bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extending the Concept and Assessment of Teacher Efficacy
Authors: Rich Yisrael , Lev Smadar , Fischer Sharon
Published: March 2007

This report describes an effort to develop an instrument to assess teacher efficacy for enhancing student social relations (TES). In addition, the psychometric properties of the teacher efficacy scale produced by Gibson and Dembo were examined after translation to Hebrew and administration to 218 Israeli teachers. Results indicated that the TES subscale is independent of the two original subscales and demonstrates good internal and test-retest reliability. Also, the factorial structure of the original teacher efficacy scale was replicated with the Israeli sample, and reliability levels were generally adequate. Some problems with one of the original subscales are noted.
A Construct Validity Analysis of Scores on Measures of Distributive Justice and Pay Satisfaction
Authors: Deconinck James B. , Stilwell C. Dean , Brock Baird A.
Published: March 2007

Using a multidimensional measure of pay satisfaction (the Pay Satisfaction Questionnaire; PSQ), this study assessed the discriminant validity between scores on a measure of distributive justice and the PSQ using confirmatory factor analysis. Data collected from a diverse sample of employees indicated that the items from both the pay satisfaction scale and the distributive justice scale loaded on the hypothesized dimensions. Various goodness-of-fit measures confirmed the discriminant validity of the two constructs.
The Factorial Validity of Scores from a Cognitively Designed Test: The Spatial Learning Ability Test
Authors: Embretson Susan E.
Published: March 2007

The Spatial Learning Ability Test (SLAT) was designed from a cognitive processing theory to measure specified aspects of spatial processing. Mathematical modeling of item difficulties and response times have supported SLAT as involving primarily spatial processing. Here, four studies on the factorial validity of SLAT are summarized to elaborate nomothetic span. SLAT was the highest loading test on the spatial ability factor in the context of either simple or complex spatial tests. Further, SLAT was less related to verbal-analytic coding skills than many other spatial tests, including a test that contained the same item type. Thus consistent with the construct representation of SLAT as involving spatial processing, the factorial validity studies indicate SLAT as a more pure measure of spatial ability.
Further Assessment of the Structure of Hinkin and Schrlesheim's Measures of Interpersonal Power
Authors: Shaffer Brian , Percy Paul M. , Tepper Bennett J.
Published: March 2007

Confirmatory factor analysis results for Hinkin and Schriesheim's measures of interpersonal power are reported. Consistent with French and Raven's theoretical work, a five-factor oblique model provided the best fit to the data in two independent samples. No support was obtained for a two-factor model consisting of Position Power (Coercive, Reward, and Legitimate power items) and Personal Power (Referent and Expert power items). For the five-factor oblique model, invariance tests suggested that six of the factor pattern coefficients and four of the disattenuated correlations were noninvariant across the two groups. The discussion suggests directions for future work.
Comparison of Finite State Score Theory, Classical Test Theory, and Item Response Theory in Scoring Multiple-Choice Items
Authors: Ndalichako Joyce L. , Rogers W. Todd
Published: March 2007

Ability estimates obtained from applying finite state score theory, item response models, and classical test theory to score multiple-choice items were compared and contrasted. Responses of 1,230 subjects to the multiple-choice portion of a school-leaving reading comprehension examination were used. Correlations among the ability estimates were nearly perfect. Furthermore, the mean absolute difference values between finite state scores and ability estimates based on the one- and two-parameter models were smaller than that between finite state scores and the ability estimates based on the three-parameter model. The mean absolute difference value between finite state scores and classical test scores was the largest. However, whereas the item response theory and classical test score theory analyses provide item-level information, that is not the case for finite state score theory.
Validity Studies Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the K-ABC with Gifted Referrals
Authors: Cameron Leslie C. , Ittenbach Richard F. , McGrew Kevin S. , Harrison Patti L. , Taylor Lynn R. , Hwang Y Robin
Published: March 2007

An important area of inquiry in the assessment of intelligence lies in the area of giftedness. If proper educational decisions are to be made for children referred for gifted services, it is imperative that educational and psychological service providers understand factors influencing the response patterns of children with high levels of academic aptitude. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate four models of intellectual abilities using confirmatory factor analytic methods and data obtained on a sample of 197 children referred for services in an experimental gifted program. Although all four models provided results indicative of a plausible fit, a model posited on a revised version of Horn and Cattell's theory of fluid-crystallized abilities provided the broadest understanding of the cognitive functioning of children referred for gifted services.
Analyzing Category Clustering in Free Recall Using an SPSS Program
Authors: Kazen Joseph K. , Otani Hajime
Published: March 2007

