bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Canaries in the Coal Mine
Authors: LOGES WILLIAM E.
Published: March 2007

This article tests the proposition that the intensity and scope of media system dependency relations are positively related to perceptions of threats in the environment. Theoretical and operational definitions of threat are introduced. The results of multiple regression equations support the hypothesis that dependency relations with newspapers, radio, magazines, and television are more intense the more one perceives one's social and natural environment to be threatening. Hierarchical regression analysis shows threat to add significantly to the explanation of variance in dependency when demographic variables are controlled. Logistic regression fails to support the hypothesis that the scope of dependency relations becomes wider as threat perceptions increase. In fact, the opposite is supported; threat is negatively associated with scope.
Political Knowledge and the Campaign Media of 1992
Authors: CHAFFEE STEVEN H. , ZHAO XINSHU , LESHNER GLENN
Published: March 2007

Effects of various mass media on political learning during the 1992 presidential campaign are examined via analyses of two voter surveys conducted in different states. Three indicators of political knowledge are compared: differences on issues between parties (Republican vs. Democratic), differences on issues among candidates (Bush vs. Clinton vs. Perot), and personal knowledge about the candidates (Bush, Clinton, and Perot). Campaign media, including both news coverage and special events (conventions, debates), added significantly to the prediction of both kinds of knowledge about the candidates, even after controlling for major demographic variables and for habitual uses of news media. Of the new forms of media campaigning that became prominent in 1992, at least the interview / talk show format apparently added to voter learning about candidates. Television sources of various types tended to contribute more to learning about the candidates, whereas the newspaper was the medium more associated with knowledge of policy differences between the two major parties.
Planning, Imagined Interaction, and the Nonverbal Display of Anxiety
Authors: ALLEN TERRE H. , HONEYCUTT JAMES M.
Published: March 2007

Berger's (1995) planning theory has spawned research on the tactical variations that individuals use to influence others, to disseminate information, and to react to opposition to plans. However, the effect of planning on anxiety has not been tested. The current study examined one nonverbal indicator of anxiety in this study, the use of object adaptors. In addition, research on imagined interactions (IIs) has revealed that individuals imagine conversations with significant others for a variety of reasons, including rehearsal for anticipated messages and the alleviation of anxiety. The current study also examined the effects of planning for an anticiapted encounter and the level of discrepancy that individuals report they have in their IIs on the use of object adaptors. The findings are discussed in terms of spontaneous helplessness, plan efficacy, and the accretion of plan strategies in response to encounters that are discrepant from what was anticipated.
A Cross-Cultural Study of Political Advertising in the United States and Korea
Authors: TAK JINYOUNG , KAID LYNDA LEE , LEE SOOBUM
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on the cultural aspect of political advertising. The form and content of political advertising messages appearing in major daily newspapers during the final phase of a presidential election campaign were analyzed to compare the differences and similarities of political communication between the United States and Korea. Political television commercials from the 1992 presidential election campaigns of both countries are also analyzed. It is obvious that the context of communication, the degree of uncertainty avoidance, and nonverbal expressions comprised important cultural parameters that ultimately serve as determinants of the different cultural orientations of the two countries. Findings from the content analysis indicate that political advertising messages transmitted by the American and Korean candidates were highly reflective of their cultural orientations. Political advertising therefore appeared as a conspicuous indicator of cultural values because it showed clear differences in American and Korean cultural patterns.
In-Group and Out-Group Communication Patterns in International Organizations
Authors: SUZUKI SHINOBU
Published: March 2007

This study sought to find out whether social distance associated with social identity manifests itself in intergroup differentiation in communication patterns in multiple types of communication networks with the in-group and out-group members. Survey data were collected from workers in international organizations with bicultural (U.S. and Japanese) workforces. The results provided evidence to support the first hypothesis that the overall patterns differ between in-group and out-group communication for both the U.S. and Japanese samples. Three other hypotheses predicted that, compared to workers who do not exhibit much identification with their in-groups, those highly identified with their in-groups communicate in such a manner that manifests more social distance from the out-group members and less social distance from the in-group members. Although the results provided some evidence to support the hypotheses, they suggest that the relationship between social identification and intergroup differentiation is more complex than anticipated. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Preserving Face in Refusal Situations
Authors: BESSON AMBER L. , ROLOFF MICHAEL E. , PAULSON GAYLEN D.
Published: March 2007

