bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pluralism and Rationality in the Social Sciences
Authors: Johansson Ingvar
Published: March 2007

This article takes it for granted that science is intrinsically social and that competition is part and parcel of science. Four kinds of competition are distinguished and related to four kinds of rationalities: technological, normal scientific, political, and philosophical. It is argued that science as a whole is rational when there is interaction between the different (sub-) rationalities. Science needs not only different disciplines, but a methodological division of labor.
False Prophecy Versus True Quest A Modest Challenge to Contemporary Relativists
Authors: Agassi Joseph
Published: March 2007

A good theory of rationality should accommodate debates over first principles, such as those of rationality. The modest challenge made in this article is that relativists try to explain the (intellectual) value of some debates about first principles (absolute presuppositions, basic assumptions, intellectual frameworks, intellectual commitments, and paradigms). Relativists claim to justify moving with relative ease from one framework to another, translating chunks of one into the other; this technique is essential for historians, anthropologists and others. Thus ideas concerning false prophecy are transferable to contemporary discussions. Ancient false prophets offered illusions of overcoming difficult problems cheaply; relativists do that too. The problem that relativism purports to solve cheaply is that of legitimizing pluralism. As the absolutist theory of truth is intuitively problematic, relativism seems intuitively more acceptable, but this intuitive advantage vanishes when it manifests as false prophecy.
Gadamer Without Tears
Authors: Agassi Joseph
Published: March 2007

The chief feature of Gadamer's philosophy is his claim that the humanities obey their own rules concerning reading texts and ensuring certitude. The promise of certitude is illusory, however, and the discourses on interpretation by him and his leading disciples are too confused to instruct the reader. His own sketch of his philosophy, published in his autobiographic Philosophical Apprenticeship, and its reflection in Gadamer and Hermeneutics (Hugh J. Silverman, ed.), shows this and reveals him as still too insensitive to the national tragedy of the Third Reich, which he witnessed.
Description of Some Signposts to Unknown Areas
Authors: Winter Jenny
Published: March 2007

When defining science as a problem-solving activity, philosophers of science have mainly focussed on "the context of discovery," the process of finding creative solutions to problems; and "the context of justification," the process of evaluating new theories. This article takes a step backward and proposes ways to find problems with a creative potential: (1) Seek areas of theoretical controversy—respect all the facts and set out to find a new theory that can encompass the contradictions; (2) move beyond the realm of research proper—take an interest in phenomena that do not fit into any established theory or frame of reference; (3) give a break to discovery by chance—be attentive and welcoming to unexpected results; (4) look for exceptions—treat them as first-class facts instead of ignoring them or trying to explain them away.
The Validity of a Self-reported Delinquency Scale
Authors: PIQUERO ALEX R. , MACINTOSH RANDALL , HICKMAN MATTHEW
Published: March 2007

Self-reported delinquency scales have been widely adopted by researchers seeking to measure delinquency. Establishing the validity of these scales is critical because if valid measures are not created, findings about the correlates of delinquency will be of limited use in testing theory and formulating public policy. In this article, the authors use data from the first wave of the National Youth Survey to examine the measurement properties of a commonly used delinquency scale. The authors use the Rasch measurement model to test whether the scale meets the requirements of fundamental measurement and whether consistent measurement has occurred across subgroups including gender, age, race, and place of residence. Our results indicate that the original response category options are inadequate and differential item functioning exists across various subgroups. Methodological implications and directions for future research are identified.
A Note on the Reliability of Ranked Items
Authors: VANLEEUWEN DAWN M. , MANDABACH KEITH H.
Published: March 2007

Instruments may be designed to use either Likert-type items (ratings) or ranks to obtain priority rankings of items. Models commonly used in generalizability theory (GT) provide a basis for assessing the reliability of item measurements based on ratings. However, these commonly used models do not apply when respondents are required to rank a set of items. Unlike ratings, ranks force subject effects to zero. Furthermore, ranks violate independence assumptions, and the dependence between ranks assigned to different items affects the standard error of item mean differences and, consequently, the reliability of the item comparisons. A GT analysis for ranked items is presented and used to derive standard errors for differences between item means as well as an item measurement reliability coefficient. This analysis uses a linear model that is not typically used in GT analyses but that models those features unique to ranks.
On Dummy Variable Regression Analysis
Authors: Miller Jerry L.L. , Erickson Maynard L.
Published: March 2007

