bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diurnal Patterns of Unpleasant Mood: Associations with Neuroticism, Depression, and Anxiety
Authors: Rusting Cheryl L. , Larsen Randy J.
Published: March 2003

The literature on symptoms of depression has included diurnal changes in mood. The morning‐worse pattern is commonly mentioned. This pattern is often associated with endogenous or vegetative symptoms (e.g., weight and appetite loss, loss of pleasure, psychomotor retardation). However, depression researchers have also identified an evening‐worse pattern of mood. This pattern is sometimes thought to be associated with milder depressive symptoms, and may characterize chronic dysthymia rather than clinical depression. The present study examines a nonclinical sample to test the hypothesis that an evening‐worse diurnal pattern of mood would be associated with trait neuroticism, anxiety, and subclinical depressive symptoms. An experience sampling methodology was employed to assess mood three times a day for 60 consecutive days. This allowed us to calculate a reliable aggregate score for diurnal mood patterns. The evening‐worse pattern was associated with many neurotic features, with scores on depression and anxiety measures, and with a cognitive style indicative of hopelessness. Discussion focuses on how an evening‐worse diurnal pattern of mood may be indicative of mild subclinical depression, chronic dysthymia, or personality traits associated with negative affectivity.
Identifying Causes of Disagreement Between Self‐Reports and Spouse Ratings of Personality
Authors: McCrae Robert R. , Stone Stephanie V. , Fagan Peter J. , Costa Jr. Paul T.
Published: March 2003

Self‐reports and spouse ratings of personality traits typically show less‐than‐perfect agreement, but powerful moderators of agreement have not yet been identified. In Study 1, 47 married couples completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory to describe themselves and their spouses. Extent of agreement was not consistently moderated by response sets; the age, intelligence, or education of the respondent; or the length or quality of the relationship. In Study 2 these couples were interviewed about reasons for substantial disagreements, and an audiotape was content‐analyzed. Sixteen reasons were reliably coded, including idiosyncratic understanding of items, reference to different time frames or roles, and unavailability of covert experience to the spouse. Faking good, assumed similarity, and other variables prominent in the psychometric literature were relatively unimportant. Findings (1) suggest that attempts to improve the validity of self‐reports and ratings may need to be refocused and (2) underscore the desirability of routinely obtaining multiple sources of information on personality.
A Critical Appraisal of Self‐Report Defense Mechanism Measures
Authors: Davidson Karina , MacGregor Michael William
Published: March 2003

Defense mechanisms have been a source of both fascination and frustration for most personality researchers because they are conceptually intriguing but their assessment is often problematic. To aid personality researchers in integrating defense mechanism theory into personality research, we review and critique the major existing self‐report defense mechanism measures: the Coping and Defending Scales (Joffe & Naditch, 1977); the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (Gleser & Ihilevich, 1969); the Life‐Style Index (Plutchik, Kellerman, & Conte, 1979); and the Defense Style Questionnaire (Bond, Gardner, Christian, & Sigal, 1983). We conclude that no self‐report measure adequately assesses the defining features of defense mechanisms. We offer a number of person and situation variables that must be considered when evaluating any defense mechanism measure, and we conclude that the comprehensive assessment of defense mechanism use will likely require measures obtained from multiple sources.
Self‐Regulating Interest: The Moderating Role of Hardiness and Conscientiousness
Authors: Sansone Carol , Wiebe Deborah J. , Morgan Carolyn
Published: March 2003

Sansone, Weir, Harpster, and Morgan (1992) found that individuals intentionally regulated their interest in an activity when they had both the need (the task was boring) and a reason to exert the effort (an ostensible health benefit). The present study examined Hardiness and Conscientiousness as moderators of this self‐regulatory process when individuals had the option of quitting in addition to the options of persisting and of engaging in interest‐enhancing strategies. Undergraduates performed a boring copying activity under instructions to stop when they felt they could evaluate the task. Half were told that their evaluations would help researchers develop good jobs for others (Benefit). Results indicated high hardy individuals copied more letters when they were provided the additional Benefit information, and this effect was mediated through their attempt to make the task more interesting. High conscientious individuals persisted longer than individuals lower in conscientiousness independently of the benefit manipulation or strategy use. Implications of individual differences in self‐regulation of motivation are discussed.
Affect, Religion, and Unconscious Processes
Authors: Hill Peter C. , Hood, Jr. Ralph W.
Published: March 2003

