bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liking and Peer Perceptions among Asian and White British Children
Authors: Boulton Michael J. , Smith Peter K.
Published: March 2007

Study 1 investigated liking and perceptions of classmates in 140 Asian and White boys and girls in three racially mixed schools. All four groups selected significantly more own-race than other-race classmates as Like Most choices. For Like Least choices, White girls and boys selected significantly more other-race classmates, Asian boys significantly more own-race classmates, Asian girls did not differ in own-race and other-race choices. Using ratings, White children and Asian children showed greater liking of own-race than other-race classmates. White children received more nominations for Starts Fights and Disrupts from Asian than White raters but more nominations for Cooperates from White than Asian raters. Perceptions of cooperation in individual peers were hypothesized to influence liking and to explain the weak links between liking of classmates and liking expressed for unknown own-race and other-race children shown in photographs. Study 2 investigated further the reasons why children (N = 124) like some classmates most and others least. Supporting the hypothesis from Study 1, the most common reasons given for liking classmates most were because they were cooperative and played with the interviewee; the most common reason given for why classmates were liked least was because they were bullies. The results are discussed in terms of the development of inter-racial liking in children and attempts to enhance liking among children from different racial backgrounds by cooperative group work methods.
Who's Going to Make the First Move? Pluralistic Ignorance as an Impediment to Relationship Formation
Authors: Vorauer Jacquie D. , Ratner Rebecca K.
Published: March 2007

Six studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that individuals contemplating `making the first move' in initiating a romantic relationship experience pluralistic ignorance (N = 544). Studies 1 and 2 established the preconditions for the phenomenon: participants indicated that they were more likely than a potential partner to be inhibited from making an initiative by a fear of rejection. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated pluralistic ignorance: although participants explained their own inaction in terms of their fear of being rejected, they attributed a potential partner's inaction to a lack of interest in developing a relationship with them. Study 5 utilized an open-ended thought-listing measure to demonstrate that individuals spontaneously perceive a potential partner's inaction as reflective of disinterest more so than they perceive their own inaction in these terms. Finally, Study 6 provided more definitive evidence that participants' divergent perceptions of their own vs their potential partner's underlying feelings stemmed from the biased interpretation of inaction. Implications for the formation of social bonds are discussed.
Former Spouses Who are Friends: Three Case Studies
Authors: Masheter Carol
Published: March 2007

Within the larger context of modified analytic induction, each of the three case-study couples in this article was selected to address questions that emerged during the research process about the nature and development of friendships between former spouses. The cases confirmed earlier descriptive findings on these friendships, the importance of perceived intentions, and de-escalation as a path to friendship after romantic involvement. The cases also yielded new findings. Modification and de-escalation emerged as additional paths to friendship. Partners of one couple disagreed whether they were friends, yet they were able to co-parent cooperatively. Also, focus of friendship varied; the partners of one couple focused on their children, whereas the partners of the other two couples focused on each other. These findings bridge the divorce and friendship literatures and have relevance for other types of friendships.
Adolescent Familial Interactions: A Genetic Extension of the Social Relations Model
Authors: Manke Beth , Plomin Robert
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present paper was to investigate genetic and environmental contributions to significant child actor effects (i.e. a person's tendency to behave in a similar way to all family members), child partner effects (i.e. a person's tendency to elicit similar interactions from all family members), and sibling relationship effects (i.e. factors unique to the sibling dyadic relationship) identified in an application of the Social Relations Model (SRM: Kenny & La Voie, 1984) to familial interaction data. We examined familial warmth, conflict, and self-disclosure about both positive and negative things in 60 nonadoptive and 44 adoptive families with siblings aged 8-17 years. Our goals were to assess sibling resemblance and to disentangle resemblance due to genetic heritage from resemblance due to environmental experiences for SRM effects identified as significant. Genetic influence was found for actor effects for conflict and self-disclosure about positive things. In contrast, dyadic relationship effects for warmth and self-disclosure about both positive and negative things showed no significant genetic influence. Moderate shared environmental influences were found for both actor and sibling relationship effects. However, most of the environmental influences for both actor and sibling relationship effects were of the nonshared variety, suggesting that unique environmental experiences are important for children's familial interactions.
Adult Attachment Styles, Perceived Social Support and Coping Strategies
Authors: Ognibene Todd C. , Collins Nancy L.
Published: March 2007

