bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural Specificity of Approaches to Studying in Higher Education: A Comparative Investigation Using the Approaches to Studying Inventory
Authors: Richardson John T. E.
Published: March 2007

An investigation was carried out on approaches to learning among students at a university in the United States using a short form of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. The factor structure of their responses was qualitatively different from that obtained in a previous investigation of students in the United Kingdom. Although the broad distinction between a meaning orientation to studying and a reproducing orientation to studying was replicated, the factor composition of these orientations was radically different from the subscale structure of the inventory. These findings indicate that these basic study orientations are interpreted in a manner that is distinctive to each particular cultural context.
A Monte Carlo Study of Constrained Factor Analysis Using Maximum Likelihood and Unweighted Least Squares
Authors: Wolins Leroy
Published: March 2007

From each of 105 samples of 300 observations each and from each of 87 samples of 3,000 each, constrained factor analyses of 96 normally distributed variables arranged in a three-stage hierarchical structure were computed by maximum likelihood (ML) and unweighted least squares (ULS). It was evident that ULS not only takes less time and computer resources than does ML, but also leads to better estimates for small sample sizes. It was also evident that when a large number of variables are loaded highly on a factor, especially when those variables have high communalities, the adverse effects of small sample size are somewhat diminished. Finally, it was evident that the occurrence of a boundary problem does not necessarily detract from the overall validity of a solution.
Psychometric Properties of the Revised Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales
Authors: Ferrari Joseph R. , Wesley Joseph C. , Wolfe Raymond N. , Erwin Carrie N. , Bamonto Suzanne M. , Beck Brett L.
Published: March 2007

The 60-item version of Grasha and Riechmann's Student Learning Style Scales (six scales, 10 items per scale) was administered to a large sample of college freshmen on each of three campuses (total N = 870) in the northeast. The Participative, Avoidant, and Collaborative scales showed acceptable internal consistency, but the Dependent, Independent, and Competitive scales did not. Factor analyses of items and scales produced no solution approximating simple structure in any sample. Neither items nor scales yielded a factor pattern resembling the theoretical structure postulated by Grasha and Riechmann in any sample, although scale scores in two samples yielded a Participative-Avoidant factor that is one of the theoretical dimensions. Properties of the 60-item version are thus very similar to those reported for an earlier 90-item version.
The Development and Validation of an Index of Emotional Disposition and Mood State: The Chinese Affect Scale
Authors: Hamid P. Nicholas , Cheng Sheung-Tak
Published: March 2007

A short measure of trait and state negative and positive affect (Chinese Affect Scale) was developed for Chinese-speaking people. From indigenously derived affect markers the characteristic two-factor structure of affect was derived in both a student and an adult sample in Hong Kong. Scores from the resulting negative (NA) and positive (PA) affect scales had reasonable internal and retest reliabilities and high convergent and discriminant validity, with NA correlating with neuroticism, negative self-appraisal, stress, and pessimism; and PA correlating with extraversion, positive self-appraisal, optimism, and self-esteem. Both state NA and PA versions of the scales were shown to be sensitive to episodal mood changes over life events (daily log), to laboratory mood induction, and to movie themes for moviegoers in a field setting. The psychometric properties of the CAS were replicable in the student and adult samples.
A Program for Constructing and Scoring Several Types of Ratings Scales and Checklists
Authors: Aiken Lewis R.
Published: March 2007

This article describes a set of 11 menu-driven procedures, written in BASICA for MS-DOS-based microcomputers, for constructing several types of rating scales, attitude scales, and checklists, as well as for scoring responses to the constructed instruments. The program can facilitate the construction and scoring of bipolar, forced-choice, graphic, numerical, semantic differential, and standard rating scales, as well as Likert-type attitude scales, questionnaires for comparing and ranking persons, and checklists of behaviors and characteristics.
An Exploratory Factor Analysis of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents with Academically Talented Students
Authors: Worrell Frank C.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the factor structure of Susan Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents in a group of 248 academically talented adolescents. Exploratory factor analytic strategies indicated that four of Harter's eight factors (Scholastic Competence, Athletic Competence, Job Competence, and Behavioral Conduct) were substantially replicated. Results also indicated that items on four additional subscales (Social Acceptance, Physical Appearance, Romantic Appeal, and Close Friendship) were tapping the domains of general attractiveness and peer support. It was suggested that the psychometric properties of the postulated subscales be examined across ages and groups to determine their generalizability and that attention be given to obtaining concurrent and predictive validity evidence.
MINSIZE: A Computer Program for Obtaining Minimum Sample Size as an Indicator of Effect Size
Authors: Morse David T.
Published: March 2007

