bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring Layers
Authors: SULLIVAN MERCER L.
Published: March 2007

Recent incidents of mass school shootings are highly unusual in at least three ways besides the severity of the violence involved. The offenders have little prior history of violence, the schools have previously been orderly and safe, and the surrounding communities are low-crime areas. Understanding these incidents thus requires a multilevel framework of inquiry that addresses the nested levels of individual, school, and community. The case of the incident that occurred in Rockdale County, Georgia, in 1999 is compared to a situation of more frequent and routine violence in New York City to illustrate the methodological and substantive problems of such an inquiry. The assumptions and procedures of extended case method are described, contrasted to those of hierarchical regression modeling, and applied to the problem at hand.
Eigenvector Status Proxies in Markov Chain Mobility Models
Authors: Conlisk John , Sommers Paul
Published: March 2007

In Markov chain studies of occupational mobility, an interesting empirical pattern has been reported. Certain transrtion matrix eigenvectors provide surprisingly accurate proxies for occupational status. Through a number of formal illustra tions, this paper suggests why the pattern might in theory be expected, in the occupational mobility context and in other mobility contexts.
Parameter Estimation for Mover-Stayer Models
Authors: MORGAN TIMOTHY M. , ANESHENSEL CAROL S. , CLARK VIRGINIA A.
Published: March 2007

Mover-stayer models provide an important tool for analyzing changes in attitudinal and psychological states over time. Two general methods are presented for estimating the parameters of the mover-stayer model that are asymptotically efficient and straightforward to calculate using available computer programs. These methods provide procedures for estimating parameters for various modifications of the first-order mover-stayer model. Data from a study of depression among adults are used to illustrate how methods for estimating parameters of the mover-stayer model under various hypotheses can be employed to test the validity of the assumptions of the mover-stayer model.
Effect Analysis in Structural-Equation Models II
Authors: FOX JOHN
Published: March 2007

Fox (1980) describes a simplified and general method for calculating path-analytic effect decompositions. This article shows how that method may be extended to the calculation of specific indirect effects, that is, effects mediated by specific intervening variables. The method employs only the information contained in the structural coefficients of the model and is implemented through simple matrix computations. Comparisons are made to other treatments of specific indirect effects, including that of Alwin and Hauser (1975), whose work is generalized.
Estimating Fully Parametric Hazard Rate Models with Time-Dependent Covariates
Authors: PETERSEN TROND
Published: March 2007

This article shows (a) how a widely available algorithm for nonlinear least squares estimation can be accommodated in order to estimate fully parametric hazard rate models by the method of maximum likelihood; (b) how the algorithm allows for a flexible treatment of time-dependent covariates in fully parametric models. An empirical analysis of the duration of jobs illustrates the use of the algorithm. The data are taken from The Norwegian Life History Study for Men. The Appendices discuss and list the algorithm used.
Structural and Circulation Mobility in the Linear Programming Framework
Authors: KRAUZE TADEUSZ K. , SLOMCZYNSKI KAZIMIERZ M.
Published: March 2007

Sobel, Hout, and Duncan criticize the linear programming approach to the analysis of mobility tables on the basis of its four alleged deficiencies. The objections of our critics are that (a) we misconceive the object of mobility research by focusing on observed frequencies; (b) our solution neglects the relationship between a sample and a population; (c) within our approach the intercountry differences cannot be assessed; and (d) we arbitrarily define structural mobility. Upon careful consideration these objections are shown to be invalid. First, we argue that the observed frequencies are fundamental and demonstrate that our approach is oriented toward theoretical problems. Second, we provide a method for computing confidence intervals of structural and circulation mobility. Third, we determine the statistical significance of the intercountry difference in the proportion of circulation mobility. Fourth, we explicitly derive our operationalization of structural mobility from one of the traditional notions. We either show that the objections are incompatible with the canons of empirical science or reject them by demonstrating that our critics' assertions are false.
Community-Level Analyses of Racial Socioeconomic Inequality
Authors: FOSSETT MARK A.
Published: March 2007