After a brief review of the central and organizing role of affect in both personality and religion, the bridge between psychoanalytic and contemporary cognitive perspectives of the unconscious is investigated, with a special focus on an affectively based experiential component as outlined in Epstein’s (1973, 1993, 1994) Cognitive‐Experiential Self‐Theory (CEST) model. Four basic needs postulated by CEST are applied to religious experience: the need to manage pleasure and pain, the need for a coherent conceptual system, the need for self‐esteem, and the need for relatedness. The last of these four needs is explored in detail from an object relations perspective that expands Freud’s religion‐as‐illusion concept. It is maintained that an object relations approach contributes much to an understanding of a process‐oriented spirituality, though it cannot appropriately speak to religious truth claims.
A Three‐Factor Model of Trait Anger: Dimensions of Affect, Behavior, and Cognition
Authors: Martin René , Watson David , Wan Choi K.
Published: March 2003

The structure of trait anger was tested in a study of 24 self‐report scales. Exploratory factor analyses in an undergraduate sample (N= 457) yielded a two‐factor model (comprising cynicism and aggression) and a three‐factor model (representing angry emotions, aggressive behaviors, and cynicism). Subsequent evaluations, including confirmatory factor analyses, indicated that the three‐factor model provided the best characterization of the trait anger domain. The three‐factor solution was consistent with an ‘ABC’ conceptualization of trait anger, consisting of the dimensions of affect, behavior, and cognition. The three factors showed strikingly different associations with the Big Five personality traits. Angry Affect was most strongly related to Neuroticism, whereas Behavioral Aggression was associated with low Agreeableness. Cynical Cognition represented a blend of neurotic and disagreeable characteristics. Modest mean‐level differences were observed between the genders for each factor.
Personality and Risk‐Taking: Common Bisocial Factors
Authors: Zuckerman Marvin , Kuhlman D. Michael
Published: March 2003

The first part of this article describes a study of the relationships between personality and risk‐taking in six areas: smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, driving, and gambling. The participants, 260 college students, were given self‐report measures of risky behaviors in each of the six areas and the Zuckerman‐ Kuhlman five‐factor personality questionnaire. Generalized risk‐taking (across all six areas) was related to scales for impulsive sensation seeking, aggression, and sociability, but not to scales for neuroticism or activity. Gender differences on risk‐taking were mediated by differences on impulsive sensation seeking. The second part discusses biological traits associated with both risk‐taking and personality, particularly sensation seeking, such as the D4 dopamine receptor gene, the enzyme monoamine oxidase, and augmenting or reducing of the cortical evoked potential. Comparative studies show relationships between biological markers shared with other species and correlated behaviors similar to sensation seeking in humans. A biosocial model of the traits underlying risk‐taking is presented.
Personality Psychology and Problem Behaviors: HIV Risk and the Five‐Factor Model
Authors: Trobst Krista K. , Wiggins Jerry S. , Costa, Jr. Paul T. , Herbst Jeffrey H. , McCrae Robert R. , Masters, III Henry L.
Published: March 2003

Studies of personality and problem behaviors may begin with analyses of the problem and develop hypotheses about personality traits that might be relevant; or they may begin with models of personality and explore links to behavior. Because it is well validated and relatively comprehensive, the Five‐Factor Model (FFM) of personality lends itself to systematic exploratory studies that may sometimes lead to unanticipated findings. In this article, we review a program of research in a high‐risk, disadvantaged population that illustrates the utility of the FFM in understanding health risk behavior. Previous analyses showed that behavior associated with the risk of HIV infection can be predicted from the personality dispositions of Neuroticism and (low) Conscientiousness. New data demonstrate that—among respondents objectively at risk—perceived risk of HIV infection is related to Openness to Experience. Low Openness may inhibit accurate assessment of risk by restricting consideration of information and influencing other heuristic biases. Contrary to hypotheses based on the Health Belief Model, perception of risk was not related to behavior change after a four‐session intervention program, but Conscientiousness was. These findings suggest that personality traits are related to health risk variables, but not necessarily in ways that might have been expected. Systematic investigation of personality links to problem behaviors may be a useful first step in formulating theories of behavior change.
The Predictive Strength of Personal Constructs Versus Conventional Constructs: Self‐Image Disparity and Neuroticism
Authors: Watson Neill , Watts, Jr. Randolph H.
Published: March 2003

Idiographic personal construct (PC) measures of self‐image disparity were hypothesized to be stronger than nonidiographic conventional construct (CC) measures in predicting neuroticism. Ninety‐six college students completed PC and CC measures of real self, ideal self, social self, and ideal social self; the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory; and the Marlowe‐Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Content analysis showed that individuals’ PC measures were unique. The disparity between real self and ideal self and the disparity between social self and ideal social self were computed for PC and CC; test‐retest reliabilities were .76 to .81. Results of simultaneous multiple regression analyses supported the hypothesis. Also, the two‐variable PC self‐image disparity scores were stronger than one‐variable PC esteem scores in predicting neuroticism. Implications were discussed for research method, self‐concept theory, personal construct theory, neuroticism, and psychotherapy.
Alexithymia, Emotion, and Somatic Complaints
Authors: Lundh Lars‐Gunnar , Simonsson‐Sarnecki Margareta
Published: March 2003

