bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Latent and Manifest Monotonicity in Item Response Models
Authors: Junker Brian W. , Sijtsma Klaas
Published: March 2007

The monotonicity of item response functions(IRF) is a central feature of most parametric andnonparametric item response models. Monotonicityallows items to be interpreted as measuring a trait,and it allows for a general theory of nonparametricinference for traits. This theory is based on monotonelikelihood ratio and stochastic ordering properties.Thus, confirming the monotonicity assumption isessential to applications of nonparametric itemresponse models. The results of two methods ofevaluating monotonicity are presented: regressingindividual item scores on the total test score andon the ‘rest’ score, which is obtained by omittingthe selected item from the total test score. It wasfound that the item-total regressions of some familiardichotomous item response models with monotoneIRFs exhibited nonmonotonicities that persist as thetest length increased. However, item-rest regressionsnever exhibited nonmonotonicities under the nonparametricmonotone unidimensional item responsemodel. The implications of these results for exploratoryanalysis of dichotomous item response dataand the application of these results to polytomousitem response data are discussed.
An Assessment of the Role Construct Repertory Test
Authors: Menasco Michael B. , Curry David J.
Published: March 2007

This paper reports data on the reliability and ex ternal validity of the Construct Role Repertory Test (Rep Test). Results show that test scores were moderately internally consistent; scores exhibited significant correlations with other forms of cogni tive functioning, including American College Test ing scores in science and mathematics. Based on these results, suggestions for future users of the in strument are presented in the context of test modi fication. Use within physical processing environ ments, in addition to the usual social environments, is also advocated.
Discriminability in Multidimensional Performance Evaluations
Authors: Kafry Ditsa , Jacobs Rick , Zedeck Sheldon
Published: March 2007

A series of behavioral expectation scale (BES) applications were analyzed in an attempt to point out an appropriate number of dimensions to be in cluded in such studies. Data from 4 independent samples, representing 3 different occupations, and incorporating a total of 436 multidimensional evaluations were subjected to factor analysis. Re sults reflected the lack of unique information con tributed when the number of dimensions exceeds 9. The problem of lack of dimension independence was discussed in terms of theory and application to multidimensional performance evaluation. Sug gestions are advanced for limiting the number of dimensions as a potential solution to information redundancy.
A Comparison of the Nedelsky and Angoff Cutting Score Procedures Using Generalizability Theory
Authors: Brennan Robert L. , Lockwood Robert E.
Published: March 2007

Nedelsky (1954) and Angoff (1971) have sug gested procedures for establishing a cutting score based on raters' judgments about the likely perfor mance of minimally competent examinees on each item in a test. In this paper generalizability theory is used to characterize and quantify expected vari ance in cutting scores resulting from each proce dure. Experimental test data are used to illustrate this approach and to compare the two procedures. Consideration is also given to the impact of rater disagreement on some issues of measurement relia bility or dependability. Results suggest that the dif ferences between the Nedel sky and Angoff proce dures may be of greater consequence than their ap parent similarities. In particular, the restricted na ture of the Nedelsky (inferred) probability scale may constitute a basis for seriously questioning the ap plicability of this procedure in certain contexts.
Relationships among Test Factor Structure, Test Hierarchical Structure, and Test Inter-Item Dependency Structure
Authors: Bart William M. , Palvia Rajkumari
Published: March 2007

In previous research, no relationship was found be tween test factor structure and test hierarchical struc ture. This study found some correspondence between test factor structure and test inter-item dependency structure, as measured by a log-linear model. There was an inconsistency, however, which warrants further study: More significant two-item interactions were found for the set of items that had been found to be most heterogeneous by latent trait techniques, rather than for the more homogeneous set of items.
Full-Information Item Factor Analysis: Applications of EAP Scores
Authors: Muraki Eiji , Engelhard George
Published: March 2007

The full-information item factor analysis model pro posed by Bock and Aitkin (1981) is described, and some of the characteristics of expected a posteriori (EAP) scores are illustrated. Three simulation studies were conducted to illustrate the model, and an appli cation of full-information item factor analysis to a set of real data is described.
Some Observations on the Metric of PC-BILOG Results
Authors: Baker Frank B.
Published: March 2007

The computer program PC-BILOG uses the estimated posterior θ distribution to establish the location and metric of the θ scale. This approach to solving the identification problem has not been examined extensively. Consequently, this study investigated the equating of PC-BILOG results to an underlying metric when a two-parameter IRT model was used. The simulation results showed that the means of the estimated item and θ parameters generally were insensitive to characteristics of the prior distribution on the item discriminations. The finding of greatest interest was that the PC-BILOG procedures preserved the variability of true θ dis tributions having small variances while standardiz ing the variability of those having large variances. However, in both cases the results could be equat ed to the true metric using existing techniques.
A Generative Analysis of a Three-Dimensional Spatial Task
Authors: Bejar Issac I.
Published: March 2007

