bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating Item and Ability Parameters in Homogeneous Tests With the Person Characteristic Function
Authors: Carroll John B.
Published: March 2007

On the basis of monte carlo runs, in which item response data were generated for a variety of test characteristics, procedures for estimating item and ability parameters for homogeneous, uni dimensional tests are developed on the assumption that values of the slope parameter a and the guess ing parameter c are constant over items. The procedures focus on estimates of the a parameter, regarded as an important statistic for characteriz ing an ability. This parameter is estimated from person characteristic functions for different levels of the total raw score distribution. The procedures can be applied to datasets with relatively small or very large Ns and with either relatively small or large numbers of items. They are illustrated with data from several cognitive ability tests.
An Investigation of Ordinal True Score Test Theory
Authors: Donoghue John R. , Cliff Norman
Published: March 2007

The validity of the assumptions underlying Cliff's (1989) ordinal true score theory (OTST) were investigated in a three-stage study. OTST makes only ordinal assumptions about the data, and provides a means of converting ordinal item information into summary ordinal information about examinees. Stage 1 was a simulation based on a classical (weak true score) test theory model. Stage 2 used a long empirical test to approximate the true order. Stage 3 was an extensive simulation based on the three-parameter logistic model. The results of all three studies were consistent; the assumption of local ordinal uncorrelatedness was violated in that partial item-item gamma (y) cor relations were positive instead of 0. The assump tion of proportional distribution of ties was violated—pairs tied on one item were not distributed on the other as prescribed. The item- true order tau (τ) correlation was consistently overestimated, although the estimated τ correlated highly with the true τ. The τ correlation between total score and true order was also consistently overestimated. Stage 3 showed that these effects occurred under all conditions, although they were smaller under some conditions.
A Structural Equation Model for Measuring Residualized Change and Discerning Patterns of Growth or Decline
Authors: Raykov Tenko
Published: March 2007

This paper is concerned with two theoretically and empirically important issues in longitudinal research: (1) identifying correlates and predictors of change and (2) discerning patterns of change. Two traditional methods of change measurement—the residualized observed difference and the residualized gain score—are discussed. A general structural equation model for measuring residualized true change and studying patterns of true growth or decline is described. This approach allows consistent and efficient estimation of the degree of interrelation ship between residualized change in a repeatedly assessed psychological construct and other variables, such as studied/presumed correlates and predictors of growth or decline on the latent dimension. Sub stantively interesting patterns of change on the trait level, such as regression to the mean, over- crossing, and fan-spreading, can be discerned. The model is useful in research situations in which it is of theoretical and empirical concern to identify those variables that correlate with, or can be used to predict, such patterns of true growth or decline that deviate from a group-specific trend in longitudinally-measured psychological constructs. The approach is illustrated using data from a cog nitive intervention study of plasticity in fluid intel ligence of aged adults (Baltes, Dittmann-Kohli, & Kliegl, 1986).
Scoring Method and the Detection of Person Misfit in a Personality Assessment Context
Authors: Reise Steven P.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to explore psycho metric issues pertinent to the application of an IRT based person-fit (response aberrancy) detection statistic in the personality measurement domain. Monte carlo data analyses were conducted to address issues regarding the lz person-fit statistic. The major issues explored were characteristics of the null distribution of lz and its power to identify nonfitting response patterns under different scoring strategies. There were two main results. First, the lz index null distribution was not well standardized when item parameters of personality scales were used; the lz null distribution variance was significantly less than the hypothesized value of 1.0 under several conditions. Second, the power of l z to detect response misfit was affected by the scoring method. Detection power was optimal when a biweight estimator of θ was used. Recommendations are made regarding proper implementation of person-fit statistics in personality measurement.
Properties of the Spearman Correction for Attenuation for Normal and Realistic Non-Normal Distributions
Authors: Zimmerman Donald W. , Williams Richard H.
Published: March 2007

Results are presented of a computer simulation study of the Spearman correction for attenuation using a design originally suggested by Spearman (1904). Two parallel measures were generated for each of two variables with predetermined distribution shapes, correlations between true scores, and population reliability coefficients. The resulting data consisted of error scores, observed scores, sample reliability coefficients, and sample validity coefficients. The correction for attenuation was performed, and means, variances, and relative frequency distributions of both the uncorrected and corrected validity coefficients were analyzed for normal and non-normal distributions. For varying sample sizes and for all population distributions, the means of the corrected sample correlations were very close to the correlation between true scores, provided that the population reliability coefficients were fairly high. The variability of the corrected sample correlations was substantial, even for larger sample sizes. For lower reliability values, there was pronounced overcorrection, combined with extreme variability, especially for smaller sample sizes. Under these conditions, corrections exceeding 1.00 were frequent. The correction for attenuation appears to be useful only if the reliability coefficients of both measures are relatively high and sample size is relatively large. The properties of the correction for attenuation appear to be independent of the shape of the population distribution of test scores, at least for distributions commonly encountered in psychological and educational research.
An Examination of Perceptions and Usage of Regression Diagnostics in Organization Studies
Authors: Weinzimmer Laurence G. , Mone Mark A. , Alwan Layth C.
Published: March 2007