Alexithymia, by definition, involves difficulties in identifying and describing emotions and has been assumed to be associated with somatization (i.e., a tendency to express psychological distress in somatic rather than emotional form). Empirical research so far, however, has produced no convincing evidence that alexithymia is more associated with somatic complaints than with emotional complaints or that alexithymia correlates with somatic complaints when negative affect is controlled for. In the present study, alexithymia, as measured by the TAS‐20, showed no association with somatic complaints in a community sample of 137 individuals when trait anxiety and depression were controlled. Alexithymia did correlate negatively with positive affect, and positively with negative affect. The former association, however, was much more robust, whereas the latter association was found mainly on subjective trait measures of negative affect (as distinct from state measures and more objective trait measures derived from daily recordings during an 8‐week period). It is suggested that the association between alexithymia and lack of positive affect deserves more attention in future research.
Culture and Personality Studies, 1918–1960: Myth and History
Authors: LeVine Robert A.
Published: March 2003

The field known as “culture and personality studies” in the middle decades of the 20th century was a precursor of contemporary cross‐cultural research on personality. Its rejection by anthropologists and sociologists after 1950 was accompanied by stereotypes that have hardened into myth and obscured its character and relevance for contemporary investigators. This article dispels some prevalent misconceptions (concerning its chronology, its theoretical unity, its positions on individual differences and its relationship to Freudian psychoanalysis) and proposes a tentative explanation of its decline.
Relationship Quality, Trait Similarity, and Self‐Other Agreement on Personality Ratings in College Roommates
Authors: Kurtz John E. , Sherker Jennifer L.
Published: March 2003

Previous research has shown that the level of self‐other agreement for personality trait ratings increases with the length of acquaintanceship between the target and the informant. These findings emerge exclusively from studies of well‐acquainted pairs in natural relationships and relative strangers interacting in laboratory and classroom settings. The present study examines self‐other correlations for trait ratings using the NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO‐FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1992) with 103 pairs of previously unacquainted female college roommates. Assessments were obtained at approximately 2 weeks and again at approximately 15 weeks subsequent to the roommates' initial introduction. Self‐other correlations increased for all five NEO‐FFI scores and agreement correlations for Conscientiousness were significantly higher than for Extraversion at both occasions. Differences in relationship quality did not moderate self‐other agreement for any of the traits. However, better relationship quality was associated with higher other‐ratings of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and lower other‐ratings of Neuroticism after controlling for self‐ratings on the same trait. Higher similarity in self‐ratings of Neuroticism and Openness was associated with higher self‐other agreement for these ratings, and similarity in Conscientiousness was associated with higher relationship quality. These results are considered in light of existing theories of differential trait observability and the effects of unique contexts on trait perception.
Zionism, Translation and the Politics of Erasure
Authors: Gordon Neve
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the translation of classic political philosophy into Hebrew, arguing that a variety of ideological positions can be disclosed simply by examining the erasure process employed during translation. Exploring the connection between translation and nation-building, I claim that segments from John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, John Locke's Two Treaties of Government and Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan were excised in the service of a Zionist identity politics. Insofar as Zionism is a discursive formation, its production and maintenance involves the expulsion of components that may hinder the fabrication of a unified identity. Counter-narratives of the nation that disrupt its totalizing boundaries may disturb, in Homi Bhabha's words, ‘those ideological maneuvers through which “imagined communities” are given essentialist identities’. By way of conclusion, I argue that the altered texts are in effect a sign that one ideology overpowered another and led, as it were, to the corruption of the spirit underlying the original project of translating classics into Hebrew, a project that was initiated by Leon Roth for different ideological reasons.
Peers' Careers: Ministers in the House of Lords, 1964–95
Authors: Cowley Philip , Melhuish David
Published: March 2003

Ministers in the Lords are an important and overlooked part of the British executive. This article examines who they are, what careers they have, and speculates about careers in a reformed upper chamber. It finds intra-party differences in the type of peer employed as ministers and in previous education but not (greatly) in previous occupation, concluding that ministers in the Lords remain part of a social élite. The effect of gender is also examined. It examines career paths, finding the development of an apprenticeship system and a glass ceiling which has led to recruitment problems for the Government. Labour's plans for reform, and the consequences for executive recruitment, are also considered.
Metaphysics Postponed: Liberalism, Pluralism, and Neutrality
Authors: Newey Glen
Published: March 2003