This article describes an SPSS program that computes four common clustering measures used to analyze free recall of information from categorized lists. This program computes Cohen, Sakoda, and Bousfield's ratio of repetition (RR), Wallace and Underwood's modified ratio of repetition (MRR), Roenker, Thompson, and Brown's adjusted ratio of clustering (ARC), and Bousfield and Bousfield's deviation score (DS) for stimulus lists with an unlimited number of categories and items per category.
A Third-Order Component Analysis of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Authors: Johnson William L. , Johnson Annabel M. , Murphy Stanley D. , Weiss Ardith , Zimmerman Kurt J.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the factor structure of Form G of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). A third-order component analysis of a sample (n = 486) yielded three higher order components. Because this is the first third-order analysis of the MBTI reported in the psychological literature, these findings contribute to the research literature pertaining to the generalized structure of the popular personality instrument.
Public Opinion and the Environment
Authors: Bowman James S.
Published: March 2007

A dramatic rise in public awareness of environmental problems occurred during the time of Earth Day, 1970. This study explores the depth and durability of I citizen concern for the environment. It is revealed that interest in ecological I issues remains despite the more recent crises in American life, that young people I believe that fundamental cultural values have been a basic cause of environmental I problems, and that present public and private institutions are unlikely to bring about meaningful reform. Nonetheless, most respondents held an abiding faith in I American society and felt that environmental problems can be solved if enough I people get involved. These findings suggest that while the need to deal with environmental problems is recognized, this is not to be interpreted as a commitment I to fundamental change.
On the Application of Psychological Measurement Techniques to Travel Demand Estimation
Authors: Stopher Peter R.
Published: March 2007

One of the most promising approaches to understanding and managing urban travel is one which seeks to construct mathematical representations of the travel decisions made by individual urban-area residents. Current research in this approach has demonstrated clearly that both the improvement of model specification and the development of aggregation procedures can utilize methods of psychological scaling and market segmentation. The paper outlines the specific areas where psychological measurement techniques have primary potential for improving the ability of the transportation planner to understand and manage the urban transportation environment. Major applications are seen in describing the relative attractiveness of different activity sites to which an individual may travel and in describing the available (or future) modes of travel that may be used to reach the activity sites. In these two applications, methods of psychological scaling are seen as the primary applicable techniques. In the area of aggregation, market segmentation appears to have considerable potential as an aid to defining relatively homogeneous groups of the population, which may be treated as aggregates in the analysis of regional transportation policies.
Children in Four Neighborhoods
Authors: Berg Mary , Medrich Elliott A.
Published: March 2007

Since children spend most of their time close to home, the neighborhood environment affects their daily life activity patterns in a number of important ways. Based on research conducted in Oakland, California, this paper reports results of a survey comparing children's play patterns across neighborhoods of different social status, different terrains, different levels of access to play space, and different levels of municipally provided after-school services. The paper argues that few neighborhoods are designed with the needs of young people in mind. By examining how children's play patterns in four neighborhoods are constrained or facilitated by the terrain, by the availability of "managed" and "unmanaged" play space, and by play problems associated with questions of safety and mobility, it is possible to see how planning and land-use decisions affect the everyday experience of the young.
Poverty, Personality, and Sensitivity to Residential Stressors
Authors: Salling Mark , Harvey Milton E.
Published: March 2007

This study evaluates two theories of poverty, one which asserts that poverty and the behavior of the poor are explained by such situational variables as occupation, status, and income and the other which explains poverty in terms of personality traits associated with the so-called Culture of Poverty. Specifically, we test the relative importance of both situational and personality attributes associated with poverty in explaining variations in the individual's evaluation of the residential environment. The study shows that although situational variables are the more important ones, both attributes are indeed significant in the evaluation process.
Rules, Collective Needs, and Individual Action
Authors: Rubin Herbert J.
Published: March 2007

An observational and survey study is undertaken to observe how members of a townhouse cooperative seek to reduce collective choice dilemmas. So long as individuals perceive that it is costless to take from the collectivity while someone else is contributing, such dilemmas will arise. At the cooperative we find that a sense of ownership, an understanding of a governmental subsidy, and a willingness to accept rules affect the resolution of such dilemmas. Our findings are used tp show the relevance of both social-psychological theories of fate control and equity theories toward understanding problems of collective choice.
Children Planning an Ideal Classroom
Authors: Van Wagenberg Dries , Krasner Miriam , Krasner Leonard
Published: March 2007

