bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Habitual Online Practices Affect the Development of Asynchronous Discussion Threads
Authors: Hewitt Jim
Published: May 2005

In the past, there has been an implicit assumption that discussion threads in distance education courses develop according to the needs and interests of conference participants, the requirements of the course, and the nature of the instructor's online facilitation. The findings in this article suggest that other factors may also be at play. A large-scale analysis of threads and their growth patterns reveals a bias in favor of elongated note structures. This bias is explained by a tendency for computer conference users to focus on recently introduced notes and a reduced tendency to re-visit older, more established notes. Consequently, the most recent notes in each thread are the ones most likely to drive the next round of responses. Educationally, this situation can be problematic if an excessive focus on new notes unintentionally shifts attention away from important issues. Strategies for addressing these concerns are discussed.
The Matrix of Care: A Heuristic for Assessment and Placement
Authors: Salamon Michael J.
Published: May 2005

Policymakers and practioners have attempted to enhance the quality of long-term care, and thereby provide appropriate care, by using the notion of levels of care. This approach assumes that the needs of those requiring long-term care can be easily ordered along a single continuum. This conceptual position, however, has led to confusion with the diagnosis of patient needs and conflicting approaches to assessments of those needs. Invariably problems of patient placement and alternative levels of care result. A more productive approach to the issue of providing appropriate care is to separate physical from psychosocial needs when performing functional assessment and to rearrange them into a matrix. By examining each need separately, and the point at which they overlap in the matrix, more direct assessment can be performed, and specified interventions can be designed.
Drug Knowledge and the University
Authors: Evans Gary W. , Dewart Ted , Blank Karen
Published: May 2005

A substantial survey of a University population revealed a startling lack of knowledge about commonly used drugs. These data are discussed and suggestions are outlined for an effective university level drug education program.
Socioeconomic Status and Drug Abuse Prevention in a Metropolitan Region
Authors: Horst Leslie , Des Jarlais Don C.
Published: May 2005

Teams of students, teachers, administrators, and others from twenty-eight school districts received training to carry out drug education programs in their home school districts. There was a moderate relationship between the socioeconomic status of a school district and the implementation of drug education programs by its team. Other factors related to the socioeconomic status of a community are discussed in terms of their effect on team productivity: community attitudes toward drug abuse; the capacity of teams to involve parents; and the availability of leisure time. Support from school administrators is seen to be particularly important for teams. Clearly, team success or failure was multiply-determined.
Psychological Characteristics of Students Taking Programming-Oriented and Applications-Oriented Computing Courses
Authors: Charlton John P. , Birkett Paul E.
Published: May 2005

The characteristics of students taking programming-oriented and applications-oriented higher education courses are compared. Relative to the latter students, the former students' personalities are shown to be of a more schizoid nature, this providing an explanation of these students' greater computer engagement, programming experience and computing aptitude, at least as far as males are concerned. The extent to which programming experience is accumulated by females is concluded to be a major factor explaining the greater gender imbalance in enrolment on the programming-oriented course. Psychometric measures are found to be useful over and above cheaper, more easily obtainable, information in discriminating between the two types of student. However, psychometric measures are not found useful in increasing the association between correctness of course classification subsequent to Discriminant Function Analysis and success/failure on the courses. Finally, the same set of characteristics, involving among other things, greater involvement in computing, is found to be associated with success irrespective of course.
Guided Instruction in Logo Programming and the Development of Cognitive Monitoring Strategies among College Students
Authors: Lee Mi Ok C. , Thompson Ann
Published: May 2005

This research examined whether an approach to teaching Logo programming that directly guided the student in the use of cognitive monitoring skills and the transfer of those skills would lead to increased cognitive monitoring and problem-solving skills. For this study, college students received either a guided approach to teaching Logo or a more traditional discovery approach. The results of this study demonstrated that guided instruction in Logo led to increased comprehension monitoring on both near transfer and far transfer tasks. Guided instruction in Logo programming also contributed to the development of Logo error identification and debugging skills.
A Historical View of Empirical Poetics: Trends and Possibilities
Authors: Steen Gerard
Published: May 2005

A historical view of the empirical study of literature provides a platform for reflection on the past, present, and future of the enterprise. The development of the field is sketched with reference to a number of turning points in the eight conferences of the scholarly association for empirical poetics, IGEL. A shift is observed from a theory-driven to a research-driven image. On the basis of this shift, problematic aspects of doing empirical research and formulating empirical theories are singled out for special attention. In particular, a plea is made for viewing research as puzzle solving in the sense of Kuhn, instead of the more ambitious view of Popper (1979) who sees research as testing theories. Moreover, an argument is presented for respecting but also relating the results from different theoretical paradigms. Finally, theoretical consequences of this standpoint include the adoption of pluralism while remaining alert with respect to maintaining the consistency of the overall definition of literature as a domain of discourse.
Whose Scientific Method? Scientific Methods for a Complex World
Authors: Levins Richard , Dunn Mary Lee
Published: May 2005