Few studies have evaluated the use of perhaps the most dominant analytic technique in organization studies-linear regression models. In this research, we investigate the extent to which researchers understand the assumptions and verify the appropriateness of linear regression modeling techniques prior to using them. After examining regression usage in leading journals and two samples of researchers in organization studies, we find that the assumptions and requirements of regression modeling are commonly neglected. We discuss consequences of disregarding these assumptions, the role of researchers' beliefs and understanding in not using diagnostics, and various diagnostic tools and statistical software which may be employed to assess regression assumptions. We conclude with a call for greater recognition of the importance of diagnostic checking and an increased application of diagnostics in organization studies.
Intra- Urban Residential Mobility: A Review and Synthesis
Authors: Quigley John M. , Weinberg Daniel H.
Published: March 2007

THIS PAPER PROVIDES A CRITICAL REVIEW AND SURVEY OF THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ON INTRA-URBAN HOUSEHOLD MOBILITY AND A SYNTHESIS OF THE THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF SOCIAL SCIENTISTS TO UNDERSTANDING THE DETERMINANTS OF LOCAL MOBILITY. THE ANALYSIS ATTEMPTS TO RECONCILE THESE PERSPECTIVES AND THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE INTO A UNIFIED THEORY OF THE MOBILITY DECISION BASED ON MEASURABLE CONCEPTS, AND IT PRESENTS SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR EMPIRICAL RESEARCH.
The Factors of Urban Population Growth: Net Immigration versus Natural Increase
Authors: Ledent Jacques
Published: March 2007

As a country evolves from a traditional to an advanced society, the part of urban growth that is due to net immigration follows a simple pattern, which can be described by an inverted U-shaped curve: it first increases, then passes through a maximum, and decreases thereafter. This hypothesis is confirmed by quantitative analysis using time-series and cross-section data. The analysis suggests that in the second half of this century natural increase often provides a slightly higher contribution to urban population growth than net immigration.
Modeling Urban Decline: A Multilevel Economic-Demographic Model for the Dortmund Region
Authors: Wegener Michael
Published: March 2007

Selected results of a multilevel dynamic simulation model of the economic and demographic development of the urban region of Dortmund are presented. In particular, the capability of the model to capture both urban growth and urban decline processes is illustrated. The mechanisms that control spatial growth, decline, or redistribution of activities in the model are first outlined, and a demonstration of how the model reproduces the general pattern of past spatial development follows. Finally, results of simulations covering a wide range of potential overall economic and demographic development in the region are discussed.
Input-Output Linkages and Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland
Authors: hUallacháin Breandán Ó.
Published: March 2007

This paper investigates the backward linkage structure of the Irish economy using a set of techniques developed to identify key sectors in input-output tables. The distribution of sectors with strong backward linkages is compared to the distribution of grant-aided foreign firms. Foreign firms are predominant in those sectors which are weakly dependent on national inputs. The low level of integration of foreign firms may therefore be quite typical of national behavior. Tests are made to determine the relationship between linkage and growth. The results suggest that significant relationships do not exist. Concern for improving linkages may in fact be shortsighted given more pressing policy objectives.
The Washington Projection and Simulation Model: A Regional Interindustry Econometric Model
Authors: Conway Richard S.
Published: March 2007

Originally built in 1977, the Washington Projection and Simulation Model (WPSM) is a regional interindustry econometric model designed for forecasting and impact analysis. This article describes the most recent formulation of WPSM, analyzes the accuracy of the long-range forecasts prepared with the original model in 1976, and evaluates the model's simulation properties. The experience of developing and applying WPSM over the past ten years provides a basis for assessing the relative merits of this seldomly followed approach to regional economic modeling.
World Trade in Apparel: An Analysis of Trade Flows Using the Gravity Model
Authors: Christerson Brad
Published: March 2007