In recent years there has been a conceptual merging of influence from open education, behavioral psychology, environmental psychology, and architecture into an approach that can be labeled "environmental design." In this study an elementary school teacher and an architect trained a group of third grade students in the principles of designing an ideal classroom. An evaluation of the training demonstrated that the subject's ability to observe and design environments was significantly greater than comparable students not receiving the training. The study demonstrated that children as young as eight or nine can be systematically taught to participate in the designing of their own environments.
Natural Disaster and Technological Catastrophe
Authors: Baum Andrew , Fleming Raymond , Davidson Laura M.
Published: March 2007

Against the backdrop of ever-expanding technological systems, the effects of accidents or breakdowns in human-made technology are examined and contrasted with those of natural disasters. A number of differences are identified, and research on these forms of cataclysmic events is reviewed. These data, as well as this analysis, suggest that technological catastrophes are more likely to have long-term effects, to affect people beyond the point of impact, and to pose different types of threat than are natural disasters.
Major Themes in the Work of Donald Appleyard
Authors: Anthony Kathryn H.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews major themes in the work of the late Donald Appleyard, who died suddenly in an automobile accident this past September. Written by his former research assistant, the article highlights his contributions to the field of environment and behavior, covering his research and publications, his teaching, and his professional career.
Comfort and Seating Distance in Living Rooms
Authors: Scott Joseph A.
Published: March 2007

Two experiments were reported. In each experiment, the subjects were shown photographs of living rooms. The seat occupied by another person was indicated. In the first experiment, the subject was asked to choose an unoccupied seat in the room; in the second, he was asked to imagine himself in a second seat and to indicate his degree of comfort with that situation. The results of Experiment 1 show that both the topic of conversation and the indicated relationship of the person in the other chair were significantly related to distance between the chosen chairs. The results of Experiment 2 show that discomfort increased with increasing distance between chairs, and that comfort was related to both the topic of conversation and to the relationship indicated between the subject and the occupant of the other chair. Findings are discussed in the context of Hall's theory of interpersonal distances.
Context-Dependent Models of Residential Satisfaction
Authors: Hourihan Kevin
Published: March 2007

Residential satisfaction by housing type was examined in Cork, Ireland for a sample of 381 females disaggregated into four housing subgroups. These groups differ significantly in their levels of satisfaction, in their perception and evaluation of several neighbourhood attributes, and in their personal characteristics. A regression model of satisfaction for the entire sample explains about 39% of the variation, but this conceals the intergroup differences. Separate regressions for the four groups explain an average of 51% of the variance in residential satisfaction. Residents of public housing and older, street-type housing differ significantly both from each other and from persons living in privately-built homes and speculative estates.
Ashtaavadhaana
Authors: Boughey Howard
Published: March 2007

Accumulated observation of human social behavior substantiates the conclusion that it is sentient, intentional, and fully willed by the actor; and yet it is often predictably correlated with variable environmental conditions. The apparent contradiction dissolves when we explore the geography of a multileveled zone in which informational signals or stimuli emanating from a variety of salient environments interact with the person's intentions to behave-in which environment and behavior in fact become interdependent, the consciousness or awareness of ordinary human beings as they maneuver their way through everyday social life. To begin exploratory mapping of this complex territory, eight levels of awareness are posited, each appropriate to a distinct salient environment; each having a specific information-feedback apparatus; and each with a unique "mode of awareness" or state of mind characteristic to it. All eight levels are routinely called into play in ordinary social interaction; we can only celebrate the dexterity and virtuosity of human capability.
Professional and Public Natural Resource Management Arenas
Authors: Gale Richard P. , Miller Marc L.
Published: March 2007

Modern natural resource management systems are defined by the interplay of natural resources, profit-seeking resource industries, management bureaucracies, and diverse publics. Focusing on the bureaucratic element, this article presents a comparative analysis of the federal management of forests and marine fisheries. Forest policy involves the U.S. Forest Service and occurs in a professional management arena; fishery policy involves the National Marine Fisheries Service and affiliated Regional Fishery Management Councils, and is conducted in a public management arena. The two arenas differ in their organization of power, knowledge, and communication. This model is briefly extended to other natural resource management systems.
Easing the Transition to Kindergarten
Authors: Cohen Robert , Goodnight Judith A. , Poag Chloee K. , Cohen Sheila , Nichol Gerry T. , Worley Patricia
Published: March 2007