Several journals, including Educational and Psychological Measurement, have adopted author guidelines that call for determining the minimum sample size necessary for a given result to have been declared statistically significant. MINSIZE, an MS-DOS computer program that permits the user to determine the minimum sample size needed for the results of a given analysis to be statistically significant, is described. Program applications for statistical significance tests based on z, t, r, F, or x2 statistics are provided. Explanation of the program's operation is given for each of the types of statistics, and examples are furnished.
Book Reviews
Authors: Thompson Bruce
Published: March 2007

This book review first explores the treatment within the volume What If There Were No Significance Tests? of five selected major themes: (a) effect sizes, (b) the "nil" null hypothesis, (c) power and the "file drawer" problem, (d) language use, and (e) replicability evidence. Relevant literature is also cited in each area. Then, a brief review of the 14 chapters is presented, and some summary comments are offered.
Testing Measurement Models for Factorial Invariance: A Systematic Approach
Authors: Rensvold Roger B. , Cheung Gordon W.
Published: March 2007

Comparing different groups (e.g., cultures, age cohorts) using survey-type instruments raises the question of factorial invariance, that is, whether or not members of different groups ascribe the same meanings to survey items. This article attempts to advance multi-group research by (a) providing a concise summary of the factorial invariance problem, (b) proposing a simplified notation intended to facilitate discussion of the problem, and (c) suggesting a structured approach for testing large models. This procedure is illustrated using an extended example. Two computer programs designed to make the recommended procedures less laborious are offered.
A Primary- and Second-Order Component Analysis of the Organizational Identification Questionnaire
Authors: Johnson William L. , Johnson Annabel M. , Heimberg Felix
Published: March 2007

This study examined the factor structure of the Organizational Identification Question-naire (OIQ), the most widely used instrument today for the assessment of organizational identification. An analysis of a sample of social service employees in the southwestern United States ( N = 369) yielded four first-order and two second-order components. This study contributes to the research literature pertaining to the structure of the OIQ.
The Structure of the Job Responsibilities Scale: a Multimethod Analysis
Authors: Ludlow Larry H.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Job Responsibilities Scale (JRS). This article illustrates how factor analysis, cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and item response theory may be viewed as related data analyses, each capable of shedding insight into the structural dynamics of items designed to function as a measurement scale. Results of the analyses show that (a) the JRS measures a continuum of increasingly greater job responsibility tasks, and (b) each method of statistical analysis provides unique, yet complementary, evidence in support of the JRS continuum.
Perceptions of the Energy Crisis
Authors: Hummel Carl F. , Levitt Lynn , Loomis Ross J.
Published: March 2007

Two representative samples of residents living in a Colorado community were surveyed during acute and chronic stages of the 1973 gasoline shortage. The "Acute Sample" was surveyed during a period when gasoline was suddenly difficult to find. The "Chronic Sample" was surveyed after the energy problem had been established, and respondents expected more future effects of the energy "crisis" than had acute sample respondents. Support was assessed for the following three types of pro-energy actions: (1) voluntary as well as (2) mandatory actions that had benefits for energy and air pollution problems but entailed lifestyle costs, and (3) actions with energy benefits but environment costs. For both samples, results indicated levels of decreasing support in the order given above. However, significant increases in support for mandatory actions and environment-costs actions were obtained for the chronic as compared to the acute sample. Principal analysis of data involved five stepwise regression analyses for each sample. Five criteria (or dependent variables) were derived from the three types of pro-energy actions and two trade-off measures with air pollution abatement as the only stated benefit. Applications of the findings were made to the current situation of mandatory proposals and environmental costs.
A Nested Analysis for Data Collected from Groups
Authors: Schiffenbauer Allen , Schulman Robert , Poe Donald
Published: March 2007

Traditionally, most crowding research involves the observation of subjects in groups formed either by manipulation in the laboratory or by natural factors in field studies. The conventional analysis of such data employs the group mean (or median) as the experimental unit and results in large numbers of individuals being observed to yield comparatively few degrees of freedom for the statistical tests of treatment effects. This paper examines the difference between dependent and independent responses and suggests that, for the case of independence, a nested analysis of variance model is appropriate. The advantages of this analytic approach are explained, and conditions are discussed under which more powerful test of treatment effects may be obtained.
Population Size, Structural Differentiation, and Human Behavior
Authors: Sadalla Edward K.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews evidence which indicates that the sheer size of an urban center has important social and psychological consequences. The size of an urban milieu tends to be associated with the degree of social role differentiation present in the milieu, with larger cities manifesting more structural differentiation. Available literature suggests the size combined with structural differentiation is related to psychological and behavioral variables such as anonymity, deindividuation, deviance, personality development, and competitive-cooperative social interaction strategies.
Social Class and Mass Environmental Beliefs
Authors: Buttel Frederick H. , Flinn William L.
Published: March 2007