The feasibility of incorporating research results from cognitive science into the modeling of performance on psychometric tests and the con struction of test items is considered, particularly the feasibility of modeling performance on a three- dimensional rotation task within the context of item response theory (IRT). Three-dimensional items were selected because of the rich literature on the mental models that are used in their solu tion. An 80-item, three-dimensional rotation test was constructed. An inexpensive computer system was also developed to administer the test and record performance, including response-time data. Data were collected on high school juniors and seniors. As expected, angular disparity was a potent determinant of item difficulty. The applica bility of IRT to these data was investigated by dichotomizing response time at increasing elapsed times, and applying standard item parameter estimation procedures. It is concluded that this approach to psychometric modeling, which ex plicitly incorporates information on the mental models examinees use in solving an item, is worka ble and important for future developments in psy chometrics.
Conceptual Notes on Models for Discrete Polytomous Item Responses
Authors: Mellenbergh Gideon J.
Published: March 2007

The following types of discrete item responses are distinguished : nominal-dichotomous, ordinal-dichotomous, nominal-polytomous, and ordinal-polytomous. Bock (1972) presented a model for nominal-polytomous item responses that, when applied to dichotomous responses, yields Birnbaum's (1968) two-parameter logistic model. Applying Bock's model to ordinal-polytomous items leads to a conceptual problem. The ordinal nature of the response variable must be preserved; this can be achieved using three different methods. A number of existing models are derived using these three methods. The structure of these models is similar, but they differ in the interpretation and qualities of their parameters. Informa-tion, parameter invariance, log-odds differences invariance, and model violation also are discussed. Information and parameter invariance of dichotomous item response theory (nt'r) also apply to polytomous IRT. Specific objectivity of the Rasch model for dichotomous items is a special case of log-odds differences invariance of polytomous items. Differential item functioning of dichotomous IRT is a special case of measurement model violation of polytomous IRT. Index terms: adjacent categories, continuation ratios, cumulative probabilities, differential item functioning, log-odds differences invariance, measurement model violation, parameter invariance, polytomous IRT models.
A Minimum χ2 Method for Equating Tests Under the Graded Response Model
Authors: Kim Seock-Ho , Cohen Allan S.
Published: March 2007

The minimum x2 method for computing equating coefficients for tests with dichotomously scored items was extended to the case of Samejima's graded response items. The minimum X2 method was compared with the test response function method (also referred to as the test characteristic curve method) in which the equating coefficients were obtained by matching the test response functions of the two tests. The minimum X2 method was much less demanding computationally and yielded equating coefficients that differed little from those obtained using the test response function approach. Index terms: equating, graded response model, item response theory, minimum xz method, test response function method.
Assessing Unidimensionality of Polytomous Data
Authors: Nandakumar Ratna , Yu Feng , Li Hsin-Hung , Stout William
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the performance of Poly-DIMTEST (PD) to assess unidimensionality of test data produced by polytomous items. Two types of polytomous data were considered: (1) tests in which all items had the same number of response categories, and (2) tests in which items had a mixed number of response categories. Test length, sample size, and the type of correlation matrix (used in factor analysis for selecting ATI subset items) were varied in Type I error analyses. For the power study, the correlation between Os and the item-0 loadings were also varied. The results showed that PD was able to confirm unidimensionality for unidimensional simulated test data, with the average observed level of significance slightly below the nominal level. PD was also highly effective in detecting lack of unidimensionality in various two-dimensional tests. As expected, power increased as the sample size and test length increased, and the correlation between the Os decreased. The results also demonstrated that use of Pearson correlations to select ATI items led to equally good or better performance than using polychoric correlations; therefore Pearson correlations are recommended for future use.
The Fortune Corporate 'Reputation' Index: Reputation for What?
Authors: Fryxell Gerald E. , Jia Wang
Published: March 2007

This study examines competing measurement models of the Fortune reputation data and argues that, for research purposes, its usefullness is limited to measuring the extent to which a firm is perceived as striving for financial goals. The generalizability of this conclusion is evaluated and past research studies purporting to have measured other constructs ( e.g., social responsibility, quality, stakeholder orientation ) are revisited.
The Role of Emigration and Migration in Swedish Industrialization
Authors: Karistrom Urban
Published: March 2007