Subjects were 73 boys entering kindergarten assigned to three spatial familiarization groups two weeks priorto school. One experience involved walking around the campus with an experimenter. A second involved viewing slides of the walk taken by the other children with a replica of the campus in view. A third group received no prior spatial experience. Children in both familiarization groups reported more positive attitudes for academic, spatial, and social affairs in school than children in the control group. Results are discussed in terms of both affective responses and differential cognitive impact.
Preferred Lighting Levels
Authors: Butler Darrell L. , Biner Paul M.
Published: March 2007

Typically, studies of illumination have emphasized its effects on performance of specific tasks. The present study instead examined preference for lighting levels. Among the reasons for investigating preferences is that preference measures theoretically include a variety of human reactions to lighting, including comfort, aesthetics, and performance. The purposes of Experiment 1 were to obtain preferences for lighting levels, judgments of the importance of lighting levels, and judgments about the desirability of controlling lighting level for 43 behavior settings of college students. The purposes of Experiment 2 were to replicate part of Experiment 1 and extend the research to other common behaviors occurring in the same settings studied in Experiment 1. Results indicated large differences in the variety of lighting preferred for various behaviors and settings. Judgments of importance of lighting level had a quadratic relationship to preferred illumination, that is, importance was greater for behavior settings preferred either dark or bright. Importance and control were strongly linearly related. Implications for I ES standards and future research are discussed.
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 attitudes 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.
Blacks and the Environment
Authors: Taylor Dorceta E.
Published: March 2007

In the past, social psychological and cultural theories have been used to explain why blacks display lower levels of environmental concern than whites. The article argues that the environmental concern gap that exists between blacks and whites can be better understood by exploring the gap that exists between concern and action. In addition, several factors that influence the existence of an action gap, and the extent to which black groups can be mobilized around environmental issues, are identified. They are (1) level and type of affiliation with voluntary associations, (2) political efficacy, (3) recognition of advocacy channels, (4) access, (5) acquisition of social prerequisites, (6) psychological factors, (7) collective action, and (8) resource mobilization.
Explaining the Emotion People Experience in Suburban Parks
Authors: Hull R. Bruce , Harvey Antony
Published: March 2007

The circumplex model of affect, with major axes of pleasure and arousal, provides a complete and parsimonious description of people's affective evaluations of environments. This model is used to evaluate the affect experienced by persons in different suburban parks simulated by photographs. The parks' tree densities, understory vegetation densities, and the presence or absence of pathways are used to explain persons' evaluations of affect. Evaluations of pleasure are influenced more than evaluations of arousal by variations in these physical characteristics. In general, pleasure increases as tree density increases and understory density decreases. Arousal increases with increasing understory vegetation density, which may be because way finding is more difficult without pathways. Interactions among all variables are present and significant. It is suggested that persons visit parks to experience an affect different than what is available from other environments. The relationship between affect produced by a park and persons' preferences for the park is examined. In general, people prefer parks that are both pleasant and arousing. People differ slightly in the affect they associate with different park characteristics but not in the level and type of affect they prefer to experience in parks. Results suggest considerable control over affect can be exercised through manipulation of a park's physical characteristics. Further, the circumplex model of affect seems a useful tool for the study of environment and behavior relationships.
Restorative Effects of Natural Environment Experiences
Authors: Hartig Terry , Mang Marlis , Evans Gary W.
Published: March 2007

The utility of different theoretical models of restorative experience was explored in a quasi-experimental field study and a true experiment. The former included wilderness backpacking and nonwilderness vacation conditions, as well as a control condition in which participants continued with their daily routines. The latter had urban environment, natural environment, and passive relaxation conditions. Multimethod assessments of restoration consisted of self-reports of affective states, cognitive performance, and, in the latter study, physiological measures. Convergent self-report and performance results obtained in both studies offer evidence of greater restorative effects arising from experiences in nature. Implications for theory, methodology, and design are discussed.
Gas Station Psychology
Authors: Sommer Robert , Wicker Allan W.
Published: March 2007

The potential value of increased specialization within ecological psychology is described, based on the model employed in the natural sciences. The basic unit of the field is the behavior setting, and the most likely unit for specialization is the genotype, which is comprised of functionally similar settings. In particular, mundane and ubiquitous settings, whose influence has been neglected by psychologists, deserve study. Specialists must develop subject-matter knowledge of their chosen genotype, including its history, technology, nomenclature, economics, and environmental context. Specialization does not preclude acquiring basic disciplinary knowledge nor the ability to teach and do research in traditional areas of psychology.
Temporal Patterns of Affect in an Isolated Group
Authors: Steel Gary Daniel , Suedfeld Peter
Published: March 2007