Individuals often fabricate socially appropriate reasons for rejecting a request while withholding real but hurtful ones. Such synthetic obstacles to compliance become conventionalized ways of turning down requests. However, when socially appropriate reasons are the genuine basis for refusal, rejecters desiring to comply must signal to the requester that the reason is real rather than synthetic. We conducted an experiment to explore how rejecters of a dating request adapt their messages so as to convince the requester that they are interested in going out with him or her but really cannot. Although most refusals contained linguistic face-work devices, targets faced with conventional obstacles, and who wanted to pursue a relationship with the requester, expressed counteroffers and expressions of interest. Those wishing to avoid future interaction relied on apologies, statements of appreciation for the offer, and expressions of concern for the requester's feelings. Implications for both encoding and decoding refusal messages are discussed.
(Mis)communicating Across Boundaries
Authors: PETRONIO SANDRA , ELLEMERS NAOMI , GILES HOWARD , GALLOIS CYNTHIA
Published: March 2007

The metaphor of boundary is ubiquitous and has guided much research on interpersonal and intergroup communication. This article explores the metaphor by reviewing the literature on boundaries with a focus on miscommunication and problematic talk. In particular, the tensions around privacy and self-disclosure, and rules about family communication are good examples of communication and miscommunication across interpersonal boundaries. In the intergroup arena, the negotiation of boundaries implicates the sociostructural relations between groups and the choices individuals make based on the identities that are salient to them in a given context. We argue that miscommunication can best be conceived of as indicator of tension in negotiating boundaries as they emerge and change in interaction.
Knowledge, Literacy, and Power
Authors: HOFSTETTER C. RICHARD , STICHT THOMAS G. , HOFSTETTER CAROLYN HUIE
Published: March 2007

Studies based on two random-digit-dial samples (N = 538 and N = 632) of adults in San Diego suggest that higher levels of declarative knowledge about “mainstream” culture and politics in the United States are associated with achieving and exercising power regardless of cultural background. Statistical relationships were examined among general mainstream societal knowledge, domain-specific political knowledge, the amount of reading reported, indicators of power (including occupational status, income, voting, communicating about politics), and requisites of power (including perceptions of powerlessness, political efficacy, and political interest). Extraneous cognitive-processing variance was controlled by using simple checklists of declarative knowledge. Although causality cannot be proven, the results suggest that a person's content knowledge is related to reading and power, even when age, education, gender, ethnicity, and measures of literacy practice are controlled. Thus, knowledge is associated with power regardless of most barriers that citizens otherwise face.
Revisiting the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis
Authors: KWAK NOJIN
Published: March 2007

The findings of this study support the significance of motivational variables and media use in modifying the relationship between education and knowledge acquisition. People's behavioral involvement in the 1992 presidential campaign influenced the knowledge gap between education groups such that the gap was significantly smaller among those with a higher level of involvement. Also, respondents' television news viewing during the campaign significantly reduced the knowledge gap between education groups; thus, the more frequently people watched news stories on television, the smaller the impact of education on knowledge acquisition. The results also showed that there was a significant three-way interaction among education, campaign interest, and newspaper news attention, which indicates that the contribution of newspaper news attention to the knowledge gap between education groups differed depending on respondents' campaign interests.
The Effect of a Domestic Violence Policy Change on Police Officers' Schemata
Authors: ROBINSON AMANDA L.
Published: March 2007

Schemata are used to organize knowledge, helping people interpret their environment and decide on courses of action. The current study examined the schemata of police officers socialized before and after the department changed its domestic violence policy to mandate arrests when probable cause exists in domestic disturbances. It was hypothesized that officers socialized before the policy change would have schemata that discouraged them from making arrests and rating victims cooperative and likely to prosecute their cases, whereas the opposite was predicted for officers socialized during the pro-arrest era. The relationship of officers' schemata to their arrest decisions at domestic calls and their attitudes toward the victims at these calls were analyzed using logistic regression. Results indicated more similarity than difference between the two groups of officers, although the schema variable did predict officers' belief in the likelihood of victims prosecuting their cases, pointing to the utility of schema theory for understanding police attitudes.
Influence of Locus of Control and Custody Level on Intake and Prison-Adjustment Depression
Authors: REITZEL LORRAINE R. , HARJU BEVERLY L.
Published: March 2007

This study examines differences in initial and later depressive symptoms of 325 male prisoners based on three levels of custody and four levels of locus of control. Results extend previous findings concerning locus of control and prison-intake depression by including a measure of types of custody and later adjustment depression. Significant differences emerged for both groups with high internal and external locus of control orientations. The highly internal group was the least depressed at both testings. High externals showed a significant increase in reported depression after a period of adjustment to prison and were the only group with a significant reactive depression. There were no differences in depressive severity based on level of custody or its interaction with control orientation. Finally, depression scores that were initially at either extreme declined so that later, adjustment depression scores fell in the mild and moderate range.
Decision Making by a Part-Time Parole Board
Authors: CONLEY JOHN A. , ZIMMERMAN SHER WOOD E.
Published: March 2007

