bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skilled speechreading: A single‐case study
Authors: LYXELL BJÖRN
Published: May 2008

In a case study the cognitive characteristics of a skilled visual speechreader (SJ) was examined and compared to a control group. SJ is a 56 year old woman, skilled in visual speechreading. She differs from most of the 119 individuals in the control group, as she uses a particular speechreading strategy in which she attempts to repeat overtly each spoken word as soon as it has been uttered, and to summarize and fill in missing pieces of information whenever it is possible (e.g., during pauses) during the conversation.

SJ outperformed the control group on three types of tasks; a reading span task, performance in the asymptote level in the serial position curve, and verbal inference‐making. SJ's results were discussed with respect to (a) how they relate to the general case (i.e., models based on group‐data) and to (b) her speechreading strategy. From a clinical perspective it was suggested that it might be possible to practice the strategy as such, but any possible improvement is dependent on the individual's capability to process information in this way.
HIV‐related neuropsychological impairment and immunodeficiency. CD8+ lymphocytes and neopterin are related to HIV‐encephalopathy
Authors: KARLSEN NILS R. , FRØLAND STIG S. , REINVANG IVAR
Published: May 2008

The relationship between neuropsychological test performance and immunological parameters was studied in 52 HIV‐positive patients within different stages of the infection. All subjects were neuropsychologically tested, the CD4 + and CD8 4‐ lymphocyte count were measured in peripheral blood, and the concentration of neopterin and HIV‐p24 antigen were measured in serum. Ten patients with AIDS were defined as neuropsychologically impaired. The CD8 + cell count was the only immunological parameter that could significantly discriminate between AIDS patients with and without neuropsychological impairment. For the total group, significant positive correlations were found between neuropsychological test results and the number of CD8 + and CD4 + lymphocytes, and significant negative correlations were observed between serum concentration of neopterin and neurocognitive function. Regression analyses showed that up to 51% of the variance in test performance could be explained by CD8 + cells and neopterin concentration. The possible role of CD8 + lymphocytes and neopterin in the pathogenesis of HIV‐related CNS‐dysfunction is discussed.
Three years follow‐up of panic disorder patients: A naturalistic study
Authors: ROSENBERG NICOLE K. , ROSENBERG RABEN
Published: May 2008

Forty Danish panic disorder patients participating in a placebo controlled study of alprazolam and imipramine (The Cross National Collaborative Panic Study, Phase II) were followed up by a telephone interview three years later, with essentially the same battery of evaluation procedures applied at baseline, end of study, and follow‐up. The main finding was that panic disorder is a chronic disorder, but fluctuating in form and severity in the course of time. Twenty‐five percent of the patients no longer fulfilled the DSM‐III criteria for panic disorder, but had substantial disability due to a variety of symptoms, including panic attacks at infrequent rate, generalized anxiety symptoms, affective symptoms, and phobic avoidance behavior. Nearly three fourths of the patients were under treatment at follow‐up. Benzodiazepines were the drugs most often prescribed, usually in combination with supportive psychotherapy. It was concluded that the different types of treatment offered were insufficient. Variables predicting panic disorder or substantial disability at 3‐years follow‐up were few.
Components of recollective experience in cued recall
Authors: MÄNTYLÄ TIMO
Published: May 2008

Components of recollective experience were examined in relation to cue effectiveness by presenting subjects with their own or someone else's associations as retrieval cues. When recalling an item, subjects indicated whether they consciously recollected its prior occurrence (“remembering”) or recalled it on some other basis, in the absence of conscious recollection (“knowing”). The results showed that cue compatibility (self‐generated vs. someone else's cues) and retention interval (immediate vs. delayed test) selectively impaired retention accompanied by recollective experience, as measured by remember responses, but had reduced effects in the absence of recollective experience, as measured by know responses. The results are discussed in terms of variables dissociating judgments of recollective experience.
Calibration of sensory and cognitive judgments: A single model for both
Authors: FERRELL WILLIAM R.
Published: May 2008

In a recent issue of this journal, Winman and Juslin (34, 135–148, 1993) present a model of the calibration of subjective probability judgments for sensory discrimination tasks. They claim that the model predicts a pervasive underconfidence bias observed in such tasks, and present evidence from a training experiment that they interpret as supporting the notion that different models are needed to describe judgment of confidence in sensory and in cognitive tasks. The model is actually part of the more comprehensive decision variable partition model of subjective probability calibration that was originally proposed in Ferrell and McGoey (Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 26, 32–53, 1980). The characteristics of the model are described and it is demonstrated that the model does not predict underconfidence, that it is fully compatible with the overconfidence frequently found in calibration studies with cognitive tasks, and that it well represents experimental results from such studies. It is concluded that only a single model is needed for both types of task.
The total workload of male and female white collar workers as related to age, occupational level, and number of children
Authors: LUNDBERG ULF , MÅRDBERG BERTIL , FRANKENHAEUSER MARIANNE
Published: May 2008