The previous literature on the socioeconomic correlates of environmental concern places great stress on the middle class being more supportive of environmental agendas than the working or lower socioeconomic class. We argue that certain methodological problems in this research and the theoretical implications of the proenvironmental middle-class generalization warrant an empirical reconsideration. We then find that social class indicators explain relatively little variance in environmental attitudes accounted for by "class." However, education is not related to environmental beliefs in an unambiguous linear fashion. Education is subordinate to age as a predictor of environmental attitudes, and much of the gross effect of education is the spurious result of the generally high educational backgrounds of young adults. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research for sociology of environmental problems theory.
Urban Service and Environmental Stressor
Authors: Baldassare Mark , Knight Robert , Swan Sherrill
Published: March 2007

We examine the impact of a relatively new mass transit line on residential mobility, utilizing a survey of respondents living adjacent to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). The hypothesis is that as perceived costs (e.g., noise) of the system increase, preferences for outward mobility will increase, while as local benefits increase (e.g., accessibility to the system), preferences for inward mobility will increase. Preferences for outward mobility per se were unrelated to BART's local attributes. However, BART-related reasons for moving varied as predicted. Residents near aerial trackways, which maximize local environmental costs, had greater preferences for outward mobility. Residents near stations, which maximize the service's local benefits, had the highest reports of inward mobility. We examine the mediating effects of local environmental and social circumstances and discuss the implications of this particular study for other metropolitan regions.
Impact of Offshore Nuclear Power Plants
Authors: Baker Earl J. , West Stephen G. , Moss Dennis J. , Weyant James M.
Published: March 2007

A multiple method investigation was undertaken to project the impact of offshore nuclear power plants on beach visitation at adjacent beaches. (1) Related literature was reviewed concerning human adjustment to natural hazards, risk-taking behavior, and public attitudes toward nuclear power. (2) People were interviewed at beaches in three states with respect to: (a) intended avoidance of beaches near a hypothetical floating nuclear plant (FNP), (b) relative importance of proximity to a FNP, when compared to other beach attributes, (c) onshore-offshore preference for coastal nuclear plant location, (d) behavioral impact of the licensing of FNP's, (e) relative tourism impact of coastal nuclear plant compared to coastal coal-fired plant, (f) public concerns about nuclear safety, (g) public attitudes toward alternative energy sources, (h) public confidence in sources of information about nuclear power, (i) visual impact of a FNP, and (j) knowledge about nuclear power. (3) Four beach areas near currently operating coastal nuclear power plants were studied to assess impacts on tourism resulting from plant construction.
Moving Back to the Land
Authors: Coffin Raymond J. , Lipsey Mark W.
Published: March 2007

A survey of urban-to-rural migrants and those planning such a move examined the "back-to-the-land" lifestyle, particularly with regard to its ecological responsibility. A dominant theme in the motivation and desired lifestyle of this group was self-sufficiency, i.e., growing their own food, generating power, educating their children, and so forth. The desired level of self-sufficiency was attained by relatively few people who had actually moved. In spite of the frustrations and sacrifices they experienced, however, nearly all respondents were extremely satisfied with the move. While no consistent "ideological" stance with regard to the environment seemed to motivate their changed lifestyle, many participated extensively in resource-conserving activities, and their interest in self-sufficiency seemed to result in a high level of ecological responsibility. The "back-to-the-landers" thus may provide a prototype of the ecologically responsible lifestyles that could be required more generally in the future.
Design for Independence
Authors: Reizensenstein Janet E. , Ostrander Edward R.
Published: March 2007

This article reports on a postoccupancy evaluation of Creative Living, Inc., in Columbus, Ohio, which at the time of this study was the only HUD-sponsored apartments for quadriplegics (those paralyzed from the neck down). The article focuses on the environmental components of the Creative Living service delivery system from the perspective of the most important environment-behavior issue found: the desirability of designs that enable the physically limited individual to function as independently as possible.
Behavior Varies by Environment; Quality of Data Does Not
Authors: Norris-Baker Carolyn , Stephens Mary Ann Parris , Willems Edwin P.
Published: March 2007