The complex of factors that influence parole decisions is not well understood. Prior research examined release decisions only in relation to inmate characteristics, while ignoring the collective decision process of parole boards. This case study found that decisions were a product of the interplay among the chairman and two coalitions within the board.
Being Troublesome
Authors: NORLAND STEPHEN , MANN PRISCILLA J.
Published: March 2007

This research examines violations reported against women probationers and compares them with those filed against males. A study of 339 reports reveals that a greater proportion of violations for men than for women are based on new criminal charges. In contrast, charges against women are disproportionately technical violations of probation. Given the overcrowded correctional facilities and the consequent concern for revoking only the most serious cases, interviews with agents were conducted in order to suggest reasons why women are troublesome enough to report for technical reasons. Analysis of these interviews suggests that, from the agents' perspectives, some women became troublesome for two reasons: they made time-consuming demands that tended to be organizationally disruptive and the kinds of problems they experienced tended to lie beyond the interests of the agents. In the face of pressures to revoke only for serious problems, these administrative complications made women troublesome enough to warrant violation reports.
The Convicted Rapist
Authors: ALDER CHRISTINE
Published: March 2007

The issue addressed in this article concerns the characteristics of “official rapists,” that is, males who have been processed by the criminal justice system. Presently available research findings are inadequate for developing a definitive portrait of the rapist since the study populations most often consist of rapists only. In the research for this article, incarcerated rapists were compared with other sex offenders, and with other serious property and violent offenders. A sample of 965 males was drawn from a national survey of inmates in correctional facilities. While a few differences were found (most notably rapists were more likely to be black than other offenders), in general, rapists were most often similar to both serious property and violent offenders. Rapists differed most often from other sex offenders. However, both rapists and other sex offenders were less likely to have previously served time than other serious offenders.
Predicting Recidivism
Authors: ASHFORD JOSÉ B. , LeCROY CRAIG WINSTON
Published: March 2007

Risk assessment devices are being increasingly used throughout the country. Most research has evaluated the use of such instruments with adults. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Wisconsin Juvenile Probation and Aftercare Risk instrument that is being promoted as a “model system” for other states to use. This study used discriminant analysis to examine the extent to which the Wisconsin instrument could discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists. The results found that only one of the eight variables was significantly related to recidivism. The instruments' total risk score could not discriminate between the recidivist and nonrecidivist groups, bringing into question its validity. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of aftercare management of juvenile offenders.
Causes of Crime
Authors: CAMPBELL ANNE , MUNCER STEVEN
Published: March 2007

This exploratory study examines the independent variables identified by a group of noncriminologists as being responsible for crime and describes the perceived causal connections between them. Sociological causes are more frequently invoked than are psychological factors. Network analysis reveals an implicit model composed of distal, mediating, and proximal causes. Two subsystems are identified, corresponding to societal and personal crime pathways. They are united by the perceived relationship between poverty and drug use.
Physical Child Abuse Perpetrator Screening and Evaluation
Authors: MILNER JOEL S.
Published: March 2007

This article describes some of the risk/benefit issues in the use of assessment instruments in the screening and evaluation of physical child abuse perpetrators. Following a discussion of assessment issues are descriptions of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory, measures of problems in parenting, and selected measures of personality characteristics used in the screening and evaluation of physical child abuse perpetrators.
Predictive Validity of the Inwald Personality Inventory
Authors: SHUSMAN ELIZABETH J. , INWALD ROBIN E.
Published: March 2007

Validation ( n = 386) and cross-validation ( n = 293) samples were randomly selected from a large pool of data collected on male correction officers. Predictions for “poor” performance were up to 41% more accurate than predictions made without benefit of psychological and biographical information gathered in a preemployment setting.
The Effects of a Rapid Increase in a Prison Population
Authors: PELISSIER BERNADETTE
Published: March 2007

Effects of a rapid doubling in inmate population were examined at a federal correctional institution. Attitudinal data were collected before and after the population increase through interviews with randomly selected samples of staff and inmates. Measures of negative behavioral effects on inmates included rates of rule infractions, reporting to sick call, and formal complaints filed. There were few changes in staff and inmate attitudes toward policies, procedures, programs, services, and staff responsiveness and in staff job satisfaction. Staff and inmate expectations of increased violence and tighter security practices were not substantiated. Rates of negative inmate behaviors before and after the population increase were not significantly different. The importance of administrative decisions concerning inmate programs and services and security policies are discussed.
Measuring Attitudes Toward Prisoners
Authors: ORTET-FABREGAT GENERÓS , PÉREZ JORGE , LEWIS RUTH
Published: March 2007