Many recent liberal theorists have argued that state neutrality is supported by a metaphysical thesis about value, namely pluralism, which asserts that there are some conceptions of the good life which neither form a hierarchy nor represent versions of a single good. It is however doubtful whether neutrality is supported by pluralism; indeed, it may in some cases be precluded by it. Arguments for pluralism can, in many cases, be reconciled with a monistic metaphysics of value, and pluralism itself fails to support neutrality. This is particularly true of traditional liberal policy positions such as religious toleration and opposition to censorship, where attention to diverse conceptions of the good may favour, or demand, non-neutral policies. The political problems which neutrality addresses arise before we accept the metaphysical ‘truth’ of pluralism, and often remain even if the parties to a political conflict have false conceptions of value. A sharp question for the pluralist neutralist is why conflicting conceptions of the political cannot themselves feature in plural conceptions of the good life. Dispensing with pluralism may not, however, be enough to rescue neutrality, since the disputes which neutrality was designed to deal with may not be resolvable neutrally; and more particularly, some of the traditional liberal policies may be incapable of neutral justification. If so, liberals may find a more traditional form of non-neutral liberalism more attractive.
Difference and the Concept of the Political in Contemporary Political Philosophy
Authors: O'Sullivan Noël
Published: March 2003

A striking feature of contemporary political philosophy is the emergence of the nature of the political itself as a central theme of discussion. There are various reasons for this development, but all of them merely reinforce the problem posed in its most stark form by postmodern theory. This is the problem of determining what concept of the political, if any, can accommodate the extreme diversity that is the main feature of contemporary western life. That is the question with which the present paper is concerned.

The three currently influential concepts of the political are analysed, after which it is suggested that a fourth concept, which is a revised and reformulated version of the classical idea of civil association, provides the basis for a concept of the political best suited to modern conditions of increasing diversity.
Institutions and Labour Market Performance in Western Europe
Authors: Teague Paul , Grahl John
Published: March 2003

Labour market institutions in most European countries are caught mid-stream between flexibility and coordination. On the one hand, most countries fail to capture the positive externalities that may arise from the mutual interdependence of institutions and ground level labour market behaviour. Productive and commercial changes make it exceptionally difficult to create such coordination arrangements. At the same time, there has not been a widespread rejection of labour market institutions. This can be seen in the cautious and pragmatic manner with which most European countries approach the themes of flexibility and deregulation. The common pattern has been to mesh flexibility and regulation. Thus whilst institutions still matter their role should not be overstated. In many ways, a governance gap is emerging in the European labour market.
Liberals, Democrats and the Agenda of Politics
Authors: Vernon Richard
Published: March 2003

Democrats sometimes wonder why liberalism, as a theory which values choice, should seek to restrict democratic choices by limiting the political agenda. This article tries to answer this question by emphasizing a value which is common to liberal and democratic arguments: that as far as possible states should rest on persuasion rather than compulsion. On this basis, it is argued that personal and political choice situations are not analogous, that not all the arguments for personal freedom are exhausted by the arguments for fair democratic procedure, that it is not irrational to fear that one might be in an unpersuaded minority, and that even democratic political outcomes cannot be substituted for personal conclusions. Some democratic theories do not accept the value assumed here: but they pay too high a price.
The Politics of Reading Nietzsche
Authors: Coole Diana
Published: March 2003

Over recent years, an extraordinary number of interpretations of Nietzsche's work has appeared. I ask why he has become such an important figure in contemporary political debate and whether any dominant concerns can be elicited from the diverse readings of his texts. My response to both questions is that because Nietzsche has been identified, by Habermas among others, as the founding father of post-structuralism, this is where debate between postmodernists and their critics is being staged. I distinguish between recent philosophical and political interpretations but argue that in both cases, what is at stake are political questions regarding authority, legitimacy and consensus. In the latter part of the article I consider attempts at reconstructing a postmodern politics out of Nietzsche's philosophy, but express some doubts about such a project.
Intergenerational Justice and Climate Change
Authors: Page Edward
Published: March 2003

Global climate change has important implications for the way in which benefits and burdens will be distributed amongst present and future generations. As a result it raises important questions of intergenerational justice. It is shown that there is at least one serious problem for those who wish to approach these questions by utilizing familiar principles of justice. This is that such theories often pre-suppose harm-based accounts of injustice which are incompatible with the fact that the very social policies which climatologists and scientists claim will reduce the risks of climate change will also predictably, if indirectly, determine which individuals will live in the future. One proposed solution to this problem is outlined grounded in terms of the notion of collective interests.
The Dynamics of Party Preference Change in Britain, 1991–1996
Authors: Sanders David , Brynin Malcolm
Published: March 2003

The paper examines individual-level data from the first six waves of the British Household Panel Survey, 1991–96. The analysis shows that changes in party support in this period were significantly affected by two sets of factors that have traditionally been regarded as important sources of changes in voters' political preferences: ideology and personal economic experiences. Ideological change is demonstrated to have much stronger direct effects on party preference than economic factors. However, both objective economic conditions and subjective economic perceptions are shown to have significant effects on ideological change itself, implying that economic factors also exert important indirect effects on voters' partisan preferences. These individual-level findings provide important corroboration for the results of aggregate-level studies, which have consistently found that economic factors – and in particular economic perceptions – play a major role in determining patterns of partisan support.
Measuring Liberal Democratic Performance: An Empirical and Conceptual Critique
Authors: Foweraker Joe , Krznaric Roman
Published: March 2003

Liberal democratic performance is understood as the delivery of liberal democratic values, and not as regime longevity or government efficacy. Measuring it is a matter of how far liberal democratic governments achieve in practice the values they endorse in principle.

