bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of the Factor Structure of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales in a Health Promotion Program
Authors: Casey Terry A. , Kingery Paul M. , Bowden Rodney G. , Corbett Bonnie S.
Published: March 2007

The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales have been used both to evaluate program effects and to assign subjects to optimal treatment modalities. The MHLC Scales were designed to measure three theoretical dimensions of health locus of control, as represented by the scale names: (a) Chance, (b) Internal, and (c) Powerful Others. The construct validity of scores from the scales when the measure is used with adults was explored using factor analytic methods. Subjects were 692 adults seeking voluntary health promotion services. Overall, the results supported the hypothesized three-factor structure of the measure.
A Basic Program that Computes Probits to Suggest Optimal Data Transformations
Authors: Hester Yvette
Published: March 2007

The method of plotting probits against ranked data to obtain scatter plots is a simple, intuitive strategy for determining whether data are approximately normally distributed. A simple graphical technique is illustrated to obtain transformations used to acquire approximately normally distributed data. The method can be implemented on a MacIntosh or PC compatible computer running spread-sheet software with plotting capability.
A Computer Program for Feldt'S Test of the Equality of Two Reliability Coefficients
Authors: Duran Ricardo , Powers Stephen
Published: March 2007

This article describes a BASIC computer program that performs Feldt's test of the equality of two reliability coefficients.
Investigating the Construct Validity of Scores from a Measure of Teachers' Participation in Decision Making Using Procrustean Rotation
Authors: Taylor Dianne L. , Thompson Bruce , Bogotch Ira E.
Published: March 2007

As interest in teachers' participation in decision making grows, obtaining valid data to assess the effects of participation becomes increasingly important. One instrument, developed by Bacharach, Bauer, and Shedd, has been used in several recent studies of participation. Although the internal-consistency reliability of scores from this measure appears to be adequate, the construct validity of scores from the instrument has not been fully investigated. The present study explores the construct validity of data from the instrument using principal components analysis and Procrustean rotation. Findings were generally supportive of validity, although the results were somewhat more qualified with respect to one factor.
Construct Validity of the Educators Survey for a Sample of Middle School Teachers
Authors: Holland Patrick J. , Michael William B. , Kim Simon
Published: March 2007

For a sample of 150 middle school teachers (101 females and 49 males) from a suburban California community, the major purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether the factor structure of the 22-item Educators Survey (ES) comprising three subscales reflecting three dimensions of burnout-Emotional Exhaustion (9 items), Depersonalization (5 items), and Personal Accomplishment (8 items)-would be more interpretable within a framework of either a two-factor or a three-factor conceptualization of its underlying constructs. In a comprehensive reanalysis of the factor structure of the correlation matrices of item scores from six studies using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, from which the parallel form of the ES was derived for use with educators rather than with other professional groups, Walkey and Green expressed a preference for a two-factor structure comprising a fusion of Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization factors into one factor named Core of Burnout and for a second factor identified as Personal Accomplishment. Use of oblique and orthogonal exploratory factor analyses revealed a high degree of simple structure for either a two-factor or three-factor solution. Evaluation of a one-factor (a general dimension) model and of two- and three-dimensional orthogonal and oblique models through application of confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analyses indicated that the three-factor oblique model accounted for the greatest amount of covariation among the 22 items of the ES, but that the two-factor oblique model afforded nearly as close a degree of fit as that afforded by the three-factor oblique model as well as a meaningful alternative conceptualization of the factor structure of the ES.
Item and Scale Information Functions for the Successive Intervals Rasch Model
Authors: Dodd Barbara G. , Koch William R.
Published: March 2007

Simulated data were used to investigate systematically the impact of various characteristics of the threshold values (number, symmetry, and distance between adjacent threshold values) and of the delta values on the distribution of item information in the successive intervals Rasch model. The results revealed that the shift in the peak of the information function away from the scale value of an item depended on the degree of asymmetry of the threshold values and the magnitude of the delta value of the item. The implications of the findings for computerized adaptive attitude measurement are discussed.
Detecting Item Bias in the Rasch Rating Scale Model
Authors: Smith Richard M.
Published: March 2007

This study employs simulated data to assess the appropriateness of using the separate calibration and between fit approaches to detecting item bias in the Rasch rating scale model. The development of these methods in the dichotomous Rasch model is discussed to delineate these methods from those often used in the true-score model or in multi-item parameter latent trait models. The results indicate that the Type I error rates for the null distribution hold even under circumstances in which there are different levels of ability of the reference and focal groups. The power and Type II error rates are estimated using differing levels of bias introduced by varying the numbers of persons in the focal group, varying the proportion of biased items, and varying the magnitude of the bias introduced. The results indicate that using the traditional 2 critical values for these methods will produce unacceptable Type II error rates and that some inspection of the item plots and the use of other information is needed to make a final determination regarding bias.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Teacher-Perceived Student Behaviors: Disrespect, Sociability, and Attentiveness
Authors: Friedman Isaac A.
Published: March 2007