A questionnaire assessing various aspects of paid as well as unpaid forms of productive activity was mailed to stratified samples of male and female white collar workers, approximately matched for educational and occupational level. Data from 501 men and 679 women employed full time revealed traditional gender differences in terms of main responsibility for household duties, child care etc. In keeping with this, women reported higher levels of work overload, stress and conflict than men, which increased significantly with the number of children at home. The various stress indices reached a peak between the ages of 35 and 39. Men reported more autonomy in their paid work whereas women reported more control at home. Men and women at the upper managerial levels reported more control over their total work situation and less conflict between demands.
Infant intentionality as object directedness: A method for observation*
Authors: VEDELER DANKERT
Published: May 2008

It is argued that a definition of intentionality in terms of object directedness is more adequate than the traditional definition in terms of goal directedness. Inconsistencies in the use of “intentionality” among infant researchers are pointed out. A method of observation is explored, based on the definition in terms of behavioral object directedness, that takes into account precursors to fully‐fledged intentional actions by approaching intentionality as a matter of degree rather than as an all or none issue. The method, when used on longitudinal video recordings of parent‐infant interaction, produced results that substantiated Tre‐varthen's observations of infant intentionality before the age of six months. Furthermore, the results suggest that the parent's attribution of intentions to the infant is based on the perception of the infant's intentionality, whether in social interaction or in interaction with “physical” objects.
Visual search at different spatial scales
Authors: SAARINEN JUKKA
Published: May 2008

Treisman and Gelade's (1980) feature‐integration model claims that the search for separate (“primitive”) stimulus features is parallel, but that the conjunctions of those features require serial scan. Recently, evidence has accumulated that parallel processing is not limited to these “primitive” stimulus features, but that combinations of features can also produce parallel search. In the experiments reported here, the processing of feature conjunctions was studied when the stimulus features of a combination were at different spatial scales. The patterns in the search array were composed of three cross‐shaped or T‐shaped (local) elements, which formed an oblique bar (the global pattern) 45 deg or 135 deg in orientation. When the target and distractors differed from each other at one spatial scale only (either in the bar orientation or in the shape of the local elements), target detection was independent of the number of distractors, i.e., the search was parallel. In the conjunction task, in which the target and distractors were defined as the combinations of the bar orientation and the element shape, i.e., both spatial scales were relevant, the detection of the target required slow serial scrutiny of the search array. It is possible that the conjunction search could not be performed in parallel because switches between the two scales (or spatial frequency channels) are linked to attention and the task required the use of both scales in order to find the target.
Acculturative stress among young immigrants in Norway
Authors: SAM DAVID L. , BERRY JOHN W.
Published: May 2008

The study examined the relationship between migration and the incidence of emotional disorders among 568 young Third World immigrants in Norway. Participants were 10–17 years of age. Using a questionnaire, acculturative stress (i.e., change in health status as a result of acculturation) was found to exist among the children, although having to migrate or being born in Norway was not related to mental health status. A stressful acculturative experience (i.e., difficulties in initiating friendship with Norwegian peers) alone could account for only 1% of the self reported emotional disorders. Incidence of depressive tendencies, poor self image, and psychological and somatic symptoms were found to be related to close and supportive parents, marginality, integration, gender and the number of friends the child had. These accounted for between 12 and 15% of the explained variance. The paper theoretically discusses how these factors may be related to acculturative stress, and recommends them as starting points for a primary intervention program to reduce emotional disorders among these children.
Memory in schizophrenia and affective disorders*
Authors: RUND BJØRN RISHOVD , LANDRØ NILS INGE
Published: May 2008

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the stability of memory and information processing in schizophrenics and affectively disturbed patients. Twenty‐two schizophrenics, eight affectives and 14 normal controls were tested twice, with an interval of approximately one year. Results showed that normals performed better than schizophrenics and affectively disturbed patients on almost all of the cognitive measures. The differences reached a level of significance on a reaction time test, a vigilance task and a long‐term memory task. The only measure where the difference did not reach a level of significance was on a short‐term memory test. Groups' performance to some extent changed over time on most of the measures, but the changes were not significantly different for different groups.
Strategies or similarities—what determines mastery of figurative language?
Authors: HELSTRUP TORE
Published: May 2008

Six experiments examined different determinants of metaphor performance. Special focus was placed on tenor‐vehicle similarities and on visual‐verbal strategy operations. The results showed that use of specified strategy operations tended to favour verbal operations, whereas previous research demonstrated that unspecified visual strategies improve metaphor comprehension. The deviating observations were interpreted as due to differences in levels of strategy specification. In the new experiments metaphors were shown to be less easily transformed under visual than under verbal processing conditions. The number of detected similarities between tenor and vehicle terms are shown to be only modestly related to metaphor performance. Findings suggested that similarities are more easily found with visually encoded metaphors, whereas an alternative tenor term is easier to find with the metaphor verbally encoded.
Sometimes spelling is easier than phonemic segmentation
Authors: van BON WIM H. J. , DUIGHUISEN HERMIEN C. M.
Published: May 2008