Although apparel trade is highly regulated, trade flows conform to patterns predicted from a simple gravity model centered on distance, size, and cost variables. For low-value apparel products, which tend to compete on price, labor costs were a significant determinant of trade flows, causing production to be dispersed to low-wage areas. For high-value products, which tend to compete on quality, fashion, and quick response to changing demand conditions, production for export tended to take place near fabric suppliers and final markets, which tend to be in higher-wage areas. Apparel production cannot be characterized exclusively according to the New International Division of Labor (NIDL) hypothesis or by other explanations based on comparative factor costs. Proximity to markets and suppliers often outweighs the importance of labor costs, particularly for high-end apparel production.
Multinomial Probit Estimation of Spatially Interdependent Choices: An Empirical Comparison of Two New Techniques
Authors: Bolduc Denis , Fortin Bernard , Gordon Stephen
Published: March 2007

The paper compares the empirical performance of two recently suggested techniques for estimating Multinomial Probit (MNP) models. The application concerns the choice of the first practice location of general practitioners in Quebec (Canada). Regional similarities are accounted for by modeling interdependent choice decisions. One technique is a simulated maximum likelihood based approach that relies on a Geweke, Hajivassiliou, and Keane (GHK) choice probability simulator, and the other one exploits the Gibbs sampler with data augmentation. The results indicate that both estimation techniques give similar results. Compared to its competitor, the Gibbs approach is much simpler to implement both conceptually and computationally.
Women in the Parliamentary Debate over Embryo Research
Authors: Mulkay Michael
Published: March 2007

Throughout the 1980s, there was considerable public discussion in Britain about the legitimacy of scientific research upon human embryos and about the advisability of seeking to develop new science-based techniques that would further extend medical control over human reproduction. In 1990, legislation was passed permitting such research, but at the same time restricting its scope and specifying how the technologies of assisted reproduction were to be implemented. The present study examines how women contributed to, and were represented in, the final phase of parliamentary debate over the proposed legislation.
Child Care, Research Collaboration, and Gender Differences in Scientific Productivity
Authors: Kyvik Svein , Teigen Mari
Published: March 2007

Large differences in scientific productivity between male and female researchers have not yet been explained satisfactorily. This study finds that child care and lack of research collaboration are the two factors that cause significant gender differences in scientific publishing. Women with young children and women who do not collaborate in research with other scientists are clearly less productive than both their male and female colleagues.
Technology Assessment as Learning
Authors: Grin John , van de Graaf Henk
Published: March 2007

This article addresses the question of how policymakers could deliberately influence processes of technology development. Using the development of wind turbines in Denmark as an example, the article describes the frames of meaning guiding the actions of those involved in the three subprocesses of policymaking, the generation of new technologies, and the management of the firms that bring new artifacts to the market. The three types of actors share an interest in one notion: the meaning of a technological artifact. This notion, however, plays a different role in the respective frames of meaning of the actors. For policymakers and managers, it is an instrumental notion. For technologists, it provides guidance to their activities. The shared interest affords the possibility of reaching common action with only congruent (not necessarily shared) meanings. Interactive forms of technology assessment can play a central role in bringing about such congruent meanings and thus in influencing the generation of new technologies.
When Math Worlds Collide: Intention and Invention in Ethnomathematics
Authors: Eglash Ron
Published: March 2007

Ethnomathematics is a relatively new discipline that investigates mathematical knowl edge in small-scale, indigenous cultures. This essay locates ethnomathematics as one of five distinct subfields within a general anthropology of mathematics and describes interactions between cultural and epistemological features that have created these divisions. It reviews the political and pedagogical issues in which ethnomathematics research and practice is immersed and examines the possibilities for both conflict and collaboration with the goals, theories, and methods of social constructivism.
Utility of a Brief Self-Efficacy Scale in Clinical Training Program Evaluation
Authors: Lorenz Rodney , Gregory Rebecca P. , Davis Dianne L.
Published: March 2007

Self-efficacy is often studied as a predictor of professional practice behaviors or as an outcome of clinical training, using brief scales with little validation. This study examines the utility of a brief self-efficacy scale in the evaluation of a clinical training program. Subjects were 119 registered dietitians who participated in diabetes training. Hypothesized relationships between self-efficacy ratings and indices of skill mastery, participation in training, and subsequent practice change were examined. Self-efficacy ratings after training correlated significantly with relevant prior experience (r = .4 and .29, p < .01) but not total experience and with knowledge post-test score (r = .21, p < .02). Self-efficacy for all 12 program objectives increased significantly after training. Post-training self-efficacy for two program objectives correlated significantly with self-reported successful practice changes related to those objectives (r = .4, p < .04 and r = .51, p < .01). The data suggest that brief self-efficacy assessments can contribute meaningfully to clinical training program evaluation.
The Swine Flu Immunization Program
Authors: Levine Arnold J. , Trent Roger B.
Published: March 2007