It is recognized that the performance of liberal democratic governments varies widely. But extant attempts to measure this variation suffer problems of reliability and validity, and the object of measurement is often unclear.

By defining the range of liberal democratic values we demonstrate that performance is multidimensional and that trade-offs across different values can create distinct performance profiles. The narrow gauge of the extant meaures – usually of just one or two values – is often disguised by single scales that masquerade as summary performance indicators.
Five Arguments for Deliberative Democracy
Authors: Cooke Maeve
Published: March 2003

Five arguments in favour of deliberative democracy are considered. These focus on its educative power, on its community-generating power, on the fairness of the procedure of public deliberation, on the epistemic quality of its outcomes and on the congruence of the deliberative democratic ideal ‘with whom we are’. The first four arguments are shown to be inadequate. The fifth argument, it is claimed, not only provides the most convincing defence of deliberative democracy but can also be used to decide rationally between competing interpretations of the deliberative ideal. By way of illustration, the essay concludes with a critical discussion of the rival versions proposed by Rawls and Habermas.
Measuring the Level and Direction of Split-Ticket Voting at the 1979 and 1997 British General and Local Elections: A Survey-Based Analysis
Authors: Rallings Colin , Thrasher Michael
Published: March 2003

Only in 1979 and 1997 have British general elections coincided with the annual local government electoral contests. This research note uses both survey and aggregate data to provide new estimates of the extent of split-ticket voting in England at those two elections, and to compare similarities and differences between them. It appears that no fewer than one in six of those electors who voted for one of the three major parties in both contests made a different choice at national as opposed to local level. The fact that the proportion of those splitting their vote in this way was so similar in 1979 and 1997 may surprise those expecting the phenomenon to have grown as part of a general process of partisan dealignment. Rather it appears that changing patterns of contestation between 1979 and 1997, especially at local level, may be better able to account for those variations observed.
Compassion as a Political Virtue
Authors: Whitebrook Maureen
Published: March 2003

The place of compassion in political thought and practice is debatable. This debate can be clarified by stipulating ‘compassion’ as referring to the practice of acting on the feeling of ‘pity’; in addition, compassion might best be understood politically speaking as properly exercised towards vulnerability rather than suffering. Working with these understandings, I contrast Martha Nussbaum's account of the criteria for the exercise of compassion in modern democracies with the treatment of compassion in Toni Morrison's novels in order to suggest how compassion can be viewed politically. In respect of distributive justice and public policy, in both cases compassion might modify the strict application of principles in the light of knowledge of particulars, suggesting an enlarged role for discretion in the implementation of social justice. More generally, compassion's focus on particulars and the interpersonal draws attention to the importance of imagination and judgement. The latter returns a consideration of compassion to the question of the relationship of compassion to justice. In the political context, although strict criteria for compassion are inappropriate, principles of justice might work as modifying compassion (rather than vice-versa, as might be expected).
Teaching and Assessing Oral Skills as Democratic Practice
Authors: Stafford William
Published: March 2003

Teaching and assessing oral skills is important, but relatively novel in the discipline of Political Studies; this article defends the practice, and outlines the ‘nuts and bolts’ of one methodology for doing it. Preliminary explanation in lectures, practice in seminars, assessment, feedback and self-assessment are all covered and the paperwork illustrated. The methodology is based in part on Habermas's theory of ‘communicative competence’ and the ‘ideal speech situation’; it therefore implies and imparts the values of respect, equality, democracy and consensus. It is suggested that a value-free approach to the teaching of oral skills is impossible.
Abortion and Partisanship in the 104th U.S. Congress
Authors: Jaenicke Douglas W.
Published: March 2003

The new Republican majorities in the 104th Congress conducted a coherent campaign to erode abortion rights Avoiding a hopeless attempt to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, congressional Republicans pressed numerous anti-abortion initiatives Analysis of the votes on those initiatives reveals a clear partisan pattern – a large majority of congressional Republicans are hostile to abortion rights while most congressional Democrats usually act to protect and even extend them. Therefore, the liberal versus conservative conflict which characterises the congressional parties on economic issues is also visible in the abortion issue.
National Minorities and the International System
Authors: Preece Jennifer Jackson
Published: March 2003