Critics of the precautionary principle assail it for calling for action before science establishes unquestionably that a substance causes harm. They claim theirs is the viewpoint of the “scientific method.” But the conflict is not between science and antiscience but rather between different pathways for science and technology; between a commodified science-for-profit and a gentle science for humane goals; between the sciences of the smallest parts and the sciences of dynamic wholes. This article addresses the social construction of scientific production and the pattern of strengths and weaknesses to which it leads. The author offers proposals for a more holistic, integral approach to understanding and addressing environmental issues.
Some Problems of the Aged in the Rural Milieu in Israel
Authors: Berman Yitzchak
Published: May 2005

The problems of the aged in three types of rural settings in Israel are presented. The uniqueness of each setting, “moshav,” “kibbutz,” and village brings about different approaches to basically similar problems. Social and economic problems have been found to dominate and some solutions to these problems are presented.
Social and Psychological Determinants of Adaptation
Authors: Lieberman Morton A.
Published: May 2005

Social and psychological frameworks used to explain adaptation are examined. Findings from a study of three ethnic groups, Irish, Italian, and Polish Americans, aged forty to eighty are presented to test the effects of life stage, social surround, and personality on adaptation.
Vicarious Learning: Effects of Overhearing Dialog and Monologue-like Discourse in a Virtual Tutoring Session
Authors: Driscoll David M. , Craig Scotty D. , Gholson Barry , Ventura Matthew , Hu Xiangen , Graesser Arthur C.
Published: May 2005

In two experiments, students overheard two computer-controlled virtual agents discussing four computer literacy topics in dialog discourse and four in monologue discourse. In Experiment 1, the virtual tutee asked a series of deep questions in the dialog condition, but only one per topic in the monologue condition in both studies. In the dialog conditions of Experiment 2, the virtual tutee asked either deep questions, shallow questions, or made comments. In a fourth “dialog” condition, the comments were spoken by the virtual tutor. The discourse spoken by the virtual tutor was identical in the dialog and monologue conditions, except in the fourth dialog condition. In both studies, learners wrote significantly more content and significantly more relevant content in the deep question condition than in the monologue condition. No other differences were significant. Results were discussed in terms of advanced organizers, schema theory, and discourse comprehension theory.
Test-Retest Reliability of the University of Illinois Smoking Survey Instrument
Authors: O'Rourke Thomas W.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this article is to report the reliability findings of the attitude-belief section of the University of Illinois smoking survey instrument. By attempting to assess the reliability of the survey instrument, this study would appear to enhance anti-smoking education programs. For the purposes of this study, a test-retest method of determining reliability was utilized. The instrument was administered at a four day interval to 112 high school students. The study group included 55 males and 57 females. Results indicated that the instrument appears to be reliable in assessing attitudes-beliefs toward smoking. Reported reliability was .85 for males and .89 for females. The overall reliability was .87.
Negative Interaction and Body Weight in Later Life
Authors: Krause Neal , Thompson Estina
Published: May 2005

This study assesses the relationship between negative interaction and body mass index values among older adults. Throughout, an emphasis is placed on probing for individual differences in response to unpleasant encounters with significant others. Individual variations in personality (introversion-extraversion) as well as social status (gender) are evaluated within this context. Tests of the complex three-way interaction between negative interaction, gender, and introversion reveal that more negative interaction is associated with higher body mass index values among elderly women who are introverted. In contrast, a significant relationship between negative interaction, introversion, and body mass failed to emerge for older men.
Health and Subjective Well-Being: A Meta-Analyis
Authors: Okun Morris A. , Stock William A. , Haring Marilyn J. , Witter Robert A.
Published: May 2005

A meta-analysis was conducted of the health/subjective well-being relationship, based upon studies of United States adults published prior to 1980. Dependent variables were zero-order and first-order correlations. A total of 231 zero-order effect size estimates were extracted from 104 different sources, while a total of 189 first-order effect sizes were extracted from thirty-three different sources. The majority of effect sizes were derived from samples where the midpoint of the age range was sixty-five and over. The 95 percent confidence interval estimates, generated using Tukey's jackknife procedure, were .29 to .35 and .29 to .38 for the zero-order and first-order correlations, respectively. Using weighted regression procedures, univariate analyses indicated that all but one study and sample characteristics were significant ( p < .05) predictors of zero-order and first-order correlations, though none of the predictors adequately specified variation in effect sizes. The mean value of the first-order correlations varied with the type of control variable, ranging from .42 (age) to .27 (SES composite). Health and subjective well-being were found to be positively and significantly related. Limitations of the meta-analysis were noted and suggestions were made for strengthening research on this topic.
Welcome to the Block: Developing Freshman Learning Communities That Work
Authors: Soldner Laura , Lee Yvonne , Duby Paul
Published: May 2005