The relations between adult attachment styles, perceived social support and the use of various coping strategies was examined in a sample of young adults (N = 81). Participants completed measures of adult attachment style, perceived social support from friends and family, and a modified version of the Ways of Coping scale. In addition, participants rated the coping strategies they would most likely use in response to a series of hypothetical vignettes describing social- and achievement-related stressors. Results indicated that secure individuals perceived more available support from friends and family, and sought more social support in response to stress. Although preoccupied adults also sought social support in response to stress, they also tended to use escape/avoidance strategies. Dismissing and fearful individuals were much less likely to seek social support, and were more likely to distance themselves in some contexts. Finally, regression analyses indicated that the link between secure attachment and support-seeking as a coping strategy was mediated, in part, by the perception that support is available from friends and family.
Marital Well-Being and General Happiness of Newlywed Couples: Relationships Across Time
Authors: Ruvolo Ann P.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship between the marital well-being and the general happiness of an individual across time and the relationship of one partner's marital well-being to the subsequent marital well-being of the spouse. The marital well-being and general happiness of individuals from 317 newlywed couples (161 African-American couples, 155 White couples) were assessed in the first year of marriage and again in the second year. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that the higher an individual's Time 1 marital well-being was, the greater his or her Time 2 general happiness became. For men, but not women, the higher their Time 1 general happiness was, the higher their marital well-being became at Time 2. Also, in general, the higher the individual's Time 1 marital well-being was, the higher the Time 2 marital well-being of the partner became.
Social Integration and Loneliness: A Comparative Study among Older Adults in the Netherlands and Tuscany, Italy
Authors: van Tilburg Theo , de Jong Gierveld Jenny , Lecchini Laura , Marsiglia Donatella
Published: March 2007

On the average, older adults in Italy are lonelier than those in the Netherlands. The results of a study by Jylha & Jokela (1990) showed that loneliness was more prevalent in regions of Europe where living alone was rarest and where community bonds were strongest. This inverse macro-level association, an increasing proportion of lonely older people and a decreasing proportion of older people who live alone from northern to southern Europe, could not be explained by differences in individual social integration. The aim of the present study was to reinvestigate this association. The data were from surveys conducted in the Netherlands (N = 3750) and northwestern Tuscany, Italy (N = 1543). Fewer older adults lived alone in Tuscany than in the Netherlands, which indicates that the Dutch were less integrated. As regards their participation in social organizations and personal networks, the Tuscan older adults were less integrated. To a large extent, loneliness among the Dutch and Tuscans based on differences in social integration could be similarly explained, and regional loneliness differences could be attributed to individual situations and characteristics:
Factors Associated with Distress Following the Breakup of a Close Relationship
Authors: Sprecher Susan , Felmlee Diane , Metts Sandra , Fehr Beverley , Vanni Debra
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this investigation was to identify the factors associated with the distress experienced after the breakup of a romantic relationship, both at the time of the breakup (assessed retrospectively) and at the time the questionnaire was completed. Four categories of variables were examined as possible correlates of post-breakup distress: variables associated with the initiation of the relationship, characteristics of the relationship while it was intact, conditions at the time of the breakup and individual difference variables. The sample consisted of 257 young adults (primarily college students; 83 male and 174 female) who had experienced a recent breakup (M = 21 weeks since breakup). The variables most highly associated with distress at the time of the breakup were non-mutuality in alternatives (i.e. partner having more inter-est in alternatives), commitment, satisfaction, greater effort in relationship initiation, being `left' by the other and fearful attachment style. The variables most highly associated with current distress were commitment, duration of the relationship, fearful attachment style, dismissing attachment style and time since breakup.
The Alliance that Failed: Moscow and the Triple Alliance Negotiations, 1939
Authors: Roberts Geoffrey
Published: March 2007

The extent to which people act with a clear idea of their ends, knowing what effects they are aiming at, is easily exaggerated. Most human action is tenta tive, experimental, directed not by a knowledge of what it will lead to but rather by a desire to know what will come of it.'
Finance for business — a checklist of official sources
Authors: Mowat Mary
Published: March 2007

The article gives a list of grant administering bodies who can provide development funds for UK businesses.
The use of Information Brokers by accounting libraries
Authors: Henderson Fiona
Published: March 2007

Members of the Accounting Library and Information Group were surveyed for their views on the services of information brokers. Their responses were analysed for lessons in the operation and presentation of infor mation services.
Young People and Music Television in the Netherlands
Authors: van der Rijt Gerrit A.J. , d'Haenens Leen S.J. , Jansen Ronald H.A. , de Vos Cor J.
Published: March 2007