National minorities are collectivities who possess that trait which is the current normative underpinning of states, namely nationhood, and yet for practical purposes cannot enjoy outright political independence. Because national minorities bear these normatively significant characteristics they may be deemed to have legitimate international claims to certain special rights even if these fall short of statehood. Yet although this rationale may be logically sound and morally justified, pursuing it nevertheless raises serious problems with regard to state sovereignty.
Cultural Pluralism: A Response to Seglow's Critique
Authors: Tyler Colin
Published: March 2003

I examine Seglow's critique (Politics 17(3) 1997) of my assessment of Parekh's theory of operative public values (Politics 16(3) 1996). This examination has four main stages: (a) the rejection of crucial aspects of Seglow's interpretation of my argument, (b) the rejection of his claim that my argument is logically committed to certain other specific positions which I do not support, (c) the rejection of his claim that I my argumentative strategies are misleading, (d) the consideration of possible similarities and disagreements between our respective positive positions on cultural pluralism.
Capitalism after the Fall of Communism
Authors: Barry Norman
Published: March 2003

This article compares the economics and ethics of Anglo-American individualistic market capitalism with its rivals – notably the ‘social market’ model and communitarian capitalism. It argues that ‘business ethics’ is a threat to economic efficiency and does not guarantee higher moral standards in commerce.
The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union — A Lesson in How Not to Make Policy
Authors: Cooper Marc-Philippe
Published: March 2003

This article considers some salient theoretical contributions which bear upon our understanding of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union (EU). It outlines the fundamental dilemma highlighted in game theory known as ‘the tragedy of the commons’ and goes on to examine whether the CFP can be construed as a ‘policy fiasco’. The article considers how the fisheries of the EU could be more effectively managed and underlines the urgent need for international collective action. With the mismatch between the CFP and the scale of the problem it is intended to address firmly in sight, the article concludes with an evaluation and some policy suggestions.
MPs' Pay 1911–1996: Myths and Realities
Authors: Mark Baimbridge , Darcy Darren
Published: March 2003

The controversial 26 per cent salary increase voted for by MPs in July 1996 re-ignited the vexed issue of politicians and pay. This paper firstly develops a framework to review the history of MPs' pay. Secondly, an empirical examination is undertaken with regard to its value relative to prices and earnings, the ruling political party and the overall period disaggregated by decade. This suggests that MPs have been more successful insulating themselves against the ravages of inflation than changes in earnings and that the party in power appears to be influential.
Labour's Transformation: Searching for the Point of Origin — The European Dynamic
Authors: Holden Russell
Published: March 2003

Adam Lent's article in Politics Volume 17 presents a cogent set of explanations pointing to the rebirth of Labour starting well before 1987, however he has not considered the role of the European issue in explaining the location of the origins of Labour's transformation. Europe as will be shown, created a clear dynamic for party renewal as it married together a range of key factors that the Kinnock-Hattersley leadership had to constantly balance in their efforts to rebuild the Party. Namely, party unity, the retention of union support, the creation and sustaining of a new economic policy, and a rapidly changing international economic environment. These factors shaped the paradigm that has to be used if Labour's renewal is to be fully understood in the time frame identified.
The Strategic-Relational View of the State
Authors: Kelly Duncan
Published: March 2003

This paper seeks to highlight the main elements of the ‘strategic-relational’ approach to (Marxist) state theory, developed particularly by Bob Jessop. The legacy of Nicos Poulantzas in particular is singled out for its importance in laying the foundations for such an approach. This is followed by a discussion of Jessop and his development of many ideas bequeathed by Poulantzas, culminating in various moves toward a strategic-relational analysis. These moves are then critically assessed, with some wider thoughts on the approach offered in conclusion
Philosophical Interpretation in the Work of Michael Walzer
Authors: Armstrong Chris
Published: March 2003

Walzer's work has been criticised by liberal writers on the grounds of its interpretive underpinnings, which have been equated with communitarianism. Theorists working in branches of radical political theory (such as feminism, critical theory or post-structuralism) have generally accepted this criticism and considered Walzer's work excessively conservative. Its influence on radical political theory has therefore been abbreviated. But the contention of this article is that, properly understood, the grounds on which Walzer takes issue with objectivist liberalism closely resemble those advanced within radical political theory, and therefore his work can be rescued from its conservative associations.
The Third Way Project in Britain: The Role of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit
Authors: Butler Anthony
Published: March 2003

The reputedly pragmatic Prime Minister's Policy Unit focuses on ‘what works’, but has also sought to elaborate the governing philosophy of the ‘third way’. By explaining what the government is doing and why, the third way is meant to improve electoral performance and policy co-ordination, enhance democracy and unite the party. This article identifies conflicts within and between these goals. It concludes that electoral concerns and party unity have been paramount for the Policy Unit.
Political Science Research Internships and Political Science Education
Authors: Moon Jeremy , Schokman Wykham
Published: March 2003