To assist incoming freshmen to integrate into the academic environment, improve social acclimation, and increase student retention, Northern Michigan University created a First Year Experience (FYE) Program which has community as its central focus. The key to the success of NMU's program is the use of block scheduling which combines a freshman seminar course with other classes. These blocks or freshman learning communities provide a wide range of benefits. Evaluation results from three years of the pilot program demonstrate marked improvements in student performance and retention. The article closes with a review of the benefits of blocking and cites future implications.
Anthropometry in the Normative Aging Study of Veterans: Physique and Age, Serum Cholesterol, Uric Acid, and Personality
Authors: Damon Albert , Seltzer Carl C.
Published: May 2005

The notion that human body form and function are related is strong in folklore and literature, and in medicine dates back at least to Hippocrates. The Normative Aging Study is in a position to test this belief among large numbers of healthy subjects followed over their adult lifetimes. The goals, procedures, and early findings of the morphologic aspect of the Normative Aging Study are presented in this article.
Integrating Constructionism and Instructionism in Educational Hypermedia Programs
Authors: Shabo Amnon
Published: May 2005

In many educational hypermedia programs, the original meaning of hypertext influenced the entire pedagogical approach underlying the programs. This meant that learners were free to navigate, construct, and choose their learning path. In addition, no learning objectives were mandatory, and the processes of hypertext navigation and artifact constructions were emphasized. The problem of this trend was that learners received little feedback to guide them on how to use the non-linear structure, and not all could acquire important skills and knowledge of the subject matter. This article deals with an attempt to integrate linear instruction elements into hypermedia programs in order for learners to benefit from the advantages of both approaches. It offers feedback as a connecting unit in such an integration and suggests a model of feedback that fades in and out, based on the fading-out model of scaffolding traditionally used in the apprenticeship approach. A few projects are described to illustrate these ideas.
Indoor and Outdoor Activities of Aged Women and Men as Related to Depression and Well-Being
Authors: Lomranz Jacob , Bergman Simon , Eyal Nitza , Shmotkin Dov
Published: May 2005

This article examines the relations between reported level of activity and measures of affect in old people, exploring possible sex differences. It was hypothesized that these relations are mediated by the satisfaction from the specific activity. The sample consisted of fifty-four women and forty-five men, ranging in age from sixty to eighty, functioning normally in the community. A questionnaire assessed participants' levels of indoor/outdoor activities. Participants rated their satisfaction for each of these activities. Negative affect was measured by Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale, and positive affect was measured by Bradburn's Weil-Being (Affect-Balance) Scale. For male respondents, results showed significant negative correlations between depression and both activities, and significant positive correlations with respect to well-being. Significant positive correlation was obtained only between well-being and outdoor activity for female respondents. When satisfaction from the specific activity was controlled for, only two correlations remained significant in the male participants, lending partial support to the hypothesis. A multiple regression analysis revealed reported levels of activity could predict both depression and well-being for men much better than for women, whereas satisfaction from activity could do that much better for women than for men. Discussion deals with the sex differences regarding the meaning of activity in old age and its implications for affect. The differentiation between kinds of activity as well as measures of affect is also referenced.
Commitment to Learning: Effects of Computer Experience, Confidence and Attitudes
Authors: Levine Tamar , Donitsa-Schmidt Smadar
Published: May 2005

Based on attitude-behavior theory which suggests that beliefs about an object lead to an attitude toward it, and that attitudes are an important precursor of behavior, this study proposes a causal model relating measures of computer-experience (degree of computer use at home and in school), computer-related attitudes (dispositions concerning the computer as an important, interesting, educational, and stereotypical tool), computer-related confidence (degree of confidence when using a computer), and commitment to computer learning (difference between self-perceived current level of computer-application knowledge and perceived level of desired knowledge). The model hypothesizes that computer experience positively affects perceived computer self-confidence and computer related attitudes. The model further hypothesizes that computer attitudes and computer confidence reciprocally affect one other in a positive way, and that both positively affect commitment to computer learning. Questionnaires were administered to 309 seventh to twelfth grade students. The theoretical model was tested by structural equation analysis (LISREL). Contrary to prediction, when attitudes were held constant, computer confidence was found to have a negative effect on commitment to learning. All other causal effects, including reciprocity were confirmed. The contribution and relevance of these findings to future educational research are discussed.
Methaqualone Abuse: An Epidemic for the Seventies
Authors: Kempton Robert J. , Kempton Thomas
Published: May 2005