When on 1 May 1995 TMF (The Music Factory) started off as the first local popular music television station on Dutch cable, it tried right away to compete with MTV. This article, based upon a telephone survey among a national sample of 400 people, shows ample evidence that people not only watch TMF more frequently than MTV, but that on average they like TMF a lot more. Moreover, TMF seems to be better able to fulfil the music needs of Dutch teenage viewers. TMF programming fits the youth subcultures of the `gabbers' and the hiphoppers. The subcultures that are best served by MTV are those whose members like rock music: punk, alto, metal and skater. Hence the subcultures which TMF serves are much larger in number than MTV's. Therefore it seems that TMF has been able to adjust better to local conditions and that its programming is better suited to the local target groups than MTV's.
The Government as Communicator: A Dutch Dilemma
Authors: Nillesen A. B. , Stappers J. G.
Published: March 2007

` Overheidsvoorlichting' is a unique Dutch concept, referring to the practices and procedures surrounding information dissemination and governmental public relations. To what extent the government should take care of these by themselves, or leave them to the existing mass media, has been much discussed. The establishment, since 1946, of several governmental committees has not diminished public debate in this area. The reasons for continued controversy are many, but lack of understanding of the true nature of communication has contributed to the confusion.
Theoretical Convergences and Contrasts: A View from Finland
Authors: Pietilä Veikko , Malmberg Tarmo , Nordenstreng Kaarle
Published: March 2007

Inspired by an increasing interest in the history and theory of mass communication studies, the case of Finland is presented in five consecutive stages, which partly reflect features specific to the country and partly more universal developments. A crucial turn took place in the late 1960s, stimulated by policy developments in the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), and leading to a unique paradigm and to debates with proponents of paradigms produced later. By the late 1980s, many of the old divergences and contrasts have disappeared and an understanding has emerged that no single perspective can dominate the field. Yet there is interest in the prospects of a more synthetic approach, for which intellectual stimulation is coming from the crossroads of the three main disciplinary variants in European mass communication studies—Euro-American, French and German respectively.
Culture and Communication: Towards an Ethnographic Critique of Media Consumption in the Transnational Media System
Authors: Ang Ien
Published: March 2007

The irresistible march of transnational media has given rise to widely experienced problems concerning cultural autonomy and identity. The research tradition of `cultural studies' offers a very appropriate and distinctive way of analysing these questions, especially by means of a critical ethnography of reception. The tendency in some recent reception research to celebrate `the popular' as a source of resistance to `the hegemonic' is criticized.
Knowledge Gaps Revisited: Secondary Analyses from Germany
Authors: Horstmann Reinhold
Published: March 2007

In a secondary analysis of data from three panel surveys from Germany, the author tries to extend and specify the `knowledge gap' hypothesis of Tichenor et al. (1970) and Ettema and Kline (1977). Education, interest and motivation, which have been advanced as the central factors in explaining the differential knowledge gain, are tested within all possible circumstances of widening, constant and closing gaps. Also tested are various routine and specific media variables. As a consequence of the low empirical value of these central factors, especially education, this analysis suggests a fundamental modification of the hypothesis.
The Ambivalences of TV News Viewing: Between Ideals and Everyday Practices
Authors: Hagen Ingunn
Published: March 2007

In this article I discuss the contradictory feelings or ambivalences viewers experience while watching Dagsrevyen, the main TV news programme of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). The article is based on the study I conducted of audiences' reception of this programme. 1 I was concerned with the significance attributed to Dagsrevyen by its considerable audience, and the various meanings generated by the act of viewing the programme. I found ambivalences related to watching the newscast to be a significant aspect of my study's interview accounts. Thus, news as a genre and social institution results in certain individually experienced contradictions. Indeed, such contradictory feelings could be said to characterize the news viewing experience. This theme of ambivalence experienced in news viewing has not — to my knowledge — received much attention from mass communication researchers.
Convergence Through Privatization?
Authors: Pfetsch Barbara
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the consequences of deregulation of the electronic mass media for political programming. The particular focus of the current debate in Germany is the question of whether the dualization of the broadcasting system, which kick-started intensive competition between the public and commercial stations, will bring about convergent programming. Such a development was thought to undermine the communication of political information and eventually contribute to a weakening of the political functions of television. The article reports findings from a study of television news comparing the presentation of politics in 1985/6 immediately after the deregulation of television and in 1993 when the dual broadcasting system was well established. The evidence suggests that the heavy competition between public and commercial stations does have an impact on the communication of politics to the effect that the marginalization of political information continues, while at the same time political coverage in the news genre format converges. Moreover, the innovation which came about through commercialization is that `serious' politics on television is reduced to the traditional news format, while new formats have appeared that blur the boundaries between political information and entertainment.
Remote Control? Politics, Technology and `Electronic Democracy'
Authors: Street John
Published: March 2007