This research investigated the patterns of student classroom behavior as perceived by their teachers and validated a scale for measuring such behavior called Pupil Behavior Patterns (PBP). Facet theory analytic techniques and factor analysis were used. It was found that two facets provide the conceptual basis for analyzing student behavior patterns: (a) the adaptability of the student behavior (responsive or unresponsive) and (b) the foci of such behavior (internal: within the peer group; or external: geared toward the teacher or other school authority). The scale for measuring student behaviors (PBP) consists of three subscales: (a) Disrespect (students' respect or lack of respect for both teachers and members of their peer group), (b) Sociability (the informal interpersonal relationships among students and between teachers and students), and (c) Attentiveness (student willingness and receptiveness to learning as well as learning ability).
Quality Circles: The Effects of Varying Degrees of Voluntary Participation on Employee Attitudes and Program Efficacy
Authors: Geehr Jill L. , Burke Michael J. , Sulzer Jefferson L.
Published: March 2007

This study, with 206 federal government employees, examined hypothesized relationships between degree of voluntary participation in quality circles, employee work climate perceptions, and quality circle outcome measures. Primary results revealed that the degree of voluntary participation in quality circles was positively related to following quality circle guidelines and that following quality circle guidelines was positively related to estimated economic gain. The implications of voluntary versus nonvoluntary participation on quality circle group processes and quality circle cost/benefit outcomes is discussed.
POWPAL: A Program for Estimating Effect Sizes, Statistical Power, and Sample Sizes
Authors: Gorman Bernard S. , Primavera Louis H. , Allison David B.
Published: March 2007

POWPAL is a simple, interactive computer program that computes effect sizes and power estimates from summary statistics. Additionally, the program provides estimates of future sample sizes needed for various combinations of power, significance levels, and effect sizes.
The Development and Validation of an Inventory of Effective School Function
Authors: Carter Jacquelyn , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

For a sample of 124 teachers from 18 schools of the Distinguished Schools Group of the State of California, the major purpose of this investigation was to construct and to validate a self-report instrument or measure titled the Effective School Function Inventory that serves to operationalize the major constructs and subconstructs of a conceptual model representing those activities hypothesized to be central to the efficient operation of a school. An exploratory orthogonal factor analysis of the intercorrelations of responses to the 39 Likert-type items of the inventory revealed four psychologically meaningful factors that exhibited only modest correspondence to the higher and lower order constructs underlying the conceptual model. These four factors were tentatively identified as revealing (a) Supportive Collegial Interaction, (b) Cooperative Facilitation of Goal Attainment in the Teaching-Learning Process, (c) Morally Oriented Leadership, and (d) Instructional Strategy Sharing by Teachers.
Development and Factor Analysis of the Student Resistance to Schooling Inventory
Authors: Sun Anji
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument measuring high school student resistance to schooling and investigate the factorial validity of the instrument. A 47-item instrument, Student Resistance to Schooling Inventory (SRSI), was constructed. The instrument was administered to 646 high school students in ametropolitan school district in the Midwest. A factor analysis employing principal components extraction procedures with oblique rotation was used to examine the construct validity of the SRSI. The factor analysis and instrument modification resulted in a 25-item instrument for measuring student resistance to schooling.
The Development and Validation of the Survey of Antitudes toward Statistics
Authors: Schau Candace , Stevens Joseph , Dauphinee Thomas L. , Vecchio Ann Del
Published: March 2007

The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS) was designed for use in both research and instruction. A panel of instructors and introductory statistics students identified by consensus four facets of attitudes toward statistics: (a) Affect-positive and negative feelings concerning statistics; (b) Cognitive Competence-attitudes about intellectual knowledge and skills when applied to statistics; (c) Value-attitudes about the usefulness, relevance, and worth of statistics; and (d) Difficulty-attitudes about the difficulty of statistics as a subject. This structure was validated for a sample of undergraduate students using confirmatory factor analysis. Additional validity evidence was obtained through the correlation of the SATS with Wise's Attitudes Toward Statistics scale, which showed significant, positive relationships between the two instruments.
Rater Agreement Indexes for Performance Assessment
Authors: Burry-Stock Judith A. , Shaw Dale G. , Laurie Cecelia , Chissom Brad S.
Published: March 2007