Anecdotal evidence has suggested that personnel in isolated, polar work settings experience a sharp decline in motivation and morale shortly after the half-way point of their mission. This "third-quarter phenomenon" was investigated as part of the Polar Psychology Project. Five subjects (four men, one woman; age range 28 to 41 years) were isolated in a decommissioned high Arctic weather station, at Isachsen, Northwest Territories (78°N, 103°W), for a period of 7 weeks. As part of the psychological measurements, the subjects were required to keep a diary and to fill out, once daily, a modified version of the Russell Mood Scale. Group mean arousal reached a low point in the sixth week, whereas group pleasure reached a minimum in the third week. Individual arousal and pleasure showed no consistent pattern. These results are discussed in light of significant events recorded in the subjects' diaries; overall variability of mood as a function of polar experience is also discussed.
Spatial Competence of Elderly Hunters
Authors: Hill Kenneth A.
Published: March 2007

An investigation of 338 reports of lost deer hunters revealed that the incidence of lost hunters over age 65 was significantly lower, compared to younger hunters, than would be predicted by their numbers. Those elderly hunters who did become lost traveled as far and were just as likely to reorient themselves without assistance as were younger hunters. Moreover, lost elderly hunters, as well as other outdoor enthusiasts of advanced age, traveled much farther than the distance covered by cognitively impaired wanderers from supervised care. The latter findings were discussed as having practical significance for the safety of the elderly person who becomes the subject of a land search. Generally, the results were interpreted as encouraging for elderly individuals wishing to continue participation in outdoor recreational activities in forested areas. That is, despite apparent decrements in spatial perception and memory, the older outdoor enthusiast may develop compensatory skills useful for wayfinding under difficult conditions.
Solid Waste Recovery
Authors: Porter Bryan E. , Leeming Frank C. , Dwyer William O.
Published: March 2007

Twenty-four Earth Days have come and gone and science is still concerned with making our world more proenvironmental. Applied behavioral science in particular has been very active in leading research efforts to develop interventions aimed at encouraging proenvironmental behavior. This article documented the labors of researchers who specifically targeted recycling with behavior change programs. Twenty-seven articles describing 31 experiments were reviewed. The interventions in these articles were categorized into antecedents (i.e., conditions introduced prior to the target behavior) and consequences (i.e., conditions presented after the target behavior occurred). Twenty of the experiments manipulated antecedent conditions as the primary intervention, 10 focused on consequences, and 1 used both. The general conclusion of the review was that the years of effort have produced several successful interventions that showed promise for increasing recycling behavior. Unfortunately, though, very few of these interventions demonstrated response maintenance after being discontinued, a finding common for such interventions not only targeting recycling but behavior change in general. The discussion focused on the need for (a) interventions to motivate long-term changes in behavior and (b) interventions aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated.
Influences on Attitude-Behavior Relationships
Authors: Guagnano Gregory A. , Stern Paul C. , Dietz Thomas
Published: March 2007

A simple model was tested in which attitudinal factors and external conditions act in combination to influence behavior. The model predicts that behavior is a monotonic function of attitudes and external conditions and that the strength of the attitude-behavior relationship is a curvilinear function of the strength of the external conditions, with extreme values setting boundary conditions on the applicability of attitude models. The model also allows for interactions in which perceived costs enter into the attitudinal process. Evidence is taken from a natural experiment in recycling in which collection bins for curbside pickup had been provided to 26% of 257 survey respondents. Consistent with the model, main effects of attitudes and external conditions were found, as was an interaction effect in which the Schwartz norm-activation model predicted recycling behavior only for households without bins. Interactive models such as the one developed here can yield better policy-relevant analyses by clarifying the relationships between external and internal influences on behavior change.
Perceived Occupational and Environmental Exposures
Authors: Madsen Gary E. , Dawson Susan E. , Spykerman Bryan R.
Published: March 2007

Former uranium millworkers (83 American Indians and 87 non-Indians) who were employed at several mills in the Southwest prior to the Mine Safety and Health Act (MSHA) were interviewed. They were asked questions about their perceptions of working conditions, their health, and their families' living environments. Almost 90% identified a work environment in which they noted uranium concentrate (yellowcake) and/or ore dust on their clothing. Most respondents also brought their work clothing home to be washed. Half the respondents attributed health problems to the millwork, with the Indians more than twice as likely as the non-Indians to do so. Psychosocial stress experienced by many millworkers and their families is discussed.
Commingled Versus Separated Curbside Recycling
Authors: Oskamp Stuart , Zelezny Lynnte , Schultz P. Wesley , Hurin Sharrilyn , Burkhardt Rachel
Published: March 2007