A numerical general equilibrium model has been designed to describe Swedish demoeconomic development during its first phase of industrialization, the pre-World War I period. Three dynamic simulations analyze the role of rural-to-urban migration and emigration in Swedish industrialization and some results are presented concerning their importance for the development of the Swedish economy.
Urbanization and Cancer: Changing Mortality Patterns?
Authors: Greenberg Michael R.
Published: March 2007

Analysis of the relationship between cancer rates and urbanization for United States counties for the period 1950-54 reveals the expected urban/rural differences for many digestive, urinary and respiratory organ cancers and for female breast cancer. Similar urban/rural differences existed in many other Western countries. By 1970-75, however, urban/rural differences in the United States had substantially narrowed. Available data do not allow formal tests of the relationship between these changes and specific etiological factors, but the data suggest that the spatial convergence is related to the changing geography of such risk factors as smoking, alcohol consumption, manufacturing, and socioeconomic status and to the diminished size and role of the white foreign-born population, as well as to such confounding factors as medical practices and population migration.
Space, Interregional Economic Relations, and Structural Reform in China
Authors: Rothenberg Jerome
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses spatial interrelationships among economic units in the People's Republic of China. It characterizes these in the prereform period (before 1979) under a centralized economic command structure and analyzes their various adverse efficiency consequences. Requirements for efficiency improvements are then discussed. Finally, changes in the spatial relationships under the present reform toward greater decentralization, and their probable effect on overall productivity, are examined.
Recent Trends in Migration between Core and Peripheral Regions in Developed and Advanced Developing Countries
Authors: Cochrane Steven G. , Vining Daniel R.
Published: March 2007

The main finding of this article is that net internal migration to the core regions in the countries of the developed world, which subsided in the 1970s, increased in the 1980s, although not to the level of the 1960s. In some countries of northwest Europe there is a balance now in net flows between core and periphery. In the countries of the periphery of Europe and Japan net internal migration to the core regions increased slightly in the 1980s. Net migration flows to the periphery have completely reversed in Canada, and net flows out of the core regions of the United States have been significantly reduced. In eastern Europe, however, there is still moderate net migration to the core regions without any interruption as seen in western Europe, North America, and Japan. In South Korea and Taiwan rates of net migration to the core regions have been reduced from their high levels of the 1970s, but they are still quite high and show no clear sign of a break from the past.
Measuring the Effects of Changing Structure on Employment Generation Potential
Authors: Henderson David , McGregor Peter G. , McNicoll Iain H.
Published: March 2007

This article describes a method for examining components of structural change in an open economy. A distinguishing characteristic of the method is that changes in external trade behavior are explicitly recognized as a separate component of structural change. The method is utilized to examine the effects of structural change on employment-generating potential in Scotland between 1973 and 1979. Overall, employment generation potential (employment multipliers per unit final demand) fell over the six-year period. Changes in import propensities and employment/output coefficients both led to reductions, but the negative contributions of these components were partially offset by increased use of intermediate inputs. For a number of industries, the changes in employment generation potential and the contributions of the individual components differed substantially from the Scottish average.
Asian Megacity Characteristics, Problems, and Policies
Authors: Brennan Ellen M. , Richardson Harry W.
Published: March 2007

Using ten Asian megacities as examples, this article discusses a range of megacity characteristics and problems, including population growth, economic structure, spatial strategies, land policy, urban service provision, institutional development, and managerial problems. In spite of major progress in urban service delivery, ineffective land policies and inadequate cost-recovery systems remain serious obstacles. Megacities need and are promoting policentric spatial structures, but implementation lags in many cases. Institutional reforms are needed to cope with the metropolitan region character of megacity growth.
The Forecasting Accuracy of Regional Bayesian VAR Models with Alternative National Variable Choices
Authors: Shoesmith Gary L.
Published: March 2007

The forecasting accuracy of vector autoregressive (VAR) and Bayesian VAR (BVAR) versions of five different regional models are compared for three states. Two base models for each state consist of three national variables and three state variables. Three misspecified models are then constructed by substituting or adding a simulated (random) national variable to the base models. Forecasting accuracy is measured by each model's ability to forecast the three state variables one, four, and eight quarters ahead. Inclusion of the random variable generally reduces the forecasting accuracy of unrestricted VAR models. The BVAR technique is superior to the VAR approach in terms of forecasting accuracy but, more important, is largely insensitive to the choice of national variables, even when the misspecified national variable is included.
Regional Science in the Former Soviet Union: History and New Directions
Authors: Kozlov Leonard A. , Shtoulberg Boris M.
Published: March 2007