A large literature spanning some 35 years investigates variation in racial socioeconomic inequality across communities. A widely accepted hypothesis in this tradition holds that this variation is determined in large part by intercommunity variation in race differences in education. Strong positive correlations between educational inequality and socioeconomic inequality have been reported in many studies and interpreted as support for the thesis. Thus measures of educational inequality are now routinely included as independent variables in community-level analyses of racial socioeconomic inequality (either as controls or as variables of intrinsic interest) and their omission is likely to be criticized by reviewers. The present article argues that this practice is flawed and likely to generate misleading results. It then suggests that disaggregated data must be used in order to take account of the impact of race differences accurately in education on racial socioeconomic inequality. Examples of analyses using disaggregated data are presented, and it is shown that their results contradict the results of a conventional analysis based on the same data. The article thus concludes that the findings of many widely cited studies that include measures of aggregate educational inequality in models of racial socioeconomic inequality must be called into question. Additionally, the article suggests that the relevance of the kinds of issues examined here is not limited to the analyses of inequality, but applies broadly to many other research literatures.
Historical Sociology and Time
Authors: AMINZADE RONALD
Published: March 2007

Historical sociologists have criticized their discipline for a tendency to ignore the temporal dimensions of social life, either by studying the correlates of outcomes rather than the character of temporally connected events or by treating events as surface manifestations of large-scale and long-term processes of change. These critiques have led to a reassessment of the value of narratives and to new methods for mapping historical sequences of events. Yet there has been relatively little discussion of the concepts needed to create a more event-centered historical sociology. This article explores the way in which four different concepts of time-duration, pace, trajectory, and cycle-have been used in recent historical social science. These concepts allow one to analyze the temporal characteristics of connected events that constitute long-term historical processes as well as the way in which actors understand and experience the temporal flow of events. They are most useful, the author argues when employed in a manner that is attentive to the understandings of social actors and the problematic reconstruction of the past. These concepts constitute building blocks for the construction of a more event-centered historical sociology.
Dynamic Career Models and Inequality Research
Authors: BRÜDERL JOSEF
Published: March 2007

This article presents a reexamination of the Sørensen model. This model derives the pattern of individual careers from structural considerations. If longitudinal data on individual careers are available, Sørensen's model provides two methods to infer the underlying structural parameter. This structural parameter gives a useful measure for unequal career chances. An implementation of these methods, using firm data, shows, however, that they lead to contradictory conclusions; this is shown to be the result of some unrealistic assumptions Sørensen uses in his derivation. Some more realistic assumptions are suggested that produce reasonable results. Finally, it is shown that despite these modifications, the main conclusions of the Sørensen model are preserved. This seems to be promising for future work with this model.
Cross-Validation in Regression and Covariance Structure Analysis
Authors: CAMSTRA ASTREA , BOOMSMA ANNE
Published: March 2007

This article gives an overview of cross-validation techniques in regression and covariance structure analysis. The method of cross-validation offers a means for checking the accuracy or reliability of results that were obtained by an exploratory analysis of the data. Cross-validation provides the possibility to select, from a set of alternative models, the model with the greatest predictive validity, that is, the model that cross-validates best. The disadvantage of cross-validation is that the data need to be split in two or more parts. This can be a serious problem when sample size is small. Various authors have therefore tried to find single sample criteria that provide the same kind of information as the cross-validation criteria but that do not require the use of a validation sample. Several of these criteria will be discussed, along with some results from studies comparing cross-validation and single sample criteria in covariance structure analysis.
Field Research on Human Service Encounters
Authors: SPENCER J. WILLIAM
Published: March 2007

Field research on human service encounters (e.g., doctor-patient interaction, policesuspect encounters, counselor-student interviews) has become increasingly diverse in the types of human service organizations studied, the methods used to collect data, and analytic foci. Despite this diversity, the process of assembling a data base has not been subjected to systematic treatment. Field researchers interested in human service encounters face a number of problems and issues, some of which are unique to this type of setting, others of which are common to most field research. The author first delineates some of the problems and issues facing field researchers interested in studying human service encounters. Second, he considers alternative ways of addressing these problems and issues. Problems, issues, and alternative ways of addressing them are considered in light of the specific characteristics of the research setting under study and the analytic focus of the research.
Social Network Analysis
Authors: GALASKIEWICZ JOSEPH , WASSERMAN STANLEY
Published: March 2007

Network analysis has been used extensively in sociology over the last twenty years. This special issue of Sociological Methods & Research reviews the substantive contributions that network analysis has made to five areas: political sociology, interorganizational relations, social support, social influence, and epidemiology. To introduce the novice to current developments in the field, this introductory article presents an overview of the key concepts and methods which are popular among sociologists and which have been used to advance knowledge in these substantive areas. Remaining articles are also discussed briefly, with speculations offered on some of the more promising avenues of inquiry recently under exploration.
Network Studies of Social Influence
Authors: MARSDEN PETER V. , FRIEDKIN NOAH E.
Published: March 2007