This study empirically examined attitudes toward prisoners in Spain using Melvin et al.'s (1985) Attitude Toward Prisoners Scale (ATPS). In order to examine the replicability of the results obtained by Melvin et al. with United States prisoners, the ATPS was administered to four groups of criminal justice professionals in Spain. The results revealed a factorial structure consistent with the one described in the original study. High test-retest and internal consistency reliability coefficients were found. Evidence of validity was also shown by using construct-related and criterion-related validation procedures.
A Developmental Analysis of Female Prisoners' Conceptions of Aids
Authors: MARCUS DAVID K. , BIBACE ROGER
Published: March 2007

This article examines female prisoners' reasoning about the causes and transmission of AIDS. At two women's prisons in Texas, 113 inmates were administered the Concepts of AIDS Protocol, an AIDS information test, and an acceptance of people with AIDS questionnaire. The majority of subjects evidenced a middle developmental level of understanding AIDS, with Whites scoring higher than Blacks or Hispanics. Subjects' developmental level of understanding AIDS was moderately correlated with their scores on the AIDS information test, acceptance of people with AIDS, IQ, and level of education. These results were similar to earlier findings with male prisoners. Issues related to AIDS education in prisons are discussed.
Predictive Validity of Lifestyle Impulsivity for Rapists
Authors: PRENTKY ROBERT A. , KNIGHT RAYMOND A. , LEE AUSTIN F. S. , CERCE DAVID D.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the utility of lifestyle impulsivity as a typological discriminator for recidivism among rapists. Impulsivity was examined with respect to four criminal offense domains on a sample of 109 offenders discharged from a maximum-security treatment facility over a period of 25 years. In all instances, the hazard rate for the high-impulsivity group was at least twice as great as the hazard rate for the low-impulsivity group. For nonsexual, victimless charges, the hazard rate was almost four times as great.
Women's Resistance Strategies to Different Rapist Types
Authors: ULLMAN SARAH E. , KNIGHT RAYMOND A.
Published: March 2007

Women's resistance strategies to rape were examined using police reports and the court testimonies of 147 women who either had avoided rape or were raped by subsequently incarcerated rapists. Analyses examined whether particular resistance strategies used by women were differentially effective in response to attacks by different types of rapists. The results provided little evidence that the type of rapist influenced the efficacy of women's resistance strategies for avoiding rape and physical injury. This overall lack of significance suggests that previous findings showing that women's use of forceful resistance strategies enhances their ability to avoid rape without increasing their physical injury are accurate and do not need to be qualified based on the type of rapist committing the assault.
Twenty Years of Criminal Justice and Behavior
Authors: BRODSKY STANLEY L.
Published: March 2007

The founding and early history of Criminal Justice and Behavior are briefly reviewed. Several significant differences are noted between correctional psychology in the early 1970s and the mid-1990s. Psychology in corrections has become more conceptually complex. Prison psychologists have become both better educated and more aware of the limitations of their therapeutic interventions. Contracting for services has become a prominent part of mental health service delivery. Finally, the battles between treatment efforts and security demands have diminished in intensity as treatment programs have assumed a better-defined role.
Crime and Violence among Psychiatric Patients in a Maximum Security Psychiatric Hospital
Authors: RASMUSSEN KIRSTEN , LEVANDER STEN
Published: March 2007

Data on crime and aggression, psychopathology, and early adjustment problems were examined for 94 consecutively admitted patients to a national maximum security psychiatric unit. A majority of the patients had a criminal record. Aggression inside and outside institutional settings was frequent, as were early adjustment problems. Factor analysis suggested five types of crime/aggression patterns: a nonviolent pattern, a pattern involving aggression/violence in an institutional setting, a sexual violence pattern, a homicidal aggressive pattern, and an arson pattern. These patterns evidenced both overlap and distinctiveness in their psychopathology-related correlates. The most frequent significant correlates were the presence of an Axis II diagnosis, psychopathy, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse. Axis I diagnoses and other symptom variables poorly predicted crime/aggression patterns.
Identity Styles of Male Inmates
Authors: WHITE JOSEPH M. , JONES RANDALL M.
Published: March 2007