Poor spellers from the Netherlands segmented and spelled the same words on different occasions. If they base their spellings on the segmentations that they produce in the segmentation task, the correlation between segmentation and spelling scores should be high, and segmentation should not be more difficult than spelling. The predicted correlation was found, but spelling proved to be easier than segmentation, particularly for postvocalic consonant‐clusters. Correct spellings despite incorrect segmentation were also more frequent than would be expected on the basis of unreliability of segmentation. Ways in which writing may facilitate and improve segmentation are therefore discussed. These findings raise doubts about the validity of segmentation test and about the efficiency of teaching children to segment without using letters.
The empirical relationships of the religious orientations to personality
Authors: KALDESTAD EYSTEIN
Published: May 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between the religious orientations and the psychoanalytic character types, as assessed by the Basic Character Inventory (BCI). A person with an intrinsic religious orientation is sincere and integrated in his religiousness. A person with an extrinsic religious orientation uses his religion to promote his personal, social and economic goals. A person with a quest religious orientation is seeking, doubting and changeable in his religiousness. In a sample of 471 subjects, 168 men and 303 women, the level of intrinsic religious orientation was not related to the BCI scores. The levels of extrinsic and quest religious orientations were positively related to the BCI Oral score. Since the oral persons are dependent and craving, it seems likely that they may be extrinsically oriented. And as they also may be insecure, vague and indecisive, it is not unexpected that they also are quest oriented. The changeable quest orientation was also positively related to the changeable BCI Hysterical character.
Psychosocial work factors, physical work load and associated musculoskeletal symptoms among home care workers
Authors: JOHANSSON JAN Å
Published: May 2008

This study was based on a questionnaire and included a group of home care workers (HCW) (n = 305) and a reference group of municipal employees (n = 694). The relationship between the work environment and musculoskeletal symptoms was analysed. The HCW were less satisfied with their control over their work and stimulus from their work and had a higher physical work load and prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms, compared with the reference group. The Rate Ratio (RR) of neck and shoulder symptoms among HCW was 83 and 54 %, respectively, higher among those reporting a “high” psychological work load compared with those reporting a “low” load. The highest RR for a single risk indicator was 2.5, and this concerned low‐back symptoms among HCW who often worked with twisted postures. A combination of “poor” psychosocial work environment and “high” physical work load produced the highest RR for work‐related neck (RR = 2.57) and shoulder (RR = 2.13) symptoms.
Adolescents' attitudes toward suicide, and a suicidal peer: A comparison between Swedish and Turkish high school students
Authors: ESKIN MEHMET
Published: May 2008

The present paper first presents the attitudes toward suicide and a suicidal classmate among 98 female and 69 male (N = 167) Swedish high school students. Secondly, the Swedish sample was compared with 167 (89 female and 78 male) Turkish high school students from a previous study. Among Swedish students, more males than females said that people have the right to commit suicide and suicide can be a solution to some problems. More females than males expressed a belief in life after death. Swedish adolescents were found to be holding more liberal attitudes toward suicide than Turkish adolescents. However, Turkish adolescents showed greater acceptance for a suicidal peer than Swedish adolescents. The results are discussed in terms of socio‐cultural factors and related literature. The need for educational programs to provide basic knowledge about suicide and, effective ways of dealing with and helping suicidal peers is implicated.
Dissociative effects of elaboration on memory of enacted and non‐enacted events: A case of a negative effect
Authors: NILSSON LARS‐GÖRAN , NYBERG LARS , NOURI REZA KORMI , RÖNNLUND MICHAEL
Published: May 2008

One experiment compared the effect of elaboration on enacted and non‐enacted events. The commands were either presented in a basic form (e.g., “wave your hands”) or in an enriched form. The commands were enriched by adding statements to the commands of how to perform the actions (e.g., “wave your hands as a conductor”). Free‐ and cued‐recall data showed elaboration to have a dissociative effect on enacted and non‐enacted events. Memory for the non‐enacted events benefited from enrichment, whereas simple enacted events were remembered to a higher extent than complex enacted events. Lack of benefit from elaboration on memory of enacted events is suggested to be due to enactment leading to a sufficient degree of item‐specific processing, and a negative effect of elaboration is suggested to occur when the way of manipulating item complexity decreases the familiarity of the actions. Familiarity ratings of the items by two independent groups of subjects supported this interpretation.
Cognitive sequelae of repeated head injury in a population of intravenous drug users
Authors: HESTAD KNUT , UPDIKE MARCIA , SELNES OLA A. , ROYAL WALTER
Published: May 2008