Regional science, as it exists in the West, is only now beginning to emerge in the former Soviet Union. Before perestroika, the focus of regional science was on the national economy and how to make the various regions fit into and contribute to it. Now the focus has shifted to satisfying individual needs and wants through the development of regions. This changing economic environment, as the system transforms from a centrally planned economy to one that is market oriented, has required regional scientists to adopt analytical methods very new to them. Not all elements of central planning, however, should be cast away in the frenzy to adopt a new economic order. In particular, the long-range planning of the fifteen-year General, Regional, and Sectoral Schemes should be preserved.
Economic Restructuring of the Former Soviet Union: National and Regional Perspectives
Authors: Chumachenko Nikolai G.
Published: March 2007

This article gives a brief history of perestroika and then discusses the current situation and future prospects of the former Soviet Union. While the original intent of perestroika was not to abandon central planning for a market-based economy, a series of failed ad hoc reforms led the Communist Party to abolish central planning in 1988. Four important laws passed between 1988 and 1990 formed the basis for transition to a market economy. Unless all the requirements of a market economy exist together, however, attempts to introduce small parts of it will likely fail. Decades of socialist ideology have created several obstacles to the formation of a market economy. A successful transition will depend on regional restructuring and republican independence. While ethnic, cultural, and historic factors should be considered, the major focus must be to devise political and economic structures that prevent centrally planned economies from developing at the republican level.
Entrepreneurship in Regional and Local Development
Authors: Malecki Edward J.
Published: March 2007

This article surveys the topic of entrepreneurship within the processes of regional and local development. The issue of entrepreneurship is complex, and the interest in it shown by researchers and politicians over the past decade has not made it less so. Definitional issues which often mark discussions of entrepreneurship are discussed, as are networks of interaction, culture, and local environments. Policies which attempt to alter regional or local conditions and to promote entrepreneurship and continuing innovation are given attention in the second half of the paper.
Regional Computable General Equilibrium Modeling: A Survey and Critical Appraisal
Authors: Partridge Mark D. , Rickman Dan S.
Published: March 2007

Regional computable general equilibrium (CGE) models have grown in popularity in recent years as an alternative method to examine regional economies and regional policy issues. However, the contribution of regional CGE models has yet to be assessed. Therefore, this paper surveys the literature related to regional CGE modeling. The survey includes a discussion of the contributions that CGE models have made to regional economic analysis. In addition, the basic approach of regional CGE modeling is outlined, and the key features of existing regional CGE models are detailed. The paper also appraises of the current state of the art of regional CGE modeling and suggests future research directions.
Words and Sentences Over Time: How Facts Are Built and Sustained in a Specialty Area
Authors: Oehler Kay , Snizek William E. , Mullins Nicholas C.
Published: March 2007

This article uses computerized analysis of text, along with a close reading of text, to trace change and development in Burkitt's lymphoma research. While past researchers have focused on the way a text enters the literature, we wish to learn what happens to knowledge claims after they arrive in the published literature. In order to explain why some claims are successfully solidified into facts while others remain as isolated, unsupported claims, we rely upon the notion of the material and social technology required to do successful work in a research area
Archaeology and the Social Study of Technological Innovation
Authors: Geselowitz Michael N.
Published: March 2007

Prehistoric archaeology, which in the American academic structure is part of anthropology, has always included and continues to include the study of social aspects of technology, particularly of technological innovation. Despite early calls for their inclusion in the field of science, technology, and society, however, archaeologists and their research have not, by and large, been integrated into this new discipline. This article is a renewed appeal for the use of archaeology in studying issues of technology and society. An example drawn from prehistoric Europe illustrates how archaeology can provide a fresh perspective on social aspects of technological innovation, as well as specific data for cross-cultural comparison.
Technology and Values: Getting beyond the "Device Paradigm" Impasse
Authors: Tatum Jesse S.
Published: March 2007

Albert Borgmann's notion of the "device paradigm" can be used to explain a widely experienced frustration encountered in attempts to put people's values into practice in a technological world: Technologies increasingly embraced as a means of disburdening them from social and bodily engagement also increasingly constrain their efforts to express their values through action. Expressive elements of their actions are effectively (if unthinkingly) fixed by, and incorporated in, the devices they adopt. Ethnographic investigation of the "home power" movement in the United States, however, provides evidence of a successful break from the device paradigm. In the process of installing more expensive and less convenient renewable electric power systems in their homes, participants in this movement have achieved a uniquely creative reassertion of alterna tive environmental, community, and work-related values. The resonance between Borgmann's theoretical framework and the home power experience affords both practi cal guidance and grounds for hope that people's use of technology can be brought into greater conformity with more careful formulations of their fundamental values.
Puck in the Laboratory: The Construction and Deconstruction of Hoaxlike Deception in Science
Authors: Schnabel Jim
Published: March 2007