Household curbside recycling behavior was observed in two similar, adjacent cities. In one, all recyclables were mixed together, and in the other, four types of materials were separated. As predicted, the commingled program achieved a higher average weekly participation rate (58% vs. 42%), and more households participated at least once in 8 consecutive weeks (90%o vs. 77%/6). The commingled program also generated more gallons of recyclables (32.1 vs. 5.5 per household per week). In the city with the commingled program, there was a significant level of consistency in the frequency of household recycling participation across a 2-year period (r= .45); overall participation remained over 90%h for that period. High, medium, and low socioeconomic residential areas in both cities displayed some significant differences in participation and quantity recycled. Surprisingly, areas with volunteer recycling block leaders did not have higher levels of participation than comparable areas without block leaders.
Individual- and Gender-Related Differences in Indoor Wayfinding
Authors: Lawton Carol A. , Charleston Stephanie I. , Zieles Amy S.
Published: March 2007

The current study used a variety of behavioral and self-report measures to examine gender differences in way finding behavior following incidental leaming in an unfamiliar indoor environment. College students were led along a circuitous route and then asked to find their way back to the start. Choice of route back, comments made during the task, directional accuracy, and self-report after the task indicated three relatively efficient patterns of way finding and a distinctly inefficient pattern, characterized by frequent back-trailing, poor directional accuracy, and uncertainty about the task. Gender differences showed a discrepancy between measures of way finding efficiency and directional accuracy. Although there was no gender difference in choice of route back, men were significantly more accurate than women in locating the direction of the destination. Also, women reported significantly more uncertainty about carrying out the task.
Predicting Levels of Postdisaster Stress in Adults Following the 1993 Floods in the Upper Midwest
Authors: Tobin Graham A. , Ollenburger Jane C.
Published: March 2007

Studies of mental health have indicated that the stress associated with living in hazardous areas is related, in part, to economic status, gender, kinship relationships, physical health, sociopsychological traits, community structure, and familiarity or experience with the hazard. This research modeled stress variability as manifested through expressed levels of anxiety, depression, and day-to-day function-ability in a flood-prone environment. A telephone questionnaire was used to collect data from adult flood victims in a medium-size midwestern town, 3 months after the floods of 1993, as part of a comprehensive survey of how stress fluctuates over time. Standard measures of anxiety, depression, and stress were incorporated into the survey instrument for comparison purposes. A large percentage (71%) of respondents displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Traditional predictors were not significant, for stress symptoms appeared equally across gender, income, and age stratifications. The results showed that previous health conditions, particularly anxiety, employment status, and propensity to interpret the flood negatively were significant predictors for high levels of post disaster stress.
Toward a Methodology for the Measurement of Knowledge Structures of Ordinary People
Authors: Kearney Anne R. , Kaplan Stephen
Published: March 2007

Mental models guide people's perceptions, decisions, and behavior regarding environmental problems and other issues. Hence, understanding these models would aid in understanding how people perceive problems, in determining how information may be most effectively shared, and in designing strategies for behavior change. Given this need for assessment, it would be helpful to expand the repertoire of available measurement approaches. The 3CM method, based on an extended theory of cognitive maps, is proposed as a new approach to assessing people's mental models. This approach is unique in its emphasis on the notion of "ownership" of the concepts that serve as landmarks in the cognitive map. Two recently developed implementations of the approach, each suited to different contexts and purposes, are described. Preliminary results suggest that the approach meets the criteria of construct validity, of being user friendly, and of providing information complementary to that obtained using traditional measures.
Gender Differences in Recreational Use, Environmental Attitudes, and Perceptions of Future Land Use at the Savannah River Site
Authors: Burger Joanna , Sanchez Jessica , Gibbons J.Whitfield , Gochfeld Michael
Published: March 2007

Perceptions are critical to making decisions about our environment, particularly contaminated sites. Gender differences in recreational use, attitudes toward environmental problems, and perceptions of land use for the Savannah River Site (Department of Energy) were examined in people living near the site. Bird-watching, photography, and fishing were the most common activities. Men engaged in more hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping, and women photographed more than men. There were significant gender differences in attitudes toward future land use, with women showing lower scores than men for hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, nuclear production, factories, building houses, and storage of nuclear waste. Maintaining the Savannah River Site as a National Environmental Research Park was the highest priority for both genders, whereas storing nuclear wastes and building homes ranked lowest for both. Planners should consider recreational use as an important future land use of this Department of Energy site, taking into account gender differences.
Effects of a Pleasant Ambient Fragrance on Simulated Driving Performance
Authors: Baron Robert A. , Kalsher Michael J.
Published: March 2007

