bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Measure of Academic Situational Constraints: Out-of-Class Circumstances that Inhibit College Student Development
Authors: Hatcher Larry , Prus Joseph S. , Englehard Blake , Farmer Tonya M.
Published: March 2007

Academic situational constraints are out-of-class circumstances and activities which increase a student's work load, cause stress, and constrain academic performance and development. In this study, an instrument assessing 15 types of constraints was developed and administered to 405 college students. Principal components analysis and a multitrait-multimethod analysis generally supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales. Using SAT scores as a control variable, situational constraint scales accounted for significant amounts of unique variance in perceived work load, stress, GPA, and perceived academic development.
A Coefficient of Agreement for Nominal Scales: An Asymmetric Version of Kappa
Authors: Kvalseth Tarald O.
Published: March 2007

This paper is concerned with the measurement of agreement between two observers classifying items into nominal categories, with one of the observers being viewed as the "standard". An asymmetric version of Cohen's Kappa is proposed as an appropriate measure. Properties of this measure are outlined, and a numerical example is given.
The Development and Validation of a Short Form of a Multidimensional Self-Concept Measure for High Technology Employees
Authors: Crowder Betty , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

For a sample of 162 employees in a major electronics/computer company, evidence is presented concerning the reliability and construct validity of six 15-item scales in a shortened form of a measure entitled Dimensions of Self-Concept-Form W (DOSC-W). For the six scales of Level of Aspiration, Anxiety, Job Interest and Satisfaction, Leadership and Initiative, Identification versus Alienation, and Job Stress, representing the names hypothesized for the six underlying constructs of the DOSC-W, internal-consistency reliabilities ranged from .86 to .92, and intercorrelations among them varied between -.40 and .53. Orthogonal and oblique exploratory factor analyses of 18 subtests (three 5-item subtests for each factor scale) provided highly similar 6-factor solutions with clearly evident simple structure lending support to the validity of the six constructs. Confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analyses showed that among many alternative models, the 6-factor oblique model afforded the best fit in terms of accounting for the largest proportion of covariance.
A Randomization Test Computer Program for Trends in Repeated-Measures Data
Authors: Edgington Eugene S. , Khuller Patricia L. V.
Published: March 2007

When parametric trend tests for repeated-measures data are inappropriate because of the untenability of the underlying parametric assumptions, a viable nonparametric alternative is a randomization test. Such a randomization test and a FORTRAN program for implementing it are described in this paper.
The Construction of Uncorrelated, Discretely Distributed, Artificial Profiles for the "Jan"Technique
Authors: Voss Daniel T.
Published: March 2007

The construction of artificial profiles, or stimuli, for judgment analysis (JAN) is discussed. Given a prespecified discrete relative frequency distribution with finite support for each predictor variable, the construction method is used to generate sets of artificial profiles such that (1) each predictor variable possesses precisely the prespecified discrete distribution and (2) the predictor variables are uncorrelated and (3) all the profiles are unique. Sets of profiles are provided which satisfy the three aforementioned properties and for which each of the predictors takes on five, seven, or nine levels with relative frequencies chosen to approximate normality.
The Leniency Scale: Is it Really Independent of Ratee Behavior?
Authors: Highhouse Scott
Published: March 2007

Although the leniency scale was proposed as a method to measure a lenient tendency and has been advocated as a method for removing error from performance ratings and leader descriptions, there exists little research to support its use. This study was aimed at examining the efficacy of the leniency scale as a measure of a leniency disposition. A total of 135 participants under one or both of two instructional sets (describe your current instructor; describe your last instructor) were asked to complete the leniency scale and a performance evaluation of their current instructor. Results showed that the leniency scale completed under one instructional set was unrelated to the same scale administered under the second instructional set, suggesting that the scale may not measure a leniency disposition. Moreover, the relationship between the leniency scale and leniency depended upon the target of the leniency scale.
The Relationship of Reading Comprehension to Critical Thinking Skills, Cognitive Ability, and Vocabulary for a Sample of Underachieving College Freshmen
Authors: Farley Mary Jane , Elmore Patricia B.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of reading comprehension for underachieving college freshmen to their critical thinking skills, vocabulary, and cognitive ability. Three tests administered to 165 students enrolled in a remedial reading course at a large midwestern university were: (a) Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level Z (CCTT), (b) Developing Cognitive Abilities Test (DCAT), and (c) Iowa Silent Reading Test (ISRT). Each test took only one class period and was administered by the same examiner. A multiple regression analysis was employed in which the subscale scores of (a) literal comprehension, (b) reasoning in reading, (c) evaluation and appreciation of written materials, along with scores on (d) reading comprehension, and (e) critical reading comprehension obtained from the ISRT served as criterion variables. Seven critical thinking skills measured by the subscales from the CCTT; vocabulary measured by the ISRT; verbal, quantitative, and spatial cognitive abilities measured by the DCAT; and the five verbal cognitive abilities broken down into knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis served as independent variables. The vocabulary subtest of the ISRT and all three subscales of the DCAT were important predictors of the various dimensions of reading comprehension ability.
School Participant Empowerment Scale: Assessment of Level of Empowerment within the School Environment
Authors: Short Paula M. , Rinehart James S.
Published: March 2007