One of the most dramatic techniques for constructing accounts of "undiscovery" or incompetence in science involves the manipulative deception—in some accounts, the "hoaxing"—of the putatively incompetent researcher, ostensibly as an experiment to evaluate his or her methodology and the soundness of his or her knowledge claims. In this article, the author examines five cases in which such deceptions have been employed, noting the patterns of argument that typically follow these deceptions and the factors that seem to determine the power of these arguments. The author suggests that the "hoaxer" in such cases is most likely to be successful when his or her views about the targeted researcher's methodology and knowledge claims are orthodox with respect to his or her intended audience.
Beneath a Modern Sky: Space Technology and Its Place on the Ground
Authors: Redfield Peter
Published: March 2007

In delineating a trajectory of human history, anthropology and other social sciences have tended to describe traditional life in particular geographic terms while leaving modem experience universal in scope. Studies of science and technology, while helping to locate and describe centers of modern practice, have less frequently explored their edges. Using a case study of the location of the primary French/European space launch site in French Guiana, this article examines technologies associated with the development of space beyond the atmosphere by evaluating the impact of rockets and satellites on the construction of human space on the ground. Exploring the social significance of a modem sky and its transformation of one tropical margin into a technical center, the question of where things are becomes one of how they are defined. The modem appears less a placeless universal center and more a moving boundary, one dividing humans, nature, and technology into less stable domains.
Evaluating Educational Programs
Authors: Montagne Michael
Published: March 2007

The major paradigm in educational evaluation employs a hypothetico-deductive approach in analyzing programs. It isfelt that a holistic-inductive approach, employing qualitative methods, may also be of use. Many have referred to this latter approach as an alternate research paradigm. More important, the use of both approaches in assessing educationalprograms may prove to be both effective and efficient. This article presents and describes a comparative design for the evaluation of educational programs. The design employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather information about the characteristics and consequences of a program. The dualtrack design provides separate results that may then be compared to produce a complete product of the evaluation effort. The application of this model to the evaluation of two programs is also presented and discussed.
Roles Ascribed to Volunteers
Authors: Mor Vincent , Laliberte Linda
Published: March 2007

Volunteers have been the hallmark of the hospice movement since its U.S. inception in 1973. As part of the National Hospice Study, volunteer hours and activities were reported monthly in forth participating hospices nationwide. Most volunteers were white females with at least a high school education. The attitude ofpaidstaff toward volunteers was overwhelmingly positive. Overall, the level of volunteer involvement is approximately 1.5 hours per patient each day he or she spends in the hospiceprogram. This breaks down to nearly .80 hours of direct patient care and.70 hours devoted to other activities. While the most prevalent use of volunteers is in the provision of direct patient care infreestanding hospices, volunteers also spend a large proportion of their time in theperformance ofadministrative activities.
Consistency of Self-Ratings Across Measurement Conditions and Test Administrations
Authors: Froberg Debra G.
Published: March 2007

An experiment was conducted to examine the consistency of self-ratings of ability across four different measurement conditions and the relative leniency of retrospective pretest self-ratings compared to pretest self-ratings. Participants in a continuing education conference, randomly assigned to one of four measurement conditions, rated their knowledge of the conference content three times: pretest, retrospective pretest, and posttest. Of the four measurement conditions, two yielded significantly different mean self-rating scores (p < .05). Participants who were asked tojustify their self-ratings to the investigator rated themselves significantly lower than participants who were encouraged to keep their selfratings as evidence of their achievement for future career advancement. In addition, retrospective pretest self-ratings (p <. 001), and females rated themselves significantly higher than males rated themselves (p < .05). These findings have implications for evaluators and other users of self-ratings.
The Nature of Explanation in Qualitative Evaluation
Authors: Pearsol James A.
Published: March 2007

In recent years evaluation has mushroomed dramatically as a discipline. A number of evaluation "models" or approaches have been conceived, and varieties of social science methods have been employed serving several evaluative purposes. Missing from the health profession's literature on evaluation is a discussion of the underlying explanatory purposes of evaluative inquiry. It can be argued that systematic accounts of a logical inquiry (evaluation)are inextricably bound to particular views or accounts of the logic of explanation. In this article those accounts of explanation that pertain to conventional and qualitative evaluation are reviewed and compared. The article describes what one has "bought off on" when applying the explanatory rationale underlying qualitative evaluation approaches. Problems and possibilities are described for the practice of qualitative evaluation in the health professions.
The Effects of Faculty Control of Learning on Student Effort
Authors: Chambers David W.
Published: March 2007