Eighty undergraduates performed a simulated driving task that required them to keep a moving target within defined boundaries (compensatory tracking); they also performed this task while responding to randomly occurring visual stimuli (stop signs). They performed these tasks in the presence or absence of a pleasant fragrance and after receiving or not receiving a small gift. A significant Fragrance x Gift interaction indicated that performance on both tasks was significantly enhanced by pleasant fragrance but only when participants did not also receive a gift. A main effect of gift condition indicated that performance on both tasks was significantly reduced by receipt of a small gift. In a follow-up study, 5 minutes of exposure to a pleasant fragrance was found to produce significant increments in participants' positive affect and alertness. Results were interpreted as suggesting that in the absence of other sources of positive affect, exposure to a pleasant fragrance can enhance some aspects of driving performance.
Effects of Office Lighting on Mood and Cognitive Performance And A Gender Effect in Work-xRelated Judgment
Authors: Knez Igor , Enmarker Ingela
Published: March 2007

The study presents an investigation of the effects of the recommended office lighting on subjects' mood and cognitive performance in the physical setting of an office. In addition, a gender effect in the performance appraisal task was examined, both as a between-and within-subject factor. The results showed no significant effect of the lighting on the performance of cognitive tasks. However, an interaction between gender and color temperature on mood showed that 3000K (more reddish) and 4000K (more bluish) office lighting may communicate different affective loadings or meanings to each gender. The cognitive workload induced by almost 2 hours of intellectual work diminished the subjects' positive mood and augmented a negative mood. Moreover, independently of their gender, the raters evaluated the neutral female significantly different from the neutral male ratee. Implications of these findings for the mood effects of indoor lighting and the gender effect in work-related judgment are discussed.
Children's Use of the Street As a Playground in Abu-Nuseir, Jordan
Authors: Abu-Ghazzeh Tawfiq M.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the children's use of the streets in Abu-Nuseir, a residential community in Jordan. The street functions as an agent of socialization. It provides a setting that is conducive to childhood development and to various types of play that enable that development. It affects the personality, character, and ability of a child. The importance of street play lies in the central role that play occupies in the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of a child. The spatial and temporal relationship between children and the street as affected by the accommodative forces of the street environment is explained, stressing that the physical environment of the street is an operative factor in human systems and that it is a significant factor in the development and maintenance of a child's self-identity. Urban streets in residential communities should be designed to provide a balance between the needs of children and the needs of motor vehicles. What is required is to organize residential streets so that all can use the available space effectively. The main task that faces town managers in Jordan and in other Third World countries today is to elevate the street in the residential neighborhood from a mere traffic channel to a social institution for children.
Public Broadcasting in Canada
Authors: Attallah Paul
Published: March 2007

Public broadcasting in Canada has met with separate fates depending on which language group constituted its main audience. While the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has suffered an erosion of audiences and credibility, leading to a legitimation crisis, Société Radio-Canada (SRC) has remained relatively strong and popular. The difference is due to the way in which the two audiences originally integrated the new medium into their overall cultural patterns, created infrastructures and adopted or rejected new programming styles. Additionally, public broadcasting has been subjected to ongoing political pressure, which has contributed to its marginalization. While Canadian public broadcasting is sometimes looked upon as a model for resisting American influence, reconciling cultural differences, or competing internationally, it faces an uncertain future with few allies.
Cyber-Canada
Authors: Coates Ken
Published: March 2007

Canada has made substantial advances in the development of its information technology infrastructure and its electronic commerce systems. Little attention, however, has been paid to the potential economic, cultural and social ramifications of the e-commerce `revolution'. Canadian consumers, although quite nationalistic in their stated preferences, rely heavily on US retail sites for their internet purchases. While the internet provides an opportunity to promote and disseminate Canadian cultural products, it likewise has the potential to encourage the influx of foreign materials. The latter is potentially very significant for Canada's immigrant population, for e-commerce may lessen social and cultural contacts between new immigrants and the broader Canadian society.
Prospects and Limitations of World System Theory for Media Analysis
Authors: Gunaratne Shelton A.
Published: March 2007