The history of methaqualone is reviewed, beginning with the first synthesis of the compound in 1951. Early preclinical testing of the drug pointed to its being a safe, nonaddicting nonbarbiturate sedative-hypnotic. However, reports from Great Britain and Japan during the late, and mid-1960s unambiguously showed that methaqualone could produce in users both physical and psychological dependency. Our survey of drug treatment agencies in eight states reinforces the findings of reports from other countries, and shows that abuse of methaqualone in the United States is widespread and growing. In 1972 in those agencies surveyed, nearly half of all the clients treated (13,000) were abusing methaqualone. This represents an increase of 120% over the previous year. The authors recommend an examination of the procedures currently used to determine whether a drug should be placed under strict legal controls because of a high potential for illicit abuse. To destroy the myths surrounding methaqualone, the authors also see the need for an intensive drug education program on federal, state, and local levels.
Life at 85 and 92: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study of How the Oldest Old Experience and Adjust to the Increasing Uncertainty of Existence
Authors: Ågren Margareta
Published: May 2005

This qualitative longitudinal study investigated how life was experienced by the participants at the ages of eighty-five ( n = 129) and by those who survived to become ninety-two ( n = 41) seven years later. In-depth interviews were used and seven patterns of adjustment emerged from the analysis at the age of eighty-five ranging from Self-realization to Withdrawal. This heterogeneity remained at the age of ninety-two but the increased weakening of the body and the shortened time perspective that all participants now experienced had somewhat changed the characteristics of the categories. These challenges also led to greater use of cognitive strategies of adjustment at ninety-two like taking one day at a time, substitution, losing interest in that which one could not do any longer, and an increase of the dialectical balancing of good and bad life events to reach a synthesis one could accept.
Old Age Support in China: The Role of the State and the Family
Authors: Pei Xiaomei , Pillai Vijayan K.
Published: May 2005

This study investigates the relationship between some support factors and the well-being of the elderly in China. The analytical models identify and compare the effects of each type of factor on the sense of well-being of elderly Chinese across rural and urban settings. Pension, health care, size of family, and living arrangements are the factors found to be significantly related to the perception of happiness among aged people in general. The strength of the effects of children and living arrangements varies depending on places of residency. The findings indicate the continuous role of the family support, and the increasingly important role of state support in promoting a sense of well-being among elderly Chinese.
Perceptions of Ideal and Typical Middle and Old Age
Authors: Sherman Nancy C. , Gold Joel A.
Published: May 2005

An investigation of attitudes toward typical and ideal old age was carried out with seventy-eight undergraduate students. Half of the participants responded to semantic differential scales for typical and ideal old age and half to middle age stimulus objects. The scales were analyzed in terms of three dimensions produced in previous research. No difference was found between the middle and old age conditions for the personal acceptability dimension but differences were found for both the autonomous-dependent and instrumental-ineffective dimensions. The old and middle age objects were rated alike at ideal but the old age object was rated less autonomous and less instrumental at typical.
Life Satisfaction across the Life Course: Evaluations of the Most and Least Satisfying Decades of Life
Authors: Mehlsen Mimi , Platz Merete , Fromholt Pia
Published: May 2005

In a recent American study, the decades from ages 20 to 59 were most frequently chosen to be the most satisfying. However, one third of the elderly evaluated a decade in old age to be the most satisfying (Field, 1996). The present study was undertaken to investigate whether this finding could be replicated in a larger, representative sample of elderly Danes. Four cohorts born with an interval of five years, 62 to 77 years old ( N = 3207) were asked to point out the most and the least satisfying decades of life. The years from 30 to 39 were most frequently chosen as the most satisfying decade, followed by the adjoining decades. A decade in old age was chosen as the least satisfying by 24% of the participants, while only 8.5% of the participants evaluated old age as the most satisfying period of life. Further analyses were made to examine conditions related to evaluating the present decade as the most or the least satisfying.
Motivations for Parent Care: The Case of Filial Children in Korea
Authors: Sung Kyu-Taik
Published: May 2005