Network analysts interested in social influence examine the social foundations for influence—the social relations that provide a basis for the alteration of an attitude or behavior by one network actor in response to another. This article contrasts two empirical accounts of social influence (structural cohesion and equivalence) and describes the social processes (e.g., identification, competition, and authority) presumed to undergird them. It then reviews mathematical models of influence processes involving networks and related statistical models used in data analysis. Particular attention is given to the “network effects” model. A number of empirical studies of social influence are reviewed. The article concludes by identifying several problems of specification, research design, and measurement and suggesting some research that would help to resolve these problems.
Model Selection Strategies and the Use of Association Models to Detect Group Differences
Authors: WONG RAYMOND SIN-KWOK
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the use of association models to detect group differences and the choice of model selection criteria under different conditions. The performances of several commonly used model selection criteria in log-linear modeling are examined using Monte Carlo simulations. The results suggest that no single criterion can play the role of panacea in model selection. L2/ df, normed fit index (NFI) (or 1 - L12/L02), and Akaike's information criterion (AIC) are systematically biased toward models incorporating group differences. The log-likelihood ratio test (LRT), in conjunction with the nested chi-square difference test, is useful for samples with moderate sizes. Bayesian information criterion (BIC) is most reliable among the measures tested. It consistently provides correct information about group differences in association, especially when the sample size is large. Although BIC may give equivocal results under certain conditions, the ambiguities can be mitigated by an inclusion of competing models and a cautious interpretation of any small improvement in BIC.
Data Analysis Using Mathematica
Authors: STINE ROBERT A.
Published: March 2007

The programming features of Mathematica allow one to augment this symbolic computing package with a variety of data analysis tools. Shown here are brief programs for kernel density estimation, robust regression, and bootstrap resampling. The programs take advantage of the numerous functions that are built into Mathematica, particularly those for graphics and iterative calculations. The illustrative analysis of the Duncan occupational status data includes surface plots of a quadratic regression surface and shows how to save, combine, and overlay graphics. In addition, the simulated data analysis session exploits the symbolic algebra capabilities of Mathematica to obtain the optimal smoothing parameter for a kernel density.
Feeling Thermometers Versus 7-Point Scales
Authors: ALWIN DUANE F.
Published: March 2007

This study addresses the issue of the relation between the number of response categories used in survey questions and the quality of measurement. Several hypotheses, derived from relevant theory and research, are tested through a comparison between 7- and 11-category rating scales used in the 1978 Quality of Life Survey. One hypothesis derived from information theory, that rating scales with more response categories transmit a greater amount of information and are therefore inherently more precise in their measurement, is strongly supported. A second hypothesis, that questions with greater numbers of response categories are more vulnerable to systematic measurement errors or shared method variance, is rejected. This study supports the conclusion that questions with more categories are both more reliable and more valid.
Robustness Studies in Covariance Structure Modeling
Authors: HOOGLAND JEFFREY J. , BOOMSMA ANNE
Published: March 2007

In covariance structure modeling, several estimation methods are available. The robustness of an estimator against specific violations of assumptions can be determined empirically by means of a Monte Carlo study. Many such studies in covariance structure analysis have been published, but the conclusions frequently seem to contradict each other. An overview of robustness studies in covariance structure analysis is given, and an attempt is made to generalize findings. Robustness studies are described and distinguished from each other systematically by means of certain characteristics. These characteristics serve as explanatory variables in a meta-analysis concerning the behavior of parameter estimators, standard error estimators, and goodness-of-fit statistics when the model is correctly specified.
Testing for Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives
Authors: FRY TIM R. L. , HARRIS MARK N.
Published: March 2007

In a recent article, Zhang and Hoffman discuss the use of discrete choice logit models in sociological research. In the present article, the authors estimate a multinomial logit model of U.K. Magistrates Courts sentencing using a data set collected by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) and test the independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) property using six tests. Conducting the tests with the appropriate large sample critical values, the authors find that the acceptance or rejection of IIA depends both on which test and which variant of a given test is used. The authors then use simulation techniques to assess the size and power performance of the tests. The empirical example is revisited with the inferences performed using empirical critical values obtained by simulation, and the resultant inferences are compared. The results show that empirical workers should exercise caution when testing for IIA.
Specifications of Models for Cross-Classified Counts
Authors: BECKER MARK P. , MINICK SUSAN , YANG ILSOON
Published: March 2007