Two hundred eleven teachers in public schools rated 68 beliefs about what makes them feel empowered in schools. The items were factor analyzed revealing six dimensions or subscales: (a) Decision Making, (b) Professional Growth, (c) Status, (d) Self-Efficacy, (e) Autonomy, and (f) Impact. A 38-item School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) was constructed by selecting marker items for each of the six dimensions. Obtained internal consistency estimates of reliability for the total scale was .94, and ranged from .81 to .89 for the six factor scales. Evidence of discriminant validity also was discussed.
Academic Self-Concept and its Relationship to Achievement in a Sample of Junior High School Students
Authors: Lyon Mark A.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship of academic self-concept to achievement for a sample of junior high school students. Academic self-concept was found to correlate significantly more strongly with achievement than general self-concept, motivation, and class- room behavior, but not with locus of control. The results of a multiple regression analysis, however, indicated that academic self-concept was approximately twice as powerful a predictor of achievement as locus of control. These results are discussed in light of their implications for educational assessment.
Special Test for Computer Programmers? Not Needed: The Predictive Efficiency of the Electronic Data Processing Test for a Sample of Air Force Recruits
Authors: Besetsny Leasley K. , Ree Malcolm James , Earles James A.
Published: March 2007

This study evaluated the predictive efficiency of the Electronic Data Processing Test (EDPT), a classification test used by the United States Air Force. Recruits are classified into the computer programmer and operator fields using this special test as well as scores from the general multiple aptitude test battery, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), given to all Air Force applicants. Using a sample of 3,547 students, linear models analyses were conducted to evaluate any incremental validity the EDPT added to the ASVAB in the prediction of technical training performance. No significant incremental validity was found for the EDPT.
A Test of the Validity of the Work Environment Inventory
Authors: Taylor Sylvester , Gryskiewicz Nur
Published: March 2007

The validity of the Work Environment Inventory (WEI) was tested by examining the relationship between mean ratings of WEI obstacles and stimulants to creativity scales, and perceptions of organizational creativity. The results show that those who rated their work environments as highly creative had significantly different mean scale scores on the WEI than those who rated their work environment as low in creativity. These results are consistent with the assertion that the WEI discriminates between different levels of perceived creativity in the work environment.
First-Order and Higher-Order Factors of Creative Social Intelligence Within Guilford'S Structure-Of-Intellect Model: A Reanalysis of a Guilford Data Base
Authors: Chen Shyuefee Agnes , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

The major purpose of this investigation was to ascertain through the use of confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis (CM-LFA) (Joreskog and Sorbom, 1989b) how accurately each of several hypothesized combinations of first-order and higher-order factors reflecting creativity in social intelligence for a sample of 192 high school students in a middle-class suburban community could describe the covariation within selected submatrixes taken from the total correlation matrix originally analyzed by Hendricks, Guilford, and Hoepfner (1969). Exploratory factor analyses involving both orthogonal (varimax) and oblique (promax) solutions were also completed and compared with the original orthogonal factor analysis of the total correlation matrix by Hendricks et al. The exploratory factor analyses showed a moderate degree of correspondence with the solution offered by Hendricks et al. It was concluded that CMLFA lent support to hypothesized first- and higher-order factors within the context of Guilford's structure-of-intellect model.
Banktest: A Program for Constructing Tests from Item Banks
Authors: Aiken Lewis R.
Published: March 2007

A BASIC program for constructing tests from item banks is described. The program may also be used to construct and edit test item banks as well as edit existing tests.
A Scale to Assess Perceptions of Cheating in Examination-Related Situations
Authors: Roberts Dennis M. , Toombs Rebecca
Published: March 2007