The relationship between closed head injury and performance on neuropsychological (NP) tests was investigated in a group of intravenous drug users (IVDUs). Subjects with repeated head traumas involving loss of consciousness (LOC) performed worse than both a control group without LOC and reference group with only a single episode of LOC. There were no significant differences between the last two groups. Performance on tests of memory, attention, and motor performance was significantly worse in the group with repeated head injury. The average time since the last episode of LOC was more than 11 years. We conclude from these findings that a single episode of LOC does not result in significant cognitive impairment in this population. Two or more episodes, however, are more likely to produce chronic cognitive impairment.
Work motivation among high school students before and during the economic recession in the Swedish labour market
Authors: GAMBERALE FRANCESCO , BRACKEN RICKARD , MARDONES SANDRA
Published: May 2008

In 1990, 2349 high school pupils from 21 high schools in the Stockholm, Uppsala and Södertälje regions answered a questionnaire concerning how important different characteristics of work were in their future job. The questionnaire also included an open question, “How would you describe an ideal job?” In 1993 the same questionnaire was answered by 1171 high school students. The two measurement occasions were separated by economic changes leading, from a condition of economic security and full employment, to a condition characterised by economic insecurity and high unemployment especially among young people. Results showed that the economic insecurity of 1993 lowered the students' ratings of the importance of all characteristics of work with the exception of the security of work. A strong gender factor influenced the ratings. Thus, the female students rated the importance of the characteristics of work higher than the male students did. The only exception concerned “good pay”, which was rated higher by the male. In 1993 these effects were less pronounced, although still evident. The motivational structure seemed to be unaffected by the economic insecurity. The same four motivational factors, i.e. (1) the expressive work goals, (2) the working conditions, (3) the benefits of work and (4) the social aspects of work, appeared in the analyses of both measurement occasions.
Meaning structures and mental representations
Authors: LUNDH LARS‐GUNNAR
Published: May 2008

This paper argues for a distinction between meaning structure and mental representation, and presents the outlines of a theoretical model of their interrelationship. Meaning structures are defined as structures in the human mind/brain which develop as the combined result of genetic predispositions and individual experience, and lead to relatively stable patterns of perceiving, thinking, feeling, behaving, etc. Mental representation is defined as the aspect of mental processes which involves imagining and thinking of things that are not perceptually present. It is suggested that the mind includes a central network of meaning structures (CNMS) for the storage of information, and a number of other subsystems (e.g., perceptual systems, behavioral systems, and a verbal system) for the processing of externally and internally generated information. Against the dual‐coding theory, it is argued that there is one code for the long‐term storage of information, but several codes for the processing of information. Mental representations are seen as products of activation that is spread from the CNMS to more peripheral systems. The spread of activation from the CNMS to perceptual systems results in mental imagery; when activation spreads to the verbal system the result is conceptual thinking; and when activation spreads to behavioral systems it produces intentions. It is argued that this conceptual model can help to solve some basic theoretical problems that have plagued cognitive psychology.
The influence of parent‐child relationship on young adolescents' use of safety equipment. The Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behavior Study
Authors: THUEN FRODE , RISE JOSTEIN
Published: May 2008

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the extent to which the parent‐child relationship, as perceived by young adolescents at age 13, may account for the use of various types of safety equipment at age 13 and 14 in terms of seat belts, bicycle helmets, motorcycle helmets when passenger, reflectors on the clothing when outside in the dark, and lifejackets when on board small boats. Parental influence was assessed in terms of three scales: Parental support, parental monitoring of the youngsters, and opposition towards the parents, with satisfactory internal consistencies (alphas >0.78). The results showed that each of the three constructs significantly accounted for an independent portion of the variance in the use of safety equipment measures. In sum they accounted for 20% of the variance in the use of safety equipment at age 13, and about 10% at age 14. The findings are discussed with regard to the implications for accident prevention measures aimed at young people.
Dimensionality and validity of two scales measuring different aspects of self‐esteem
Authors: FORSMAN LENNART , JOHNSON MAARIT
Published: May 2008