A sample of state prison inmates ( N = 177) completed a measure of identity style and provided information regarding personal, educational, and criminal history. Discriminant analysis was used to construct profiles that differentiated inmates who favored information-oriented, normative-oriented, and diffuse-oriented identiry styles. Inmates with a diffuse orientation were characterized by early involvement in criminal behavior, greater total number of arrests, lack of education, and greater likelihood of parole violation. Inmates with an information orientation were also relatively young when they first engaged in criminal activity, but they reported half as many total arrests, greater levels of educational attainment, and fewer incidents of parole violation. Normative-oriented inmates were distinguished from the others by their relatively late involvement with drugs and the criminal system.
Intimacy Deficits, Fear of Intimacy, and Loneliness among Sexual Offenders
Authors: BUMBY KURT M. , HANSEN DAVID J.
Published: March 2007

Intimacy deficits and loneliness recently have been theorized as influential factors in the etiology and maintenance of sexually offending behaviors, although to date there has been a lack of empirical research conducted to address this proposition. The present study examined intimacy deficits, fear of intimacy, and loneliness among intrafamilial child molesters, rapists, nonsexually offending inmates, and a community sample of adult males. The child molesters and rapists reported greater overall intimacy deficits than did the nonsexually offending inmates and community controls, with rapists reporting the greatest intimacy deficits. Fear of intimacy was found to be a particularly salient characteristic of the child molesters. The child molesters and rapists reported experiencing more overall loneliness and emotional loneliness. It is suggested that intimacy deficits, fear of intimacy, and loneliness should be addressed in comprehensive theories of sexual offending and incorporated into assessment and treatment approaches.
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Sex Offenders
Authors: McGRATH ROBERT J. , HOKE STEPHEN E. , VOJTISEK JOHN E.
Published: March 2007

Recidivism rates were examined for the near-exhaustive sample of 122 sex offenders placed in a rural Vermont county under correctional supervision from 1984 through 1995. Participants were at risk for an average of 62.9 months. Of this sample, 71 nonrandomized participants enrolled in a comprehensive outpatient cognitive-behavioral and relapse-prevention-based treatment program, 32 participants received less specialized mental health treatment, and the remaining 19 participants received no treatment. Pretreatment, between-group comparisons identified the no-treatment group as having more extensive criminal histories. No other statistically significant between-group differences among factors related to reoffense risk were found. At follow up, the cognitive-behavioral treatment group demonstrated a statistically significant treatment benefit. The treatment program is described.
Adapting and Using the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-2 with Criminal Justice Offenders
Authors: SWARTZ JAMES A.
Published: March 2007

This article presents the preliminary results of adapting and using the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-2 (SASSI) with criminal justice populations. Through pilot testing with 200 probationary and 100 pretrial adult criminal offenders referred to Illinois Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, separate norms based on the SASSI-2 were developed for making treatment referral decisions. Analysis of SASSI-2 data collected from larger samples of criminal offenders showed that it appears to accurately screen for chemical dependency and that the treatment referrals based on the norms developed in the initial pilot study were reasonable. The SASSI-2 Corrections subscale also distinguished well between offenders with more extensive criminal histories and those with fewer prior arrests. Although more rigorous validation studies are needed, it is recommended that the SASSI-2 be considered for use with criminal justice populations when a brief, objective, and accurate screening tool for chemical dependency is needed.
Psychological Responses to Stress in Complex Organizations
Authors: Diamond Michael A. , Allcorn Seth
Published: March 2007

Appreciation for irrational individual and organizational characteristics is fundamental to the ability to "enter"and comprehend the true significance of interpersonal and organizational behavior. Efforts to better comprehend human performance in complex bureaucratic organizations must acknowledge the impact of irrational psychological defensiveness on administrative behavior. The authors construct a conceptual model of psychological responses to stress in bureaucratic organizations in which they illustrate the dynamic, interactive relationship between stress, self-esteem, and psychological defenses aimed at alleviating anxiety, and the ability to act responsibly.
The Fed Chairman as a Political Executive
Authors: Knott Jack H.
Published: March 2007

Regulatory agencies are governed by a top committee rather than a single, chief executive, but the chair of the committee (or board) often dominates decisions. This article addresses the question of why the Federal Reserve Board chairman dominates the decisions of the Federal Open Market Committee—the monetary policy arm of the Fed-even though he has little formal authority. It examines four internal strategies of the chair: side payments, policy trade-offs, use of expert staff and control of policy implementation. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these strategies for the conduct of monetary policy.
Comparative Administration
Authors: Aberbach Joel D. , Rockman Bert A.
Published: March 2007