Recent interest in the Internet has revived the debate about `electronic democracy'. On one side, politicians and political activists talk enthusiastically about the possibility of a virtual polity in which the ideal of Ancient Greece is recreated; on the other side are those who fear for the destruction of democracy. This article begins by examining critically these competing claims. It argues that the positions adopted do not, however, do justice to the issues involved. The debate is not just about competing visions of democracy; it is also about theories of technical change. The article concludes by arguing for a richer approach to the issue of `electronic democracy', one in which the cultural character of technology and of political argument are more fully recognized.
Space Jam
Authors: Davis Susan G.
Published: March 2007

Multinational media conglomerates are demonstrating a powerful interest in the problem of place. Time-Warner, Viacom, Seagram's Universal Studios and Sony are commissioning, designing and financing massive urban, suburban and tourist developments. This article explores the international `location-based entertainment' boom, looks at its reasons and rationales, and evaluates the impact of new ways of bringing media content into collective spaces as a part of the intensified privatization of public space.
Toward an Explanation of Television Broadcast Restructuring in the Czech Republic
Authors: Pavlik Petr , Shields Peter
Published: March 2007

Czech television has been in ferment since the collapse of Communism in 1989. A little over a decade ago, the state monopolized television. Today, the Czech Republic has a well-developed dual broadcast system. The state continues to have a television operation but this is now institutionalized as a public broadcast corporation. Coexisting with this corporation are several private sector operations, the most successful being TV Nova. The purpose of the article is to delineate and explain this transformation. Building on the conceptual work of Sparks and Reading, we identify the key economic, political and cultural forces that have shaped the different moments of the restructuring process. We conclude by discussing briefly the theoretical implications of our analysis.
CONCEPTUALISING THE FAMILY
Authors: Trost Jan
Published: March 2007

There have been many attempts to define the concept of family. The approach taken here is that there is no possibility of defining the family. A solution is suggested, which is to say that if a group consists of at least one parent-child unit and/or at least one spousal unit the group is a family. The parent-child unit is defined as one parent and one child related to each other and the spousal unit is defined as two adults cohabiting (maritally or non-maritally). For research or policy use, and also theoretically, this approach can solve the problems in clarifying what a family is in a specific case.
SOCIOLOGY AND THE QUALIFICATIONS OF MANAGERIAL STAFF IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Authors: Kohout Jaroslav
Published: March 2007

The profession of management involves directing social as well other activities. But the manager as a practical sociologist usually has a purely technical training. In Czechoslovakia nearly 60 per cent of the works directors have this type of qualification. Sociological research on this social group provides evidence in favour of postgraduate studies in the theory of management, planning, sociology and psychology. The best way of achieving this qualification is through graduate studies, which enable the transfer of the most recent scientific knowledge and the exchange of the most recent practical experience in a relatively short time to the most suitable recipients who are then able to implement sociological theory immediately in practical life.
SEMI-PERIPHERIES OR PARTICULAR PATHWAYS: THE CASE OF AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND CANADA AS CLASS FORMATIONS
Authors: Boreham P. R. , Clegg S. R. , Emmison J. M. , Marks G. N. , Western J. S.
Published: March 2007

The paper deals comparatively with the class structures of Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Four hypotheses, which could account for the similarities and differences in class structure, are identified. The first is based on their semi-peripheral status in the world economy; the second, pertaining particularly to Canada, argues for an `Americanisation effect'; the third is based on their similar heritage in the context of dominion capitalism; while the fourth proposes purely endogenous determination. The differences in class structure that the analysis reveals, particularly with respect to the managerial class, can perhaps be more persuasively explained in terms of the different historical circumstances of the three countries rather than by a set of exogenous factors which impact on all of them.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MARKET TOWN SOCIOLOGY WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS
Authors: Kelin Ye , Nongjian Zou , Nanke Ye
Published: March 2007

Market towns are identifiable as communities distinct from cities and villages. They are distinguished by mixed populations engaged in concurrent occupations, with industry adapted to market conditions, moderately developed organisations, cultural choice, infrastructure and with a single centre. They serve important intermediary functions between cities and villages. Historically they have evolved in three stages from country fairs to being market centres and now are part of a coordinated social settlement system. Contrary to other views, the market town is to be seen as an entity in its own right and not a transitory phenomenon. As such it is properly the subject of a distinct subdiscipline of sociology which can as other disciplines contribute to the field of `markettown-ology'. Present study requirements include establishing theoretical and comparative research, developing a dynamic model of the market town settlement system and contributing to management, policy preparation and forecasting.
The Ethnological Counter-Current in Sociology
Authors: Kurasawa Fuyuki
Published: March 2007