This study identified five major types of motivation for parent care in a survey of 130 filial Koreans: respect for parents, filial responsibility, harmonization of the family, repayment of debts, and filial sacrifice. The meanings of these qualitative dimensions of parent care in the cultural context of Korea are discussed. Filial motivations reflect the values Koreans are aspiring for today that consolidate the caring relationships between adult children and their elderly parents. Both the importance of nurturing filial morality and the need for advancing traditional values associated with the caring relationships are also discussed.
Caffeine Consumption, Expectancies of Caffeine-Enhanced Performance, and Caffeinism Symptoms among University Students
Authors: Bradley John R. , Petree Allen
Published: May 2005

The expectancies paradigm developed in alcohol research was used to study caffeine consumption and signs of caffeinism in two groups of college students. A survey questionnaire was developed to gather self-report data on expectations of caffeine-enhanced performance (EP-CAFF), level of beverage caffeine consumed daily, and DSM-111 caffeinism signs reportedly experienced after consumption of caffeinated beverages. A positive association between EP-CAFF and both caffeine consumption and caffeinism signs was predicted. In both initial ( n = 527) and cross-validation ( n = 270) samples, significant correlations between EP-CAFF scores and both caffeine consumption and caffeinism symptoms were found. A small, but statistically significant, relationship was also found between caffeinism symptoms and both alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. Of the 797 subjects in the combined sample, 151 (18.9%) endorsed five or more DSM-III caffeinism signs. Subjects endorsing five or more signs of caffeinism scored higher on the EP-CAFF scale, and consumed more caffeine and alcohol in both studies and smoked more cigarettes in study one–but not in study two–than did subjects who endorsed fewer than five caffeinism signs. Results support the utility of extending the expectancies model of substance use motivation from alcohol to caffeine.
Anthrax versus the FLU
Authors: Smith Stephen , McMahon Jean
Published: May 2005

As state governments in the United States slash their public health budgets, federal money is pouring in for bioterror preparedness.
Older Adults' Expectations about Mental Health Counseling: A Multivariate and Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Lagana' Luciana
Published: May 2005

The present study aimed at identifying significant predictors of expectations about mental health counseling in a sample of highly educated elderly. This task was achieved by administering the full version of the Expectations About Counseling (EAC) questionnaire to fifty-seven retired professors. We first addressed the issue of the current elderly's under-utilization of formal counseling services, then conducted a literature review on the relationship between elderly's characteristics and their views of counseling. Specific hypotheses were formulated for each of the seven possible predictors of EAC scale scores. Previous counseling experience and marital status were significant predictors of EAC scale scores. Young-old adults (i.e., younger than 75 years of age) had received counseling experience significantly more than their older counterpart; their EAC scores, however, were not significantly different than those of old-old participants. Gender, area of residence, income and religiosity did not predict expectations about counseling significantly. Cell size heterogeneity for some predictors might have been responsible for lack of significance on additional factors. The article ends with a discussion of several clinical implications of the findings.
Attitudes toward Women in Co-Ed and All Female Drug Treatment Programs
Authors: Murphy Leonard , Rollins Joan H.
Published: May 2005

This research reports on a comparison between sex role attitudes in co-ed treatment programs and an all female treatment program. Eighty residents, sixty males and twenty females, and thirty-eight staff, twenty-two males and sixteen females, of Marathon House, the largest drug rehabilitation community in New England completed Spence and Helmreich's Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS). The AWS was also administered to four staff and twelve residents at Caritas House, an all female therapeutic community in Rhode Island. The results from the AWS indicate that female staff at Marathon House and Caritas House have significantly more liberal attitudes toward women than the male staff at Marathon House. Female residents of both Houses have significantly more liberal attitudes on the AWS than male residents of Marathon House. Surprisingly, however, the female residents at Marathon House have almost identical scores on the AWS to female residents at Caritas House even though residents at Marathon House are exposed to the attitudes of both male and female staff, whereas residents at Caritas House are exposed only to the attitudes of an all female staff.
Social Dimensions of Mental Illness among Rural Elderly Populations
Authors: Hendricks Jon , Turner Howard B.
Published: May 2005

Despite growing concern with rural elderly populations, little attention has focused on their mental health, ways it may correlate with physical health, or how rural mental health patterns compare to urban. Popular wisdom contends that elderly people in general, and rural elderly persons in particular, are at increased risk for mental illness. This article examines these questions. A review of available literature suggests that elderly people may be at only slightly greater risk of mental illness than the population at large, though there are some indications that rates of depression may be somewhat higher among the elderly population. Much of this same literature implies that objective environmental conditions play a significant role in the incidence of depression. Analysis of data gathered in a statewide random poll ( N = 743) indicates that while physical health tends to be poorer among rural populations, when health is held constant there is actually an inverse relationship between age and depression. Therefore, rural elderly persons are no more likely to be depressed than their urban counterparts despite harsher living conditions. Both conceptual and policy implications are discussed.
Birth Order Incidence among Institutionalized Drug Addicts Compared to National Norms
Authors: Linarducci Robert P.
Published: May 2005

The relationship of drug use to the Adlerian concept of birth order was the focus of the present study. Generally, the objective was to determine whether there was a statistically significant overrepresentation of latter born children in a sample of drug addicts.