This article explores three theoretical and methodological problems in the comparative study of public administration: (1) the relations of parts of the administrative system, usually the focus of inquiry, to the administrative system as a whole, usually the object of theoretical inference; (2) the connection between universals of organization theory and variabilities in the environment of organizations and administrative systems; and (3) the link between distinctive levels of analytic focus-structures, actions, and actors. These broad theoretical and methodological problems anchor a more specific analysis of (1) links between bureaucracies, bureaucrats, and politics; (2) the ideas of centralization, planning, and coordination; and (3) the notions of bargaining, mediation, and sub governments.
Sources of Citizens' Bureaucratic Contacts
Authors: Peterson Steven A.
Published: March 2007

Among variables found to predict individuals' bureaucratic contacts are need, awareness of programs, socioeconomic status, political orientation, social involvement, and political participation. This study reports a full multivariate analysis of the predictors of bureaucratic contact, using a sample of 456 older Americans, to determine the relative impact of each of these. Two indicators of bureaucratic contact are used as dependent variables: contact with bureaucracies about some problem and actual use of programs. Results are discussed, with special focus on the different patterns of findings for the two dependent variables.
Public Organization Environments
Authors: Viteriftm Joseph P.
Published: March 2007

Analytic confusion between the concepts "organizational constituent" and "organizational client " has prevented students of public administration from fully understanding one of the fundamental normative issues in urban governance. This conceptual confusion is symptomatic of a more general deficiency in public sector research, where the systematic application of concepts and approaches to the study of organizational environments has been inadequate. Students of public administration have much to learn from the interdisciplinary literature in organizational theory, where scholars have been more successful in designing conceptual and empirical analytic techniques for understanding organizational environments. Descriptive and prescriptive organization theory is also relevant to resolving normative issues in urban governance such as that described here in terms of the dichotomy between constituent and client.
Short-Timers
Authors: Ban Carolyn , Ingraham Patricia W.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the career paths of noncareer members of the Senior Executive Service in the federal government. It develops three models by which they are selected for public service. (Under Reagan, the `counter-staffing model" was dominant in most agencies.) Turnover among noncareer SESers was more rapid than for higher-level political appointees; average tenure in office was only 1.7 years. This rapid turnover, in conjunction with the antibureaucratic values of the counter-staffing model, severely hampered the competence of noncareer SESers and their relationships with career executives in the Reagan administration.
Community Context and Complexity of Organizational Structure in Neighborhood Associations
Authors: Austin D. Mark
Published: March 2007

Using data from neighborhood associations in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, this research examines the relationship between the structure of neighborhood associations and the characteristics of the population of their respective neighborhoods assuming that the social environment in which an association operates has an impact on the structure of the organization. The size of the association, the percentage of the neighborhood population that is Black socioeconomic status of the residents, and an age composition variable were positive predictors of the degree of complexity of organizational structure in the associations. Neighborhood stability exhibited a negative impact on complexity. The significance levels of some of these relationships changed when the neighborhood associations with mandatory membership were excluded. The age of the association did not have a significant impact on complexity.
Organizational Communication
Authors: Felts Arthur A.
Published: March 2007

Using a critical theoretical approach, this article analyzes conceptualizations of organizational communication failures. Perhaps because interpretations of communication failures have been dominated by a social psychological perspective, these reveal an unargued acceptance of communication failures as a consequence of hierarchical design with no alternatives presented or analyzed. This essay adapts the concept of communicative competence developed by Jurgen Habermas in a radically different way than most previous interpretations, certainly those most extant in public administration. As articulated here, the model of communicative competence suggests the need to confront organizational structure and consider more symmetrical relationships in order to enhance the possibilities of nondistorted organizational communication. Specifically, the model moves beyond the widely accepted factor of interpersonal trust as facilitating nondistorted communication and suggests a new way of viewing such research. Minimally, the model provides theoretical support for modern management theories that emphasize flatter organization structures, or nonhierarchical arrangements and those that focus on developing reciprocal relations between managers and subordinates.
Technology Organization, Freedom
Authors: Stever James A.
Published: March 2007

John Dewey's pragmatic philosophy merits consideration from an administrative point of view. Within this philosophy is a compelling organization theory. The theory is based on the argument that modern organizations are essential for the regulation of technology and the reform of traditional liberal culture. Dewey believed that a pragmatic organizational culture could promote and protect freedom better than the 19th-century community based on individualistic values. Postmodernists have failed to fully confront Dewey's argument for organizational authority. He relied on the organization to regulate technology, to insure modernism's longevity, and to recast liberal culture's traditional values.
On Friedrich Hayek and Public Administration
Authors: Spicer Michael W.
Published: March 2007