As it enters the 21st century, sociology seemingly faces an exhaustion of theoretical and substantive approaches to deal with the pressing matter of cross-cultural research. This article suggests that one possible route out of the impasse lies in the rediscovery of an ethnological counter-current within sociology, a way of thinking that juxtaposes modern Western societies to other sociocultural contexts in order to better understand the full range of multiple modernities. In the first instance, it is contended that a comparative, intercultural tendency has played a determinant, albeit relatively neglected, part in the development of social research in the modern West; this tendency, which is identified as the `ethnological imagination', has enriched and can continue to enrich sociological thinking. Second, the approach adopted by ethnologically informed sociologists is developed with the help of the hermeneutical tradition, in order to establish some of the foundations of an intercultural sociology.
Problems in the Study of Democratization in Latin America
Authors: Krischke Paulo J.
Published: March 2007

This article is a comparative review of two mutually exclusive approaches to the study of democratization in Latin America, i.e. regime analysis and cultural studies, showing that they make important contributions to the understanding of elite behavior during institutional changes (regime analysis) and to the evaluation of cultural changes in society (cultural studies). They also converge around central problems of democratization, such as clientelism, but fail to present a comprehensive interpretation of political, social and personal changes. A broader perspective is required, both from a comparative and a universalist standpoint, in order to overcome these problems.
SOCIOLOGY FOR ONE WORLD: UNITY AND DIVERSITY
Authors: Archer Margaret S.
Published: March 2007

In this Address I want to advocate a single Sociology, whose ultimate unity rests on acknowledging the universality of human reasoning; to endorse a single World, whose oneness is based on adopting a realist ontology; and to predicate any services the Discipline can give to this World upon accepting the fundamental unicity of Humanity. Ironically, just when globalisation has been growing in the world, so too have doubts about sociology as an international enterprise. This divergent development between the world and the discipline appears to be the direct result of the demise of positivism. Subsequent theorists have polarised into advocates of `false universalism', e.g. `modernisation theory', `dependency theory' and the post-modernist view of `modernity', all of which assume unitary processes with uniform results - to which international sociology stands opposed. Alternatively they have become celebrants of incommensurable diversity, resting on the assumptions of relativism, which would outlaw international sociology altogether. Instead of endorsing either unity or diversity, the task of international sociology is to specify how global mechanisms combine with regional circumstances, in non-uniform fashion, to shape new trajectories and novel configurations. Globalisation is not merely the effect of the `new' world on the `old': the two together make for a radically different world, which it is the job of international sociology to capture - social theory is never intransitive.
ROCK CONCERTS IN HUNGARY IN THE 1980s
Authors: Rácz József G. , Zétényi Zoltan
Published: March 2007

In our study we analyse the characteristic features of rock concerts in Hungary during the last years of communist rule. We distinguish between `state rock', a trend similar to pop music, and `concert rock'. During the 1980s we carried out participant observation at rock concerts and conducted interviews with young concert goers. We view rock concerts as scenes from a musical subculture in our study. The effects of two types of rock concerts - hard-rock and underground - relating to the `voice of the rebel' and to the `voice of the conservative' (the revolt against authority manifested in concerts and its role in the socialisation of young people) are analysed, as is the role the concerts played in the lives of the fans. Hard-rock concerts socialised young males for the role of working-class man. Underground concerts, on the other hand, socialised young people for the roles of the intellectual, artist and bourgeois. On the basis of the above findings, we conclude that rock music played a politically progressive role under communism through its function of retaining the values of different social strata.
THIRTY-THREE YEARS OF SOCIOLOGY IN NIGERIA
Authors: Erinosho Olayiwola
Published: March 2007

This brief paper will attempt to do the following: it will describe the evolution of Nigerian sociology, highlight its orientation and contributions, as well as attempt a prognosis of its future direction.
The Clinical Approach in the Social Sciences
Authors: Sévigny Robert
Published: March 2007

A brief historical account is given of the diversity of influences that led the author to adopt a clinical perspective. Clinical sociology has developed in a social and theoretical context dominated by the exact sciences and the death of the subject. The clinical approach offers an alternative way of studying the `total social fact', in Mauss's terms. Some basic issues are examined, such as: the relationship of practice to theory; the power and control of researchers over the object of study; the status of data and of knowledge produced by social actors, especially their `implicit sociology'; the analysis of individual cases as a source of knowledge; interdisciplinarity, neutrality and critical thought. These are basic issues confronting any social researcher.
Globalization and Transnational Migration
Authors: Wong Lloyd L.
Published: March 2007