This paper is concerned with the description of a specialized form of linear regression analysis commonly known as "dummy variable" regression analysis. Efforts are made to show the relationship between "dummy variable" regression analysis and other multivariate analysis techniques with a specific emphasis on the kinds of problems and data that sociologists deal with where "dummy variable" regression analysis is particularly appropriate and useful. Efforts are also made (1) to give illustrations and examples of problems to which this type of multiple-regression analysis might be applied productively; (2) to show how "dummy variable" regression analysis is both similar to and different from other multivariate techniques in terms of the analytical procedures and the kinds of interpretations that are made possible.
The Confounding of Measured and Unmeasured Variables
Authors: Blalock H.M.
Published: March 2007

Given the impossibility of measuring and including more than a few of the variables that ideally belong in a theoretical model, we know that biases are introduced when omitted variables are confounded with measured variables. In particular, professional or ideological biases may affect the labels attached to interrelated sets of variables. In sociology we tend to confound "status effects" with many possible nonstatus effects of objective characteristics such as education, occupation, or income. It is shown that, without the introduction of simplifying assumptions, such status and nonstatus effects cannot be disentangled. The case of "status" and "power" effects is also discussed.
Evaluating Human Service and Correctional Programs By Modeling the Timing of Recidivism
Authors: Bloom Howard S.
Published: March 2007

This paper develops and illustrates a new statistical model of recidivism which enables program evaluators to (1) examine short-run program impact on the postponement of recidivism, through estimates of the average time at which recidivism occurs; (2) measure long-run program impact on the prevention of recidivism, through estimates of the ultimate probability ofrecidivism and (3) help determine when individuals have been successful long enough to be considered "safe," through estimates of their conditional probability of future recidivism.
Estimation and Testing for a Markov Model of Reinforcement
Authors: Allison Paul D.
Published: March 2007

The contagious Poisson process is a Markov process which has been used to represent the reinforcement of events. Standard methodsfor estimating and testing this model are shown to be generally inefficient and usually inconsistent. New methods making use of events counts from two or more adjacent intervals of time are proposed and illustrated. The model is also generalized to allow for initial heterogeneity.
Maximum Likelihood Methods for Linear Models
Authors: DOREIAN PATRICK
Published: March 2007

This article presents a model that is a natural generalization of both the spatial effects linear model and the linear model with spatial disturbances. Maximum likelihood methods are presented that provide estimates of the parameters of the model together with the asymptotic variance-covariance matrix of the estimates. Numerical illustrations of these methods are provided.
Event History Testing
Authors: DAVIES RICHARD B. , PICKLES ANDREW R. , CROUCHLEY ROBERT
Published: March 2007

Heterogeneity and nonstationarity typically present in sociological time series have prevented rigorous testing of the axiom of cumulative inertia (McGinnis, 1968). An hypothesis test is presented for event history effects in a collection of short event series controlling for heterogeneity and nonstationarity. The test is applied to the Southeast Wisconsin residential mobility data of Clark et al. (1977, 1979). The results indicate no evidence of any event history effects, and suggest that the residential mobility may be represented by an independent trials process.
Most Possible Estimates and Maximum Likelihood Estimates
Authors: WANAT JOHN
Published: March 2007

Testing for independence in two-way contingency tables [ILLEGIBLE][ILLEGIBLE] using a chi-square test that measures the goodness of fit between the observed data and the expected values. This article examines the expected values normally employed in such analyses. It first notes that the usually derived expected values are based on assumptions about the distributional form of an underlying probability density function that may not always be well-founded. Then the article presents an alternative method of estimating expected values, the most possible estimate approach, that does not rely on a priori assumptions about the distributional form. Finally, by establishing that the most possible estimates approximate maximum likelihood estimates, the robustness of the standard maximum likelihood estimator is demonstrated and the researcher is thereby assured of safety in using it without attending to distributional assumptions. The analysis is applied to 3 × 3 tables in this article.
Tracking Respondents in a Telephone Interview Panel Selected by Random Digit Dialing
Authors: BOOTH ALAN , JOHNSON DAVID R.
Published: March 2007

Although telephone interview surveys using random digit dialing to select the sample are increasingly being used, little is known about tracking a panel of respondents selected using this method. This article reports on a three-year panel study of 2032 married respondents selected using a national random digit dialing sample. Of the original sample, 78% was reinterviewed three years later. Tracking procedures used are described in detail and the success of various strategies are reported. Overall, the findings suggest that with proper planning and tracking, panel studies based on random digit dialing samples can yield samples comparable to those gathered by more traditional methods.
Data Collection
Authors: BURSTEIN LEIGH , FREEMAN HOWARD E. , SIROTNIK KENNETH A. , DELANDSHERE GINETTE , HOLLIS MICHAEL
Published: March 2007