The Perceptions of Cheating Scale (POCS) was developed to assess perceptions of academic cheating in examination-related situations. The final form of the POCS contained 30 items depicting cheating scenarios. Respondents were required to assign levels of punishment appropriate for the cheating described. Data were collected from both college students and faculty. As partial validation, a comparison was made between faculty and student response patterns. Results showed clear differences with faculty consistently assigning harsher punishments. Examination of the relationships between the POCS and several criterion variables yielded some small but statistically significant coefficients.
Rater Leniency and Performance Appraisal Discomfort
Authors: Villanova Peter , Bernardin H. John , Dahmus Sue A. , Sims Randi L.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the predictability of rater leniency from scores on an instrument designed to measure rater discomfort with performance appraisal situations. The 20-item Performance Appraisal Discomfort Scale (PADS) was administered twice to a sample of 178 undergraduate business students who rated performance of group members on three group projects under conditions designed to emulate features of actual appraisal situations. Results supported the notion that rater leniency is stable and predictable from PADS scores. Also, principal-component extracted and varimax rotated factors of the PADS were interpreted as corresponding to four distinct situational demands placed on raters in the course of performance appraisal. The results of this limited demonstration of the validity of PADS suggest that future application of the PADS or some like instrument may be useful for enhancing the validity of appraisal ratings and feedback utility.
Factor Analysis of the Asvab: Confirming a Vernon-Like Structure
Authors: Ree Malcolm James , Carretta Thomas R.
Published: March 2007

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) has been used in its current item and content form for more than a decade. Its latent structure, although explored in factor analyses, has never been confirmed. Several confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on Form 8a in a nationally representative sample. These included a g-only model, a three-factor hierarchical Vernon-like model, 2 four-factor first-order models, and 2 four-factor hierarchical models. Based on fit indexes, simple structure, and parsimony in parameter estimation, the three-factor hierarchical model was chosen to represent the data. The higher-order factor was psychometric g, and the first-order factors were interpreted as Speed, VerbalUMath, and Technical Knowledge. The latter two factors were similar to the Vernon factors of Verbal/Educational and Practical.
Many-One Comparisons among Correlations
Authors: Williams Richard H. , LeBlanc William G.
Published: March 2007

A large-sample statistical technique attributable to Levy and based on Dunnett's well-known multiple-comparison method was programmed with the SAS system. The focus was on many-one comparisons among k independent sample product-moment correlation coefficients. An application using the numerical example in Levy's paper was introduced to illustrate the final analysis of a computer run conducted with this SAS program.
Predictors of Academic Success at State-Supported Residential Schools for Mathematics and Science: A Validity Study
Authors: Feldhusen John F. , Jarwan Fathi
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to analyze and assess the validity of identification-selection procedures used in residential schools for talented youth in the United States in predicting success as measured by student grades. High school grades prior to admission were the best predictors of grades in the residential schools, and SAT scores were also good predictors. Interview ratings and overall ratings of admission files by selection committee members were of no value as predictors.
Measuring School Principal-Experienced Burnout
Authors: Friedman Isaac A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a measure for school principal-perceived burnout. A total of 821 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel completed a questionnaire containing items relating to their feelings about themselves, their environment, and work. Data were factor analyzed, and three factors, covering 22 items, emerged: (a) exhaustion-feelings of emotional, physical, and cognitive fatigue, direct acknowledgment of being burned out by running the school; (b) aloofness-the principal's expressed desire to disengage from teachers, students, and parents; and (c) deprecation-having negative attitudes toward teachers, students, and parents, belittling their efforts and derogating their abilities.
Validation of a Multiple Choice Visual Arts Achievement Test
Authors: Bezruczko Nikolaus
Published: March 2007

This study assessed the measurement properties, internal structure, and criterion validity of 39 multiple choice achievement items developed to assess Grade 3 visual arts learning. The results showed that a test of 38 items for Grade 3 generally fit the Rasch measurement model with moderate reliability (Rtt = .85). Standardized effect size between art and nonart groups in Grades 3, 7, and high school was .38, .21, and .42, respectively. Content and criterion validation with limitations supported its use, but confirmatory factor analysis indicated that future studies are needed to clarify the test construct.
Estimation of Factor Scores Via FASCOR
Authors: Mason Craig A. , Tu Shihfen
Published: March 2007

The potential value of using factor scores as latent variables is discussed, and the mathematical procedure for estimating factor scores is reviewed. A computer program is described that estimates factor scores for a data set given the factor pattern matrix, the factor correlation matrix, and the variable correlation matrix. Sample input and output are presented.
Internal-Consistency Reliability and Construct and Criterion-Related Validity of an Academic Self-Concept Scale
Authors: Gribbons Barry C. , Tobey Patricia E. , Michael William B.
Published: March 2007