The swine flu immunization program was a massive, government-sponsored effort in response to the threat of an expected epidemic. This program was surrounded by a great deal of controversy and uncertainty, and when the program ended only about one-third of the national target population had been immunized. Using the orienting framework of the Health Belief Model, this survey compares a sample of recipients with nonrecipients (n = 235). Inoculation is strongly and apparently non-spuriously associated with whether one's family, friends, and other peers have been inoculated. This personal influence does not act by increasing one's perceived risk of an epidemic. Perceived risk acts independently to increase the likelihood of inoculation. As in most preventive health behavior, SES is positively related to participation although not strongly. Married respondents are also more likely to receive a shot. The following factors apparently play no significant role in this sample: advice of physician, fear generated by the media, skepticism about the government's role in the campaign, and selected measures of personality characteristics.
Noncognitive Evaluation of Medical Training
Authors: Raffetto Allen M. , Zabarenko Lucy M.
Published: March 2007

Problems in noncognitive evaluation of medical training are a function of difficulties in identifying what constitutes a good physician and in grasping the concept's major features as they operate in medical education. This article suggests a paracog nitive approach in which medical educa tion is conceptualized as a confluence of training and specific maturational trends. A Paracognitive Evaluation Form was constructed to assess performance ofmedi cal students in seminars and chnical teaching situations. Analyses mdicated that the device was used reliably and that it is allowed for evaluative discriminations of poor and excellent-or-better students. A hierarchical cluster analysis suggested that specific maturational trends or developmental lines were being tapped by the device. Further uses of paracognitive evaluatron are discussed.
Unfair Examinations and Student Ratings
Authors: Hardin James H. , Canaday Stephen D. , Mendelson Marilyn A.
Published: March 2007

Student ratings of course effectiveness are frequently administered on the day of the final examination, a time that assures the greatest return. The present investigation was designed to study whether such ratings, given immediately after the final, would be biased by the presence of unfair questions on that examination. Two equiv alent student groups in afreshman medical gross anatomy course took different versions of the final examination, one de signed to be fair (F) and the other unfair (U). Students then rated the examination, course, and instructors. The F version was rated more favorably than the U version, but ratings of the course and instructors were equivalent between groups. These data indicate that ratings of course and instructor characteristics that are unrelated to testing remain unbiased by an examination designed to be and recognized as unfair. Data also show that a total rating score may be reduced significantly if a substantial number of rating items pertain to that examination.
The Design of a New Physician Licensure Examination
Authors: LaDuca Anthony , Taylor D. Dax , Hill I. Kathryn
Published: March 2007

Many health professions include written examinations among their licensing procedures, and constructing these examinations poses special difficulties. For physician licensure the central dilemma is manifested by the longstanding tradition of undifferentiated licensure contrasting with the strong specialty orientation of contemporary physician training. This article details the authors 'response to thisproblem and describes the resulting design of a new physician licensure examination. Using a combination of empirical data and expertjudgment, descriptions ofselected clinical encounters have been assembled as a practice model of a physician licensedfor the delivery ofgeneral health care of patients. Application of an explicitly situational framework to the design of a physician licensure examination is unusual, and the approach is advocated for use with other health professions.
Work Experience as a Predictor of Performance
Authors: Sneed Jeannie , Vivian Virginia , D'Costa Ayres
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between work experience and job performance of dietary managers (n = 88). A significant positive relationship was found between quality of work experience and examination scores. The interaction of quality of work experience and capacity to learn also had a significant positive relationship to examination scores. When supervisor ratings of dietary managers'performance were used as the dependent variable, there was a significant positive relationship with quality of work experience. These findings indicate that quality of work experience scores may be predictive of performance and have implications for credentialing programs as well as for self-assessment, employee selection, performance appraisal, and needs assessment for the planning and development of educational programs.
An Analysis of Ambulatory Care Quality Assessment Research
Authors: Slater Carl H.
Published: March 2007

This article offers a framework that distinguishes quality as an attribute of the processes of medical care from effectiveness as the results ofthat care. The review ofprocess-outcome studies in the light of this framework reveals not only a confusion of concepts but a variety of methodological and measurement problems. Among the measurement problems is the lack of assessment of the reliability and validity of the process and outcome measures in most quality studies in ambulatory medical care. This article proposes a minimum set of elements to be considered in developing a valid quality assessment method.
Characteristics of Ratings of Physician Competence by Professional Associates
Authors: Carline Jan D. , Wenrich Marjorie , Ramsey Paul G.
Published: March 2007