Under the heading of reliability, most textbooks refer to classical reliability indexes as appropriate measures for determining interrater agreement. It is argued that interrater agreement is a psychometric property that is theoretically different from classical reliability. Interrater agreement indexes measure the degree to which two or more raters agree on the observation of one or more behaviors on one or more subjects and are not theoretically related to classical test theory. A detailed set of formulas is presented to illustrate a set of algebraically equivalent rater agreement indexes that are intended to provide the educational and psychological researcher and practitioner with a practical means of establishing a measure of rater agreement. The formulas are illustrated with a data set. The formulas can be used for dichotomous and continuous data for two or more raters, on one or more subjects, on one or more behaviors. These rater agreement indexes are useful with performance assessments such as observations, porfolios, performance evaluations, essay writing evaluations, authentic assessments, and so on, where multiple facets impact rater agreement.
The Construct Validity of Divergent Scores in the Structure-Of-Intellect Learning Abilities Test
Authors: Clapham Maria M.
Published: March 2007

This study was conducted to determine the effects that a creativity training program would have on the divergent production subtests of the Structure-of-Intellect Learning Abilities test. These subtests measure the production of units, relations, or transformations. The creativity training was designed to enhance the production of units. A total of 56 college students served as subjects with 27 receiving creativity training and 29 receiving an alternate training. Univariate analyses of covariance showed significant main effects of creativity training on divergent production of symbolic units (F(1, 51) = 10.41, p < .01), on divergent production of figural units (F(1, 51) = 4.69, p < .05), and on divergent production of semantic units (F(1, 51) = 7.57, p < .01). The training was thus inferred to be effective in increasing the production of units but not the production of relations or transformations. The differentiation made between these types of products in the Structure-of-Intellect model was supported.
Quantitative Atfiitudes Questionnaire: Instrument Development and Validation
Authors: Chang Lei
Published: March 2007

This article reports on the development and validation of the Quantitative Attitudes Questionnaire (QAQ), a 20-item instrument measuring graduate students' attitudes toward quantitative research methodology. The QAQ was developed in a sample of 90 graduate students in education and was cross validated in 3 additional samples of similar size. The QAQ was found to correlate positively with quantitative exams and self-reported GRE-Math scores, and to differentiate doctoral versus master's students and students from research-versus teaching-oriented universities.
The Employee Satisfaction Inventory (ESI): Development of a Scale to Measure Satisfaction of Greek Employees
Authors: Koustelios Athanasios D. , Bagiatis Konstantinos
Published: March 2007

The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to measure employee's job satisfaction in Greece. Exploratory factor-analytic results indicated a six-factor solution with high internal consistency. The six factors obtained were Working Conditions, Supervisor, Pay, Job Itself, Organization as a Whole, and Promotion. Structural equation modeling analysis (EQS) showed that although the fit of the model is fairly good, there is need for slight improvement.
Revision of the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory: Teacher Ratings of Conduct Problem Behavior
Authors: Rayfield Arista , Eyberg Sheila M. , Foote Rebecca
Published: March 2007

The Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI), a brief teacher-rating scale of externalizing, or conduct problem behavior at school, was completed by 38 teachers for 726 5th- through 12th-grade students. The inventory contained the original 36 items plus 17 experimental items. Item analyses led to retention of 10 experimental items and deletion of 8 original items with weaker psychometric properties. Scores on this revised, 38-item version of the SESBI had a high coefficient alpha. Factor analyses yielded a two-factor solution representing (a) oppositional behavior and (b) attentional difficulties.
Perceptions of Crowding and Pleasantness in Public Settings
Authors: McClelland Lou , Auslander Nathan
Published: March 2007

Sixty-one college students viewed 139 slides of public settings (restaurants, stores, airports, libraries) and rated each slide on crowding or pleasantness. the slides varied, and were rated by experts, on 12 dimensions thought to be important in determining perceptions of crowding. Scenes are rated as more crowded if they picture more people in less space with smaller interpersonal distances, if the people are working rather than playing, and if more of the people are standing or waiting. Social density is more strongly related to crowding ratings than is spatial density. The negative correlation between crowding and pleasantness is large only for shopping and work settings, but crowding does predict low pleasantness ratings when coupled with other variables-in the multiple regressions. Other predictors of pleasantness include work-play, amount of space, waiting, and percent of people alone or unaccompanied.
Knowing about Environmental Knowing
Authors: Moore Gary T.
Published: March 2007