The subjects were 95 male patients of the Mental Health Clinical Research Center of Fort Worth, Texas, who were randomly selected from the Center's total population of 273. All the subjects were classified as drug addicts by the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act of 1966. Within the sample was a mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Negro, and Latin males of different ages, educational backgrounds, family incomes, and work experience.

“Only children” were not used in this study because they constitute a distinct group and probably differ from first borns and latter borns in important ways.

Birth order statistics from the sample were compared with national statistics on birth order which were derived from data given in Population Characteristics, Fertility of the Population, January 1969. A five-celled chi-square contingency test was used to evaluate the null hypothesis that there was no relationship between birth order and drug use in the sample under investigation.

The results of the statistical analysis supported the null hypothesis; that is, there was no relationship between the Adlerian concept of birth order and drug use. In addition to the main hypothesis, racial background and family income were also considered as possible variables influencing the latter born child in the taking of drugs. Only individuals from Latin-American family backgrounds gave any suggestion of a relationship between drug use and birth order within a specific racial group. Family incomes did not appear to influence significantly an overrepresentation of latter born children in the taking of drugs.

Although the present study did not support the main hypothesis, a relationship may exist; however, it was not found in this study.
Older People in Disaster: A Comparison of Black and White Victims
Authors: Bolin Robert , Klenow Daniel J.
Published: May 2005

This research examines differential vulnerability to environmental stressors among white and black elderly and non-elderly disaster victims. The research identifies the determinants of psychosocial recovery for those four demographic groups. A total of 431 families who were victims of a tornado were interviewed for the study. A path model of the determinants of psychosocial recovery is presented, and observations are made regarding intervention strategies for older disaster victims.
Mushroom Use by College Students
Authors: Thompson John P. , Anglin M. Douglas , Emboden William , Fisher Dennis Gene
Published: May 2005

This study investigated the extent of hallucinogenic mushroom use among 1507 college students and compared mushroom users to nonusers. The subjects, who completed an anonymous questionnaire, were students from California State University, Northridge, and the University of California, Los Angeles. The major finding was that among the respondents who reported use of hallucinogenic drugs (17%), over 85 percent had used hallucinogenic (psilocybin) mushrooms and over half had used mushrooms but no other hallucinogens. The data suggest a high level of experimental use compared to other hallucinogens. Survey research into hallucinogenic mushroom use should be extended, and mushroom use should be distinguished from use of other hallucinogens.
Cognitive Rigidity in the Aged and the Mentally Retarded
Authors: Kirby N. H. , Nettelbeck T. , Goodenough S.
Published: May 2005

Three groups, one of elderly, one of young mentally retarded, and one of non-retarded young persons were compared on a visual recognition task which involved changing from one category of identification to another. The mentally retarded participants had greater difficulty in changing categories than did the non-retarded participants. Results for the elderly were similar but may have been partly due to the choice of stimulus material. In a second task, the same elderly and non-retarded young participants named as many objects as possible in one minute. The elderly group produced fewer responses on average than the young group and fewer categories of such responses. Results suggested that older persons find it more difficult to change between different categories of identification.
Change and Sameness in Personality Development: Unwarranted Conclusions
Authors: Block Jack
Published: May 2005

A recent paper by Haan and Day reports personality characteristics displaying change and sameness during the course of a longitudinal study. The personality characteristics had been classified according to statistical criteria following which the personality qualities within each category were interpreted. Thus the usefulness of the interpretation depends upon the basis for classification of the personality characteristics. The present note calls attention to three fundamental statistical errors in the Haan and Day classification scheme, errors which influence dramatically and adversely the consequent interpretations.
Adolescent Drug Use and Intentions to Use Drugs in the Future: A Concurrent Analysis
Authors: Huba G. J. , Wingard Joseph A. , Bentler P. M.
Published: May 2005

The convergence between current drug use and the use of drugs in the future was studied for 1634 adolescents. About 20 per cent of the variance in future intentions about drug use could be attributed to current drug-taking behavior. Furthermore, the intention to use a specific drug in the future is related to previous experience with a wide class of drugs, rather than only experience with that particular substance. The overall pattern suggests sources other than previous drug experience must be considered in attempting to explain intentions for future use.
Are Drug Education Programs Effective?
Authors: Barresi Charles M. , Gigliotti Richard J.
Published: May 2005