Recent advances in design, measurement, and analysis can have only a marginal impact on the integrity of evaluation studies because the evaluation of social programs is fundamentally dependent on the quality of the collected data. The effects of data collection procedures and their consequences on the integrity of evaluation conclusions are explicated. Data collection faults occurring in evaluation studies are enumerated and illustrated. A research agenda is proposed for improving data collection in social program evaluations.
The Mover-Stayer Model
Authors: DAVIES RICHARD B. , CROUCHLEY ROBERT
Published: March 2007

Recent developments in nonparametric marginal likelihood have generated a very general, but readily operationalized, method of overcoming the nuisance parameter problem in stochastic models. Theoretical, empirical, and simulation analyses show that the nonparametric approach seriously undermines the modeling advantages traditionally associated with the mover-stayer model. Moreover, the goodness-of-fit success often achieved by the mover-stayer model is shown to have a plausible explanation not requiring a true mover/stayer dichotomy in the population.
The Social Relations of Intensive Interviewing
Authors: HARKESS SHIRLEY , WARREN CAROL A.B.
Published: March 2007

The central question of this article is, What happens when interviewer and interviewee know, or come to know, one another, as they do in the intensive interview of qualitative research? The authors begin with the contradiction between the assumption of science that interview participants be strangers, on one hand, and the need for rapport in order to establish validity on the other. The authors construct a typology of the social relations in intensive interviewing: (1) the stranger dyad, in which unfamiliarity is assumed; (2) the web of relevance, in which interview participants know of one another at least indirectly; and (3) the web of group affiliation, in which participants are members of a primary group. For each type, different consequences of departures from strangeness for rapport and validity are explored. The authors conclude that although intensive interviews do produce valid data, the effects of familiarity appear problematic more often than not.
The Covariance Structure Analysis of Ipsative Data
Authors: CHAN WAI , BENTLER PETER M.
Published: March 2007

Data are called ipsative if they are subject to a constant-sum constraint for each observation. Usually, ipsative data are the consequence of transformation of their corresponding preipsative data. In this article, two kinds of ipsative data are defined. They are the additive ipsative data (AID) and the multiplicative ipsative data (MID). Jackson and Alwin proposed a method to analyze AID in exploratory factor analysis. However, they failed to provide the estimates of the original factor loadings. In this study, first, their method is modified in the context of covariance structure analysis. It is discovered that the original parameter estimates can usually be recovered provided the model of the preipsative data is well defined. An artificial example is used to demonstrate the suggested method. Second, the method is extended to the case of MID. A real example is considered also. Finally, some related issues, problems, and generalizations are addressed and discussed.
Multilevel Analysis Methods
Authors: HOX JOOP J. , KREFT ITA G. G.
Published: March 2007

This special issue of SMR is about the analysis of data collected at different levels of observation, such as groups and individuals within these groups, and about the methodological problems that are present when natural experimentation and observations nested within existing social groups are the object of study. The methodological problems are summarized in the term multilevel problems. A multilevel problem is a problem that inquires into the relationships between a set of variables that are measured at a number of different levels of a hierarchy. This article discusses some traditional approaches to the analysis of multilevel data and their statistical shortcomings. The random coefficient linear model is presented, which resolves many of these problems, and the currently available software is discussed. Next, some more general developments in multilevel modeling are discussed. The authors end with an overview of this special issue.
Hierarchical Regression Models for Interviewer and Respondent Effects
Authors: HOX J. J.
Published: March 2007

It is generally recognized that interviewers may have an important effect on the quality of the data collected in survey research. This article presents an application of the hierarchical regression model in the analysis of interviewer effects. The hierarchical regression model offers an elegant way of analyzing the simultaneous effects of specific interviewer and respondent characteristics. It is especially attractive if the research design does not provide for a random assignment of respondents to interviewers, because it allows the researcher to use statistical rather than experimental control by modeling the interviewer effects conditional on the respondent effects.
Sampling Weights and Regression Analysis
Authors: WINSHIP CHRISTOPHER , RADBILL LARRY
Published: March 2007

Most major population surveys used by social scientists are based on complex sampling designs where sampling units have different probabilities of being selected. Although sampling weights must generally be used to derive unbiased estimates of univariate population characteristics, the decision about their use in regression analysis is more complicated. Where sampling weights are solely a function of independent variables included in the model, unweighted OLS estimates are preferred because they are unbiased, consistent, and have smaller standard errors than weighted OLS estimates. Where sampling weights are a function of the dependent variable (and thus of the error term), we recommend first attempting to respecify the model so that they are solely a function of the independent variables. If this can be accomplished, then unweighted OLS is again preferred. If the model cannot be respecified, then estimation of the model using sampling weights may be appropriate. In this case, however, the formula used by most computer programs for calculating standard errors will be incorrect. We recommend using the White heteroskedastic consistent estimator for the standard errors.
A Box-Jenkins Approach to Modeling Outliers in Time Series Analysis
Authors: THOME HELMUT
Published: March 2007