This paper reviews the 15 years of concentrated research on environmental cognition, including recent developments in theory construction. Included are discussions on the content of environmental representations, cognitive mapping, environmental meaning and symbolism, individual and group differences, eplanatory variables, differences due to characteristics of the physical environment, and the role of environmental cognition in urban spatial behavior. It is argued that people remember buildings less for their architectural form than for their use significance, that people conceive of cities in terms of basic dichotomies of human experiences, that environmental meaning and symbolism are more im-portant in experience than concrete aspects of orientation and cognitive mapping, that developmental changes occur in a stage-sequence pattern, that with increasing mobility peoples images of the environment shift from social and physical conceptions to symbolic conceptions, and that a complete explanation of environmental cognition must take into account both internal organismic variables and external environmental variables. Finally, a framework for organizing existing findings is proposed and new lines of research are suggested.
Problems in Cognitive Distance
Authors: Cadwallader Martin
Published: March 2007

Three experiments are conducted on cognitive distance in order to investigate the problems of intransitivity, noncommutativity, and the consistency of estimates across different methodologies. The results suggest that it will be extremely difficult to identify any simple relationship between physical distance and cognitive distance and that people do not possess internalized spatial representations of the physical world that are based on Euclidian geometry.
The Relationship to Crimes of Physical Resources
Authors: O'Donnell Clifford R. , Lydgate Tony
Published: March 2007

A land use coding system was developed to code the physical resources within 75 police beats in metropolitan Honolulu. Code categories included eating places, transient residences, permanent residences, personal services, alcohol consumption, and so on. Data on reported offenses during a four-year period were then correlated with physical resource data, yielding information on the relationship between the frequency of specific offenses and the physical resources contained in the geographical areas where the offenses occurred. The correlations indicated five patterns of reasonable magnitude and consistency: vandalism was strongly correlated with the number of permanent residences; burglary was moderately correlated with permanent and transient residences, alcohol consumption, and entertainment; forgery had moderate to strong correlations with retail stores, commercial offices, eating places, and a variety of services; property crimes and violent crimes had moderate to strong f correlations with eating places, alcohol consumption, transient residences, and entertainment; and violent crimes also had similar correlations with sex-related activities. These relationships and their implications were discussed.
The Impact of Post-Occupancy Evaluation Research
Authors: Kantrowitz Min , Nordhaus Richard
Published: March 2007

A comprehensive post-occupancy evaluation of subsidized housing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is described. The study was unique because it was initiated and financed by the city agencies responsible for the planning, regulation, and administration of public housing programs. One of the most important findings of the study was the importance of territorial definition and site security. This issue is used to illustrate the type of information the study generated and the impact it has had on the housing system in Albuquerque.
Political Aspects of Environmental Quality
Authors: Dabelko David D.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the findings of an experiment designed to test whether it is possible to manipulate citizens' evaluations of environmental quality standards. The results of the experiment suggest that various authority sources, especially Ralph Nader for the sample employed in the experiment, can be major determinants of how citizens evaluate environmental quality.
Ridesharing Programs
Authors: Owens Dallas D.
Published: March 2007

Since the 1974 fuel crisis, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S.D.O.T.) has sponsored numerous community based ridesharing (carpooling and vanpooling) programs. The objective here is to: (1) summarize past research designed to identify variables which explain why some ridesharing members remain in their ridesharing groups while others drop out, (2) empirically examine the variables identified from previous research, and (3) explore the adequacy of U.S.D.O.T. programs and suggest ways to improve them. Data were collected from interviews with 60 subjects, 30 ridesharing participants, and 30 dropouts. Four categories of independent variables were used: (A) traditional structural and demographic, (B) cohesion, (C) time-origin-destination (T.O.D.) constraints, and (D) equity. Multiple Discriminant Analysis was used to distinguish between participants and dropouts. Five variables were selected as having optimal discriminating power: (1) group satisfaction, (2) TOD constraints, (3) group agreements, (4) group heterogeneity, and (5) equity norms. Suggestions are offered for incorporating all five variables into a program to increase the likelihood of program success.
Cognitive Consistency and Environmental Action
Authors: Heberlein Thomas A. , Black J. Stanley
Published: March 2007

This research shows that cognitive consistency applies to environmental attitudes and behavior. Most individuals who were observed to engage in a proenvironmental behavior (purchasing lead-free gasoline) had two consistent cognitions—a belief that their behavior was economically expedient and a feeling of personal obligation. Those who held both beliefs and behaved consistently reported greater social support and more supporting beliefs than those who manifested cognitive inconsistency. They also showed a greater behavioral commitment to purchasing lead-free. These data suggest that cognitions are organized as opinion molecules and that behavior is consistent with attitudes. This attitude-behavior consistency is more likely to be observed when behavioral choice is unconstrained, as it was when the data were collected in 1973, before government regulations limited consumer choices.
Residential Energy Conservation
Authors: Macey Susan M. , Brown Marilyn A.
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on repetitive behaviors that conserve residential energy. It views repetitive behavior as a function of past experience, attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions. Data from a three-wave panel survey of homeowners living in Decatur, Illinois, form the basis for statistical analysis. Findings indicate that for conservation behavior that is repetitive at a high frequency, adoption is best predicted by past experience, while for less frequent behaviors, intention is the best predictor. Intentions, in turn, are affected by past experience, attitudes, and subjective norms. Adopters and nonadopters are found to differ in the mechanisms through which their intentions change: Adopters alter intentions more through changing attitudes and nonadopters through changing social influences. Policy implications are discussed.
A Model of Person-Environment Compatibility
Authors: Kaplan Stephen
Published: March 2007