Although the evaluation of medical students and residents frequently includes the use of global ratings scales as measures of clinical competence, few studies have investigated the use of global ratings in evaluating the performance ofpracticing physicians, or the psychometric properties of these ratings. In this article, the characteristics of ratings of physician competence by professional associates are described, using practicing internists as the subjects for the study. Ratings of nine aspects of clinical competence for 210 internists were obtained from four physician associates with whom patient care had been shared. The results suggest that ratings of physicians' clinical competence by professional associates are both reliable and potentially useful in identifying physicians with low performance. Studies are needed to clarify further thepsychometric properties ofpeer ratings, and to determine factors that affect these ratings.
Successful Business Planning for New Programs in Health Care Organizations
Authors: Langland-Orban Barbara , Krasik Ellen R.
Published: March 2007

Health care organizations implement business strategies through programs and services, and success depends on careful program design and execution. A conscientious design requires thorough efforts in organizing the planning process, conducting the decision analysis, and obtaining approvalfor a program. Weak methods and processes in the management of these efforts can result in faulty assumptions and costly errors in the development of new health care ventures, thus preventing the achievement of financial and operating goals. This article reviews the stages of business planning, and the points at which success may be impaired.
Attitudes of Employees for an On-Campus Health Promotion Program at a Large Urban University
Authors: Singleton Steven P. , Fitzgerald James T. , Engels Hermann -J. , Wirth John C.
Published: March 2007

This article describes the results of a survey among employees at Wayne State University that were designed to determine the desire for and willingness to participate in a campus wellness program. All 4,300 employees were mailed a questionnaire during the period March-June 1989. Among the 2,401 respondents (56% response rate), 81% felt a wellness program should be offered and 57% indicated an intention to participate. A significantly higherpercentage ofBlacks (77%) and women (62%) stated they would participate as compared to Whites (51%) and men (51%). There was an inverse relationship between desire for the program and income level; those who held commercial health club memberships and resided closerto campus showed higher interest. In the overall sample, lunchtime activities were the most requested. Types of services most requested included health screening (e.g., cholesterol testing and fitness assessment) and exercise classes.
The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database
Authors: Sakala Carol
Published: March 2007

The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database (CCPC) is the mostsophisticated realization of the meta-analyticpotential within the health fields. At the core of this ongoing collaborative international project are about 600 systematic reviews of the effectiveness of specificforms of perinatal care, which have been created from a registry of clinical trials. The scale and quality of information available through CCPC are unprecedented. An examination of implications of CCPC suggests that manyfar-reaching changes in perinatalpolicy andpractice are indicated. CCPChas become a model for similar work that is being organized in many other clinical areas under the umbrella of the pan-clinical Cochrane Collaboration, and the experience and implications of CCPC will be of interest to many working in other areas. The implications of these ambitious meta-analytic projects are profound; the degree to which they will be realized is less certain.
A Scale for Curriculum Evaluation and Development in the Health Professions
Authors: Cusimano Michael , Garg Mohan
Published: March 2007

Schools responsible for the education of health professionals throughout the world are seeking ways to respond to the changing realities of the health professions and society. In an effort to be responsive to as many people as possible, there is a need to develop evaluative instruments that are effective and easily understood by multiple stakeholders. The authors describe the effective utilization of a simple scale for curricular evaluation, innovation, and reform. The scale, which incorporates two previously described instruments, can be used as an aid in several phases of curricular design: (a) during the development ofastatementofeducationalphilosophies that aid in goal and objective development, (b) during the selection and organization of learning experiences, and (c) during the evaluation of a curriculum.
Development and Validation of the Diabetes Care Profile
Authors: Fitzgerald James T. , Davis Wayne K. , Connell Cathleen M. , Hess George E. , Funnell Martha M. , Hiss Roland G.
Published: March 2007

To determine the reliability and the validity of the Diabetes Care Profile (DCP), an instrument that assesses the social and psychological factors related to diabetes and its treatment, two studies with separate populations and methodologies were conducted In the first study, the DCP was administered to, and physiologic measures collected from, individuals with diabetes being cared for in a community setting (n = 440). In the second study, the DCP and several previously validated scales were administered to individuals with diabetes receiving care at a university medical center (n = 352). Cronbach's alphas of individual DCP scales ranged from .60 to .95 (Study 1) and from .66 to .94 (Study 2). Glycohemoglobin levels correlated with three DCP scales (Study 1). Several DCP scales discriminated among patients with different levels of disease severity. The results of the studies indicate that the DCP is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the psychosocial factors related to diabetes and its treatment.
Evaluation in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Authors: Marsh Anna , Jansen Mary , Lewis Charlene , Straw Roger B.
Published: March 2007