Two self‐esteem (SE) scales aimed to measure self‐esteem–conceptualized primarily (a) as the individual's ego‐integrated libidinous and aggressive drives and their derivatives (Basic SE), and (b) as the need to earn self‐esteem by competence and others' appraisal (Earning SE)–were developed and factor analysed. In order to construct‐ and cross‐validate the scales, they were related to other well‐known personality scales as well as to a projective technique (TAT) in two independent samples of first semester psychology students (n= 153, n= 82). The empirical factor structure coincided well with the theoretical formulations. Basic SE showed concurrent validity being highly correlated (p < 0.001) with both Rosenberg's and Coopersmith's self‐esteem scales and highly or moderately with Neuroticism, Extraversion (EPQ) and Test‐Anxicty (TAS) in both samples. Earning SE gained some construct validation by its relation to Type‐A scores (JAS) as well as to verbal fantasy stories on TAT‐pictures measuring Need of Achievement.
The empirical relationships between standardized measures of religiosity and personality/mental health
Authors: KALDESTAD EYSTEIN
Published: May 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between standardized, factor‐based measures of religiosity and personality/mental health. In a sample of 471 self‐identified Christian subjects, 303 females and 168 males, 79 non‐psychotic psychiatric in‐patients and 392 non‐patients, personal extrinsicness was partially positively correlated with the BCI Obsessive score. In multiple regression analyses some of the factor‐based religious orientation indices related differently to the BCI Oral, Obsessive and Hysterical Scales and the SCL‐90 Global Symptom Index as dependent variables. The religious orientations explained 8.8% of the variance of the BCI Oral Score, 4.2% of the BCI Obsessive score, 3.3% of the BCI Hysterical score, and 12.3% of the SCL‐90 Global Symptom Index score. Of the doctrinal belief and morality indices only Moral conservatism was significantly related to the BCI Hysterical score, and then negatively.
Sequencing actions: an information‐search study of tradeoffs of priorities against spatiotemporal constraints
Authors: GÄRLING TOMMY
Published: May 2008

How people choose between sequences of actions was investigated in an everyday errandplanning task. In this task subjects chose the preferred sequence of performing a number of errands in a fictitious environment. Two experiments were conducted with undergraduate students serving as subjects. One group searched information about each alternative. The same information was directly available to another group. In Experiment 1 the results showed that for two errands subjects took into account all attributes describing the errands, thus suggesting a tradeoff between priority, wait time, and travel distance with priority being the most important. Consistent with this finding predominantly intraalternative information search was observed. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 for three errands. In addition choice outcomes, information search, and sequence of responding suggested that for more than two actions sequence choices are made in stages.
Post‐decision consolidation over time as a function of gain or loss of an alternative
Authors: SVENSON OLA , MALMSTEN NILS
Published: May 2008

Post‐decision consolidation processes were studied in a two‐stage lottery design. School children (1) rated the attractiveness of audiotape head sets, (2) decided for which of two head sets they would like to get a lottery ticket, (3) threw a dice to determine if they got a lottery ticket in the preferred lottery or not, and (4)drew a ticket in the final lottery. Before and after each of these stages ratings were obtained of the attractiveness of the alternatives on four attributes. The results were interpreted in terms of Differentiation and Consolidation Theory. Post‐decision consolidation appeared immediately after the outcome of the dice throw. Subjects who won a lottery ticket consolidated their prior decision to a greater degree than those who lost. The effect was so strong for the former group that a pre‐decision attractiveness disadvantage was restructured to a post‐decision advantage. Folowing the decision, consolidation remained at approximately the level reached immediately after the dice throw for losers and winners, respectively, but with an increasing trend over time for winners. Even following a final loss of an audiotape headset the level of consolidation was maintained.
Impaired tactual perception in children with Down's syndrome
Authors: BRANDT BRITA RYDE
Published: May 2008

Using standardized neuropsychological tests, tactual finger discrimination, graphaesthesia and stereognosis were studied in a group of 11 children aged 7–11 years with Down's syndrome (DS). All tasks were solved without visual control. The performance was subnormal in each test and the results of the stereognosis test were particularly poor. It was ascertained that the DS children could understand test instructions. Moreover, under visual control all objects used in the stereognosis test were handled correctly. The results suggest that tactual perception is subnormal in children with DS. The pathogenesis of the somatosensory abnormalities should be explored.
Factor analysis of the impact of event scale with children in war
Authors: DYREGROV ATLE , KUTEROVAC GORDANA , BARATH ARPAD
Published: May 2008

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale (IES scale) in children a study was conducted on 1787 children exposed to the warfare in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study group comprised 877 girls and 910 boys ranging in age from 6 to 15 years attending 28 arbitrary selected schools in Zagreb. High levels of posttraumatic reactions were found in the group of children. The pattern of endorsement and the factor structure of the IES scale were similar to that found in other samples. This supports the use of the IES in the assessment of posttraumatic stress reactions in children. Two factors emerged from a Principal Component Analysis, labeled intrusion (9 items), and avoidance (4 items). As in other studies, this study documented problems with several items (items 2, 12 and 15), items that should be considered omitted from the IES. Girls reported significantly more distress on 13 out of the 15 items. Both the overall IES score as well as the intrusion and avoidance score were significantly higher in girls than boys. The factor structure for boys and girls were very similar, and the reliability of the scale was adequate across different age groups and for subgroups of displaced and refugee children.
Not only encoding and retrieval: The enactment effect as a function of task preparation
Authors: HELSTRUP TORE
Published: May 2008