It is commonly assumed in health professions education that knowledge and skills are discrete, objective, and quantifiable and that faculty should control the choice of what is to be learned, how it is taught, and decisions about whether students have mastered the material. Evidence is presented from education, psychology, decision science, and management challenging the assumption that faculty can completely control the learning process, When learning is viewed as an open-ended dialogue, it follows that substituting faculty control and effort for student control and effort will be effective only to a point. Twelve propositions are presented showing the effects, some of them negative, of faculty control of learning on student effort to learn.
An Evaluation of the First Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellowship
Authors: Harris Dona , Hassmiller Susan , Politzer Robert , Clancy Carolyn , Mullan Fitzhugh
Published: March 2007

In June 1991, the U.S. Public Health Service sponsored a 3-week Primary Care Policy Fellowship to establish an interdisciplinary cadre of primary care leaders. The fellowship was designed to introduce senior-level practitioners, academicians, researchers, and adrninistrators to the dynamics of primary care policy development, the legislative process, and resource identification. An evaluation was conducted to determine expectations and reasons whyfellows participated in the fellowship, analyze the degree ofperceived learning, identify the sessions of most value, and describe the personal goals achieved by thefellows relating to their future leadership responsibilities in primary care. The 18 fellows most highly valued the networking across primary care disciplines, the sessions with constituency groups, and discussions about influencing decision makers. The leadership skills development activities particularly met their expectations. Theirskills were improved in identifying ways to influence policymakers, in locating resources for primary care research, and in networking with primary care leaders.
The Use of Cognitive Taxonomies in Licensure and Certification Test Development
Authors: Cizek Gregory J. , Webb Lynn C. , Kalohn John C.
Published: March 2007

This research addressed the functioning of a cognitive taxonomy within the test specifications of a health sciences certification examination. The research investigated whether test items written purposefully to assess the higher order cognitive processes provided evidence of assessing differing levels of cognitive processing. Overall, the results yielded no support for the continuing use of a hierarchical cognitive classification dimension for the test specifications. Implications of the researchfor test specifications development, test construction, item writing, and score reporting are presented. Limitations and suggestionsforfuture research are provided.
A Randomized Trial of Providing House Staff with Patient Social History Information
Authors: Griffith Charles H. , Wilson John F. , Rich Eugene C.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this project was to assess if providing physicians (house staff) with routine comprehensive social history information on their patients will improve patient outcomes. Comprehensive social history information was gathered over a S-month period on 134 consecutive patients. Patients were randomized to have social history information provided or not provided to the resident physician caringfor them. Outcomes of interest were: patient satisfaction, length of stay, and early unplanned readmission. Analysis was with analysis of covariance, controlling for patient severity of illness and amount of social history information documented by the house officer Outcomes were the same for patients for whom house staff were provided social history information versus those for whom the information was not provided. The authors conclude that providing house staff with routine comprehensive social history information did not influence patient outcomes.
Postal Surveys versus Electronic Mail Surveys
Authors: Mavis Brian E. , Brocato Joseph J.
Published: March 2007

The advent of computer-based technology has led to a consideration of change in research methods that exploit the advantages of computer-mediated communications. In survey research, electronic mail (e-mail) has anecdotally shown particular promise as a data collection tool. This article compares traditional postal and nontraditional e-mail surveys within the context of a larger listserv evaluation project in terms of overall return rate, distribution of survey returns over time, response to initial and follow-up mailings, representativeness of respondent groups, thoroughness of survey completion, and the likelihood of respondents to include additional written comments. In summary, whereas postal surveys were shown to be superior to e-mail surveys with regard to response rate, all things being equal, the decision of which to use may be situation-specific, dependent on issues such as survey cost, desire for convenience and timeliness in data collection, and need for higher response rates, among others.
Seeing is believing: the ideology of naturalism
Authors: Collins Richard
Published: March 2007

This article reviews Nothing but the Truth: Cinéma Vérité and the Films of the Roger Graef Team, a dossier edited by John Wyver and published in 1982 by the Institute of Contemporary Arts in conjunction with the British Film Institute.
The role of telecommunications in economic growth: proposal for an alternative framework of analysis
Authors: Riaz Ali
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the literature on the relationship between telecommunications and economic growth and argues that its weakness is its technocratic perspective. It then goes on to argue for an approach that does not view telecommunications as an exogenous driver of economic development, but which assesses the relationship between telecommunications and economic growth within the broader framework of global economic transformation and the location of the specific country within the matrix of a world capitalist system.