The evaluation policy of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is described in this article. Three studies are presented that exemplify SAMHSA ' evaluations. These include evaluations of a program to prevent substance abuse among pregnant and postpartum women and their infants; a Job Corps treatment enrichment program; and the McKinney programfor homeless persons with severe mental illnesses. Each of these evaluations demonstrated the effectiveness of the programs in reducing substance abuse or homelessness and in improving the health and well-being of the consumers served. SAMHSA will use the results of these and similar evaluations to guide policy and program development. Through its evaluations, SAMHSA must identify effective approaches to prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. By using its evaluation results to guide policy andprogram development, SAMHSA aims to improve the quality of the public system of substance abuse and mental health services.
How do anti-discrimination policies work? Initiatives in older and younger television companies in Denmark and the UK
Authors: Egsmose Lisbeth R.
Published: March 2007

Is state intervention, that is legislative measures, the way in which to bring about changes in the gender composition of the workforce? What experiences do newer and older companies have with anti-discrimination policies? In this article older state-controlled and younger independent/commercial companies in Great Britain and Denmark are studied and compared. In the early 1990s, the approaches in the two older companies, BBC and Radio Denmark, were diametrically opposite. In the independent/commercial companies, the approaches vary across the continuum between the two poles characterizing Radio Denmark and the BBC.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup and the politics of nation-building in South Africa
Authors: Steenveld Lynette , Strelitz Larry
Published: March 2007

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was held in South Africa just one year after the country's first democratic elections. Throughout the tournament, the importance of competition victory for the South African team — playing under the banner of `One Team, One Nation' and endorsed by President Mandela — was articulated by the team, the local media, politicians and by its supporters in terms of its centrality to the project of nation-building. This discourse dominated all others. What made this articulation of the event all the more remarkable was the historic connection of the game with Afrikaner popular culture and with the political interests of the previous apartheid regime. Drawing on Dyan and Katz's (1992) model of the `media event', the article examines the processes behind this attempt to rearticulate the meaning of `South African rugby' away from narrow, race-specific interests towards those of the newly elected non-racial ANC-led government's nation-building project.
The value of performers' rights: an economic approach
Authors: Taylor Millie , Towse Ruth
Published: March 2007

New and extended rights for performers have been introduced into UK copyright law as a result of EC Directives. It is widely supposed that they will make performers better off. In this article we attempt to test that assumption by analysing these changes with the focus on the music industry. We discuss the role of collecting societies in implementing these rights, and speculate on the costs of collection, the potential value of the rights and who will pay for them. Evidence is presented for the UK with references to Denmark and Sweden. We conclude that it is not obvious that all performers will be better off as a result.
A star is born: the roller coaster ride of Pauline Hanson in the news
Authors: Deutchman Iva Ellen , Ellison Anne
Published: March 2007

Australia's most recent controversial political figure is Independent MP Pauline Hanson. As the media event of the year, her press coverage has eclipsed that even of Prime Minister John Howard. She founded her own party, One Nation, amid speculation that she intends running for Senate. This article analyses the role of the media in her dramatic escalation as a political figure, arguing that the controversial nature of her politics helps give the story legs. We focus on how her media coverage is shaped by the contradiction which she embodies as a woman politician whose message is at variance with conventional gender stereotypes about what political women should advocate.
Patterns of Rural Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Health Care Use
Authors: Baxter Judith , Bryant Lucinda L. , Scarbro Sharon , Shetterly Susan M.
Published: March 2007

This cross-sectional study examines utilization of health care resources, including nursing homes, among 1,433 rural Hispanic and non-Hispanic White participants in the San Luis Valley Health and Aging Study. Results show substantially greater non-Hispanic White residence in nursing homes, greater Hispanic use of professional home nursing services, but little ethnic difference in outpatient care or hospitalization. Analyses based on the behavior model of utilization find health care use strongly associated with need factors. In particular, outpatient care correlated with disease and instrumental daily living activity dependence, home nursing care with basic daily living activity dependence, and nursing home use with daily living activity dependence and cognitive impairment. Predisposing characteristics (age, marital status, education) and enabling supports and barriers (insurance, availability of no-or low-cost care, transportation difficulties) also influenced utilization. The differential ethnic pattern of nursing home use persisted after controlling for these important characteristics.
Suburban Characteristics and Aged Net Migration
Authors: Stahura John M. , Stahl Sidney M.
Published: March 2007