For a sample of 174 at-risk undergraduate students at a private 4-year university, the purpose of this study was to obtain evidence of construct validity of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) measure as well as of its predictive validity relative to the criterion of general education grade point average (GE GPA). Evidence was obtained that supports the construct validity of the five hypothesized factors that correspond to the five DOSC scales-Level of Aspiration, Anxiety, Academic Interest and Satisfaction, Identification vs. Alienation (IA), and Leadership and Initiative. Evidence for the existence of a higher order general academic self-concept was also obtained. However, Anxiety was not related to the higher order factor. None of the five factors was significantly related to the criterion of GE GPA (p > .05). Researchers should investigate the stability of academic self-concept throughout students' first semester at a new institution as well as the reliability and validity of GE GPA as an indicator of academic success and other possible criteria.
Validity of Students' Teaching Evaluation Scores: The Wimberly-Faulkner-Moxley Questionnaire
Authors: Crader Kelly W. , Butler John K.
Published: March 2007

We present evidence for the validity of scores on a published instrument for student evaluations of teaching performance. We replicated the instrument's factor structure very closely, yielding five factors virtually identical to those of a previous study that used two different populations. For construct validation, we developed a preliminary theoretical model that predicts different effects of three sets of variables on student ratings of teachers. Student expectations about teachers had noteworthy effects on all dimensions of teaching effectiveness. Class size and teacher experience had much weaker effects on the ratings.
The Factor Structure of the Life Orientation Test
Authors: Chang Lei , McBride-Chang Catherine
Published: March 2007

This study disputed the unidimensionality of the Life Orientation Test (LOT). The eight-item LOT was administered to undergraduates in its original mixed form and in consistent optimism and consistent pessimism forms. Within the original form, two factors of optimism and pessimism were identified. However, when items had the same connotations, only one factor emerged. Researchers should acknowledge the two-factor structure of the LOT or reconstruct the items to maintain the unidimensional interpretation of the test.
An SAS Program for Assessing Multivariate Normality
Authors: Fan Xitao
Published: March 2007

This SAS program checks for multivariate normality of data. The program can be used in any version of the SAS system. Program input and output are both highly automated, so the users need to know very little about the SAS system or the SAS language. The program produces graphic plot of Mahalanobis distances versus chi-square values, the proportion of Mahalanobis distances exceeding the 50th percentile of chi-square distribution, and the normalized estimate for multivariate kurtosis that can be used to test the null hypothesis of multivariate normality.
Reliability and Validity of Adolescents' Scores on the Body Esteem Scale
Authors: Cecil Heather , Stanley Melinda A.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) among 255 girls and 436 boys from Grades 5 through 12. To date, the BES has been found to yield reliable and valid scores for adults, but it has not been used among adolescents. In the present study, internal consistency was evidenced for the gender-specific subscales, with values ranging from .82 to .94. Principal components analyses with oblique rotation replicated the original adult, gender-specific factor structures for both boys and girls, although an additional factor was obtained for girls. Convergent validity was evidenced by statistically significant correlations between the BES and cigarette smoking behavior, future smoking intentions, and feelings of self-esteem. Moderate support for divergent validity was demonstrated, with scores on the BES gender-specific subscales being unrelated to socioeconomic status and number of hours per week television is watched. The investigation provides preliminary data that the BES may be a psychometrically defensible assessment of body esteem among adolescents.
A New Standard-Setting Method for Performance Assessments: The Dominant Profile Judgment Method and Some Field-Test Results
Authors: Plake Barbara S. , Hambleton Ronald K. , Jaeger Richard M.
Published: March 2007

Traditional standard-setting methods are not well suited for applications with polytomously scored performance assessments. The present article presents a standard-setting method-the dominant profile judgment (DPJ) method-designed for use with profiles of polytomous scores on exercises in a performance-based assessment. The method is direct, in that it guides standard-setfing panelists in the articulation of their standard-setting policies. Further, it allows complex policy statements that could incorporate compensatory and/or conjunctive components. A detailed description of the method is provided, Results of an application of this standard-setting method are presented. Recommendations for improvements in the method are discussed.
Reliability Generalization: Exploring Variance in Measurement Error Affecting Score Reliability Across Studies
Authors: Vacha-Haase Tammi
Published: March 2007

Because tests are not reliable, it is important to explore score reliability in virtually all studies. The present article proposes and illustrates a new method-reliability generalization-that can be used in a meta-analysis application similar to validity generalization. Reliability generalization characterizes (a) the typical reliability of scores for a given test across studies, (b) the amount of variability in reliability coefficients for given measures, and (c) the sources of variability in reliability coefficients across studies. The use of reliability generalization is illustrated here by analyzing 87 reliability coefficients reported for the two scales of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI).
MANOVA Simultaneous Test Procedures: The Power and Robustness of Restricted Multivariate Contrasts
Authors: Sheehan-Holt Janet K.
Published: March 2007

