Research, knowledge and design

The discussion about relations between research and design has a number of strands, and presumably motivations. Putting aside the question whether or not design or “creative endeavour” should be counted as research, for reasons to do with institutional recognition or reward, the question remains how, if at all, is design research? This question is unlikely to have attracted much interest but for matters external to Architecture within the modern university. But Architecture as a discipline now needs to understand research much better than in the past when ‘research’ was whatever went on in building science, history or people/environment studies. In this paper, I begin with some common assumptions about design, considered in relation to research, and suggest how the former can constitute or be a mode of the latter. Central to this consideration is an understanding of research as the production of publicly available knowledge. The method is that of conceptual analysis which is much more fruitful than is usually appreciated. This work is part of a larger project in philosophy of design, in roughly the analytical tradition.

Gregory the Great

Gregory the Great was one of the four great fathers of the western Church, quickly rising from a monk, to a deacon, and eventually to the papal office (590-604). This book provides an introduction to the life and times of Gregory the Great. Particular attention is paid to his thinking and his writings including translations of his commentaries on translating the Bible, his sermons to the people, his reflections on the human condition, and, perhaps his most important work, his commentary on the Book of Job. A great addition to the series. 177p (The Early Church Fathers, Routledge 2005)

Does the tendency to act impulsively underlie binge eating and alcohol use problems? An empirical investigation

The co-occurrence of problem drinking and binge eating and purging has been well documented. However, there has been relatively little investigation of etiological models that may influence the development of this co-occurrence. This study tests the hypotheses that impulsivity is heightened in eating disordered women compared with controls, and that women with comorbid bulimia and alcohol use disorders show higher impulsivity than bulimic-only women. The Impulsivity scale, BIS/BAS scales, State Anxiety Inventory, and a behavioural measure of reward responsiveness (CARROT) were administered to 22 women with bulimia, 23 women with comorbid bulimia and alcohol abuse/dependence, and 21 control women. As hypothesised, eating disordered women scored higher than controls on several self-report measures of impulsivity and sorted cards faster during a financially rewarded trial on the behavioural task. Also, as predicted, comorbid women scored higher than bulimic women on the Impulsivity scale. These findings suggest that individual differences in impulsiveness and a tendency to approach rewarding stimuli may contribute to developing these disorders. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.