Three experiments examined the implications of adding a fourth preparation stage to the encoding‐retention‐retrieval stage analysis of memory. Action memory was selected as the research domain. The results demonstrated that systematic variation of the preparation stage yields new insights about enactment effects in memory. Together with effects of enactment in the preparatory stage, enactment was also shown to give differential effects in encoding and retrieval, with interactions between these three factors. The experimental results were discussed in relation to a strategy processing interpretation of action memory.
Lifting weights in neonates: Developing visual control of reaching
Authors: MEER AUDREY L. H. VAN DER , WEEL F. R. (RUUD) VAN DER , LEE DAVID N.
Published: May 2008

To test whether newborn babies take account of external forces in moving their limbs, spontaneous arm‐waving movements were measured while the baby lay supine with its head turned to one side. Free‐hanging weights, attached to each wrist by strings passing over pulleys, pulled on the arms in the direction of the toes. The results showed the babies applied compensatory forces to keep the hand they faced moving in the same region. In contrast, the (invisible) contra‐lateral hand was pulled down by the weights. In a second experiment, where the arms were occluded, both arms were pulled down, suggesting that sight of the arm was necessary in compensating for the weight. In a third, conclusive experiment the babies viewed the arm they were not facing on a small video‐monitor and this time the babies kept the visible contra‐lateral hand up despite the weights. The results challenge the general view that spontaneous arm movements of neonates are purposeless and either reflexive or due to spontaneous patterned efference to the muscles. Instead, the findings suggest that in waving their arms, neonates are developing visual control of reaching.
The factor structure of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in two Swedish human service organizations
Authors: SÖDERFELDT MARIE , SÖDERFELDT BJÖRN , WARG LARS‐ERIK , OHLSON CARL‐GÖRAN
Published: May 2008

The Maslach Burnout Inventory, MBI, is a well established measure of burnout. Its validity outside the USA is, however, uncertain. The aim of the present study was therefore to apply the MBI on personnel in two Swedish human service organizations, comparing factor solutions and scoring norms to the original results. The population consisted of 5730 employees in the Social Insurance Organization (SIO) and the Individual and Family Care section (IFC) of the social welfare agencies. Principal components analysis, principal axes and alpha factor analyses were performed, all with varimax rotation. The suggested three factor solution showed to be remarkably stable irrespective of type of analysis. Score levels were somewhat lower on two subscales in the Swedish population. The conclusion is that the psychometric properties of the MBI seem to be very satisfactory and stable, at least in comparison between Sweden and USA. It is suggested that the dimensionality of MBI is rather invariant, but that the score levels covary with national, cultural, or professional contexts within the human services.
Bringing the State Back In: Retrospect and Prospect The 2007 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture
Authors: Skocpol Theda
Published: May 2008

Taking off from theoretical and research agendas encouraged in the 1985 bookBringing the State Back In, this article traces developments in several areas of scholarship: studies of social revolutions and regime transformations; studies of the development of welfare states; and studies of social capital and democratic effectiveness. In all of these literatures, the author's own research and the research of many other scholars has been enriched by analyses of state‐building and of the changing capacities of states to achieve particular goals, as well as by tracing ‘policy feedbacks’ over time. The original scholarly program called for a ‘Weberian’ approach to states as independent actors and for a ‘Tocquevillian’ emphasis on the ways that state structures and actions indirectly affect the ideas, goals and capacities of social groups in politics. The former approach remains relevant, and the latter has proved increasingly fruitful. Particularly vibrant areas of state‐society research now focus on the struggles over social policies in mature welfare states and on the political, as well as sociocultural, roots of social capital and democratic citizen engagement.
Governance and Participation in Local Welfare: The Case of the Italian Piani di Zona
Authors: Bifulco Lavinia , Centemeri Laura
Published: May 2008

This article analyses four cases of governance in Italian local welfare systems. Following Law 328/2000, the design and management of the social services system in Italy involve different public responsibility levels, mainly regional and municipal. In order to manage social policies, Italian municipalities have to join in new inter‐municipal groupings called ‘Piani di Zona’ (Area Plans). Moreover, the law provides for engaging in these Plans even local third‐sector organizations and citizens. The article attempts to highlight the implications of this complex system that is leading local authorities to open new governance arenas. We hereby present the results of a research project on two Piani di Zona in the Region of Lombardy (Northern Italy) and on two in the Region of Campania (Southern Italy), carried out by means of institutional analysis. We particularly focus on the dynamics of participation triggered by the Piani di Zona. Our hypothesis is that the role of public administration is a fundamental variable to understand the different ways of participating. In this sense, we discuss the dynamics of local governance by relaying them to four main questions: who participates in what, where and how?
Central versus Local Service Regulation: Accounting for Diverging Old‐age Care Developments in Sweden and Denmark, 1980–2000
Authors: Rauch Dietmar
Published: May 2008