Log-linear models are useful for analyzing cross-classifications of counts arising in sociology, but it has been argued that in some cases, an alternative approach for formulating models—one based on simultaneously modeling univariate marginal logits and marginal associations—can lead to models that are more directly relevant for addressing the kinds of questions arising in those cases. In this article, the authors explore some of the similarities and differences between the log-linear models approach to modeling categorical data and a marginal modeling appraoch. It has been noted in past literature that the model of statistical independence is conveniently represented within both approaches to specifying models for cross-classifications of counts. The authors examine further the extent to which the two families of models overlap, as well as some important differences. The authors do not present a complete characterization of the conditions describing the intersection of the two families of models but cover many of the models for bivariate contingency tables and for three-way contingency tables that are routinely used in sociological research.
Using Path Diagrams as a Structural Equation Modeling Tool
Authors: SPIRTES PETER , RICHARDSON THOMAS , MEEK CHRISTOPHER , SCHEINES RICHARD , GLYMOUR CLARK
Published: March 2007

A linear structural equation model (SEM) without free parameters has two parts: a probability distribution and an associated path diagram corresponding to the causal relations among variables specified by the structural equations and the correlations among the error terms. This article shows how path diagrams can be used to solve a number of important problems in structural equation modeling; for example, How much do sample data underdetermine the correct model specification? Given that there are equivalent models, is it possible to extract the features common to those models? When a modeler draws conclusions about coefficients in an unknown underlying SEM from a multivariate regression, precisely what assumptions are being made about the SEM? The authors explain how the path diagram provides much more than heuristics for special cases; the theory of path diagrams helps to clarify several of the issues just noted.
Rejecting violence: Sacrifice and the social identity of trading communities
Authors: Babb Lawrence A.
Published: March 2007

In recent decades Agravāl leaders have been promoting a centre for caste pilgrimage at Agroha, the supposed place of Agravāl origin, and an associated Agravāl origin myth. Analysis reveals that this origin myth belongs to a class of similar origin myths found among North Indian trading castes. The central element in these myths is the ancient rite of sacrifice. The origin myths of the Khandelvāl Vaiśyas. Māheśvarıs, and Khandelvāl Jains all attempt to show how the caste in question acquired its current identity and social persona because of an alienation from the sacrifice, followed by a restoration to the rite on a new basis (or in the case of the Jains, a shift to an alternative ritual order). Variants of the Agravāl origin myth being publicised currently are often presented in a context suggesting social and scientific modernity, but underlying contemporary retellings we find the same sacrificial symbolism seen in the myths of other trading castes.
Construing Disagreement
Authors: SHIFFMAN GARY
Published: March 2007

The danger of disturbing the public tranquillity by interesting too strongly the public passions is a still more serious objection against a frequent reference of constitutional questions to the decision of the whole society.

—James Madison, Federalist 49

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.

—Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?”
I. Knowledge and Sorrow
Authors: Diggins John Patrick
Published: March 2007

In much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

— Ecclesiastes
Democracy, Difference, and Re-cognition
Authors: WOLIN SHELDON S.
Published: March 2007

To act collectively is according to the spirit of our institutions.

Thoreau
Achilles, Socrates, and Democracy
Authors: HOLWAY RICHARD
Published: March 2007

Socrates: Euthyphro, you think that you have such accurate knowledge of things divine, and what is holy and unholy, that... you can accuse your father? You are not afraid that you yourself are doing an unholy deed?

Euthyphro: Why Socrates, if I did not have an accurate knowledge of all that, I should be good for nothing, and Euthyphro would be no different from the general run of men.

( Euthyphro, 4e-5a)
Simian Sovereignty
Authors: GOODIN ROBERT E. , PATEMAN CAROLE , PATEMAN ROY
Published: March 2007

It seems to me that we should aim at something very much like this today: protected spaces of many different sorts matched to the needs of the different tribes.

Michael Walzer (1994)

They [animals] are not brethren, they are not underlings, they are other Nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.

Henry Beston (1928)
READING AND TELEVISION
Authors: ROBERTS DONALD F. , BACHEN CHRISTINE M. , HORNBY MELINDA C. , HERNANDEZ-RAMOS PEDRO
Published: March 2007

How does television affect children's reading skill development? The relationship between television behavior and reading achievement is examined within a conceptual framework of television and reading constructs such as media availability and parental media behavior, children's use of print and broadcast media, and measures of their attitudes and orientations toward television and print. The framework is examined for children at three different stages of reading development. Five principal constructs—socioeconomic status, print and television home environment, amount of media use, orientations toward print and television, and involvement with print and television—are used to predict reading achievement in regression analyses performed separately for each grade cohort.
PUMPING COMPETITION INTO POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
Authors: CLARKE PETER , EVANS SUSAN H.
Published: March 2007