This approach is then exemplified by a study of Singapore and the stages through which its telecommunications and economic development has passed over the last 30 years.
From inception to reception: the natural history of a news item
Authors: Deacon David , Fenton Natalie , Bryman Alan
Published: March 2007

This article compares the complex dynamics involved in the production and reception of a newspaper article. This case study is used as the basis for a broader discussion of the encoding and decoding of meaning via the news media. The article recommends that closer attention needs to be given to the linkages between these moments in the mass communication process, and the temporal contexts within which they occur.
`Made in Japan': the cultural politics of `home electrification' in postwar Japan
Authors: Yoshimi Shunya
Published: March 2007

This article examines the advertising images of home appliances and their technology in contemporary Japanese society. I view these images at the intersection of two sets of boundaries: Americanism/nationalism, and between genders. While home appliances had been in use in Japan since the early part of the century, it is only after the mid-1950s that appliances as commodities became linked in the popular imagination with images of the nuclear family. Since the mid- 1950s, home appliances have been designed and consumed to evoke the connections with both an American style of life symbolic of `affluence' and a Japanese national identity as they are appreciated under the name of ` Sanshu no Jingi' (three sacred treasures). This article analyses the imbrication of Americanism and nationalism within the advertisements for home appliances through the 1930s to the 1970s. Historically, the advertisements have emphasized both housewives as the subject of promoting home electrification and democracy in their homes and male engineers as another subject of advancing `Japanese technology' under the `world's eye'. This image of home appliances containing both Americanism and nationalism finally started disintegrating in the late 1970s and the new image of `personal' technology has taken the place of the image of `home' technology. In the 1980s, the image of `home' where the subjectivity of a housewife is constructed and the image of `nation' where the subjectivity of an engineer is constructed have lost their correspondence. This article indicates that a social acceptance of technology in daily life has been transformed in connection with a wider scale of cultural and political transformations.
The construction of the World Wide Web audience
Authors: Roscoe Timothy
Published: March 2007

This article charts two parallel shifts in the phenomenon known as the Internet, and the sometimes contradictory links between the two. One is in the public perception and representation of the Internet as it changes from a technology of personal communication to a mass medium along the lines of television. The other shift is in the technology upon which the system as an artefact is built, and the kinds of uses it inherently facilitates. The trajectory of technological production cannot be understood without consideration of the social and cultural forces shaping both the market and the attitudes of engineers and companies developing technology. Moreover, as users of technology we are implicated in conceiving of ourselves as consumers and audiences. The relations of power within the World Wide Web medium are in this respect more a matter of Gramscian hegemony than simple corporate domination.
Racial, Ethnic, and Sociodemographic Differences in the Level of Psychosocial Distress among Older Americans
Authors: Mills Terry L. , Henretta John C.
Published: March 2007

More than 2 million older Americans suffer from some form of depression. Yet late-life depression is often undiagnosed or underdiagnosed. The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for the observed differences in the level of depressive symptoms between older African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites. The data are from Wave 1 of the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old survey administered during 1993-1994. Ordinary least-squares regression results indicate that language acculturation, the number of years of education, and the number of years of U.S. residency are significant factors that help to explain differences in self-reported levels of depressive symptoms among this older population. In general, those who are men, are married, have more education, and are in better health have lower levels of depressive symptoms.
Effective Sampling of Rare Population Elements
Authors: Picot Sandra J. Fulton , Samonte Judy , Tierney June A. , Connor Judith , Powel Lorrie L.
Published: March 2007

Efficacious sampling methods are needed to recruit representative samples of under-represented research populations. The purpose of this article is to describe and evaluate a step-by-step methodological approach for sampling rare populations (e.g., Black female caregivers and noncaregivers). Using the Medicare Enrollment Database, the researchers conducted a reverse screening strategy and a case-control design to obtain a systematic random sample of the caregivers. After revision of the recruitment strategy and referral goals, the researchers recruited 202 caregivers and 206 noncaregivers. The proportion of elders with caregivers was 11.8 percent compared with a projected yield of 8 percent. Lessons were learned regarding efficiency in sampling methodology, including the importance of having the potential participants respond to an open-ended question regarding their understanding of the study participation, providing agencies with detailed specifications of requested lists, and not allowing the obtained list to age. This article provides a road map for sampling rare populations.
Leisure Activities and Quality of Life among the Oldest Old in Sweden
Authors: Silverstein Merril , Parker Marti G.
Published: March 2007