A Monte Carlo study was conducted using SAS-IML to compare the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) simultaneous test procedures (STPs) of 0, 'T, A, and V in terms of power and Type I error under various conditions including violations of MANOVA assumptions. The Type I error rates of moderately restricted contrasts in STPs were robust to violations of MANOVA assumptions such that the actual alpha remained below the nominal alpha. However, the power of the STPs was unacceptably low in moderately restricted contrasts under most conditions. For partially restricted contrasts, the power of the STPs was adequate for θ when the noncentrality structure was concentrated. When the noncentrality structure was diffuse, again θ had the highest power but decreased to a minimal level as the number of groups or variables increased.
The Relationship between Illness Complaints and Degree of Crowding in a Prison Environment
Authors: McCain Garvin , Cox Verne C. , Paulus Paul B.
Published: March 2007

Illness complaint rates were examined in relation to degree of crowding in a federal prison and a county jail. It was found that dorm inmates in the prison had higher complaint rates than those in single cells. In the jail inmates in units of high spatial and social density had higher complaint rates than those in less crowded units. These findings suggest that crowding in prisons may induce psychological stress which can be reflected in an increased level of illness complaints.
Anti-Pollution Behavior
Authors: Trigg Linda J. , Perlman Daniel , Perry Raymond P. , Janisse Michel Pierre
Published: March 2007

Earlier studies relating locus of control to social action have produced mixed results. The present investigation examined the moderating effects of perceived outcome on the relationship between activism in the form of anti-pollution behavior and I-E. A representative sample (n = 433) of Winnipeg's adult population was interviewed to obtain data. As predicted, among people optimistic about future levels of pollution, internally oriented individuals engaged in more anti-pollution activities. Among pessimistic respondents there was virtually no relationship between l-E and social actions. Internals also had more accurate information about environmental pollution. representational painting, the evaluation of an abstract painting, the solution rate for anagrams, and elapsed time estimation did not vary as a function of room condition and personality. Sex differences vere also not found to be critical.
Decorating Personal Places
Authors: Hansen William B. , Altman Irwin
Published: March 2007

This study examined personalization of college dormitory rooms. Walls in college dormitories were photographed on two occasions, at the beginning and end of the first quarter in which new students were in residence. Decorations were content analyzed in terms of the following categories: personal relationships, values, abstract, reference, entertainment, and personal interest materials. The results indicated that most people decorated early in the quarter, decorating increased over time, and students differentially personalized their rooms in terms of the preceding categories. In addition, exploratory analyses were undertaken of modeling among roommates and relationships of decorating to dropout rates from the university.
The Relationship between Density and Crowding
Authors: Schiffenbauer Allen I. , Brown Janet E. , Perry Pamela L. , Shulack Louise K. , Zanzola Alice M.
Published: March 2007

It was hypothesized that architectural features of rooms, other than room size, would affect the perceived size of the rooms as well as perceived crowdedness. This hypothesis was examined with reference to usable space, level of illumination, and expansiveness of view from room windows. It was found that these features did affect the judged size and crowdedness. It was also found that perceived size and perceived crowdedness are independent.
A Topological Technique for Regionalization
Authors: Brantingham Patricia L. , Brantingham Paul J.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a mathematical technique for building perceptual models of urban areas. Concepts from point-set topology are used to develop a method of joining contiguous spatial units into relatively homogeneous clusters and to model how one homogeneous cluster blends or merges into the surrounding clusters. Both sharp and fuzzy borders between clusters are modeled. The technique is then used to model perceptual neighborhoods within a city and to explore how residential burglary rates vary between the interiors and borders of the neighborhoods.
Approach-Avoidance and Affiliation as Functions of the Emotion-Eliciting Quality of an Environment
Authors: Russell James A. , Mehrabian Albert
Published: March 2007

It was hypothesized that approach toward an environment and the desire to affiliate there are influenced by the emotion-eliciting quality of that environment. In two studies, undergraduates (N = 200, 310) rated these two behaviors in response to settings shown via color photographic slides. As predicted, approach toward the setting was determined by (a) a main effect of its pleasantness, (b) an interaction effect such that approach varied directly with arousing quality of the setting in pleasant settings, but inversely with arousing quality in unpleasant settings (with a significant reversal, however, from moderate to high arousal in unpleasant settings), and (c) a weak inverted-U relationship with arousing quality in neutrally pleasant-unpleasant settings such that approach was greatest in moderately arousing settings.
Unhelpful Behavior in the Street
Authors: Kammann Richard , Thomson Richard , Irwin Robyn
Published: March 2007