This article utilizes the perspective of transnationalism to explain Chinese capitalist migration from the Asian Pacific to Canada in the context of globalization. It is argued that transnationalism, and particularly the process of transmigration, provides a new and useful way of theorizing the international migration of capitalists. The focus is on Chinese migrants who enter Canada under the auspices of the Canadian Business Immigration Program as investors and entrepreneurs. The article presents two levels of analysis in theorizing this transnational migration. At the macro level, this migration is explained in the context of global capitalism and capital accumulation. Statistical data are presented illustrating the participation of Chinese from Hong Kong and Taiwan in the programme. These data include a trend analysis of the number of transmigrants and the amount of capital brought to Canada. At the micro level, some transnational social fields are examined utilizing survey research data from interviews with 284 Chinese business migrants who have set up a residence and a business in the city of Vancouver in Canada. More specifically, preliminary evidence of transnational social fields is presented and includes: family and personal social fields, ethnic social fields and business fields.
Development of Social Research in Greece
Authors: Kassimati Koula
Published: March 2007

Social research in Greece, in an organized manner, started in the 1960s with the foundation of the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE). For the following 30 years, both the advancement and problems of social research in the country have depended on the development of the centre. The most significant characteristic of the centre has been its delay in advancing research, in terms of both quantity and quality, when compared to western countries. The actual state of the social sciences and the level of the country's development in general, as well as the lack of demand for applied research has resulted in this delay. Over the past few years, however, more research centres - apart from EKKE - have been founded and research has been promoted in the country especially by the research centres of universities and by funds provided by the European Community for social studies. Finally, social research has been recently promoted because it is increasingly acknowledged that both economic and social problems can be effectively solved with better information and knowledge of the social conditions prevalent in each country.
Climate Change and Society
Authors: Rosa Eugene A. , Dietz Thomas
Published: March 2007

This article traces the long intellectual history that seeks to understand the recursive relationship between variations in the Earth's climate and variations in social structure and cultural practices. Contemporary sociological investigations of this theme have evolved along two paths: the neoidealistic orientation of social constructivism and a neo-realist orientation comprising two complementary approaches. Both orientations are explicated and evaluated, leading to a conclusion that provides programmatic directions.
The Green Movement: a Socio-Historical Exploration
Authors: Galtung Johan
Published: March 2007

The green movement in Western Europe is analysed from three angles. Ideologically it is seen as a movement concerned with all the cracks in the Western social formation, its economy, its security system, its basic structures, its way of life, including its excesses. As such the movement serves as an umbrella movement for a number of partial movements, the most important ones being the ecology, women's and peace movements. However, the Green Movement depends for its success on its ability to give equal primacy to all constituent movements, not declaring that one is more important than the others. Historically the movement can be seen as the last in a series of four transformations of the classical Western social formation, the first being the struggle of the state against the church, the second of the bourgeoisie to rule the state and the third, the working class to get access to the structure created by the preceding transformations. Finally, the movement is characterised sociologically through the recruitment profiles, in terms of motivations and capabilities, and an effort is made to explore why the movement is so weak in France and so strong in Germany and the Nordic countries.
The Impact of Democracy or Repressiveness on the Quality of Life, Income Distribution and Economic Growth Rates
Authors: Weede Erich
Published: March 2007

This paper is a comprehensive attempt to evaluate the effects of a democracy-repressiveness scale on the quality of life, income inequality and economic growth rates. Data analyses refer to the 1980s and as wide a sample as is feasible. Because of problems of data quality and data availability, this constraint affects the inequality analyses much more severely than other analyses. In general, there are no significant effects of democracy or repressiveness on either the quality of life, or income inequality, or economic growth rates. Theoretical arguments for positive or negative relationships are rejected because they tend to rely on tacit (or hidden) as well as implausible assumptions.
War: The Covered Side of Modernity
Authors: Tiryakian Edward A.
Published: March 2007

Although its presence is manifest in all modern societies - in politics, economics and popular culture as well as collective memory - was has indeed been a neglected topic of sociological research, though no discussion of modernity can be complete without it. This article first addresses the question of factors in both the liberal and the socialist traditions that have led to this neglect. Attention is then given to functions of war in the modernization process and beyond this, to the imputed moralism of modern warfare, from the 19th century to the present decade. Since modern war represents the epitome of mobilization, war may be viewed sociologically as a powerful social movement on behalf of a moral cause. A final consideration is the complex relation of war to violence.
Facilitating Science Literacy in a Rural School
Authors: Monhardt Rebecca M. , Monhardt Leigh
Published: March 2007