Since environments affect ordinary behaviors, could they also affect the accuracy of self-reports and thus research findings? This study confirmed that the behavior of most people did vary among different environments, and then examined the role of environment-behavior dependencies in the accuracy of self-reports of behavior for the same persons. Ten persons monitored and reported their own behaviors, which were also recorded by independent observers. Findings demonstrated environmental influences in ordinary aspects of their behavior, but few variations in accuracy of the data that could attributed to the environments in which the behaviors had occurred. Since the accuracy of the method does not appear to be linked to variations in the environments, these results enhance the utility of self-reports for environment-behavior research.
Adjustment to Natural and Technological Hazards
Authors: Preston Valerie , Taylor S. Martin , Hodge David C.
Published: March 2007

Human adjustments to natural and technological hazards were examined using questionnaire data provided by a sample of residents on the Beach Strip in Hamilton, Ontario. This area is exposed to five hazards: flooding, severe storms, air pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution. It was hypothesized that residents made cognitive and/or behavioral adjustments to these problems. The results indicate that behavioral adjustments are widespread but do not reduce the perceived severity of environmental problems. It appears that many residents remain in the area because of low-cost housing and a closely knit community structure.
Demographic Correlates of Landscape Preference
Authors: Lyons Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

Between-subject differences in age, gender and residential experience were found to contribute significantly to differences in landscape preference ratings. When 283 subjects rated five vegetational biomes, preferences changed through the life cycle, with the highest preferences shown by young children and the lowest by elderly subjects; preference diverged in adolescence for males and females and for urban and rural residents. Preferences were highest for the most familiar biome. No evidence was found to support the hypothesis that landscape preference is shaped by innate or evolutionarily determined factors. These findings suggest that the development of landscape preference is a cumulative process sensitive to socially differentiating factors. In the study of landscape preference it is necessary to identify both the physical aspects of the landscape as well as the social and demographic characteristics of the subjects in order to identify the sources of variation in preference.
Environmental Cues and Vandalism
Authors: Samdahl Diane M. , Christensen Harriet H.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to determine the potential effect of environmental conditions on the occurrence of vandalism in recreation areas. The study focused on the carving on 190 picnic tables as a type of vandalism. The physical condition of the tables was examined to look for possible "releasor cues" related to new impacts. In addition, the location of the table was assessed in terms of the strength of external social controls. Results suggested that new carving occurred more frequently on tables that bore previous carving and that campgrounds with greater salience of authority received fewer carving impacts. Implications for managers of recreation areas are described.
Pedestrian Cross Flow Characteristics and Performance
Authors: Khisty C. J.
Published: March 2007

Pedestrian cross flows are common in major activity centers and in special event transportation systems, such as universities, bus stations, art galleries, museums, and places of entertainment. Cross flows of pedestrians are also common in corridors and nearthe exits of buildings. Crowding and shuffling of people in a fire emergency is a well-known phenomenon. This article examines the characteristics and performance of pedestrian cross flow in corridors, passageways, and hallways. In particular, the behavior of pedestrian cross flows in building corridors is studied using time-lapse photography, and the results are compared with those derived from theoretical gap and collision analysis. A design criterion for facilities where pedestrian cross flows occur is developed based on the experimental data gathered from films and the theoretical analysis.
Antarctic Isolation and Inversion Perception
Authors: Barabasz Arreed , Barabasz Marianne
Published: March 2007

This pilot study sought to determine whether or not inversion perception conformity is enhanced by Antarctic isolation. The inversion perception stimuli consisted of 12 figure pairs. The task was to indicate one figure of each pair as appearing upside down. Subjects (N = 10) exposed to long-term Antarctic winter-over isolation demonstrated significantly greater focal point dependency than comparable control subjects (N = 10). Subjects (N = 7) exposed to short-term summer Antarctic isolation showed a tendency toward greater focal point dependency immediately following isolation and at later follow-up testing. Implications of this important adaptation to Antarctic living are discussed.
Home Interiors
Authors: Werner Carol M.
Published: March 2007

The home is the setting for the development and maintenance of a variety of interpersonal relationships. As such it provides an ideal setting in which to contemplate temporal and physical factors that are important in the formation and progress of relationships. This paper briefly reviews a framework of temporal qualities of homes, and illustrates its utility at identifying important aspects of home-based interpersonal relationships; examples are drawn from the other articles in the present volume. The bulk of the paper is devoted to a description of six ways in which the environment is related to interpersonal relationships: direct cause; mediated cause; perception-mediated cause; facilitator or supporter; reciprocal cause; and integral aspect. In addition to contributing to the precision with which we referto environment-behavior relations, this typology should direct researchers into new areas of inquiry, and help to ground interpersonal relationships theory to particular contexts. Preliminary suggestions are made for linking both time and place holistically with interpersonal relationships.
Evaluating a Television Campaign to Promote Petrol Conservation
Authors: Syme Geoff J. , Seligman Clive , Kantola Steven J. , Macpherson Duncan K.
Published: March 2007