Drawing on Rowe and Kahn’s (1998) notion that “engagement with life” is a critical component of successful aging, this study tested whether change in leisure activities over a ten year period was associated with retrospectively assessed change in quality of life among older people in Sweden. Hypotheses were tested using a nationally rep resentative sample of 324 older Swedes living in the community, surveyed in 1981 and 1992. Fifteen leisure activities were divided into six domains: culture-entertainment, productive-personal growth, outdoor-physical, recreation-expressive, friendship, and formal-group. Ordered logit analysis revealed that those increasing their activity participation across domains tended to perceive an improvement in their life conditions. This effect was particularly strong among older adults who became widowed, developed functional impairments, and had relatively low contact with family. The results suggest that maximizing activity participation is an adaptive strategy taken by older adults to compensate for social and physical deficits in later life.
Reassessing Elderly Sunbelt Migration
Authors: Biggar Jeanne C.
Published: March 2007

Following the trend of general migration, 1965-1970, more than half of elderly interstate migrants moved to 15 Sunbelt states located on the eastern, southern, and western rim of the United States. While the Snowbelt sent the majority of these migrants to the Sunbelt, there was a smaller flow of migrants back to the Snowbelt. In general, the elderly interstate migrants, whether they moved to the Sunbelt or the Snowbelt, were more independent economically than the elderly residents at the destination. However, Sunbelt inmigrants outranked Snowbelt inmigrants on socioeconomic levels. Overall, then, in this population redistribution, the Sunbelt appears to benefit from added elderly consumers who will place little demand on social services, at least in the short run.
Elderly Net Migration
Authors: Fuguitt Glenn V. , Tordella Stephen J.
Published: March 2007

Population redistribution due to migration within the United States favored metropolitan areas until about 1970; nonmetropolitan areas thereafter. This article traces changes which have affected that pattern and the role of the older population over 65 in those changes. The general finding is one of decreasing levels of net migration in metropolitan areas and increasing levels in nonmetropolitan areas across the 1950-1975 period for both age groups. Elderly migrants were the harbingers of the nonmetropolitan turnaround, since for the older age group nonmetropolitan migration rates are positive and exceed metropolitan rates in the 1960s as well as the 1970s.
Social Relations and Mental Health
Authors: Cohler Bertram J. , Lieberman Morton A.
Published: March 2007

It is believed that social support provided through continuing ties with relatives and friends fosters personal adjustment, mitigating the impact of life stress and role strain. Respondents from three European ethnic groups-Irish (N = 121), Italian (N = 141), and Polish (N= 121)-were administered measures of nature and extent of social ties, together with measures of life-event stress and both positive morale and psychological impairment. Findings show little relationship between availability of significant others and mental health, or that increased availability of others from the same ethnic group is associated with mental health. At least among women in the two most "socially bonded" groups (Italian and Polish), increased involvement with significant others was associated both with increased life stress and less than satisfactory personal adjustment.
The Impact of Widowhood on the Social Relations of Older Persons
Authors: Ferraro Kenneth F. , Barresi Charles M.
Published: March 2007

The impact of widowhood on family, friend, and neighbor relations of the elderly is examined. A review of the pertinent literature indicates that most studies analyze information concerning social relations after widowhood without explicit knowledge of such characteristics before widowhood. In order to assess the social impact of widowhood on older persons, this study utilizes panel data from a national survey of the low-income aged. Widows are classified into three categories, according to the amount of time since the death of their spouse, and compared to married persons on measures of family, friend, and neighbor interaction. Regressing time two on time one measures and several personal characteristics reveals that those widowed from one to four years have more frequent contact with neighbors than married persons do. One of the most important findings is the general stability of the recently widowed in regard to family relations. However, for those persons who have been widowed more than four years, lower levels of social interaction are observed on measures of family contact. The findings seriously question the utility of the decremental model for analyzing stressful life events and emphasize the temporal dynamics of adjustment to role loss.
Race Differences in Elderly Personal Well-Being
Authors: Ortega Suzanne T. , Crutchfield Robert D. , Rushing William A.
Published: March 2007

Previous research on aging among minority populations seems to indicate that racial minorities suffer double jeopardy in terms of objective conditions such as income or housing, but are at least as well off as older whites in terms of subjective well-being. In order to explore reasons for this apparent anomaly, multiple regression analysis was performed predicting life satisfaction with a variety of social interaction variables. Results indicate that frequency of contact with church-related friends is the critical factor in accounting for race differences in well-being. We suggest three plausible explanations for this finding: (1) the church is the hub of a "moral community" in a Durkheimian sense; (2) the church reflects a "community of faith" in which members sharing a common belief exert a positive impact on each other's sense of well-being; or (3) the black church in the South forms a focal point of the community, serving as a pseudo-extended family, particularly for the aged.
Growing Old with or without it
Authors: Groger B. Lisa
Published: March 2007

This article describes the salient features of differential land ownership and explores the consequences of these differences. By focusing on unequal access to land ownership, the article unmasks the great variation within a rural community. While blacks and whites do not share land equitably, they do share the same ideology about the value of the land.