This article reports on the evaluation of political science research internships and considers their costs and benefits for a political science education. Students indicated high levels of appreciation of the inaugural Political Science Research Internship Unit at the University of Western Australia in terms of its contribution to their personal development and work experience. A substantial number of interns gained insights into the policy process through this form of experiential learning. Many came to appreciate the contingency and the normative dimensions of knowledge in the policy process. Whereas about half of the students found the transition from the seminar room to the policy world difficult, the other half were more successful in applying their theoretical knowledge to practical experiences. The article also indicates how this evaluation informs future course design.
Defining Feminism
Authors: Hoffman John
Published: March 2003

Feminism is sometimes seen either as multiple or singular as though we have to make a choice along ideological as well as philosophical lines. Feminism, I shall argue, is both multiple and singular, since ‘liberal’, ‘socialist’ and ‘radical’ feminisms are distinctive feminisms that can and should be assessed according to the extent to which they contribute positively to the development of a post-patriarchal society. The same holds for the philosophically differentiated varieties of ‘feminist empiricism’, standpoint and post-modern theory. Each represent differing feminisms within a single body of argument unified by its commitment to the emancipation of women. It is important to distinguish here between the way in which particular theorists regard their endeavours, and the practical implications of the positions taken.
Public Opinion, Political Communication and the Internet
Authors: Savigny Heather
Published: March 2003

In contemporary society public opinion is generally mediated by the mass media, which has come to encompass the Habermasian ‘public sphere’. This arena is now characterised by the conflict between market and democratic principles, by competing interests of politicians and the media. The presentation of information for debate becomes distorted. The opinion of the ‘public’ is no longer created through deliberation, but is constructed through systems of communication, in conflict with political actors, who seek to retain control of the dissemination of information. The expansion of the internet as a new method of communication provides a potential challenge to the primacy of the traditional media and political parties as formers of public opinion.
How Violence Breeds Violence: Some Utilitarian Considerations
Authors: Calhoun Laurie
Published: March 2003

Recent philosophical writing about war has focused upon just war theory, especially how best to construe the ius ad bellum and ius in bello tenets, and whether the distinction between combatants and non-combatants can be made in the modern world. Historically and politically, calls to war have often appealed to utilitarian considerations. In this article, I discuss important long-range consequences rarely mentioned in utilitarian defences of particular decisions to engage states in war. When consequences are weighed fully not only in the short term but with an eye to the future, bearing the destiny of all people in mind, it emerges that belligerent approaches to international conflict resolution will not maximise utility.
Professionalism and the Millbank Tendency: The Political Sociology of New Labour's Employees
Authors: Webb Paul , Fisher Justin
Published: March 2003

This article analyses party employees, one of the most under-researched subjects in the study of British political parties. We draw on a blend of quantitative and qualitative data in order to shed light on the social and political profiles of Labour Party staff, and on the question of their professionalisation. The latter theme is developed through a model derived from the sociology of professions. While a relatively limited proportion of party employees conform to the pure ideal-type of professionalism, a considerably greater number manifest enough of the core characteristics of specialisation, commitment, mobility, autonomy and self-regulation to be reasonably described as ‘professionals in pursuit of political outcomes’.
Nature and Dynamics of Reference Frames in Visual Search for Orientation: Implications for Early Visual Processing
Authors: Marendaz Christian
Published: March 2003

Visual detection of a line target differing in orientation from a background of lines is assumed to occur early in vision and to involve filter mechanisms acting in parallel over the visual field in retinotopic maps (Foster & Ward, 1991; Treisman, 1985; Wolfe, 1994). But retinotopicality does not imply that early vision takes place in a retinal reference frame. This article briefly reviews experiments on this issue and analyzes their implications regarding early visual processing. The review shows that the spatial frame of reference used in visual search for orientation is dynamically determined by various sensory cues to orientation (Marendaz, Stivalet, Barraclough, & Walkowiac, 1993; Stivalet, Marendaz, Barraclough, & Mourareau, 1995). These findings suggest that intersensory integration and perceptual organization are involved at a processing level preceding visual search. This functional viewpoint is discussed in relation to data from neuroscience and psychology (visual search, microgravity).
Facilitated Communication as an Ideomotor Response
Authors: Burgess Cheryl A. , Kirsch Irving , Shane Howard , Niederauer Kristen L. , Graham Steven M. , Bacon Alyson
Published: March 2003