This article attempts to determine the extent to which the elderly are attracted to or leave suburban communities in American metropolitan areas and to evaluate the push-pull and gravity theories of mobility for their ability to explain the phenomenon. The 825 suburbs of the 212 SMS As are used in a multiple regression analysis of net migration of persons aged 65 and over from and into suburbs between 1960 and 1970. The analysis indicates that during the decade, 672 suburbs lost aged populations due to migration and that the combination of the two theories explains 43% of the variance in the net migration of the elderly. Implications for central cities are discussed.
Job Characteristics and Health
Authors: Hardy Melissa A.
Published: March 2007

Although social security has become an almost universal retirement program, workers still differ in their ability or inclination to supplement or replace earnings with retirement benefits. This differential utilization of retirement benefits reflects eligibility criteria, current labor force participation, characteristics of the current or last job, health, and age. Data on older white males from the National Longitudinal Survey are used to investigate the influence of these factors on the likelihood of benefit entitlement. Estimation of multinomial logit models indicates that self-employed workers and workers low in job tenure and net asset accumulation are more likely to combine benefit income and earnings in a given year's income. Also, workers aged 63 or older reporting health limitations are more likely to be dependent on social security for retirement income, rather than on a combination of public and private pensions.
A "Fair Share" for the Aged
Authors: Gilbert Neil , Specht Harry
Published: March 2007

The first five years of Title XX allocations for services for the aged are analyzed from a national and a state perspective. Submitting the data to several measures of equity, the authors conclude that, generally, the aged received a "fair share" of Title XX resources. They recommend that advocates for the aged reevaluate the consequences of "group eligibility" systems and that they concentrate efforts on states with low equity-for-the-aged ratings.
The Effect of Status on the Evaluation of Behavior
Authors: Feinman Saul , Coon Richard H.
Published: March 2007

Age stratification theory's assertion that expectations and prestige vary according to age raises the question of how people respond when age-related expectations are violated. A status theory of the evaluation of behavior was delineated, proposing that evaluation of age-related behavior of adults, children, and elderly persons would be affected by the relative rankings of these role positions. Greater prestige was found to be assigned to adults and least to children, with elderly persons assigned an intermediate level. Ninety-six undergraduates provided approval ratings of either appropriate... or cross-age-role behaviors. It was found that deviation from age-role expectations resulted in a greater loss of approval for higher-status actors. Thus, adults who exhibited elderly behavior lost more approval than did elderly persons who engaged in adult behavior. There was also evidence that the impact of status on approval may have been due to the tendency for higher-status roles to be perceived as having greater social value.
Older Adulthood
Authors: Nesselroade John R. , Mitteness Linda S. , Thompson Linda K.
Published: March 2007

Efforts to assess the effects of a variety of stressors to which older adults are exposed will be no more successful than measuring instruments are valid and appropriately sensitive to change. Research springing from the trait-state distinction has led to some important clarifications regarding properties of measuring instruments, ways of conceptualizing among-persons variation, and the multidimensionality of individuals' response patterns. To examine the suitability of several extant state measures for use with the elderly, 111 older (age 60+) adults were measured, then remeasured two weeks later, with a battery covering five state dimensions. Data are analyzed to test their hypothesized factor structure of the measures and, from a construct validity perspective, to evaluate the short-term stability (test-retest coefficients) of both scales and underlying factors. Results support the factorial validity of instruments developed for the measurement of anxiety and fatigue states when used in older adult populations.
Representation in Age-Based Interest Groups
Authors: Franke James L.
Published: March 2007

This research examines representation processes within two age-based interest groups: The National Retired Teachers Association and The American Association of Retired Persons. Drawing upon survey data from group members and leaders, propositions are evaluated regarding the implications of varying rates of policy interest and activity among group members. Activists are compared with other members in terms of background, policy positions, and proximity to leadership policy positions.
The Hearing Loss Epidemic
Authors: Darbyshire John O.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the status of hearing loss in the elderly from epidemiological, demographic, mental health, audiological and psychosocial standpoints. It demonstrates a marked lack of interaction between key disciplines and makes recommendations for further research and service, taking a holistic approach to management of the social, mental, and aural well-being of the elderly individual with impaired hearing in the context of modern gerontology.
Life Satisfaction and Old Age
Authors: Doyle Daniel , Forehand Marilyn J.
Published: March 2007

Using data from a large, representative national sample, this article replicates some earlier analyses regarding life satisfaction and old age. Persons over age 65 were found to be only slightly less satisfied with their lives than persons aged 40 to 54 and 55 to 64. Poor health, loneliness, and money problems are the strongest correlates of life satisfaction across age groups. The small negative correlation between age and satisfaction is largely eliminated when controls for these three factors are imposed. A regression analysis is used to determine the relative strength of a number of possible predictors of life satisfaction within different age groups.
Caregiving Strain and the Desire to Institutionalize Family Members with Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Morycz Richard K.
Published: March 2007