A quasi-experimental evaluation of the effects of a television campaign to encourage petrol conservation was conducted in three cities in New South Wales, Australia. Intensive four-week television campaigns were conducted in two of the cities; the third served as a control. Approximately 400 respondents selected randomly in each city answered questionnaires (half before and half after the television campaign). The results showed that the pro-petrol conservation films, regardless of theme (saving money or good citizenship), had small but statistically significant effects on most measures of attitudes and beliefs, intention to save petrol in the future, and self-reported conservation behaviors. The results were discussed with regard to the role that televised, brief, public service announcements can play in an overall conservation strategy.
Perceptions of Drought in the Ogallala Aquifer Region
Authors: Taylor Jonathan G. , Stewart Thomas R. , Downton Mary
Published: March 2007

Farmers of the Ogallala Aquifer region of the Great Plains in the western United States were interviewed concerning their perceptions of drought, weather and climate changes, aquifer conditions, and the adaptive strategies used to cope with these. The results of these surveys parallel and refine the results reported by Saarinen in 1966: Farmers recall classic droughts and the most recent years as drought; intermediate years and droughts are lost from memory. A pattern of perception is suggested by these results wherein experience influences both definition and memory, which in turn affect expectations of the particular environmental event. People's perceptions, expectations, and adaptive responses to recurrent environmental stimulae, such as drought, are related to their direct experiences. When one's experience restricts his or her view of the potential variance in meteorological or other environmental events, however, that restriction may lead to inappropriate or insufficient response to environmental hazards.
Danger, Mystery, and Environmental Preference
Authors: Herzog Thomas , Smith Gregory A.
Published: March 2007

The possibility of a connection among high mystery, perceived danger, and depressed preference for certain categories of environments was investigated. Past research had suggested that urban alleys and narrow canyons would exhibit such a pattern. Comparison categories, chosen to be high in mystery and low in perceived danger, were urban and nonurban nature (that is, field-and-forest settings within urban or nonurban environments), respectively. Preference ratings were obtained for settings from each of the four categories. The settings were also rated by independent raters for six predictor variables: mystery, physical danger, social danger, shadow, nature, and vertical depth. The major findings were that danger was a negative predictor of preference and mystery was a positive predictor. There was no evidence that high mystery was involved in depressed preference ratings for any of the environmental categories investigated. The distinction between physical and social danger proved useful, with only social danger related (negatively) to preference.
The Evolution of Educational Graphics in Zoos
Authors: Serrell Beverly
Published: March 2007

Both the style and content of zoo graphics have evolved over the years to reflect changes in thought about what zoos should communicate to their visitors and changes in the perception of visitors' behavior. Styles of graphics have evolved through the "Ages of Graphics" to the present-day "minimal" stage of sleek, high-quality materials. Modern graphics communicate the agenda of zoos within a broad social context and are more conducive to experiential learning than are the graphics of the past. The evaluation of zoo signage has focused typically on the efficacy of a sign in communicating a direction or thought. Future evaluation needs to consider the nature of visitors' interactive experiences within the zoo setting and implement these findings in graphic designs.
Elderly Persons' Appraisal of the Zoological Environment
Authors: Verderber Stephen , Gardner Lori , Islam David , Nakanishi Linda
Published: March 2007

Many U.S. cities are currently engaged in major efforts to redesign their urban zoological parks to make them more accessible to visitors, and to create a simulated participatory experience without the bars and cages typical of prior eras. A study was conducted to assess elderly persons' responses to a zoo that recently underwent major transformation. A functionalist-evolutionary perspective of person-environment transactions and environmental press-competence theory provided a theoretical foundation for a two-part research design involving a group numbering 62 persons living independently or in residential care facilities, and a group numbering 14 persons, both drawn from the same settings. Respondents completed a photo questionnaire containing 30 visual items and 21 written items. The utility of the research instrument was verified vis-'-vis the group of 14, which actually toured the zoo prior to completing the questionnaire. Among the findings, certain renovated settings were preferred less than settings associated with the traditional zoological environment. In addition, persons with physical limitations were not particularly interested in visiting the zoo regardless of the availability of adequate zoo access-support mechanisms. These results suggest that the current trend toward participatory, interactive zoo environments should be tempered by the special needs, limitations, and expectations of the aged.
Fear of Crime in Public Housing
Authors: Rohe William M. , Burby Raymond J.
Published: March 2007