This study examined the effects of an issue-based science teaching strategy on middle school students in a rural Idaho school. Two eighth-grade classes investigated an issue of local significance—the use of the Bear River. Using the Jurisprudential Inquiry Model of Science, Technology and Society (STS) as a guide, students researched and debated the issue. They attempted to create a Worldwide Web site to share the information collected and ideas generated with other students and interested adults. This article describes the challenges encountered in attempting to integrate the use of technology as part of this project as well as the resulting positive outcomes for students.
Initial Investigation of Jewish Early Adolescents’ Ethnic Identity, Stress, and Coping
Authors: Dubow Eric F. , Pargament Kenneth I. , Boxer Paul , Tarakeshwar Nalini
Published: March 2007

Ethnic identity was examined as a source of stress and as a coping resource among Jewish sixth through eighth graders (N = 75). Over 50% of the students reported having experienced various ethnic-related stressors in the past year (e.g., being restricted from activities due to the Sabbath, experiencing anti-Semitic comments). Jewish early adolescents also endorsed ethnic and religious coping strategies from three coping scale factors: Seeking God’s Direction/Support (e.g., “I ask God to forgive me for the things I did wrong”); Seeking Cultural/Social Support (e.g., “I look forward to the Sabbath”); and Spiritual Struggle (e.g., “I start to wonder whether God can really do everything”). Components of ethnic identity were related positively both to ethnic-related stressors and coping strategies, indicating that although high levels of ethnic identity might heighten Jewish adolescents’ sensitivity to ethnic-related stressors, ethnic identity might serve also as a resource for coping with those stressors.
Attitudes of Young Adolescents Toward Marriage, Divorce, and Children of Divorce
Authors: Paddock-Ellard Karlyn , Thomas Susan
Published: March 2007

Do children of divorce have negative attitudes toward marriage? The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of thirteenand fourteen-year-old early adolescents from intact homes with those of early adolescents of divorce toward marriage, divorce, and children of divorce. A Likert-type scale was administered to 234 eighth grade students. Data were analyzed with two-way analyses of variance (sex by parental marital status). As a whole, the responses were positive on all three measures of attitude, with early adolescents from intact homes exhibiting significantly more positive attitudes than early adolescents of divorce. Respondents indicated that the "child of divorce" status brought about behavioral changes. Further research is needed to explore the nature of these differences.
Polar versus Milestone Variables in Adolescent Ego Development
Authors: Kishton Joseph , Starrett Raymond H. , Lucas Jana L.
Published: March 2007

Ego development and impulsivity data were collected from an early adolescence group (Mean age= 14.8) and a late adolescence group (Mean age= 18.7). Ego development was measured with the Washington University Sentence Completion Test. The WUSCT is a 36-item sentence completion projective test developed by Loevinger. Impulsivity was measured through the use of the impulsivity and risk taking scales developed by Eysenck. The interrater reliability of the WUSCT was established and parcels of ego development, impulsivity, and word count items were entered into a parcel factor analysis. The factor analysis revealed differences in the order and strength of the factors for the two adolescence groups. Ego development was significantly higher in the older group and impulsivity seemed to be a more substantial component of ego functioning for the early adolescence group. The feasibility of factor analyzing the WUSCT was demonstrated and future directions for identity and ego development research were suggested.
Sex Differences in Self-Efficacy and Attributions: Influence of Performance Feedback
Authors: Schunk Dale H. , Lilly Marsha W.
Published: March 2007

This study explored the hypothesis that explicit performance feedback would moderate sex differences in performance expectations (self-efficacy) and attributions. Within this context, this study investigated whether achievement cognitions differed as a function of grade level. Male and female students in grades six and eight judged their self-efficacy for learning a novel mathematical task (residues), after which they individually completed a written packet that provided instruction and practice opportunities. Students received performance feedback by checking answers to alternate problems. Following training, attributions and self-efficacy for solving residue problems were assessed. Although girls initially judged self-efficacy lower than boys, no sex differences were obtained on any measure following training. Sixth graders made higher effort attributions and demonstrated lower residue skill than eighth-grade students. Implications for teaching are discussed.
Picking up the Pieces: The Effects of Parental Divorce on Adolescents with Some Suggestions for School-Based Intervention Programs
Authors: Montemayor Raymond
Published: March 2007