American politics at local levels has lost its synchronization among three important elements. First is the boundaries of electoral units, like congressional districts; second is the margins of media markets in which political news circulates; and third is the sources of funding for election campaigns. Threats to citizens' competence in public affairs result from lack of harmony among these three structures. Our study of press coverage of House elections illustrates how fragile the system of local political journalism has become. We propose that tax incentives be developed inviting television news, distributed in nonbroadcast form, to enter the arena of local political information. We seek to increase public involvement by drawing the culture's most popular medium into reporting about competitive politics, within jurisdictions where citizens cast their ballots.
Discretionary Data Bases
Authors: THORN BRIAN K. , CONNOLLY TERRY
Published: March 2007

Organizational members routinely have access to information that may benefit other employees and that may be shared through new information technologies. This discretionary information can be viewed as having the properties of a public good, enabling the development of a number of powerful propositions from a few simple assumptions. Generally, discretionary information will be undersupplied. A conceptual framework is developed to propose that reduced contribution rates occur in the following situations: a) greater contribution costs, b) larger groups of participants, c) lower values of information to participants, and d) greater asymmetries in information value and benefits across participants. A series of experiments are reported that provide preliminary support for these expectations. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research.
The Influence of Communication Technologies on Organizational Structure
Authors: ALLEN THOMAS J. , HAUPTMAN OSCAR
Published: March 2007

The article presents a conceptual model that hypothesizes how information technologies may assist in accomplishing two key functions of communication in research and development. The first function is to provide state-of-the-art information on the organizational technologies that are employed. This function is typically carried out via a functional organization structure, which groups together individuals with similar technical specialties. The second function is to accomplish coordination across technical specialties applied to the same task or project. This is typically accomplished by a project form of organization, which groups together individuals working on the same task. The cost of selecting one structure is the loss of the advantages of the other. Information technologies, such as electronic mail, computer conferencing, bulletin boards, and document search and retrieval systems, may be employed to augment the chosen structure and compensate to some degree for its limitations.
The Influence of Intraparty Political Debates on Candidate Preference
Authors: PFAU MICHAEL
Published: March 2007

This study examined the influence of intraparty political debates during the 1984 presidential campaign. The results indicated that intraparty debates exert significant influence on viewer attitudes about participating candidates and on viewer interest in the political campaign. The study demonstrated that candidate violations of viewer expectations provide a useful theoretical explanation for significant shifts in viewer attitudes and preferences.
Innovations and Organizations
Authors: VAN DE VEN ANDREW H. , ROGERS EVERETT M.
Published: March 2007

This article presents an overview of research on innovations and organizations in order to suggest future research directions. Within recent years a considerable amount of research has been conducted on the topic of innovation in organizations. We are critical of past research on innovation in organizations, and call for a focus on process research in future investigations of this topic. We call for moving from a stage-by-stage conception of the innovation process to a dynamic, continuous conception in which the variables involved in innovation are sequenced and analyzed through time.
Communication Network Patterns and Employee Performance With New Technology
Authors: PAPA MICHAEL J.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between employee performance with new technology and employee communication network variables (activity, size, diversity, and integrativeness) was investigated in a field study of 301 employees from two corporate offices. Comparisons were also made with individual levels of past productivity. In both offices (A and B) multiple regression analysis revealed significant positive relationships between three network factors (diversity, size, and activity) and employee productivity with new technology. In Office B past productivity also emerged as a significant predictor of productivity with new technology. A post hoc analysis revealed that all four network factors in Office A, three network factors in Office B (diversity, size, and activity), and past productivity (both offices) were significant predictors of the speed with which employees increased their productivity ratings. Finally, in Office A one employee discovered an improved method (a reinvention) for using the new technology. A second post hoc analysis revealed that network diversity, network integrativeness, and network size were significant predictors of how quickly the employees implemented the reinvention.
Family Communication Patterns
Authors: RITCHIE L. DAVID , FITZPATRICK MARY ANNE
Published: March 2007

Mass communication researchers interested in family communication have traditionally assumed that family norms are shared by all family members, and apparent disagreement about family norms has been ascribed to instrument unreliability. A survey of 308 adolescent children and their parents, using a revised Family Communication Pattern (RFCP) instrument, yields evidence of systematic patterns of agreement and disagreement between mothers and fathers as well as between parents and children. Seventh-grade children are more likely to share their mothers' views on concept-orientation and their father's views on socio-orientation; by the 11th grade the opposité pattern holds. These results suggest that future work on family communication cannot ignore the influence of intrafamilial patterns of agreement and disagreement on communication norms defining the family.
Reconsidering the Displacement Hypothesis
Authors: MUTZ DIANA C. , ROBERTS DONALD F. , VUUREN D. P. van
Published: March 2007