Forty college students were taught facilitated communication via a commercially available training videotape. They were then asked to facilitate the communication of a confederate, who was described as developmentally disabled and unable to speak. All 40 participants produced responses that they attributed at least partially to the confederate, and most attributed all of the communication entirely to her. Eighty-nine percent produced responses corresponding to information they had received, most of which was unknown to the confederate. Responding was significantly correlated with simple ideomotor responses with a pendulum and was not affected by information about the controversy surrounding facilitated communication. These data support the hypothesis that facilitated communication is an instance of automatic writing, akin to that observed in hypnosis and with Ouija boards, and that the ability to produce automatic writing is more common than previously thought.
Competition Between Outcomes
Authors: Miller Ralph R. , Matute Helena
Published: March 2003

In both Pavlovian conditioning and human causal judgment, competition between cues is well known to occur when multiple cues are presented in compound and followed by an outcome. More questionable is the occurrence of competition between outcomes when a single cue is followed by multiple outcomes presented in compound. In the experiment reported here, we demonstrated blocking (a type of stimulus competition) between outcomes. When the cue predicted one outcome, its ability to predict a second outcome that was presented in compound with the first outcome was reduced. The procedure minimized the likelihood that the observed competition between outcomes arose from selective attention. The competition between outcomes that we observed is problematic for contemporary theories of learning.
Synchronous Information Presented in 40-HZ Flicker Enhances Visual Feature Binding
Authors: Elliott Mark A. , Müller Hermann J.
Published: March 2003

Recent neurophysiological studies have encouraged speculation that the synchronization of spatially distributed neural assemblies (at around 40 Hz in the neocortex) is responsible for the binding of discrete stimulus components into coherent wholes during visual object perception. Using a novel paradigm, we demonstrated specific figural priming under 40-Hz stimulus modulation conditions. Further, under these conditions, observers were not aware of the prime's existence, nor did the prime act as a stimulus-driven attentional cue. These findings provide the first psychophysical support for a theory of preattentive coding of visual objects, based on an externally entrained and thereby synchronized 40-Hz feature-binding mechanism.
Our Eyes do Not Always Go Where we Want Them to Go: Capture of the Eyes by New Objects
Authors: Theeuwes Jan , Kramer Arthur F. , Hahn Sowon , Irwin David E.
Published: March 2003

Observers make rapid eye movements to examine the world around them. Before an eye movement is made, attention is covertly shifted to the location of the object of interest. The eyes typically will land at the position at which attention is directed. Here we report that a goal-directed eye movement toward a uniquely colored object is disrupted by the appearance of a new but task-irrelevant object, unless subjects have a sufficient amount of time to focus their attention on the location of the target prior to the appearance of the new object. In many instances, the eyes started moving toward the new object before gaze started to shift to the color-singleton target. The eyes often landed for a very short period of time (25–150 ms) near the new object. The results suggest parallel programming of two saccades: one voluntary, goal-directed eye movement toward the color-singleton target and one stimulus-driven eye movement reflexively elicited by the appearance of the new object. Neuroanatomical structures responsible for parallel programming of saccades are discussed.
Human Eyeblink Classical Conditioning: Effects of Manipulating Awareness of the Stimulus Contingencies
Authors: Clark Robert E. , Squire Larry R.
Published: March 2003

In four groups, we either promoted or prevented awareness of the stimulus contingencies during trace or delay differential eyeblink classical conditioning. To reduce awareness of the stimulus contingencies, we asked two groups to engage in a secondary attention-demanding task during trace or delay conditioning. To promote awareness of the stimulus contingencies, we explained the relationships between the stimuli to two other groups before trace conditioning. One of these groups then engaged in the secondary task during conditioning. Following conditioning, awareness of the stimulus contingencies was assessed with a true/false questionnaire. Preventing awareness of the stimulus contingencies disrupted trace differential eyeblink conditioning but did not affect delay differential conditioning. Providing knowledge about the stimulus contingencies facilitated trace conditioning. Finally, providing knowledge about the stimulus contingencies, then having subjects engage in a distraction task, disrupted trace conditioning. Results are discussed in terms of the role of declarative and nondeclarative memory systems during trace eyeblink conditioning.
Nonverbal Counting in Humans: The Psychophysics of Number Representation
Authors: Whalen John , Gallistel C.R. , Gelman Rochel
Published: March 2003

In a nonverbal counting task derived from the animal literature, adult human subjects repeatedly attempted to produce target numbers of key presses at rates that made vocal or subvocal counting difficult or impossible. In a second task, they estimated the number of flashes in a rapid, randomly timed sequence. Congruent with the animal data, mean estimates in both tasks were proportional to target values, as was the variability in the estimates. Converging evidence makes it unlikely that subjects used verbal counting or time durations to perform these tasks. The results support the hypothesis that adult humans share with nonverbal animals a system for representing number by magnitudes that have scalar variability (a constant coefficient of variation). The mapping of numerical symbols to mental magnitudes provides a formal model of the underlying nonverbal meaning of the symbols (a model of numerical semantics).