
bring me sugar or with the questions with another temporal
content. So, you never take a step without subject-temporal
differentiation.
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