In Sweden and Denmark, the development of old‐age care has followed markedly divergent paths over the past 20 years. In both countries, the level of old‐age care universalism was exceptionally high in the early 1980s. Since then it has dropped sharply in Sweden, while remaining constantly high in Denmark. These divergent trends are clearly irreconcilable with the common image of a coherent Scandinavian welfare state model, and they seem hard to explain with reference to traditional approaches of comparative social policy. This article attempts to account for the divergent developments by focusing on the balance of old‐age care regulation between central and local government. The main finding is that only in Sweden has the central regulation of old‐age care been weak and unspecific. As a consequence, Swedish municipalities have enjoyed sufficient autonomous, regulatory competence to exercise certain local retrenchment measures in times of austerity, thereby eventually causing a nationwide weakening of old‐age care universalism. By contrast, municipalities in Denmark have been much more tightly bound by central state regulations which have prevented them from imposing similar retrenchment measures in the old‐age care sector; consequently, Denmark's level of old‐age care universalism has remained comparatively high.
SKEWNESS FOR THE WEIBULL FAMILY
Authors: Groeneveld R.A.
Published: May 2008

Abstract. The skewness of the Weibull family of distributions is discussed for all values of the shape parameter. This class includes unimodal probability densities for which the coefficient of skewness μ3/o3 is positive, but the order of the mean, median and mode is μ < m < M. For values of the shape parameter used in practice the distributions are skewed to the right by a well accepted definition of skewness.
ON THE FIRST–ORDER EFFICIENCY AND ASYMPTOTIC NORMALITY OF MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATORS OBTAINED FROM DEPENDENT OBSERVATIONS
Authors: Heijmans R.D.H. , Magnus J.R.
Published: May 2008

Abstract.In this paper we study the first–order efficiency and asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimator obtained from dependent observations. Our conditions are weaker than usual, in that we do not require convergences in probability to be uniform or third–order derivatives to exist.

The paper builds on Witting and Nolle's result concerning the asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimator obtained from independent and identically distributed observations, and on a martingale theorem by McLeish.
Choosing a base for the BLUS vector
Authors: Evans M.A.
Published: May 2008

A mechanism is proposed for identifying the ‘optimal’ base for the BLUS residual vector, which involves discarding from estimation the potentially disruptive high leverage observations of the regressor matrix.
On the characterization of the exponential distribution by the independence of its integer and fractional parts
Authors: Deng Lih–Yuan , Chhikara Raj S.
Published: May 2008

It is well–known that the fractional part and integer part of an exponentially distributed random variable are independent. Under some regularity conditions, the independence of the fractional part and integer part of a positive random variable characterizes the exponential distribution.
SECONDARY RECOVERY OF HEAVY OILS: A COMMERCIAL PROJECT AND A NATIONAL STRATEGY
Authors: Corradi Alberto Quirós
Published: May 2008

Faced by rapidly declining reserves of crude oil, especially of the light and medium ranges that have traditionally comprised the major portion of its exports and domestic refinery feedstock, Venezula's national oil industry is seeking ways of ensuring continued production at present levels by large‐scale investment in exploration and secondary recovery. At the same time the industry is preparing itself psychologically and technologically for the fast approaching day when it will start exploiting what is one of the world's largest deposits of non ‐conventional hydrocarbons, but which is not reflected in Venezuela's statements of reserves. This article seeks to explain .the. scope of a major secondary recovery project undertaken by Maraven S.A., one of the affiliates of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., and to examine how exploitation of Venezuela's vast non‐conventional hydrocarbons reserves will probably affect that country's strategic role in the world energy scene.
Energy and the environment: a production permits approach for oil
Authors: Al‐Fathi Saadalla A. , Okogu Bright E.
Published: May 2008

This paper looks at the emerging protocols on the environment, the essence of which is captured by the Toronto (1988) emission reduction targets. Using fairly liberal assumptions about the market penetration of gas and nuclear forms of energy up to 2005, it examines the feasibility, or otherwise, of meeting these targets. The conclusion is that it will be at least very difficult to achieve. The paper goes on to propose a ‘production permits’ formula, based on proven reserves, as a means of meeting the targets.
Changing Patternsn of Negro Employment
Authors: KIFER ALLEN
Published: May 2008

Although the Negro worker has been vulnerable to forces which have made him the “last hired, first fired” in the American labor market, he has at times been highly regarded and sought out by employers. A considerable ebb and flow of job opportunities for Negroes has been the result. Recognition of his recently acquired political power may provide the means for stabilizing his position.
The Impact of Socialism on Work Stoppages
Authors: GIFFORD ADAM
Published: May 2008

The impact of socialism on work stoppages in 15 industrialized countries for the years 1956–1965 was tested using three measures of socialism: (1) the proportion of tangible wealth owned by the state, (2) the ratio of public welfare expenditures to gross national product, and (3) whether or not the socislist party was in power. Results of the analyses performed show that socialism a p peared to have little impact on work stoppage rates among the countries.
Economic Dualism and Employment Stability
Authors: BUCHELE ROBERT
Published: May 2008