The effects of expert speakers in producing change in drug attitudes, opinions and knowledge of high school students were evaluated with a quasi-field experiment. Three different treatment groups (expertise areas) and a control group were employed. The results indicate that such programs have no change effect. Additional analysis explored change by student type, using the latent class analysis suggested by Lazarsfeld. There is evidence that one class type is susceptible to change, but that the change is minimal given this type of program.
Equity/Inequity and Patterns of Guardianship of Older Persons
Authors: Keith Pat M.
Published: May 2005

There have been recent reforms of guardianship systems focusing on the rights of older persons in Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, and the United States. Little is known, however, about the lives of guardians. Equity theory guided the investigation of four styles of guardianship: the tough, sympathetic, challenged, and sad. Among 317 guardians, perceptions of inequity and benefit differentiated the sad and tough from others. Implications for practice are suggested.
Virtual Discourse: Evaluating DR-ED as a Computer Mediated Communications Network for Medical Education
Authors: Mavis Brian E. , Brocato Joseph J.
Published: May 2005

Finding ways to link educators conducting research and educational activities is vitally important toward promoting scholarship, resource sharing, and collaboration. One avenue for developing these linkages is a form of computer mediated communications technology called listservs. This article describes the development and evaluation of the DR-ED listserv. Through a subscriber demographic analysis, content analysis of messages, and a subscriber survey, the DR-ED listserv has proven to be successful in terms of the diverse subscriber base it serves and the broad range of topics subscribers have addressed. Further, it serves as a forum to keep current on innovations in medical education and facilitates the formation of collaborative scholarly networks. By way of conclusion, suggestions are offered for those interested in developing listserv technology of their own and conducting research on listservs in general.
Counseling Services in the Drug Field
Authors: Frankel Godfrey , Gonzalez Diana H.
Published: May 2005

This study of drug abuse counselors indicates that superior counselors are likely to be actively involved in programing on behalf of their clients. However, the findings show important differences in issues they raise and issues clients raise in counseling sessions. The study, conducted in 1981 made use of self-report data obtained from forty-five counselors drawn from twenty-nine treatment programs in eleven States. To obtain the sample of counselors judged superior, eleven single State agencies (SSAs) identified drug treatment programs in their States having the best counseling services. Administrators of programs identified the counselors in their programs who were considered superior according to a set of criteria. Telephone interviews were used to collect data from the forty-five counselors who participated in the study.
Physical Training as a Substance Abuse Prevention Intervention for Youth
Authors: Collingwood Thomas R. , Sunderlin Jeff , Reynolds Roger , Kohl Harold W.
Published: May 2005

Program evaluation data from school and community applications of a physical fitness drug prevention program is presented. A train-the-trainer methodology was applied to install the program in twenty-two settings within the state of Illinois. The physical training program consisted of exercise and educational modules delivered over a twelve-week time period that focused on learning values and life skills through exercise. Complete pre-post data were obtained on 329 participating youth at six school and community based sites. Significant increases were demonstrated in physical activity and physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, strength, and flexibility). Youth self-report data indicated significant decreases in risk factors such as low self-concept, poor school attendance, anxiety, depression, and number of friends who use alcohol and drugs. There were significant reductions in the percentage of youth who used cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and alcohol. It was concluded that a strong relationship was demonstrated for increased fitness leading to lowered risk factors and usage patterns. Likewise, the train-the-trainer model was shown to be an effective installation approach to expand fitness programming within prevention settings.
An Exploration of Attachment Styles and Personality Traits in Caregiving for Dementia Patients
Authors: Markiewicz Dorothy , Reis Myrna , Gold Dolores Pushkar
Published: May 2005

The present study examined the influence of caregivers' Attachment Styles (Anxious-ambivalent and Avoidant factors) and personality traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) on their experiences of caring for dementia dependents. A total of 126 caregiver-dependent pairs participated in the study. Support was found for the contribution of the attachment style factors in explaining aspects of caregiver experiences. Those who chose to institutionalize dependents were higher on the Avoidance factor than those choosing to maintain them in the community. Less Anxious-ambivalent caregivers reported larger social support networks, and more satisfaction with the support received than those lower on this factor. The caregiver Anxious/ambivalence and Neuroticism dimensions seemed to function as generalized responses reflected in perceptions and appraisals of the stressful situation.
Control and the Elderly: “Goodness-of-Fit”
Authors: Wallace K. A. , Bergeman C. S.
Published: May 2005