This research explores whether the strain experienced by caregivers of relatives with Alzheimer's disease will be strongly related to the desire of families to institutionalize their older members. The desire of a caregiver to institutionalize a patient with Alzheimer's disease was found to be greater when the caregiver experiences increased strain or burden, when a patient is widowed, when there is more physical labor involved in caregiving tasks, and when the patient lives alone. Intensity of family strain (or felt stress) can best be predicted by the availability to the caregiver of social support: Less support implies more strain. However, for male caregiving groups and for all black caregivers, strain does not play a significant role in predicting the desire to institutionalize.
Retirement Satisfaction in the Rural Elderly
Authors: Dorfman Lorraine T. , Kohout Frank J. , Heckert D. Alex
Published: March 2007

This study investigated factors related to retirement satisfaction in a Midwestern rural population. Four major sets of variables were investigated: personal background factors; socialization for retirement; reasons for retirement; and social integration. Multiple regression showed that the most important predictors of retirement satisfaction were (1) quality of relationship and frequency of aid from confidants and relatives; (2) involvement in organizations; (3) health; and (4) financial status.
Work as a Response to Low and Decreasing Real Income During Retirement
Authors: Boaz Rachel Floersheim
Published: March 2007

The problem of preserving the purchasing power of retirement income has been a subject of public concern and policy debate. This study examines whether elderly men and women, in reasonably good health, consider work as an option when the real value of their nonwage income is decreasing. It finds that work is a very likely response to a low level of nonwage income at the beginning of retirement; and, for men, work is also a response to the decreasing real value of income during retirement. The indexing of social security benefits and their progressive structure have provided some protection against decreasing real income during retirement and have, therefore, reduced, though not eliminated, the pressure to work during retirement.
A Dyadic Approach to Predicting Well-Being in Later Life
Authors: Stull Donald E.
Published: March 2007

This study compares the effects of a number of variables previously found to be important predictors of well-being such as income, health, and social interaction on one dimension of well-being, happiness, at pre- and postretirement for husbands and wives. In contrast to some of the research that has compared men and women, the present research found that husbands and wives have different predictors of happiness. A central finding of this research is that including spouse's characteristics (for example, health and happiness) increases the ability to predict the happiness of the respondent, suggesting that a dyadic approach has utility.
Factorial and Criterion Validities of Telephone-Assessed Cognitive Ability Measures
Authors: Nesselroade John R. , Pedersen Nancy L. , McClearn Gerald E. , Plomin Robert , Bergeman C. S.
Published: March 2007

A battery of cognitive tests was administered by telephone to 194 pairs of MZ and DZ twins: 112 pairs reared apart and 82 pairs reared together. The six measures, chosen to identify known intelligence and short-term memory factors, included two marker variables for crystallized intelligence (information and synonyms), two markers for fluid intelligence (analogies and figure logic), and two markers for short-term memory (forward and backward digit span). The data provide support for the feasibility of substituting telephone testing of abilities for more traditional assessment procedures.
Marital Complaints in Husband-Working and Husband-Retired Couples
Authors: Ekerdt David J. , Vinick Barbara H.
Published: March 2007

Competing views about the effect of retirement on marital quality emphasize the potential strains as well as the potential gratifications that retirement may bring to the marriage. This study compared marital complaints between 92 older couples in which husbands had been retired one year or less, and 125 couples in which husbands remained employed. Participants were members of an ongoing panel study of aging. For a range of instrumental, affectional, and companionate behaviors, findings showed largely similar levels of complaint between couples with retired and nonretired husbands, even after taking wife's employment status into account. Results of this and other research confirm that retirement is not generally disruptive for older couples, but suggest that strains may occur in circumstances that remain to be specified (e.g., dissynchronous role transitions).
Self-Assessments of Health and Mortality among Older Persons
Authors: Rakowski William , Fleishman John A. , Mor Vincent , Bryant Sharon A.
Published: March 2007

Although several studies show an association between self-rated health and mortality among older persons, most have used only a single question to assess self-rated health. The present research used the 1984-1990 Longitudinal Study of Aging to examine whether self-ratings other than the traditional, National Health Interview Survey-type global self-assessment make independent contributions to predicting mortality. Four health assessments were selected in addition to the global rating (Activity Compared to Age Peers, Control over Future Health, Taking Care of One's Health, and Worry Due to Health in the past year). All five self-assessments, along with a composite measure, had bivariate associations with higher mortality as ratings became less favorable. However, only Activity Compared to Peers retained an association with mortality even with Global Self-Rated Health in the model. Subjective assessments based on peer comparison may be important additions to research in this area.