Factor analysis of the three‐digit census industry characteristics data for mining, construction, manufacturing, and communication, transportation, and public utilities reveals a sharp core‐periphery dichotomy in industrial structure. Regression analysis of four different measures of employment stability over four different time periods supports the contention that the circumstances of employment in core industries foster employment stability. These results are quite robust, holding for various different measures of employment stability and phases of the business cycle. They constitute strong evidence of the existence of industrial dualism and of its importance for theories of labor turnover and unemployment and for policies aimed at promoting employment stability.
Duration of Joblessness Following Displacement
Authors: PODGURSKY MICHAEL , SWAIM PAUL
Published: May 2008

This paper examines the duration of joblessness for workers displaced from full‐time nonagricultural jobs between 1979 and 1981. Although nearly one‐half of these workers found jobs within 14 weeks of displacement, many experienced very long spells of joblessness. A Weibull model of jobless spell duration is estimated that identifies demographic characteristics and labor market conditions significantly affecting the expected duration of joblessness. The results indicate that many displaced workers become structurally unemployed.
Australian Employers in the Shadow of the Labor Accords
Authors: Frenkel Stephen J.
Published: May 2008

In recent years, Australian unions and the Federal Government have developed a close working relationship. Employers, by contrast, have remained isolated and divided. This article examines their problems and responses in the context of deteriorating economic circumstances. It argues that the macro level Labor Accords have actually served employers' interests well by providing a stable industrial relations environment and by encouraging greater management control and efficiency at the micro level.
Measurement of Compensation: Union and Nonunion
Authors: Jacoby Sanford M. , Mitchell Daniel J.B.
Published: May 2008

For many purposes, the economic impact of unions is better measured by the proportion of union wages in total payrolls rather than by the proportion of unionized employees in the overall workforce. We use recently available Current Population Survey data to generate estimates of the former. We also show that published data from the Survey on median union and nonunion wages produce substantially larger estimates of the union 1 nonunion wage differential than figures based on mean wages. Finally, we note that the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Cost Index gives undue weight to the union sector because of its Laspeyres methodology.
Income Inequality: An Inter‐Industry Analysis
Authors: DAVIDSON CARLOS , REICH MICHAEL
Published: May 2008

This paper offers new evidence that inter‐industry inequality has increased since the early seventies. An examination of de industrialization, segmented labor market, and international competition explanations of this increase shows that the growth of inequality is accounted for mainly by growing wage differentials among industries, notably between primacy and secondary sectors. Employment shifts out of middle‐wage industries and employment and wage effects of international trade do not explain the inequality increase.
The Changing Importance of Lifetime Jobs, 1892–1978
Authors: CARTER SUSAN B.
Published: May 2008

Individual‐level data on the job tenure of 2,981 workers surveyed by the California Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1892 are used to estimate the extent of lifetime jobs in that era. Among nonunion, native‐born men the proportion in jobs with eventual tenure of 20 or more years was about half, and among foreign‐born men a fourth, the rate among men in the modern workforce, consistent with the hypothesis of a fundamental change in employment relations over time. Changes for women were even more pronounced but of a different character.
Corporate Characteristics and Union Organizing
Authors: MARANTO CHERYL L.
Published: May 2008

This study examines the effect of several corporate characteristics on union organizing success, using NLRB representation election data matched to the Industrial Comp stat. The results show that, within a corporation's primary (two‐digit) industry, union success is influenced positively by firm size, capital intensity, the ratio of labor costs to total cost, and by either very low or very high profits. Outside a corporation's primary industry, unions are most successful organizing large, unprofitable firms.
Public Wage Differentials and the Public Administration “Industry”
Authors: BELMAN DALE , HEYWOOD JOHN S.
Published: May 2008

The public sector consists of two broad sub samples, administrators and no administrators. The two groups have very different occupational compositions and contrasting patterns of compensation. Inconsistent treatment of these sub samples has led to past government differentials, which are not comparable. While administrators remain overpaid relative to their private sector counterparts, no administrators are underpaid relative to their counterparts. Moreover, public wage differentials way substantially in sign and magnitude from industry to industry. Such results demonstrate that no simple, homogeneous government differential exists.
Hours of Part‐Time and Full‐Time Workers at the Same Firm
Authors: MONTGOMERY MARK
Published: May 2008

Nearly half of all firms hire both part‐time and full‐time workers. This note uses the results of a unique survey of more than 5,000 establishments to examine the ratio of part‐time weekly hours to full‐time weekly hours at firms employing both types of worker. The distribution of relative hours appears fairly stable across industries, Regression analysis shows that higher quasi‐fixed labor costs increase the ratio of part‐time to full‐time hours, although the effect is empirically small.