The patterns of information available in the environment are often ignored in analyses of the fit or congruence between person and environment. By viewing such information patterns (in conjunction with the environmental constraints on behavior and the individual's purposes) as potential sources of incompatibility, it is possible to understand a substantially wider range of human-environment relationships. From this perspective, person-environment incompatibility turns out to be a problem that is widespread and that extracts high psychological costs. It might seem that the solution to such problems requires an increase in environmental controllability; such an assumption can, however, be questioned on a number of grounds. An alternative approach is proposed in terms of the concepts of supportive and restorative environments.
Policy Orientations and Environmental Regulation
Authors: Maggiotto Michael A. , Bowman Ann
Published: March 2007

The research explores the manner in which perception and definition shape legislative environmental attitudes. The central hypothesis is that a legislator's perceptual orientation of air pollution predicts his policy position. A survey of Florida state legislators revealed two competing formulations of air pollution. One saw pollution as essentially a question of economics. The second saw pollution as a health and environmental issue. Scales were constructed to measure each of these dimensions. It was found that those legislators scoring high on the health and environmental dimension: (1) were less receptive to environmental deterioration, (2) found present controls less adequate, (3) saw a wider and more beneficial scope of social outcomes, (4) prosecuted their claims more vigorously, even in the face of opposition from constituents, and (5) advocated an expanded governmental approach to the problem. Those policy actors with an economic orientation to air pollution functioned as polar opposites in each instance. In addition, it was found that air pollution stances were not easily transferable to other environmental issues such as water pollution or natural resource conservation.
Expression of Configurational Knowledge of Large-Scale Environments
Authors: Kirasic Kathleen C. , Allen Gary L. , Siegel Alexander W.
Published: March 2007

The expression of students' configurational knowledge of their university campus was investigated in the context of a direction and distance estimation task using a projective convergence technique, which involved the coordination of estimates made from multiple standpoints. Analyses of results indicated few differences between freshmen and upperclassmen with regard to performance in the environment itself but superior performance by upperclassmen when the task was performed as a perspective-taking task in the laboratory. Issues concerning the basis for sex differences in macrospatial ability and the relationship between spatial knowledge and the experimental tasks used to externalize that knowledge are also discussed.
Some Psychological Aspects of Recycling
Authors: De Young Raymond
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on satisfactions derived from the recycling of household solid waste materials. Data from 107 respondents to a mail-back questionnaire were subjected to dimensional analysis and analysis of variance. The results indicatethat people derive a series of separate and distinct satisfactions from both recycling and reusing materials. The satisfactions were quite specific, involving, for example, frugality and participation. These findings suggest that our understanding of why people bother to conserve resources may be improved by investigating the personal satisfactions derived from conservation activities.
Ethnic Susceptibility to Crowding
Authors: Gillis A. R. , Richard Madeline A. , Hagan John
Published: March 2007

Impressionistic evidence suggests that Asians, the British, and Southern Europeans differ in the way they view and adapt to the physical environment. This research examines differences in tolerance of population density across these ethnic categories. Using room density and design density as predictors, and psychological strain as an indicator or crowding, the data show that Asians are most tolerant of high density. Respondents of British origin seem least adaptable, and Southern Europeans are somewhere in between. The findings support the qualitative observations and hold when gender and socioeconomic status are included as controls. The data were drawn from a sample of adolescents in the Toronto Central Metropolitan Area.
Housing in Singapore
Authors: Pugh Cedric
Published: March 2007

Singapore has experienced a unique and exceptional achievement in public housing during its transformation from a less developed to a newly industrialized country. This article explains and reviews this achievement. One aspect of interest is the unconventional way Singapore has conceived and operated its political economy of housing. Singaporean housing practice has established some valuable principles and "theory" in a comparatively successful development of policy and welfare in housing.
Office Politics in a State Legislature
Authors: Sommer Robert , Steiner Katherine
Published: March 2007