Fear of crime has been shown to have a variety of negative impacts on quality of life. The purpose of this article is, first, to better understand the factors associated with fear of crime and, second, to see if this fear among public housing residents is influenced by the same factors that influence fear among the general population. Three models of fear of crime are tested using a sample of 267 residents in 11 nonelderly public housing developments. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicate that variables associated with each model contribute to an explanation of fear, although the social control model has the greatest predictive power. Key variables in explaining fear levels include social and physical incivilities, personal victimization, race, and the adequacy of security measures. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Recreation Specialization As an Indicator of Environmental Preference
Authors: Virden Randy J. , Schreyer Richard
Published: March 2007

Recreation specialization was examined as an underlying element of behavior that varies with the type and importance of environmental settings desired by recreationists. Subjects were backcountry hikers from three Intermountain West primitive areas who responded to a mailed questionnaire that assessed their level of hiking specialization and preferences for 38 environmental setting attributes. These attributes were representative of physical, social, and managerial settings. All three types of setting attributes exhibited significant relationships, with the degree of hiking specialization suggesting that specialization may be a useful concept for explaining developmental related changes in environmental perception. The results were interpreted as suggesting that current recreation management practices that focus on broad generalizations about recreation activities may be insensitive to the array of diversity sought by the recreating public.
Effects of Personal Status and Patterns of Use on Residential Satisfaction in Shelters for Victims of Domestic Violence
Authors: Refuerzo Ben J. , Verderber Stephen
Published: March 2007

Occupant response to the architectural environments in shelters for victims of domestic violence was the subject of an empirical investigation. Personal status, a subset of daily activities, and one's use of his or her shelter were examined relative to staff and resident assessments of satisfaction. A functionalist-evolutionary perspective of human functioning in the built environment provided a theoretical foundation. A survey was completed by 101 people in shelters in Los Angeles and New Orleans. Causal relationships were explored via a series of regression analyses. Among the findings, residential satisfaction was found to be predicted by one's psycho-emotional condition and the status of one's children. Site-locational aspects associated with satisfaction included the quality of outdoor play areas for children and the sense of safety in the immediate neighborhood. In general, residents were more directly influenced by their shelter compared to staff, and second, personal status is a more useful indicator of residential satisfaction than the ways in which occupants actually use their shelter. Limitations of the research are cited as are areas warrantingtectural setting, health status, and stress in the more than 880 shelters for battered women and children in the United States.
College Classroom Ecology
Authors: Brooks Charles I. , Rebeta James L.
Published: March 2007

Observations were made for 12 general psychology classes taught over a 6-year period. Results showed that women sat in the front of the classroom more often than men, and also obtained higher grades and cut class fewer times than men. Furthermore, for men and women, grade point average decreased and number of absences increased as students sat farther from the front of the room.
The Effect of Microhabitat on Inuit Habitat Selection in Nome, Alaska
Authors: Burger Joanna , Gochfeld Michael
Published: March 2007

Settlement sites of hunter-gatherers and agricultural groups have been examined on a macroscale where social, political, and environmental factors influence the spatial pattern of settlements. This article examines microenvironmental characteristics of settlement sites in the vicinity of Nome, Alaska, and compares these with characteristics at nearby sites chosen by random numbers. Settlements investigated ranged in size from 1 to 31 houses. Compared with the random points, Inuit settlements were significantly closer to roads and to water, and were farther from high hills. They were on flatter sites with higher vegetation, and were more likely to be located in willow stands than on tundra. Doors faced predominantly in a southerly direction. Sites with larger villages tended to be on flatter ground than those occupied by smaller settlements.
Transition from the University to the Workplace
Authors: Yamamoto Takiji , Sawada Hidemi , Minami Hirofumi , Ishii Shinji , Inoue Wataru
Published: March 2007

The present study investigated the structure of and changes in the personal projects, time perspective, and personal networks of Japanese university graduates prior to and after the transition from graduation to employment. Results revealed that the pretransition period is dominated by projects in the area of leisure, hobbies, and daily life and that in the posttransition period the newly employed participants increased projects in the area of professional life with little changes in the area of personality and self-actualization. Further, pretransition projects were generally conflicting and unintegrated although after half a year they regained some structural coherency. As to time perspective, just after beginning work, participants exhibited short-term time perspectives and feelings of time deficit. In 6 months after the transition they regained a long-term time perspective. As to personal networks, contact with the pretransition members decreased whereas those with posttransition network members increased. With respect to support functions, however, the graduates retained their reliance on the pretransitional network, mainly kin members even after a month following their graduation. These results are discussed in terms of the systematic processes of restructuring of the person-in-environment system during the transition and the function of core support networks.
Atmospheric and Temporal Correlates of Sex Crimes
Authors: Rotton James
Published: March 2007