Despite the late Friedrich Hayek's popular reputation as an advocate of free markets and an opponent of government intervention, his work has important implications for public administration. Hayek argued for the desirability of decentralized systems of human interaction in light of the limits on human rationality, the importance of rules in a social and political order, and the limits of democracy as expressed through majority rule. These ideas can be interpreted as supporting the exercise of significant administrative discretion in public policy within rules that limit arbitrary actions against citizens. As such, his work suggests the continuing relevance of the ideas of classical liberalism to the modern administrative state.
Understanding the Development of Local Government
Authors: Raadschelders Jos C. N.
Published: March 2007

In this article, a theory on local government development based on extensive empirical research in Dutch local government is presented. Most public administration literature, both in the United States and in Europe, that focuses on the development of government and its bureaucracy deals entirely or predominantly with central government. There are various reasons why local government development merits separate attention. The time span of 400 years brings out in full how the major shifts that occurred in the Netherlands from the late 19th century onward had been "prepared " since early modern times. Attention will be paid to the degree to which the Dutch case is unique as well as representative for developments at local levels elsewhere in the Western world. The theory allows for variation over time as well as differences in types of local government.
A Portfolio Theory of Policy Subsystems
Authors: Bickers Kenneth N. , Stein Robert M.
Published: March 2007

During the Reagan period4 the resilience and adaptability of domestic policy subsystems were subjected to the most severe test in recent history. Our explanation for the resilience and durability of these subsystems is based on the argument that the key actors in the subsystem adopt strategies that are mutually supportive of each other's needs and provide protection for the entire subsystem during periods of retrenchment. The thesis developed in this article focuses in particular on the role that agencies play in building and maintaining strong subsystem relationships. We argue that agencies pursue two main objectives to help reinforce subsystem relationships: (1) the maximization of the number of congressional districts that are benefited by the portfolio of programs administered by the agency and (2) the minimization of the collective action problems of the interest groups whose members benefit from their programs. Preliminary data relating to these arguments are presented for the 1983-1989 period. We find evidence that agencies that provide financial assistance to a limited number of congressional districts have attempted, with modest success, to increase the number of districts in which they provide assistance. We find strong evidence that agencies have attempted to reduce collective actions of their supporting interest groups by reducing the within-program diversity of the recipients benefiting from the portfolio of programs administered by the agency. We conclude that these strategies were instrumental in helping domestic agencies survive, and in some cases grow, during the 1980s.
"Papereality" and Learning in Bureaucratic Organizations
Authors: Dery David
Published: March 2007

This article argues that organizations create, maintain, and live by "papereality, " defined as a world of symbols, a particular form of representation that takes precedence over the things and events represented. If so, what is written down as official can be an important guide to and constraint on behavior in organizations. This article explores in particular the significance that papereality may have on organizational learning. Its main hypothesis is that in bureaucratic organizations, the presumption of knowledge, the power of distrust, the heavy reliance on official records and procedures, and the predominance of routine all seem to cushion papereality from other forms of representation and thus inhibit forgetting and learning.
Drug Attitudes, Racial Identity, and Alcohol Use among African American Adolescents
Authors: Burlew Kathleen , Neely DeKimberlen , Johnson Candace , Hucks T. Camille , Purnell Bruce , Butler Jacqueline , Lovett Marilyn , Burlew Randi
Published: March 2007

This research examined relationships among four variables, including (a) participation in a culturally based prevention program, (b) changes in drug attitudes, (c) changes in racial identity, and (d) changes in alcohol use. The sample included 311 African American sixth graders (56% male) enrolled in a national study of high-risk youth. Participants completed the Children’s Racial Identity Scale, the Africentric Values Scale for Children, the Tentative Drug Use Scale, the Children’s Social Desirability Scale, and an index of alcohol use. The results indicated that youth who became more tolerant (lenient) in their drug attitudes between sixth and seventh grades were more likely to increase their alcohol use. In addition, two alternative models were tested to examine the dynamics of how changing racial identity and drug attitudes operate in a culturally based intervention to reduce the likelihood of future drug use. Support was found for both models with no convincing evidence showing that one was better than the other.
The Relationship between Black Racial Identity and Moral Development
Authors: Moreland Cheryl , Leach Mark M.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the theoretical relationship between moral development and Black racial identity development among African American university students. Results indicated that racial identity and moral judgments are linked and that emotionality embedded within Black racial identity statuses differentially influences moral decision making. It is recommended that school-based programs involving moral development include racial identity issues and subsequent emotionbased components during training.
Social Support and Depressive Symptoms among Blacks
Authors: Thomas Veronica G. , Milburn Norweeta G. , Brown Diane R. , Gary Lawrence E.
Published: March 2007