The sociologist or historian who wants to analyze time series data is often confronted with the fact that the data do not meet the requirements of the statistical models that he or she would like to apply. One of the problems commonly encountered is “outliers” that, if not treated properly, may distort model identification and parameter estimation. Statisticians working within the Box-Jenkins approach to time series analysis have recently developed a detection and estimation procedure that promises to be quite effective in modeling outliers. This procedure is introduced here in the version given by Chung Chen and Lon-Mu Liu. Several examples with simulated and real world data are presented.
A Life Cycle Model of Labor Force Inequality
Authors: HAYWARD MARK D. , LICHTER DANIEL T.
Published: March 2007

Prevalence measures of labor force activity unambiguously demonstrate inequality across population groups (e.g., education groups), but they cannot reveal the underlying stochastic processes generating inequality. In this article, the authors develop explicit life cycle measures of inequality that summarize the divergent stochastic processes defining group differences in labor force behavior. They focus specifically on educational differences in individuals' work and retirement experiences over the latter part of the career cycle. Their analytic approach is a Markov-based multistate life table, directly extending Clogg's life table model of labor force inequality. Analyses are based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Older Men, 1966-1983. The authors' approach demonstrates how prevalence measures of inequality as well as measures of life cycle inequality are generated by the underlying stochastic processes. Comparisons of the life cycle measures and prevalence measures illustrate the potentially divergent pictures of labor force inequality conveyed by the alternative measures.
From structure to substance: Ambedkar, Dumont and orientalism
Authors: Fitzgerald Timothy
Published: March 2007

Dumont has been criticised by writers such as Appadurai, Dirks and Inden for placing caste at the centre of his analysis of Hindu ideology, and arguing for the subordination of power to ritual status in India. This formulation is supposedly orientalist. In this article I reject the accusation that Dumont is guilty of orientalism, and I suggest that the case of B. R. Ambedkar and the Buddhist/Dalit movement which he initiated gives some support to Dumont's analytical categories. Ambedkar's own analysis of Hindu ideology was similar to Dumont's in two important points: he identified Untouchability as an essential feature of caste and Hindu ideology; and he argued that political power is subordinated to religious values. This would help to explain, for example, his public conversion to Buddhism, the religion of the renouncer, after a lifetime in politics. However, the picture is complicated by the political intention of Ambedkar and the contemporary Buddhists to transform the relation between religion and power, so that what traditionally had been an internalised conformity by Untouchables with a divine hierarchical order has now become a struggle between two contradictory value systems, as a result of which ritual status has itself increasingly been re-represented as an idiom of political power.
Provisioning transactions and the reproduction of agrarian social orders
Authors: Vasavi A.R.
Published: March 2007

The jajmani system has often been seen as the model representation of rural provisioning transactions which link landed members of agrarian societies to the labour and service caste groups. However, attention to a variant of provisioning transactions enacted in rural north Karnataka indicates the extent to which these transactions differ from the jajmani system and exemplify what might be called 'embedded' transactions. It is their embedded dimension, in which political and economic motivations are intertwined with the social and cultural, that enables these transactions to function, simultaneously, as a form of social reproduction. However, recent shifts in the organisation of agriculture and in the changing identities of low- ranked caste members have led to a decline in these transactions, producing ruptures in the reproduction of the local social order. While the articulation of these transactions in their 'embedded' state camouflages their economic and social orientation, it is in their state of decline that the 'special logics' of these transactions can be discerned.
Gifting and receiving: Anglo-Indian charity and its beneficiaries in Madras
Authors: Caplan Lionel
Published: March 2007

This article attempts to further the study of gifting in India by examining both the donors and recipients of charity in a contemporary urban context. Considering the case of Anglo-Indians in Madras, many of whom have been the objects of philanthropy since the colonial period, it explores various dimensions of this activity today. For one thing, it notes the highly personalised character of charity, which contributes to the definition and realisation of a moral community of benefactors and their beneficiaries. For another, it seeks to demonstrate how the relief of poverty is a vital ingredient in the definition of Anglo-Indian leadership—as of leadership in India generally—and occupies a significant place in the discourse of community politics. Finally, it seeks to take account of the recipients of philanthropy, exploring some of the ways in which the ideologies and practices surrounding almsgiving bothfragment and unite the poor in their distress, and asks how those in a relationship of almost total economic subjection attempt to assert some control over the conditions of their dependency.
Promises, Promises
Authors: KEENAN ALAN
Published: March 2007

The effort to recapture the lost spirit of revolution must, to a certain extent, consist in the attempt at thinking together and combining meaningfully what our present vocabulary presents to us in terms of opposition and contradiction.

Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, 225-26

Once again we find the paradox dominating the whole of social action: freedom exists because society does not achieve constitution as a structural objective order; but any social action tends towards the constitution of that impossible object, and thus towards the elimination of the conditions of liberty itself.

Ernesto Laclau, New Reflections on the Revolution of Our Time, 44

Have you ever asked yourselves sufficiently how much the erection of every ideal on earth has?... If a temple is to be erected a temple must be destroyed: that is the law—let anyone who can show me a case in which it is not fulfilled!

Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, Second Essay, sec. 24
The Force of Freedom
Authors: AFFELDT STEVEN G.
Published: March 2007

In ancient times, when persuasion played the role of public force, eloquence was necessary. Of what use would it be today, when public force has replaced persuasion. One needs neither art nor metaphor to say such is my pleasure.

Jean Jacques Rousseau
BRAZILIAN TELEVISION
Authors: STRAUBHAAR JOSEPH D.
Published: March 2007

The rise of Brazilian television is reviewed here showing how TV Globo came to dominate, and how U.S. influences gradually diminished. This “Brazilianization” of television occurred largely due to commercial reasons, as TV Globo gained a virtual monopoly of national advertising in Brazil. Less important were national and international governmental policies. Telenovelas and other TV genres represent programming ideas that have been Brazilianized almost beyond recognition. In fact the author argues that telenovelas have become the paramount form of popular culture since the 1970s in Brazil.
Women's Comedy Preferences During the Menstrual Cycle
Authors: MEADOWCROFT JEANNE M. , ZILLMANN DOLF
Published: March 2007

Females in different phases of their menstrual cycle were given the opportunity to select comedy, drama, and game-show programs for an evening's worth of watching television. Additionally, they rated their enjoyment of a battery of cartoons and watched excerpts from several television programs. It was found that premenstrual and menstrual women preferred comedy over alternative choices more strongly than did women midway through the cycle. It is suggested that this preference reflects a desire to overcome the hormonally mediated noxious mood states that are characteristically associated with the premenstrual and menstrual phases of the cycle. Appreciation of humor and comedy was not found to vary with cycle phases, however.
A Spatial Model of the Mere Exposure Effect
Authors: FINK EDWARD L. , MONAHAN JENNIFER L. , KAPLOWITZ STAN A.
Published: March 2007

The mere exposure effect has been central to our understanding of the role of cognition in attitude change. Using a spatial model, an experiment is reported that examines the relationship between exposure, cognition, and affect. Subjects (N = 153) viewed a geometric figure either high or low in complexity within a 64-frame film clip, with each frame appearing for 28 msec. Because of exposure, the simpler stimulus and the term for affect are found to move almost directly toward each other in the multidimensional space, whereas no evidence for any cognitive change for this stimulus is found. No form of processing is found for the more complex stimulus. Results indicate that the spatial model is useful for evaluating the mere exposure effect and that affective change does not seem to require cognitive change.
The Individual Agenda-Designing Process
Authors: ROESSLER PATRICK
Published: March 2007

The present study combines three data sets: (a) a representative survey among 900 German citizens; (b) a snowball survey among the interaction partners of these interviewees; and (c) a content analysis of newspaper, television, and radio coverage. The measurement of the independent variable was improved by an individual matching procedure of content analysis data and the media use patterns of each respondent. Whereas the aggregate-level analysis shows the usually high correspondence between media and societal agenda, the individual-level comparison of whole issue agendas indicates mutual dependencies, with the personal agenda leading the individual media agenda more frequently. Several path analysis models for single-issue relevance reveal that the importance of an issue in the actually received media coverage exerts only little influence on the assessment of issue importance of a respondent. Instead, personal factors, such as issue involvement, interpersonal communication, and the issue assessment of the network partners, exert a substantial impact.
Suicide Assessment in a Prison Environment
Authors: CORREIA KEVIN M.
Published: March 2007

A primary responsibility of any mental health professional working within the field of corrections is to coordinate an effective suicide prevention program. The present article discusses various aspects of successfully accomplishing this objective. It reviews some of the major warning signs that should be examined by mental health providers evaluating inmates referred as suspected of significant suicidal risk. A method of organizing the suicide assessment and categorizing referrals as inappropriate, malingering, or at true risk is discussed, along with methods of distinguishing among the three types. Some of the primary differences in inmate suicide attempts, as opposed to suicidal gestures, are reviewed as well as other special considerations mental health professionals should consider in formulating recommendations following suicide risk assessments. Finally, various outcome recommendations that can be used as a result of the assessments are presented.
Deviant Sexual Behavior
Authors: BAXTER D. J. , MARSHALL W. L. , BARBAREE H. E. , DAVIDSON P. R. , MALCOLM P. B.
Published: March 2007