Space use in the restored California Capitol is explored through an analysis of newspaper reports and interviews with occupants regarding methods of space assignment, territoriality, personalization, the effects of centrality and propinquity, and the symbolism of office decor. Incidents of competition for space tended to be infrequent and highly ritualized. The relative lack of conflict is due to a generally adequate space situation in a newly renovated and attractive building, a traditional system of space allocation accepted as legitimate, considerable autonomy for the occupants to control and personalize assigned spaces, and the linkage of office quality to rank within a system allowing upward mobility.
Social Facilitation Effects in Coffeehouses
Authors: Sommer Robert , Sommer Barbara A.
Published: March 2007

Behavioral ecology was used to test facilitation effects in three coffeehouses. Groups spent more time in the settings than did lone individuals, and joined parties stayed longest. Duration is an important dependent variable for social psychological research in natural settings.
Environmental Determinants of Party Drinking
Authors: Geller E. Scott , Kalsher Michael J.
Published: March 2007

In order to examine two environmental conditions as potential determinants of alcohol consumption, university students at a fraternity party (94 males and 84 females) were served beer and mixed drinks by bartenders (bartender condition) or obtained them from a self-service station (self-service condition). The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of the partiers was assessed when they arrived and when they left the party. Throughout the party, individual rates of obtaining beer and mixed drinks from the bar and self-service station were monitored. Beer drinkers (especially males) assigned randomly to the self-service condition drank beer at higher rates than beer drinkers served by a bartender. In contrast, the partiers (especially males) who chose mixed drinks drank more beverages in the bartender condition than in the self-service condition. This impact of serving mode was interpreted with basic response-cost notions. That is partiers drank more beer when serving themselves because pouring beer from a pitcher to a mug was faster and more convenient than requesting and receiving a beer from a bartender. On the other hand, preparing mixed drinks required some knowledge and inconvenience, and, therefore, the bartenders decreased this response cost and increased the consumption of mixed drinks. The partiers as a whole got more intoxicated than subjects in similar naturalistic studies, and environmental factors are entertained to explain this difference.
Homeowner Adaptation to Flooding
Authors: Laska Shirley B.
Published: March 2007

This research examines the question of whether long-term adjustments to repeated flooding by individual homeowners can be explained by the application of the Burton, Kates, & White (1978) model developed to describe societal coping with natural hazards. A Flood Coping Scale is developed from the model and validated by conformity of the respondents to scale types. Construct validity is confirmed by the association of many of the previously specified flood and victim characteristics with the levels of the scale as well as the scale itself. The existence of thresholds between levels of coping as proposed by the model is examined. Flood/victim characteristics considered separately are not found to act as thresholds; patterns of characteristics show some pattern; and a summation of characteristics does reflect the predicted thresholds. Finally, flood victim behavior is compared with the post-industrial adjustment model to assess its utility in explaining changes in victim behavior observed over the last decade. The model's usefulness is confirmed.
Finding the Building in Wayfinding
Authors: Peponis John , Zimring Craig , Choi Yoon Kyung
Published: March 2007

This article uses a limited example to demonstrate that studies of wayfinding and spatial learning can benefit from a more rigorous analytic description of building layout and exploration paths that exhibit their own pattern. In at least one case, search patterns are strongly shaped according to the degree of integration of each space and each choice node of the circulation system within the overall layout. Given this overriding trend, we formulate the idea of a search structure whereby the intelligible properties of layouts interact with navigation rules to produce characteristic patterns of exploration.
Development of Models for Park Rangers' Perceived Isolation of National Park Service Areas
Authors: Caldwell Barrett
Published: March 2007

Asurvey of U.S. National Park Service (NPS) rangers examined perceived isolation, personality, and organizational variables. Park areas in a variety of isolated and nonisolated settings were sampled. Statistical indices in this study address issues of isolation previously noted as important in NPS areas. Indices relating to park distance from small urban areas reflect substantial elements of perceived isolation ratings. Models based on these indices provide more information regarding relative isolation perceptions than do personality, organizational, or existing official NPS classification variable models.
Managing Conflict by Managing Boundaries
Authors: Ahrentzen Sherry Boland
Published: March 2007

Professional homework, that is, performing paid labor out of one's home, provides an opportunity to examine the spatial, temporal, behavioral, and social boundaries individuals create to manage role conflict and role overlap. Interviews were conducted with 104 homeworkers, and inventories of their homes were completed. Although there is considerable reported role overlap between work and domestic/leisure activities, this overlap does not necessarily lead to role conflict. Rescheduling work activities, maintaining a separate workspace, restricting access to the workspace, relocating activities outside the home, and eliminating and starting new activities are particular adjustments homeworkers make to minimize or avoid role conflict. An agenda for future work based on this exploratory study is suggested.
Partitioning Space
Authors: Kent Susan
Published: March 2007