This study addresses continuing concern over television's displacement of other leisure activities form both substantive and methodological perspectives. It examines past conceptualizations of the mechanism by which television is assumed to displace other activities. Following a critical review of the displacement literature, the authors examine data from an 8-year panel study of the introduction of television to South Africa and use a variety of methodological approaches to illustrate a major source of inconsistency in findings from previous studies. The displacement mechanism is found to be asymmetric in nature; that is, although increases in television viewing force out some other activities, decreases in television viewing do not result in parallel increases in levels of any of these activities. This pattern of findings was most pronounced in the case of radio use and movie attendance. Implications for conceptualization of the displacement process are discussed in relation to these findings.
Cultivation in the Newer Media Environment
Authors: PERSE ELIZABETH M. , FERGUSON DOUGLAS A. , McLEOD DOUGLAS M.
Published: March 2007

The cultivation perspective holds that heavy exposure to television's consistent messages leads viewers to be more fearful and mistrustful of others. The widespread adoption and use of new television technologies, however, may alter how television viewing cultivates social reality beliefs by allowing for greater programming diversity and greater viewer control. Two random-digit-dialed telephone surveys of adults in two U.S. cities were conducted to test the impact of cable, VCRs, and remote control devices on fear of crime and interpersonal mistrust. It was found that whereas interpersonal mistrust was linked to greater exposure to cable's broadcast-type channels, both fear of crime and mistrust were negatively related to increased exposure to more specialized and diverse cable channels. Fear of crime was also linked negatively to VCR ownership. The discussion suggests that mass communication researchers continue to explore the impact of new television technologies on traditional media effects.
Individual Differences in Responses to Social Influence Attempts
Authors: ALVARO EUSEBIO M. , BURGOON MICHAEL
Published: March 2007

A propositional framework, drawing on social-cognition models and explaining how highly misanthropic individuals respond differently to influence attempts, is advanced. A pilot study (N = 893 adults) was completed to answer specific research questions, determine the psychometric adequacy of the measurement model, and empirically test key assumptions of the theoretical formulation. Then, five theoretically derived hypotheses about message reception and acceptance were tested in two separate research efforts (N = 215 and 202 adults). Three additional hypotheses were tested and replicated concerning the positive relationship between misanthropy and the avoidance of health care. Support for all hypotheses was obtained. In addition, results indicated that, as suggested in past research, respondents high in misanthropy report higher actual incidence of stress-related diseases. Discussion of the theoretical import of these results for social influence researchers as well as the practical utility of the findings to people interested in developing mass-mediated disease prevention and control campaigns is offered.
Who Sets the Agenda
Authors: BROSIUS HANS-BERND , WEIMANN GABRIEL
Published: March 2007

This study examines four models of a two-step flow of the agenda-setting process, highlighting the role played by certain individuals (early recognizers ) in mediating between the public and the media. The data sets contained coding of news items on the major German television networks from 1990 to 1993 and 28 surveys conducted in West and East Germany between September 1990 and December 1992, sampling over 1,000 individuals in each survey to study the public agenda. The findings highlight the role of early recognizers, not only in identifying emerging issues in the media and diffusing them among the public but also in affecting the media agenda. The study's important contribution lies in identifying the flow of issues from the public to the media and within the public, thus reviving, to some extent, the notion of the two-step flow of communication.
Policing the Police: Surveillance and the Predilection for Leniency
Authors: SCHELLENBERG KATHRYN
Published: March 2007

By raising the visibility of frontline police work, emerging technologies such as mobile audiovisual systems offer the potential to alter officers' discretionary behavior. In this study, 265 Canadian officers were asked to speculate on how they would handle a hypothetical traffic offense. Half were asked to imagine their actions were being videotaped, whereas the other half were not presented with this request. Descriptive and multivariate analyses showed that responses were shaped by a complex interplay of factors. The study concluded that surveillance can encourage, as well as inhibit, the police predilection for lenience.
The Effectiveness of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire in Predicting Offenders' Postrelease Outcome
Authors: LOZA WAGDY , LOZA-FANOUS AMEL
Published: March 2007

The goal of the present research was to examine the effectiveness of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) in predicting release outcome as compared to other well-established risk prediction measures. The SAQ is a self-report measure designed to predict offenders' postrelease out-come. The SAQ was administered along with four similar, but clinician-administered, measures to 68 federally sentenced Canadian male offenders prior to their release into the community. Data were collected for a 2-year follow-up period at six 4-month intervals. Outcome criteria measures were general recidivism, violent recidivism, and any failure (a composite measure recording failure on any of the following variables: negative parole reports, violation of parole conditions, incurring new charges, or a new conviction). Although the SAQ was the most economical of the comparable tools, results demonstrated that it was at least as effective as the four other measures in predicting postrelease outcome.
Occupational Tedium among Prison Officers
Authors: SHAMIR BOAZ , DRORY AMOS
Published: March 2007