This article points out the potential of applying the world system theory to global communication- and media analysis as a `humanocentric' enterprise covering both the present and the past. It attempts to identify the world's core countries using a weighted index of a country's size of the economy (GNP) and of its exports. It applies the index to rank order the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region to ascertain the likelihood of a core-periphery structure within the region itself and to test whether media freedom and media penetration follow the pattern of that structure. It concludes that such symmetry is unlikely to exist in a regional core-periphery configuration where the scores separating the countries are relatively negligible. It also suggests that under informational capitalism, economic power blocs should replace individual countries as the unit of analysis for configuring the global core-periphery structure.
Crossing the Boundaries of the Ethnic Home
Authors: Georgiou Myria
Published: March 2007

The focus of this article is on media consumption, as it relates to ethnic identity construction. In an attempt to surpass the domination of the domestic as the singular point of reference and research in media studies, the author turns to the public. On one hand, this choice relates to the conceptualization of media consumption as a cultural process exceeding narrowly perceived media use and being implicated in processes of identity and community construction. On the other, it is an attempt to investigate how ethnic identities, initially constructed in the domestic, are challenged and reaffirmed in the public, in processes of constructing group identities and community belongings. These questions are addressed and studied ethnographically in a case study of the Cypriot Community Centre in north London. For the local Greek Cypriot community, this centre is one of the most important ethnic points of reference - both as a real place and as a symbol of a visible and thriving community. The Cypriot Community Centre is an interesting case study for studying ethnicity being reconfirmed, but also redefined in the coexistence of Greek Cypriots with Turkish Cypriots; it is a space for studying ethnic media consumption becoming a public and a communal experience.
Reporting the Truth Commission
Authors: Bird Edward , Garda Zureida
Published: March 2007

This article examines the coverage afforded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of South Africa by a selection of South African media. It looks at how the media have constructed the past, the way in which victims and perpetrators have been represented and the extent to which these representations have influenced the question of reconciliation in the country. We have found that in their efforts to reveal the truth and promote reconciliation, the media have, at times, ceased to be critical and interrogative, nonetheless coverage has been extensive and comprehensive. Our analysis will continue until the TRC's work is completed.
Links to the World
Authors: Tanner Eliza
Published: March 2007

The Internet is introducing new complexities and forms of communication in Chilean society. This study, based on interview and archival research, briefly traces the history of Chilean networks through three phases: pioneer networking (1983-90), international connections (1991-4) and diffusion in society (since 1994). Second, the study examines the mass media's adoption of the Internet as a specific case of public sphere development. For Chilean media, the Internet provides access to new information sources, changes Chile's formerly isolated status, allows links to people around the world and creates a way Chileans scattered in many countries can discuss common issues.
Libel Law and the Press
Authors: Lee Jae-Jin
Published: March 2007

This article examines how the Korean press is trying to establish a `public person' privilege - which orginates from US libel law - as protection against libel litigation. The Korean press, free from political restraint since 1987, now faces an increasing number of libel suits that could impede press freedom. Considering that the press was almost immune to the threat of libel litigation, at least until 1987, the recent efforts of the Korean press to find a safeguard indicate that the libel situation in Korea has profoundly changed. Analysis of cases, news articles and editorials shows that there is a difference in the definition of `public person' between the courts and the media. The Korean press will continue constructing the meaning of `public person' as a means of protection until the courts realize the press's need for a safeguard against the threat of libel.
Factors Influencing Early Dropout
Authors: Sagy Shifra
Published: March 2007

This study focused on factors that contribute to Russian immigrant students’ persistence versus voluntary withdrawal from an Israeli University. It adopted Tinto’s model and its core concepts of academic and social integration as main contributing factors to continuance in the academic institution. Background characteristics were also suggested as potentially explanatory factors of adjustment to the immigration transition. Data were collected at an Israeli University from 151 Russian immigrants and 138 Israeli freshman students at two time points. The patterns of factors influencing the persistence or with-drawal behavior of the two groups were compared. The variables in the model accounted for 29% of the explained variance for the native students and 63% for the immigrant students. Although academic integration had a strong effect on persistence, the social integration construct failed to make a significant contribution to R2 for either sample. Some differences between the two samples were found when background effects were considered.
Influence of Shear Coupling in Cylindrical. Bending of Anisotropic Laminates
Authors: Pagano N.J.
Published: March 2007

Investigation of the success of classical lamination theory in predicting the response of composite laminates under static bending is extended by consideration of the influence of shear coupling. Specifically, we treat the exact solution of the problem of a pinned- end laminate composed of N layers, each of which possesses only a single plane of elastic symmetry, under cylindrical bending. Several example problems, involving unidirectional and angle-ply composites, are solved and the detailed results compared to corresponding ap proximate solutions. Some observations are offered in regard to the general range of validity of classical laminated plate theory.