It was hypothesized that environmental rather than endogenous factors are responsible for seasonal differences in rapes and other sex crimes. Data on four types of sex crimes, nine meteorological variables, and photochemical oxidants, covering a 2-year period, were collected to test this hypothesis. As hypothesized, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that seasonal differences in rapes, indecent exposure, and miscellaneous sex crimes shrank to nonsignificance after meteorological variables were added to prediction equations, but seasonal differences in obscene phone calls retained their significance in analyses that controlled for atmospheric conditions. Further analysis revealed that fewer sex crimes were committed on cold than warm days, and ozone was associated with complaints about obscene phone calls. It was concluded that tabulations of seasonal trends should give way to experiments on the effects of atmospheric variables on sexual and other types of behavior.
Group Processes and Task Effectiveness in a Soviet-American Expedition Team
Authors: Leon Gloria R. , Kanfer Ruth , Hoffman Richard G. , Dupre Lonnie
Published: March 2007

A 12-person Soviet-American Bering Bridge expedition team was studied overthe 61 days of their trek bydogsled and cross-country ski from the Chukotka region of Siberia, across the Bering Straits, to Alaska. The group was instructed to complete a daily effectiveness measure each evening that assessed the perception of the emotional climate of the group and relationships to task effectiveness. Members participated in a structured interview at the end of the expedition. Perceived faimess of daily task assignments was negatively related to number of disagreements with aher team members. The extent to which athers went out of their way to help another was positively associated with perceptions of faimess in daily task assignments and how friendly other team members were. The planned stops in villages along the way to promote international harmony enhanced the intemational objectives of the expedition but had a negative impact on group cohesiveness. The ability of te group to meet its objectives despite frequent episodes promoting a negative emotional climate was discussed.
Environmental and Intrapersonal Predictors of Reactions to Potential Territorial Intrusions in the Workplace
Authors: Wollman Neil , Kelly Benita M. , Bordens Kenneth S.
Published: March 2007

In a study of workplace territoriality, environmental and intrapersonal factors were posited to be predictive of workers' reactions to potential workspace invasions. Clerical and secretarial workers from two midsize universities and from four small nonuniversity workplaces (combined into one sample) completed a questionnaire regarding reactions to potential workspace invasions. Results from regression analyses indicated that for ail three samples, predictors of negative reactions to potential workspace invasions were (a) the dagree to which workers minded taking directions about their jobs f rom someone other than a supervisor and (b) sensitivity to personal space invasions in general. In addition, resistance to a permanent workspace change predicted invasion reactions for both university groups, whereas having fewer co-workers sharing an office predicted invasion reactions for nonuniversity workers. Results are discussed in terms of control models of territoriality. Application of the results to workplace settings is also briefly discussed.
Accessibility and Quality of Life in Housing Cooperatives
Authors: Cooper Matthew , Rodman Margaret C.
Published: March 2007

The major objectives of this 1991 study of Canadian nonprofit housing cooperatives were to investigate how differences in design and the variable ability of residents, especially people with disabilities, to control important features of their spatial environment affect their quality of life. The research was concerned centrally with relationships among control, built form, social organization, and perceived quality of life. The materials discussed focus on residents' assessments. A sample of 16 co-ops was drawn, all except 2 in the Metro Toronto region. Data were gathered through site visits, interviews, and a mail survey conducted of all co-op households containing a member with a disability and half of all other households. Results showed that those residents who felt they could influence their co-op the most and those who found that the co-op form of social organization made the most difference to their housing satisfaction also rated their residential quality of life the highest. That is, residents' perceived social control over their residential environment was more important than their perceived physical control in explaining perceived quality of life.
Environmental Hazards, Health, and Racial Inequity in Hazardous Waste Distribution
Authors: Adeola Francis O.
Published: March 2007

This study addresses the critical issue of hazardous wastes and associated human health problems. The issue of inequitable distribution of environmental hazards by race is discussed with special reference to a municipal solid waste landfill and the petrochemical plants as the principal environmental stressors in the Baton Rouge Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). In a random sample of 213 respondents, the majority considered toxic wastes as a major threat to human health. Other findings indicate that whereas Blacks are most likely to reside near hazardous waste facilities, they express the same level of environmental concern as Whites. Thus, race is found not to be a significant factor in explaining environmental concerns and attitudes. The theoretical implication of findings and future research needs are discussed.
Actively Caring for the Environment
Authors: Geller E. Scott
Published: March 2007