Four aspects of the effects of divorce on adolescents are examined in this review. First, some of the recent changes that have taken place in the American family are examined, specifically changes in the number of divorces. Second, the effects of divorce on adolescent development are reviewed, especially possible consequences on intellectual performance and academic achievement. Also examined are the effects of divorce on personality development and social relations. Third, differences in adolescents' reactions to parental divorce are discussed and some factors which either facilitate or retard adjustment to the divorce of parents are identified. Fourth, some suggestions are made for school-based interventions that might help ameliorate some of the negative consequences of parental divorce on adolescent functioning.
A Naturalistic View of Conflict between Adolescents and their Parents and Siblings
Authors: Montemayor Raymond , Hanson Eric
Published: March 2007

Reports of conflict between adolescents and their parents and siblings were obtained from tenth-graders through interviews conducted over the telephone. The highest levels of conflict were found for the mother adolescent and same-sex sibling relationship, while few conflicts were reported with fathers. Most arguments with parents and siblings were about interpersonal issues and a minority concerned rule enforcement. Withdrawal was the most common conflict resolution technique found with parents and siblings. The results of this study show that disagreements with parents and siblings are equally frequent, largely about the same issues, and resolved in similar ways. These findings cast doubt on the notion that quarrels with parents are really about independence, and support the view that they are simply instances of general interpersonal conflict, which occur whenever the actions of one person interfere with the actions of another.
Individual Adolescents' Perceptions of Interactions with Friends and Parents
Authors: Hunter Fumiyo Tao
Published: March 2007

Two patterns of interactions adolescents experience with friends, mothers, and fathers were examined. They were (a) commands based on greater authority and experience (unilateral) and (b) negotiation and mutual understanding (mutual). 180 subjects aged 12-13, 14-15, and 18-20 years reported, by a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, the frequencies of these patterns in their own experiences. Friends were perceived to interact more mutually than parents who in turn interacted more unilaterally than friends. Correlations of interactions were examined by pairs of relationships (father-mother, father-friend, mother-friend) to determine the individual differences in the interplay among these relationships. In general, adolescents reported interactions with fathers and mothers to be highly concordant, and friends' interactions to be relatively independent of parental interactions. Individual adolescents seemed to experience interactions with both parents as either highly involved or aloof; the degree of involvement with parents did not predict the level of interactions with friends.
Extended Attributional Feedback: Sequence Effects During Remedial Reading Instruction
Authors: Schunk Dale H. , Rice Jo Mary
Published: March 2007

This experiment investigated how the sequence of ability and effort attributional feedback over an extended period influences children's reading comprehension, attributions, and self-efficacy. Children with comprehension deficiencies participated in a training program that included instruction and practice in identifying important ideas. One group of children (ability-ability) periodically received ability feedback, a second group (effort-effort) received effort feedback, a third condition (ability-effort) was given ability feedback during the first half of the training program and effort feedback during the second half, and for a fourth group this sequence was reversed (effort-ability). Children who received ability feedback during the second half of training (ability-ability and effort-ability conditions) developed higher ability attributions and self-efficacy than subjects in the other two conditions. The sequence of extended attributional feedback did not differentially affect skill development. Implications for teaching are discussed.
Systematic Investigation of Critical Variables within a Conditional Reasoning Instructional System Used with Preadolescents
Authors: Lane David S.
Published: March 2007

Preadolescent children received instruction in conditional reasoning in two separate experiments. Both experiments utilized experiential, small group instruction incorporating a Venn diagram format and movable blocks. These experiments investigated two important elements in this previously demonstrated, effective instructional system. Experiment I looked at whether the usage of the Venn diagram format facilitated performance better than another simpler format. Experiment II investigated whether the three-dimensional dynamic elements of the original method are as beneficial as two-dimensional static drawings of the conditional syllogisms. Results indicated that the Venn diagram format is more effective in increasing performance and that pictures may be utilized in instruction. Findings continue to support the effectiveness of this instructional method in improving early adolescents' conditional reasoning performance.
Perception of the Family Environment and Intrafamilial Agreement in Belief Concerning the Adolescent
Authors: Alessandri Steven M. , Wozniak Robert H.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated differences in perception of the family environment between families with a child in early adolescence and those with a child in late adolescence, and the relation between those perceptions and intrafamilial agreement in belief concerning the personal characteristics of the adolescent. Forty-two families and their adolescent children were interviewed in two sessions scheduled a week apart. Interviews were based on the Family Belief Interview Schedule, which presents 15 short vignettes designed to assess parental beliefs about the child and the child's beliefs about parental beliefs. Families additionally completed the Family Environment Scale. Results indicated that (1) parents with younger adolescents perceived more conflict and less organization in the home; (2) younger adolescents perceived their families to be characterized by less conflict than did older adolescents; and (3) families high in intrafamilial agreement in belief perceived themselves to be more cohesive, organized, and controlled. Findings are interpreted within developmental and family systems perspectives.