The present study is an investigation of the effects of person-environment fit on control in an elderly population. Person-environment fit theory predicts that a fit or a match between the characteristics of the person and the characteristics of the environment is important in determining positive outcomes. In the present study, a measure of the misfit (i.e., the mismatch) between an individual's perceptions of control and that individual's desire for control was used to predict life satisfaction, depression, and self-reported health. The misfit between these constructs was found to be a significant predictor of depression, suggesting that a person-environment fit model may be important in explaining this outcome variable. In contrast to the hypothesis, misfit did not significantly predict life satisfaction, and only approached significance in the physical health model. Possible interpretations and implications of these findings were discussed, and potential future research directions were suggested.
Voluntary and Involuntary Retirement of Aged Males and their Effect on Emotional Satisfaction, Usefulness, Self-Image, Emotional Stability, and Interpersonal Relationships
Authors: Peretti Peter O. , Wilson Cedric
Published: May 2005

There is an ever-growing number of male retirees in the American society. The present study was conducted to try to determine the effect of the voluntary and involuntary retirement on emotional satisfaction, usefulness, self-image, emotional stability, and interpersonal relationships in aged males. Significant differences were found among the participants in each of the areas. Voluntary retirement tends to have a more positive influence on the retiree along each dimension.
Drug Education—A Turn on or a Turn Off?
Authors: Goodstadt Michael S.
Published: May 2005

Evidence is frequently cited that purports to show that drug education has been counterproductive. A review is made of all available (i.e. fifteen) studies reporting “negative” effects of such programs. Results, while not numerous, show both negative attitudinal and behavioral effects, usually in combination with other positive program effects. Discussion of the findings include both program and research implications.
Self-Perceptions of Life-Span Gender-Role Development
Authors: McCreary Donald R.
Published: May 2005

This article discusses two studies in which participants reported on self-perceptions of life-span gender-role variability based upon their expected or past performance in normative age-related developmental tasks. In Study 1, students rated themselves on the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) at the present time and in two prospective tasks (parenthood and retirement). In Study 2, retired adults completed the PAQ at the present time and in two retrospective tasks (work-entry and parenthood). Both studies showed that participants perceived their masculine and feminine gender-role attributes as varying significantly as a result of the function of the three rating contexts, and both masculinity and femininity were perceived to increase from the chronologically earliest of these tasks to the latest.
Experimental Intercomparisons of Younger and Older Driver Perceptions
Authors: Nelson Thomas M. , Evelyn Bruce , Taylor Robert
Published: May 2005

Drivers over sixty-five years of age and drivers under twenty-one years of age have the highest relative frequency of crashes resulting in injury and death. Attitudes of these two groups were investigated using questionnaires. One hundred twenty-seven (127) younger and one hundred eight (108) older drivers who had voluntarily registered in driving education courses satisfactorily completed questionnaires about attitudes and behaviors pertinent to safe driving. Half of each sample rated the average driver in their age group and the average driver in the opposite age group as regarded thirty-three attitudes promoting safe driving, twenty courteous safe driving behaviors and eleven discourteous, unsafe driving behaviors. Data shows that younger drivers viewed older drivers as overly cautious, too slow to act and apt to cause accidents, and rated their peers as overly aggressive and discourteous. Older drivers characterized younger drivers as deficient in courtesy and safe driving practices, and they rated their peers as cautious, courteous, and aware of age-related limitations. The findings indicate that each group was aware that safety hazards are created by drivers in their age group. It also shows that both groups had a positive impression of some driving practices of their age group, and that the other group was depreciated. The outcome confirms and expands upon conclusions derived from less formal studies about how drivers perceive other roadway users. It also specifies the extent to which particular attitudes and driving practices are attributed to the peer group and to the opposite age group.
Reviews: Cancer Battles and the Sleep of Reason Policy and Science Need Not Be Related, Environmental Cancer—A Political Disease?
Authors: Bennett David
Published: May 2005

Cancer Battles and the Sleep of Reason is an inquiry into the role of scientific experts in environmental health policy-making. The article first establishes two propositions: that there is no necessary relationship between science and environmental health policy; and that risk assessment is not the only science of environmental health. It then asks the question: why should policy-makers consult the scientific experts? If experts are to be consulted, there will have to be some way of grading experts as to the quality of their advice and their usefulness to policy-makers. A mode of grading experts is provided in Environmental Cancer—A Political Disease? by S. Robert Lichter and Stanley Rothman. But the arguments in this book are shown to be worthless; the book fails to address the underlying issue of why the experts should be consulted at all. The article concludes that experts are to be consulted whenever policy-makers consider their advice to be essential or useful. There is nothing in the scientific disciplines that entrenches them in the policy-making process; the opinions of scientific experts have no special place in environmental health policy.