The proposed negative effect of city size on helping behavior has been difficult to confirm empirically. However, city size has been found to be correlated with immediate pedestrian density, which in turn has been a reliable predictor of nonhelping behavior. This pattern was confirmed in the present study on the retrieval of lost letters, where it was observed that variations in general population density accounted for less than one-sixth of the variance accounted for by immediate pedestrian density where both covaried. It is proposed that the diffusion-of-responsibility model offered by Latane and Darley gives a good account of the available data on helping behavior in the street.
Measurement and Meaning of Recreation Satisfaction
Authors: Dorfman Peter W.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to empirically verify the assumption that psychological processes related to recreation satisfaction include these individual difference variables. The relationship between alternative conceptualizations and measurement of user satisfaction were also objects of study. Three independent samples of campers indicated their perceptions, preferences, expectations, importance, and satisfaction levels on a number of factors related to camping satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Alternative conceptualizations of user satisfaction employing individual difference variables were operationally defined and compared to each other. Results indicated that satisfaction measures obtained by using individual difference measures are only moderately related to each other. There may be no single best way to measure recreational satisfaction, as each measure incorporates different psychological processes. Although the research population in the present study consisted of campers, the various conceptualizations and operational definitions of satisfaction will generalize to all types of recreation and should prove useful to both recreation managers and researchers.
Seven Office Evaluations
Authors: Goodrich Ronald
Published: March 2007

The designed environment of an office, as experienced and used by people, is part of a dynamic system which influences the user's performance and well being. The case studies reported here-based upon extensive interviews, questionnaires, group interviews, and observations at 14 companies repre senting a variety of physical environments-document some of the ways in which the designed environment affects behavior and the user's perception of his environment. The designed environment affects, both positively and nega tively, morale, communication patterns, perceived privacy, and workers' re lationships with others. Similarly, social processes and task variables influence a user's perception of and reaction to the environment in which he works. These findings are reviewed and implications for design are discussed.
Ecological Observation of Experiential Education Settings
Authors: Grannis Joseph C.
Published: March 2007

An instrument was developed for observing selected physical, social, and intellectual features of experiential education settings and of participants' performances in these settings. The procedure of each observation entails taking structured notes for a brief time span, coding this segment retrospectively while remaining in the setting, and subsequently interviewing the focal participant. The article presents data collected for two consecutive years in both the classroom and the work settings of a secondary school experiential education program in a hospital. Contrasts between the classroom and work-setting data, and continuities and changes between the two years, illustrate the instrument's capabilities and pose problems for further research.
Adult Viewers' Preferences in Residential Scenes
Authors: Nasar Jack L.
Published: March 2007

A set of 18 adjective descriptors of visual attributes in the environment were given to design professionals to assess 60 residential scenes. In a factor analysis of these data, four factors Diversity, Nuisances, Enclosure and Clarity were obtained. The 60 scenes were divided into two sets of 30 scenes. Two groups of laypersons were asked to use four bipolar adjective scales to evaluate one or the other set of 30 scenes. The laypersons' composite preference scores were highly correlated with variables representative of each descriptive factor. Separate multiple regression equations for each set of 30 scenes and for the full set of 60 scenes were developed relating the visual attributes in scenes to composite preference scores. In both cases, the responses predicted bythe equation forone set of respondents and scenes correlated with obtained preference scores for the other respondents and scenes. People preferred residential scenes which were described as ornate, well kept, open and clear in use.
Self-Reported and Actual Savings in a Water Conservation Campaign
Authors: Hamilton Lawrence C.
Published: March 2007

Data from a survey questionnaire and from water utility billing records are used to compare self-reported and actual water savings for 471 households during a conservation campaign. Self-reports are only weakly related to actual changes in water consumption. Errors are widespread, and not wholly random: The accuracy of self-reports increases with household socioeconomic status and with the extent of conservation behavior. The large and nonrandom error component makes self-reports questionable as a proxy for objective measures of overall water savings in conservation research. Because knowledge about water use is both generally low and related to conservation behavior, informational feedback may be a particularly effective strategy for increasing conservation. The effectiveness of this feedback may increase with social class, however.
Inadequate Environment and Situation Control
Authors: Moser Gabriel , Levy-Leboyer Claude
Published: March 2007

An inadequate environment represents a stressful situation and is likely to produce aggressive behavior. Malfunctioning phones are stressful in more than one way: The users cannot place a call, do not know where other phone boxes are, and cannot get reimbursement of the money lost. The observed aggressive behavior of users could be explained by the lack of alternatives in this situation. To test this hypothesis, users were provided in a sample of phone boxes with additional information on possible next steps. The additional information reduces the amount of aggressiveness but does not change the nature of behavior. Results show that some aggressive acts against the environment develop when subjects feel they have no control in an inadequate environmental situation.
Housing in the Third World
Authors: van vliet Willem
Published: March 2007