Criminal record, personal history, social-sexual competence, and physiological responses to erotic stimuli were examined in incarcerated pedophiles, hebephiles, and rapists. There were significant differences among groups in criminal and personal background; in particular, pedophiles tended to be older, more poorly educated, more likely to be unmarried, and less frequently involved in nonsexual crime. Social and social-sexual inadequacy was common to all groups, reflected in under-assertiveness, low self-esteem, and negative sexual attitudes. Rapists and hebephiles both responded maximally to adults as sexual partners, and both responded more to cues for consensual sex than to cues for rape. Thus it appears that deviant sexual arousal is a factor in deviant sexual behavior only in the case of pedophiles.
Recidivism among Released Federal Prisoners
Authors: HOFFMAN PETER B. , BECK JAMES L.
Published: March 2007

The salient factor score is an actuarial device used by the United States Parole Commission as an aid in assessing a federal prisoner's likelihood of recidivism after release. This device was originally constructed and validated on random samples of released federal prisoners using a two-year follow-up period of each case with “recidivism” defined as any new commitment of sixty days or more or return to prison as a parole violator. In this research note, a further examination of the salient factor score is described using a five-year follow-up period for each case. To focus upon the predictive power of the salient factor score with regard to particularly serious new criminal conduct, “recidivism” is defined as the presence of a new sentence of imprisonment exceeding one year for an offense committed during the follow-up period. It is found that the salient factor score retains predictive power when applied to this follow-up period and outcome measure.
Vigilante Behavior and Attribution Bias
Authors: NEAPOLITAN JERRY
Published: March 2007

There have been in recent years much debate and controversy over when private citizens are justified in taking the law into their own hands. This research proposes that whether vigilante behavior is seen as justified or not depends not only upon the objective events but upon the social characteristics of the participants, the environmental context, and the results of actions. Using hypotheses derived from attribution, equity, and symbolic interaction theories, it was found that identification with either actor and symbolic meanings in the environment influence vigilante behavior and justification of such behavior. Support was not found for equity theory hypotheses that resultant injuries influence justifications.
The Developmental Antecedents and Adult Adaptations of Rapist Subtypes
Authors: KNIGHT RAYMOND A. , PRENTKY ROBERT A.
Published: March 2007

A sample of 108 rapists determined to be sexually dangerous and committed to a facility designed for the treatment of sexual offenders were classified according to a taxonomic system into one of four types—compensatory, exploitative, displaced anger, or sadistic. These types were compared on selected, theoretically relevant measures of developmental antecedents and adult adaptation drawn from a careful review of each patient's clinical file. Although some differences among types emerged that corroborated expectations, other results directly disconfirmed speculations in the clinical literature. These results indicate that the variables comprising this taxonomic system tap important distinctions for this population, and when combined with the results of other studies, they provide an empirical base for revising and restructuring the system.
Some Critical Observations on Criminal Types and Criminal Careers
Authors: GIBBONS DON C.
Published: March 2007

This article deals with offender typologies, which have been of interest to several generations of criminologists. A number of these efforts are reviewed, but major emphasis is placed on the author's “role-career” scheme. A variety of research findings produced in the past decade or so suggest that the typological approach has been relatively unfruitful. In general, “careers” in crime and deviance are encountered less frequently than is suggested by typologies.
Fear of Litigation in Mental Health Professionals
Authors: BRODSKY STANLEY L.
Published: March 2007

Although lawsuits against mental health professionals are increasing, the responses by professionals generally have been well out of proportion to the nature of the risk. In some cases, a simple phobic pattern has been observed. Suggestions for coping with the fear of litigation include knowledge of baserates, use of consultation and training, and heightened awareness of defensive and unnecessary consequences.
Bender Gestalt Screening for Brain Dysfunction in a Forensic Population
Authors: FRIEDT LARRY R. , GOUVIER WILLIAM DREW
Published: March 2007

The diagnostic utility of the Lacks adaptation of the Hutt-Briskin (LHB) Bender Gestalt scoring system was examined in 112 male patients incarcerated at a regional state forensic facility. Subjects were independently classified as schizophrenic, organic, or normal, and Bender Gestalt protocols were scored and classified as nonorganic or organic according to LHB rules. Except for those with subnormal intelligence, normal subjects were classified with the greatest accuracy. Schizophrenics were misclassified as organic more frequently than normals. The poorest classification accuracy was observed among the organics, who were classified as normals nearly half of the time. These results suggest that LHB scoring of Bender Gestalt protocols offers a rather poor basis for screening for organic dysfunction among forensic patients.
Professional Issues
Authors: LEVINE MURRAY , DOHERTY ERIC
Published: March 2007