Spatial boundaries are imposed conceptually and/or physically on otherwise continuous space. The degree to which partitioning occurs varies from culture to culture. Reasons for cross-cultural diversity are explored, and culture, in the form of sociopolitical complexity, is postulated as most influential for the cross-cultural variation reported in the literature.
Role Transitions and the Wives of Prisoners
Authors: Moerings Martin
Published: March 2007

What consequences does detention have for the prisoner's wife? The experiences of partners of prisoners have been a subject of a pilot study. The results were analyzed according to a role transitions model. What role transitions does the wife go through, what strain does the transition entail and how does the woman react to them? The model turns out to be useful but not complete, as the women's experiences also include reactions that do not fit into the model, such as stigmatization.
The Effect of Street Trees on Perceived Values of Residential Property
Authors: Orland Brian , Vining Joanne , Ebreo Angela
Published: March 2007

Recently sold suburban residential properties in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, were identified via a real estate agent's multiple listing service (MLS). The residences were photographed from the street, the photos digitized to create computer files and then computer video-simulation techniques used to add three different size-class trees to the images. Public groups evaluated the individual color slide images for their expected property value and perceived attractiveness. Judged property value and attractiveness were highly correlated with the MLS recorded sales price. Tree size was not a main effect with either evaluation. For more expensive properties there was a slight increase in value for the addition of smaller trees, but a decrease associated with large trees. For less expensive properties there was no significant effect of tree presence or size. There were no effects related to subject group demographics. The results suggest the need for more caution in ascribing economic value to suburban street trees and for more research into the processes people use in weighing the risks and benefits of tree plantings. The image-editing method used in this quasi-experiment proved useful in allowing the easy manipulation of the study variable.
An Initial Evaluation of the Georgia Safety Belt Use Law
Authors: Thyer Bruce A. , Robertson Margaret
Published: March 2007

An analysis of the statewide monthly figures for injuries, fatalities, and the death rate per 100 million miles driven in the state of Georgia, undertaken for the 12 months immediately prior to and the 12 months after the implementation of the state's mandatory safety belt use law (MUL), found no appreciable differences in these statistics. Thus even though prior research suggests that MULs exert their greatest effect immediately after their implementation, the initial impact of the Georgia MUL appears minimal. Possible reasons for this lack of effect are discussed.
Children'S Housing Style Preferences
Authors: Devlin Ann Sloan
Published: March 2007

The effects of region, socioeconomic level, age, and sex in children were examined in a study of housing style preferences using 126 children and 88 adults. Children's samples came from middle-class (n = 34) and lower income (n = 23) schools, and a low-income camp (n = 21) in the Northeast, a middle-class school in the Midwest (n = 23), and a lower income (n = 25) school in the South. Adults were primarily undergraduates from the Northeast. Participants separately ranked for preference two sets of houses, one from Kinzy (Langdon, 1982), the second from McAlester and McAlester (1984). They also ranked the McAlester and McAlester stimuli for cost. Results indicated no socioeconomic and regional differences, but a sizable number of differences when the judgments of children and adults were contrasted and when preferences by sex were compared. As in previous research (Langdon, 1982; Nasar, 1988, 1 989b), adults preferred the Farm and Tudor styles, and significantly more so than children; children liked the Ranch and Colonial houses significantly more than did adults. In the second stimulus set, adults preferred the Minimal Traditional, Split-level, Neo-French, and Mansard significantly more than the children, whereas the children, in contrast to the adults, significantly preferred the Mobile home, Quonset hut, and Geodesic dome.
Litter Reduction
Authors: Huffman Kim T. , Grossnickle William F. , Cope John G. , Huffman Kenneth P.
Published: March 2007

Numerous strategies have been employed to examine ways to reduce the litter problem in society. However, the problem continues. Although the research does rot suggest a single "cure-all" method to eliminate littering behavior, many simple, creative, and cost-efficient strategies have proven to be effective. This review examined 40 articles and 59 studies that employed either an antecedent or consequence strategy. Of the 59 studies, 46 used antecedent techniques and 13 used consequence techniques. Both strategies were generally effective in reducing litter. The strengths, limitations, and general results of the techniques were examined. Future research should include more utility analyses, studies of the long-term effects of interventions, and large-scale interventions.
The Influence of Relocation on the Environmental, Social, and Psychological Stress Experienced by Disaster Victims
Authors: Riad Jasmin K. , Norris Fran H.
Published: March 2007