This study describes sources of occupational stress in the prison officer's job and investigates their relationships with tedium—defined as a general experience of physical, emotional, and attitudinal exhaustion. Custodial personnel from four maximum security Israeli prisons participated in the study (N = 201). The measured sources of stress incude role conflicts of several types, fear and danger, role overload, role ambiguity, job scope, working conditions, and several types of social support. The variables making the largest unique contributions to the variance in tedium are role overload, management support, and societal support. The relationships between job tenure, sources of stress, and tedium are also explored, and the practical implications of the findings are discussed.
The Mentally Retarded Offender in the State Prison System
Authors: DENKOWSKI GEORGE C. , DENKOWSKI KATHRYN M.
Published: March 2007

This study established a current average national estimate of the prevalence of mental retardation among state prison inmates, and gathered information regarding their adjustment to incarceration and rehabilitative services provided them. It was determined that an average of 2% or about 7,600 inmates are mentally retarded, and that the number presently confined in all types of correctional settings is approximately 12,640. That relatively low figure was attributed to the emergence of various diversion processes and improved psychometric practice, and it was expected that these ongoing trends would reduce this prevalence rate even further in the future. It was also concluded that the mentally retarded do not adjust well to prison life, and that the mentally retarded do not adjust well to prison life, and that supplemental rehabilitation services for them at those sites had not expanded appreciably over the past two decades.
Assessing Juvenile Sexual Offenders' Risk for Reoffending
Authors: SMITH WAYNE R. , MONASTERSKY CAREN
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this research was to investigate how best to identify juvenile sexual offenders who are likely to reoffend. The juvenile justice records of 112 male juvenile sexual offenders were examined. Information obtained during evaluation at a specialized, community-based program was compared with records of subsequent sexual and nonsexual reoffending. Certain characteristics of the referral offense and aspects of the offender's clinical presentation were found to be reliably related to reoffending; on several dimensions the nonsexual reoffenders differed markedly from the sexual reoffenders. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify the combination of predictor variables that best discriminated reoffense groups.
The Nature and Correlates of Psychological/Emotional Functioning among a Sample of Detained Youths
Authors: DEMBO RICHARD , LA VOIE LAWRENCE , SCHMEIDLER JAMES , WASHBURN MARK
Published: March 2007

This study explores the relationships between a sample of detained juveniles' specific problems and their psychological orientations. It was proposed that for youths who are in trouble with the law, specific behavioral difficulties (e.g., substance abuse) would be associated with the youths' psychological orientation to a deviant lifestyle. Analysis of a sample of 145 status offender and juvenile delinquent cases revealed a significant positive association among “antisocial” orientation and physical abuse, illicit drug use, repeated placements in secure detention, and self-derogation. These relationships held when controlling for the effects of gender, age, and ethnicity. These results support the view that specific behavior problems are related to a valuation of a deviant lifestyle. The implications of these results for service providers are discussed.
Intellectual Imbalance and Delinquency
Authors: WALSH ANTHONY , PETEE THOMAS A. , BEYER J. ARTHUR
Published: March 2007

This study compares the degree of delinquency involvement of V > P and P > V imbalanced delinquents with intellectually balanced (P=V) delinquents. It was found that P > V subjects were overrepresented and V > P subjects were underrepresented in our sample compared with expectations derived from a normative sample. It was also found that intellectual imbalance, regardless of direction, was significantly related to delinquency involvement. This finding held when controlling for social class and race.
Lesbianism among Women Prisoners
Authors: LEGER ROBERT G.
Published: March 2007

This research identifies various factors related to lesbianism in prison and attempts to place the findings into the perspective of the importation-deprivation debate concerning the origins of inmate attitudes. When compared to nonparticipants in homosexual behavior, lesbians were found to have histories of previous confinements, longer sentences, served more time, been initially arrested at an earlier age, a higher endorsement of the inmate code and feminist values, and higher levels of conflict-aggression. Further, these variables were positively related to amount of participation in lesbian activities. A key factor that differentiated the lesbian subsample was the respondent's age at her first gay experience. The most criminalistic, feministic, aggressive, and homosexually active women in the institution were those whose first gay experience preceded their initial arrest. The implications of this finding are discussed from a sex-roles perspective.
Knowledge of Social Skills among Institutionalized Juvenile Delinquents
Authors: VENEZIANO CAROL , VENEZIANO LOUIS
Published: March 2007