In several recent court cases, parents of children alleged to have been abused were ordered to undergo treatment or evaluation with a therapist who required that they admit to the abuse before therapy could be concluded successfully. The parents claimed that the requirement violated Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. These claims were accepted by courts, but in very limited ways. Therapists should be aware that often an admission of child abuse cannot be kept confidential. The admission may result in loss of custody, loss of parental rights or criminal prosecution. Accordingly, therapists should be aware of the liabilities that such an admission may create for a client. Courts may draw a fine legal line between effective therapy and unconstitutionally coerced admissions. To encourage full participation in court-ordered treatment, states should consider offering immunity from prosecution for admissions of past abuse made during that treatment.
The Lifestyle Criminality Screening Form
Authors: WALTERS GLENN D. , WHITE THOMAS W. , DENNEY DONALD
Published: March 2007

The development of a 14-item screening instrument designed to identify life-style criminality is discussed. This instrument, which is divided into four primary sections (irresponsibility, self-indulgence, interpersonal intrusiveness, and social rule breaking), is scored on the basis of information commonly found in an individual's presentence investigation report. Cutting scores were derived using a sample of 516 inmates confined in a maximum security federal penitentiary. The instrument was then validated by contrasting a group of 25 penitentiary inmates (hypothesized to contain a large percentage of life-style criminals) with a group of 25 prison camp inmates (hypothesized to contain few life-style criminals). Large differences were noted between these two groups on all four sections, regardless of whether assessed by sections or as a global measure. Even after removing items which may have been considered in originally assigning subjects to a camp or penitentiary, large group differences remained.
Job Satisfaction of Police Psychologists
Authors: BERGEN GEORGE T. , ACETO RUSSEL T. , CHADZIEWICZ MERRY M.
Published: March 2007

This study describes the relationships among job satisfaction, perceived officer animosity, job involvement, time investment in different psychological services, and personal characteristics of law enforcement psychologists. Subjects were 28 male and 19 female police psychologists drawn from the Directory of Division 18, Police and Public Safety Section, of the American Psychological Association. They worked both in-house and as consultants. All subjects were contacted by telephone and given a structured interview. Results indicated that police psychologists were extremely satisfied with their jobs, and perceived little officer animosity, no matter how much of their professional time was devoted to law enforcement work. In addition, police psychologists spend much more of their professional time doing counseling, and screening and selection, than doing training and organizational development. Finally, the counseling activity was significantly related to two important demographic variables: status (in-house or consultant) and sex. Counseling was done mostly in-house, and largely by female police psychologist.
Psychometric Properties of the Multiphasic Sex Inventory in Assessing Sex Offenders
Authors: KALICHMAN SETH C. , HENDERSON MARGIT C. , SHEALY LUCINDA S. , DWYER MARGRETTA
Published: March 2007

Although extensively used in the assessment of sexual offenders, the Multiphasic Sex Inventory (MSI) has not been the subject of psychometric evaluation. This article provides internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and redundancy analyses for the MSI. Data were obtained from three independent samples of incarcerated sex offenders and two independent samples of nonincarcerated sexual offenders. The results show that the MSI provides information not tapped by traditional psychological tests. Also, the MSI scales demonstrate moderate to high levels of internal consistency, and considerable convergence and divergence with other measures. The MSI's most notable limitations are its face validity and potential contamination by response biases. Suggestions for clinical use and further research are provided.
Effective Intervention with Neglectful Families
Authors: GAUDIN JAMES M.
Published: March 2007

The limited research on approaches to intervention with neglectful families is reviewed and guidelines for intervening with neglect are suggested. Most outcome studies have not employed experimental designs with control groups. Definitions of neglect vary among studies and distinctions have not been made between subtypes of neglect treated. Intervention programs have been successful in remedying neglect with less than 50% of the families served. Group interventions with child and adolescent victims have been more successful. Behavioral techniques have be used to successfully teach home management, parent-child interaction, and meal preparation skills to neglectful parents. Multiservice interventions are necessary to remedy the multiple problems presented by neglectful families. Group approaches, family treatment, use of paraprofessionals, and social network interventions have been used successfully with neglectful families. Short-term interventions have not been successful.
Prevention of Child Neglect
Authors: WOLFE DAVID A.
Published: March 2007