A review of the forced relocation literature suggested that relocation following a natural disaster contributes to the environmental, social, and psychological stress experienced by cisastervictims. The present study was designed to examine the effects of relocation on the well-being of victims of Hurricane Andrew, a major disaster that hit south Florida in August 1992. Respondents were 404 residents of southern Dade County who were interviewed in their current residences 6 months after the hurricane. Results indicated that at 6 months post event, relocation was associated with higher levels of ecological stress, crowding, isolation, and social disruption. Moreover, relocation and ecological stress interacted to predict psychological symptoms: Relocatees living in poor conditions fared worse than either nonrelocatees who lived under comparable conditions or other relocatees who lived under better conditions.
Common Fate between Humans and Animals?
Authors: Liu James H. , Bonzon-Liu Belinda , Pierce-Guarino Marie
Published: March 2007

An analysis of environmental conservation and justice issues using the dynamical systems theory of groups suggests that the perception of common fate between various inhabitants of an ecosystem should be critical in extending personal self-interest to encompass ecological concerns. Analysis of 124 newspaper articles on the Key Deer Wildlife Refuge in Florida showed few depictions of common fate between humans and other species, little attention to long-term considerations, and a focus on surface threats to endangered species with "facts" disputed by developers and environ-mentalists. In a second study, only 30% of Big Pine residents described plant or animal species as part of the beauty and uniqueness of the island. Residents approved of the island's rural lifestyle and liked the deer, but neither factor predicted support for slowing the pace of development. The degree to which residents perceived common fate between themselves and the deer was a reliable predictor of all general and specific policy preferences. The growth of environmental conservation is discussed in the context of how groups and social identities are constructed and reflected in communities and society.
Designing Effective Instructional Signs With Schema Theory
Authors: Werner Carol M. , Rhodes Mark U. , Partain Kimberly K.
Published: March 2007

Two studies supported the hypothesis that signs designed to create a new polystyrene schema would be more effective than signs that did not address patrons' existing schemata. Schema-sensitive signs would (a) clearly define different types of polystyrene, (b) teach how clean polystyrene needed to be, and (c) keep contaminants out of the recycling bin. Study 1 showed a substantial increase in volume (from .25 to 3.5 bins recycled per day) and cleanliness (from major contamination to none), as well as corresponding increases in cafeteria patrons' knowledge about polystyrene recycling. Study 2 replicated the behavioral effects. Relative to the baseline, with schema-sensitive signs in place, weight increased by 87% and cleanliness scores improved by 43%. Although recycling quantity and quality improved during additional interventions, they were not significantly higher than levels achieved with only the schema-sensitive signs. Discussion suggested using schemasensitive interventions that are embedded in the total behavioral system.
Media Transitions in Bosnia
Authors: Taylor Maureen , Kent Michael L.
Published: March 2007

Many Central and Eastern European nations are emerging from Communism. Along with the political transition also comes a media transition. This article examines the media transition in the newly formed nation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Once part of Yugoslavia, Bosnia's media history includes wartime nationalism and propaganda that continue to shape both media development and public acceptance of media messages. This article also reports on the emergence of an independent media and then examines the public perceptions of these new, independent media in Bosnia.
An Armchair Surfing of a New Global News Medium
Authors: Cheng Hong
Published: March 2007

This article is an extensive exploration of how the World Wide Web functions as a new global news medium. Using Hong Kong's handover to China as a focal point, it analyzed 663 English-language news web sites from 58 countries/territories. The study found that this historic event received a great deal of attention from the web; traditional news organizations are, by far, the major players of the global English-language news game on the web; news sites are highly concentrated in media-rich countries; and traditional news media have brought many of their `traditions' onto news web sites while experimenting with new formats for news presentation.
Factoring Poverty and Culture into HIV/AIDS Campaigns
Authors: Yun Haejin , Govender Kay , Mody Bella
Published: March 2007

This article argues in favor of the selection of content and dissemination channels based on audience differences in HIV knowledge, perceptions and media preferences. Data were collected from low-income teenagers in Durban, South Africa. Key differences within this low-income group were found between Indians and blacks, and between boys and girls on what to communicate about HIV/AIDS and how to communicate. The argument for audience segmentation beyond income group demographics is supported.
Contested Blueprints for Egypt's Satellite Channels
Authors: Sakr Naomi
Published: March 2007

With Arab-owned satellite channels of all types now broadcasting in all directions, from inside and outside the Arab world, state-centric approaches are no longer valid for analysing power relations in this field. Combining Susan Strange's theory of structural power with Robert Cox's model of world hegemony, developed from the work of Antonio Gramsci, this article proposes an alternative perspective from which to view the organizational formulae adopted for satellite broadcasting. After showing how labels such as national and public cannot be stretched to fit even Egypt's state-owned satellite channels, the article compares competing visions for the future of Egyptian satellite broadcasting on the basis of whether they conform to world hegemonic orthodoxies or challenge them.