A number of researchers have developed social skills training programs for juvenile delinquents, based on the assumption that they lack social skills. In order to assess knowledge of social skills among juvenile delinquents, a sample of 411 adolescent offenders was obtained. The sample consisted of all adjudicated male delinquents aged 12 to 15 admitted to a state training school over a sixteen-month period of time. Data were obtained on a measure of knowledge of social skills, the Adolescent Problems Inventory (API), along with a variety of measures of personality, behavioral, social intellectual, and educational skills. The adolescents were divided into three groups: a group competent in knowledge of social skills, a group that was incompetent, and one that was moderately competent. Analyses of variance among these three groups suggested that they differed along a number of dimensions. In particular, the group that had the lowest scores in terms of knowledge of social skills appeared to have a wide variety of behavioral difficulties. The usefulness of social skills assessment in terms of classification is discussed, as are implications for treatment.
Delinquency Prevention and Treatment
Authors: CLEMENTS CARL B.
Published: March 2007

A general rationale for community-centered delinquency programs is presented. Several theories are described that provide guidance for prevention and intervention efforts. The most robust psychological model for intervention, it is argued, appears to be cognitive-behaviorism. Applications, however, must also address community practices which exacerbate delinquency. Successful programs and strategies aimed at diversion, neighborhoods, families, and school are reviewed and future directions are suggested.
Street Gangs and Preventive Interventions
Authors: THOMPSON DAVID W. , JASON LEONARD A.
Published: March 2007

This article presents an evaluation of an intervention aimed at youth at risk for joining street gangs. In a quasi-experimental design, targeted youth were assigned to one of two levels of treatment (classroom sessions or a combination of classroom sessions and structured after-school activities) or to a no-treatment control group. To ascertain gang membership following the intervention, the youths' names were compared with gang membership rosters obtained from informants. Four members of the control group and one receiving youth receiving the more intensive intervention were subsequently identified as gang members. Implications of the study for public policy are considered, methodological difficulties in conducting research in this area are discussed, and future research directions are suggested.
Going to the Penitentiary
Authors: POMMERSHEIM FRANK , WISE STEVE
Published: March 2007

This article examines the sentencing patterns involving Indian and non-Indian male felons incarcerated in the South Dakota State Penitentiary during the period from 1981 through 1985. The study reveals no systemic, statistically significant patterns of discrimination in the sentencing process that result in commitment to the state penitentiary. This conclusion remained true when important factors such as prior record, county of conviction, and the judge imposing the sentence were introduced as controls. These results, however, must be viewed with caution with respect to cases of individual discrimination and the potential of discrimination at other critical decisional points in the criminal justice process such as arrest, probation, and parole decisions.
Circumstances Surrounding Homicides by Older Offenders
Authors: KRATCOSKI PETER C.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the findings of an extensive study of nonjustifiable homicides committed by persons age 60 or older in three large American cities. The relationship between victim and assailant (spouse, relative, or acquaintance) and the circumstances surrounding the homicide event, including location, situation leading up to the assault, use of alcohol or drugs by either the victim or assailant immediately before the incident, and mode of assault or weapon used, are described. Analysis of the homicide-suicide phenomenon is also included. Of particular interest is the fact that all homicide-suicide incidents reported involved a suicide by a husband after murder of his wife.
Rape Reporting as a Function of Victim-Offender Relationship:
Authors: POLLARD PAUL
Published: March 2007

Bachman (1993), studying a National Crime Survey sample between 1987 and 1990, concluded that rape survivors were not more likely to report to the police if the victimization was perpetrated by a stranger, and she suggested that because of recent legal reforms and media campaigns “particularly victims of date and acquaintance rape... may be no longer as hesitant to report a rape as they once were” (p. 265). It is argued here that the study provided no evidence for this contention, especially with respect to date rape, for the following reasons: (a) There is some question as to whether or not the analysis should have concluded that the relationship between reporting and knowing the offender was significant; (b) even if considered nonsignificant, the interpretation of the result was inappropriate in terms of both the classical logic of hypothesis testing and more recent discussions of the use of significance tests; (c) there was no evidence of a change over time; and (d) the composition of the sample was not sufficiently representative of all types of victim-offender relationship for inferences, particularly about attacks on dates, to be drawn. Given the likely composition of the sample, it would be expected to produce a weak effect of acquaintance, which is exactly what it did.