Research studies conducted over the past decade involving maltreating families largely confirm that the vast majority of parents lack competence in their role because of inadequate availability of resources, poor preparation and support in their role as parents, and impairment in coping due to overwhelming sources of stress present in the family and community. This article presents an overview of some of the risk factors that have been identified and that especially pertain to child neglect. Suggestions of ways to conceptualize prevention goals follow from these identified risk factors. Examples of some of the more promising programs that have emerged in recent years, based on a family support model of prevention and early intervention, are discussed. Recent programs directed at prevention of child neglect have primarily built on successful treatment approaches and applied them to a much broader segment of the parenting population at an earlier point in time. Several conclusions and suggestions for prevention planning in the area of child maltreatment follow from this discussion.
Determination of Criminal Responsibility
Authors: HISCOCK CHERYL K. , RUSTEMIER PAMELA J. , HISCOCK MERRILL
Published: March 2007

The two-alternative forced-choice principle, which has been used to detect malingering and “hysterical” symptoms, was applied to the assessment of criminal responsibility in an analog study. Prison inmates and university students completed forced-choice tests of general knowledge and moral reasoning on which below-chance scores indicate dishonest performance. Subjects were assigned randomly to one of three groups: control, naive faking, and coached faking. Significantly greater proportions of subjects in the naive and coached faking groups than in the control group scored significantly below chance on each test. Cutoff scores to maximize accuracy of classification were established for both tests. Implications of the findings for detecting individuals who fake a lack of criminal responsibility are considered, as well as directions for future research with other populations.
Psychological Differences Between Court-Referred and Self-Referred Wife Assaulters
Authors: DUTTON DONALD G. , STARZOMSKI ANDREW J.
Published: March 2007

Assessed on a battery of psychopathology and personality measures were 40 court-referred and 40 self-referred men in treatment for wife assault. Although both groups exhibited high degrees of psychopathology and similar personality profiles, self-referred men scored significantly higher on borderline personality organization, marital conflict, anger, depression, and total trauma symptoms. The two groups exhibited distinct patterns of socially desirable responding. A discriminant function analysis of scores corrected for social desirability correctly classified 88% of the men into court-referred and self-referred groups. Implications of these findings for theory, assessment, and treatment are considered.
Education and Training in Psychology and Law/Criminal Justice
Authors: OGLOFF JAMES R. P. , TOMKINS ALAN J. , BERSOFF DONALD N.
Published: March 2007

Although psychology had a brief—and rather dramatic—foray into the legal system early in this century, it was only after World War II that psychology started to systematically permeate the legal system. Building on the interest psychologists and other social scientists had on the law, education and training in the areas of psychology and law/criminal justice has undergone considerable growth and development over the past two decades. The authors discuss the early developments and current models of this education and training. Implications of the increased interest and training in psychology and law/criminal justice, and directions for future developments in these areas, also are explored.
The Relationship Between Female Inmates' Coping and Adjustment in a Minimum-Security Prison
Authors: NEGY CHARLES , WOODS DONALD J. , CARLSON RALPH
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify specific coping strategies associated with psychosocial adjustment in a minimum-security prison camp for women. A sample of 153 female inmates completed a demographic questionnaire, the COPE inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Of 13 theoretically distinct coping strategies, 6 were significantly positively associated with adjustment (higher self-esteem, less depression, and less state anxiety) and 2 were significantly negatively associated with adjustment. Also, larger coping repertoires were associated with higher adjustment scores. Implications of the findings are noted for future research on teaching inmates coping techniques.
Some Impacts of Collective Bargaining On Local Government
Authors: Horton Raymond D. , Lewin David , Kuhn James W.
Published: March 2007

The rapid growth of collective bargaining in the A merican public sector, especially local government, has sparked much concern with, but relatively little research of, union impacts on governmental management. Such impact analysis may most fruitfully be undertaken from a diversity perspective that envisions a multiplicity rather than a single pattern of bargaining outcomes. This diversity thesis is examined in relation to five dimensions of public management-compensation, personnel administration, service provision and delivery, government structure, and politics-and is tested in a preliminary way against relations in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The paper concludes with some implications of the analysis for policy and research in public sector labor relations.
State Legislative Casework and State Administrative Performance
Authors: Elling Richard C.
Published: March 2007

Based upon extended semistructured interviews with samples of state legislators and administrators in Kentucky and Minnesota, this comparative case study examines the consequences of legislative casework for state administrative performance. Although it is found that casework clearly does "humanize" the bureaucratic process, it does so at some not inconsiderable cost for the administrative values of universalism and affective neutrality. Casework appears to provide administrators with some useful feedback on agency operations and programs. In addition, casework-handling presents agencies with an opportunity to enhance legislative and citizen understanding of, and support for, agency activities. Although the overall judgment must be that positive consequences outweigh negative consequences, the study also finds more negative consequences than have sometimes been attributed to casework as far as effective administrative performance is concerned