This brief introduction to the articles in this issue situates the topics being addressed in the context of questions raised by current analyses of and research on housing in less developed countries. Drawing on several examples, the discussion stresses the need to correct prevailing misconceptions regarding squatters and their housing and, in this connection, to appreciate more fully the existing diversity in housing situations in order to develop policies and practices appropriate to locally specific circumstances.
Technological Disaster and the Nontherapeutic Community
Authors: Cuthbertson Beverley H. , Nigg Joanne M.
Published: March 2007

The importance of a therapeutic community has been proposed as a useful mechanism for overcoming the trauma and stress experienced by disaster victims. This article reviews the origin, components, and applications of the therapeutic community concept for natural disaster situations. The question is raised whether such a mechanism emerges in response to environmental hazards other than rapid onset, natural disaster agents. Using case study data from two technological events, one involving the aerial application of pesticides, and the other the disposal of asbestos tailings, it is concluded that under certain circumstances, the classic therapeutic community is unlikely to develop in technological disasters. The factors mitigating against its development are examined with a primary focus on the question of "true victimization," the formation of victim clusters, and the emergence of community conflict.
Environmental Belief Systems
Authors: deHaven-Smith Lance
Published: March 2007

Many studies have assumed that the public's apparent concern about environmental quality is rooted in one or more abstract ideologies or philosophies. In contrast, the literature on mass belief systems implies that environmental opinion is probably very crude, fragmented, and narrowly focused on mundane irritants. This article presents results from an exploratory study applying the belief systems approach to &ttitudes on land use regulation. Data for the study came from a survey (N = 388) of residents of southeast Florida. Findings from the analysis suggest that opinion toward land use regulation is grounded in a number of narrow orientations.
Housing Perceptions of Low-Income Single Parents
Authors: Anthony Kathryn H. , Weidemann Sue , Chin Yangkyo
Published: March 2007

Environment-behavior researchers, other social scientists, and environmental design professionals have not yet carefully examined the housing perceptions and needs of single parents and their children, a user group that constitutes an increasingly large component of the U.S. population. This article first provides a brief overview of demographic trends, relevant previous research, and conceptual frameworks for pursuing research. Then, two studies are presented that examine the issues outlined in the conceptual frameworks. Study 1, an exploratory work. examines the perceptions of 90 low-income residents, including 82 single parents. through the use of surveys at three housing developments in Peoria, Illinois. Study 11 examines a portion of these conceptual frameworks by analyzing the housing perceptions among different subgroups of single parents. Results indicate that different sets of issues correlate with one another depending upon single parents' current marital status and their prior family backgrounds.
Weather and Violent Crime
Authors: Cohn Ellen G.
Published: March 2007

Research into the relationships between climatic and temporal variables and various types of violent crime has become increasingly popular over the last 30 years. Recently, Perry and Simpson (1987) published a study examining the relationships among several environmental variables, including monthly and seasonal cycles, temperature and precipitation, and the monthly rates of murder, rape, and aggravated assault in Raleigh, North Carolina. This article examines the recent literature on environmental variables and crime, examines Perry and Simpson's research methodology, procedure, and results, and suggests improvements for future research in this area.
The Effect of Snow on Urban Density Patterns in the United States
Authors: Guterbock Thomas M.
Published: March 2007

It is well known that the metropolitan areas of the American heartland generally exhibit a more spatially concentrated population distribution than do the cities of the Sunbelt. Social scientists have generally attributed this difference to social and historical factors related to city age (i.e., to variation in the timing of cities' growth, and to related differences in their economic and social characteristics). This article seeks to establish the direct explanatory importance of climate itself in determining the population concentration of cities.

The data are from Guterbock and Edmonston's Metropolitan Deconcentration Project, and pertain to a large sample of monocentric 1970 Urbanized Areas (UAs) of the United States. Population concentration is measured by the Density Distribution Index (DDI), a size-independent measure based on the parameters of an estimated negative exponential density pattern for each UA.

It is shown that regional differences in urban concentration cannot be adequately explained away by the city age variable. Average annual snowfall is strongly correlated with DDI, and this loglinear relationship remains strong in multivariate regressions that control for city age, growth timing, geographic shape, population size, median family income, and racial composition. The intervening effect of automobile ownership is elucidated in a path model that shows both a direct and an indirect effect of snowfall on DDI.