Perspectives from behavior-based psychology (behaviorism) and person-based psychology (humanism) are integrated to summarize ways to protect the environment. Community-based interventions are needed to decrease environment-destructive behaviors and to increase environment-protective behaviors. Intervention agents are needed to implement these interventions on a large scale, and this requires people to "actively care" enough to emit other-directed (or altruistic) behaviors for environmental protection. Person factors that influence one's propensity to actively care include self-esteem, belongingness, self-efficacy, personal control, and optimism. Thus person-based psychology defines the states or expectancies needed in people to increase their willingness to actively care for the environment, and behavior-based psychology offers the technology for changing behaviors and attitudes (including actively caring person states).
Multiplace Analysis of the Urban Environment
Authors: Bonaiuto Marino , Bonnes Mirilia
Published: March 2007

Inhabitants' relationships with their urban environment in a large (Rome) versus a small (Lecce) Italian city are compared by a multiplace analysis. The inhabitanV city relationship is studied first at the intraplace and then at the interplace level of analysis with reference to three urban places: the neighborhood, the center, and the periphery. According to the place-theory, which assumes activity to be one of the main constitutive components of place, activities performed by two samples of 434 inhabitants (Rome) and 120 inhabitants (Lecce) were taken into consideration. Each resident was asked to complete a structured questionnaire and to state how often he or she performed each of the listed activities in the three main places considered. Both the intraplace and the interplace analysis have pointed out some general and some other specific features that equalize or differentiate the inhabitant/city relationship according to city size. They refer to the way the city tends to be built up as a multiplace system in the residents' experience through their systems of activity, and as a function of their sociodemographic charactenstics such as age and sex. On the whole, small city inhabitants tend to have: (a) more integrated urban experences between different places and between home and neighborhood; (b) higher relevance of interpersonal socialization activities, especially in the neighborhood; and (c) urban activities and conditions characterized by less urban isolation.
Some Psychological Aspects of Reduced Consumption Behavior
Authors: De Young Raymond
Published: March 2007

Efforts to promote environmentally appropriate behavior rely on motivation originating from 3 sources: other people, the environment, and one's self. This article examines a particular form of the latter source, intrinsic satisfactions. Nine studies are presented that investigate the multidimensional structure of intrinsic satisfactions and their relationship to reduced consumption behavior. Two categories of intrinsic satisfaction, labeled frugality and participation, are particularly well suited to encouraging such behavior. A third category, competence motivation, is explored in some detail and its dimensional structure is interpreted in terms of 3 dominant themes in the research literature. Connections between intrinsic satisfactions and such concepts as locus of control and altruism are explored, and implications for practitioners are discussed.
Exploring Spatial Thought
Authors: Kitchin Robert M.
Published: March 2007

This article reports on an exploratory investigation of the different ways in which people think about geographical space and formulate answers to cognitive mapping tasks. To try to discover the strategies of spatial thought used in completing a task, designed to measure configurational knowledge (knowledge of the associations between and relative locations of places), individuals were interviewed while they undertook two of four different tests. This was followed by a debriefing interview where respondents could express their feelings and judgments concerning each test. Such an introspective methodology, although being difficult from which to draw any definitive conclusions, does allow an insight into the strategies used in spatial thought and can provide useful information concerning how traditional cognitive mapping research should develop. Many strategies of spatial thought were found to exist. These can be divided into common strategies that concern geographical knowledge (e.g., imagining a map), common task strategies that are general problem-solving strategies usable over several tests (e.g., elimination to narrow choices), and task-specific strategies constrained by the nature of a particular task (e.g., working out distance and direction between A and B, B and C to determine A to C). In addition, by comparing quantitative results with the qualitative interviews it was possible to examine whether the adoption of certain strategies led to more accurate spatial products externalizedd representation of knowledge).
A Cross-Cultural Examination of Favorite Places
Authors: Newell Patricia Brierley
Published: March 2007

Subjects from Senegal, Ireland, and the United States were asked (a) to identify their favorite place and (b) to give the reason it was chosen. The purpose was to see whether people from different cultures share a preference for certain environmental forms or features, built or natural, that could indicate the existence of cultural universals. The study found far more similarity in place preferences among the different cultures than differences between them, with each country generating almost identical categories of favorite places. Overall, 38% of the subjects identified their own place, belongings, or family home, and 61% identified some part of the natural environment. As favorite places, built environments-parficularly those offering social interaction, such as sports centers and places of entertainment-were more often mentoned by those from Senegal. The reasons given for the choice of favorte place fell into place centered, person-centered, and interactive perspectives.