Depressive symptoms among a sample of Black adults were investigated as a function of three structural characteristics of social support networks: (1) frequency of contact with network members, (2) durability of network relationships, and (3) reciprocity of network relationships. Overall, respondents had frequent contact with their network members, long-term network relationships, and little reciprocity in network relationships. None of these structural characteristics were significantly related to depressive symptoms. Several demographic factors, however, had an effect on depressive symptom scores and network characteristics. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Indirect Assessment of Interracial Prejudices
Authors: Larimer George S. , Beatty E. David , Broadus Alfonso C.
Published: March 2007

This study used the "matched-guise" technique to assess prejudices and predicted that both Black and White subjects would rate Blacks lower than they rated White accented speakers and would rate Ghetto Black (GB) accents lower then they would rate Middle Class Black (MB) or Middle Class White (MW) accents on personality characteristics. Thirty-seven Black and 37 White subjects participated in the study. They listened to a prerecorded reading presented by male and female speakers representing GB, MB, and MW accents and rated personality on 16 dimensions. Using a three-way analysis of variance, results indicated a significant accent main effect and a significant population by accent interaction. Orthogonal comparisons revealed that GB accents were rated lower than MB or MW accents by White subjects, Black subjects rated GB accents no different than they rated MB or MW accents, and White subjects did not rate MB accents significantly different from MW accents. The results were interpreted in light of Black-White relations today.
Too Busy to Learn: A "Competing Behaviors" Explanation of Cross-Cultural Differences in Academic Ascendancy Based on the Cultural Distance Hypothesis
Authors: Grubb Henry Jefferson , Dozier Art
Published: March 2007

Many explanations have been made about the differential secondary school drop-out rates, college attendance levels, and over-all academic performance discrepancies of Black and White students. This article presents a model to describe the difference between the two groups in academic ascendancy based on the Cultural-Distance Hypothesis formulated by Grubb (1983). Basically the poorer Black performance in the formal educational system can be blamed on the need for African American (and especially poor) children to learn a group of functional behaviors related to community survival but unrelated to academic advancement. Euro-American children are spared these responsibilities and their mastery until later in life, usually post high school or college. Blacks and other groups described as "deprived" are therefore seen as having to learn a great many "adult" behaviors at an earlier age than do their White or "privileged" counterparts. This competition for their learning potential during the formative school years can be seen as the cause for lower school performance and higher dropout rates.
Television's Model of the Quest for African Consciousness: A Comparison with Cross' Empirical Model of Psychological Nigrescence
Authors: Peterson-Lewis Sonja , Adams Afesa
Published: March 2007

Using Cross' four-stage empirical model of Nigrescence (the development of African consciousness), this paper examines what appears to be television's highly formularized presentation of the context, content, and process of the search for African identity among African American children. Situation comedies from the late 1970s and early 1980s that featured Black children in predominately White environments are the central focus of this analysis because (a) television appears to have restricted the quest for African consciousness to situation comedy, and (b) television appears to have confined the racial consciousness quest to the domain of children, and primarily to Black children in White environments. Using examples from "Fish," "Diff'rent Strokes," "Facts of Life," and "Webster," the authors contend that Black children characters are presented as progressing through the Pre-encounter, Encounter, and Immersion phase of the Immersion-Emersion stages of Cross's model, but are reverted before they reach the Internalization stage. The authors suggest some alternative strategies for television's presentation of the quest by Blacks of the African consciousness. The authors also discuss aspects of television's portrayal that raise potential empirical research issues.
The Development and Validation of an Instrument to Assess an Optimal Afrocentric World View
Authors: Montgomery Derek E. , Fine Mark A. , James-Myers Linda
Published: March 2007

An optimal Afrocentric belief system is characterized by a holistic, nonmaterialistic, and communal orientation in persons. An instrument to assess one's degree of adherence to an abstraction of this world view, the Belief Systems Analysis Scale (BSAS), was developed and psychometrically evaluated. To assess the instrument's construct validity, college students (66 females and 29 males) were administered the BSAS, the Dogmatism Scale, the Social Interest Scale, and the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised. The BSAS correlated significantly (p < .001) in the expected direction with all three of the criterion variables. Further analyses indicated that the BSAS is internally consistent (Cronbach's Alpha = .80) and multifactorial. The test-retest reliability coefficent (n = 41, one week apart) was r = .63. It is tentatively concluded that the BSAS has potential as a valid and reliable measure of an optimal Afrocentric world view and may be useful both as a research and clinical instrument.