Theoretical links between climate and urban form are discussed, and some reasons are proposed for the conspicuous omission of climate from previous research on urban concentration.
A Paradigm for Landscape Aesthetics
Authors: Bourassa Steven C.
Published: March 2007

This article resolves the conflict between biological and cultural explanations of aesthetic behavior that is evident in the landscape aesthetics literature. In resolving that conflict, the article combines biological, cultural, and personal bases for aesthetics in a comprehensive paradigm for research in landscape aesthetics. This paradigm is based on Vygotsky's developmental approach to understanding the human mind and human behavior. Vygotsky's method leads to the identification of three fundamental processes of development: phylogenesis (biological evolution), sociogenesis (cultural history), and ontogenesis (individual development). These correspond to three modes of existence-the Umwelt, the Mitwelt, and the Eigenwe/t-Adentified phenomenologically by the existential analysts. These in turn correspond to three modes of aesthetic experience: biological, cultural, and personal. The interrelations of the three modes of aesthetic experience are discussed, with particular emphasis on the biological and cultural modes. It is concluded that each mode has distinct qualities that justify its separate inclusion within the paradigm. Finally, the three modes are characterized as sets of aesthetic constraints and opportunities, labeled laws, rules, and strategies, respectively. Important research directions in landscape aesthetics involve identification and explanation of these constraints and opportunities. The tripartite paradigm promises to be useful in helping to pose important research questions as well as in avoiding conceptual errors in the design of experiments in landscape aesthetics.
Psychobiological Studies of Individuals in Small, Isolated Groups in the Antarctic and in Space Analogues
Authors: Ursin H. , Bergan T. , Collet J. , Endresen I. M. , Lugg D. J. , Maki P. , Matre R. , Molvær O. , Muller H. K. , Olff M. , Pettersen R. , Sandal G. M. , Værnes R. , Warncke M.
Published: March 2007

Mental and physical health are both at risk under conditions of prolonged remoteness from home and removal from normal social support networks. This article examines relevant data from small groups isolated in (a) Antarctic summer stations, (b) a Transantarctic traverse expedition, and (c) a spacecraft simulator capsule.
The Effect of Hindsight Bias on Fear of Future Illness
Authors: Brown Richard S. , Williams Christopher W. , Lees-Haley Paul R.
Published: March 2007

This article reports on the relationship between outcome knowledge regarding an environmental event and self-reported fear of future illness. A sample of 95 subjects in three conditions showed that outcome knowledge increases post event likelihood estimations, thus indicating a hindsight bias. Subjects' perceived likelihood of increases in disease rate is shown to substantially predict subjects' level of fear of future illness for both cancer and no cancer disease. Demographic variables of gender, political ideology, and attitude toward environmental activism were shown to have mixed results in predicting fear of future illness. Positive attitude toward environmental activism modesty predicted fear of cancer but not fear of noncancer disease. Political ideology failed to significantly predict fear of future illness, although it showed a trend toward significance for predicting fear of cancer. Gender significantly predicted fear of noncancer disease but not fear of cancer, with females indicating more fear than males. The implications of the accuracy of outcome information following ambiguous and uncertain events on the genesis and exacerbation of fear of future illness is discussed.
Conceptualizing Women's Fear of Sexual Assault on Campus
Authors: Day Kristen
Published: March 2007

Sexual assault is increasingly recognized as an urgent and pervasive problem on university campuses. Women's fear of sexual assault is similarly significant and widespread. Growing university assault prevention efforts on campus have often over-looked the negative implications of women's fear. Depending on their onus of responsibility, university sexual assault prevention strategies may implicitly reinforce gendered social norms for public behavior by increasing women's fear in public spaces, with consequent detrimental effects for women's positive experience on campus. Based on a conceptualization of fear of sexual assault as a form of social control, this review discusses societal, individual, and university/campus factors (organizational, social, and especially physical) associated with women's fear of assault on campus. In conclusion, it suggests university assault prevention strategies that may also reduce women's fear.
Social and Environmental Psychology
Authors: Minam Hirofumi , Tanaka Kunio
Published: March 2007

Linkage between social and environmental psychology is illustrated through examination of the theoretical and empirical implications of a concept of "group space" defined as collectively inhabited and socioculturally controlled physical settings. This concept is applied to three levels of environmental settings, that is, school buildings, a university cafeteria, and urban residential areas. Such social-dynamic processes as group territorialities, group conflicts, social regulation of space-use, formation of group identity, and differentiation of public, semipublic, and private space were situated in physical environmental contexts. Three pilot studies revealed that (a) social space such as cafeteria and school buildings are differentiated and hierarchically integrated in terms of multifaceted group space depending on the social group, (b) groups exhibited different space-maintaining strategies and rules that strengthen socialization of group members, and (c) radical changes in the physical environment of a community initiated group-conflicts and renegotiation of group space.