Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Book Review: The Visible Poor: Homelessness In The United States By Joel Blau, Larry Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

THE VISIBLE POOR: HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES Joel Blau New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. $22.95 hardcover.

Detection Of Sexual Cues: An Assessment Of Nonaggressive And Sexually Coercive College Males, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Dissertations

Seventy-four nonaggressive and 78 sexually coercive college males, as determined by the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss & Oros, 1982) and ranging in age from 18-25 years, participated in a study designed to assess their ability to detect specific behavioral cues of female partners’ unwillingness to engage in kissing, genital fondling, and sexual intercourse. Contrary to prediction, a 2 (nonaggression and sexual coercion) X 3 (kissing, fondling, and intercourse) analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant difference between the nonaggressive and sexually coercive males in their ability to detect cues of female unwillingness to engage in kissing, genital fondling, and sexual …

Sense Of Humor As A Mediator Of The Effects Of Stress On Physical Health And Psychological Well-Being, Timothy Eugene Spruill

Dissertations

This paper explores the role of sense of humor as a mediator of the effects of stress on physical health and psychological well-being. One hundred subjects, selected from a population of hospital employees, were administered two measures of sense of humor. In addition, they completed a personal data form, and instruments assessing stressors, perceived stress, physical health and psychological well-being.

Results were evaluated using simple correlations and multiple regression analysis in order to determine whether or not knowledge of a subject's sense of humor enables prediction of their levels of physical health, psychological well-being and perceived stress. Analysis of the …

The Construction Of The Right To Development: The United Nations, Human Rights, And Economic Development, Nader Izzat Said

Dissertations

The origins of human rights are of interest to social scientists. This study focuses on the construction process of the right to development as related to the UN. The emphasis is on the claims-making processes surrounding the creation of the right to development. To understand these processes, a theoretical framework has been developed. This framework combines interactionism, collective-behavior approaches, a dialectical theory of law-creation, and a capitalist world-economy theory. It is expected that this theoretical framework will explain the specific, organizational, and structural processes that led to the creation of the right to development.

Data for this study came from …

Experimental And Theoretical Analyses Of Instructional Tasks: Reading, Discrimination, And Construction, Satoru Shimamune

Dissertations

The effectiveness and efficiency of three kinds of workbooks were compared in teaching behavioral systems analysis to college students. Each workbook contained the same content but utilized different types of instructional tasks. The reading workbook had the definitions, and examples and nonexamples of the concepts to be taught, and the subjects were asked to read them. The discrimination workbook had the same definitions, examples and nonexamples, but the subjects were asked to work on discriminating the examples from the nonexamples. Feedback was given with regard to the correctness of the subjects' responses. The construction workbook had the same definitions of …

Perceptions Of Racial Climate In Residence Halls Between African-American And Euroamerican College Students, Vanessa D. Johnson-Durgans

Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine if African-American residents perceive the racial climate of residence halls differently than do Euroamerican residents at a predominantly Euroamerican university in southwest Michigan. The questions explored in this study were:

1. Do African-American residents perceive the hall environment differently than Euroamerican residents?

2. Do African-American residents perceive the residence hall government differently than Euroamerican residents?

3. Do African-American residents perceive the halls' student staff differently than Euroamerican residents?

4. Do African-American residents perceive their relation to other residents differently than Euroamerican residents?

This study consisted of analyzing the results of this writer's questionnaire e …

Neuropsychological Effects Of Short-Term Abstinence In Adolescent Alcoholics, Asiah Mayang

Dissertations

The Michigan Neuropsychological Battery (Smith, 1975) was administered to 14 to 17-year-old alcoholics from an inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment center within 7 days of their last drink, and again after 28-33 days of abstinence (a = 26). Comparisons were made between this group and an adolescent alcoholic group who did not abstain and was not receiving treatment for their alcohol abuse (n = 15). The non-abstaining group was also given the same test battery twice. Results indicated that subjects who abstained from drinking (experimental group) performed better than subjects who did not abstain (control group) on measures of …

The Effects Of Training And Experience On The Ability To Detect Relapse Precipitants In A Substance Abuse Client, Michael F. Sunich

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of training and experience on counselors' ability to detect relapse precipitants in substance abuse clients. Eighty counselor trainees from Western Michigan University and the University of Northern Colorado participated. They were classified as to their previous level of experience and then exposed to either the treatment condition or the control condition. Pretest-posttest data were gathered using a modified version of the Alcohol Confidence Questionnaire (Annis & Graham, 1988) (ACQ-M).

The findings from this study suggest that counselors with previous substance abuse experience tend to show less confidence in a client's ability to remain abstinent than …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 19, No. 3 (September 1992)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Bob Leighninger
• BLACK PINK COLLAR WORKERS: ARDUOUS JOURNEY FROM FIELD AND KITCHEN - Judith B. Bremner
• INTIMATE FEMICIDE: AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS - Karen Stout
• HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, STRESS AND SINGLE MOTHERS: PATHWAY TO HOMELESSNESS - Elizabeth A. Mulroy and Terry S. Lane
• ASSET-BASED SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY: HOMEOWNERSHIP FOR THE POOR - Alice K. Johnson and Michael Sherraden
• CORRELATES OF THE ELDERLY'S PARTICIPATION AND NONPARTICIPATION IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI) PROGRAM: A NEW EVALUATION - Namkee G. Choi
• A CONTINUUM THEORY FOR SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE - Yair Caspi
• FEDERAL RELIEF PROGRAMS IN THE 19th CENTURY: A …

Black Pink Collar Workers: Arduous Journey From Field And Kitchen To Office, Judith B. Bremner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The black female workers' journey from field to office was a long and arduous one. This paper examines the transition of black women from agricultural laborers to pink collar workers during the period 1900 to 1980. More black women than white women have had to work in paid employment in order to maintain their families economically. Discrimination against black pink collar workers in career advancement and the better-paying positions, is especially critical because so many black families are female-headed households in need of all the economic resources that the mother-breadwinner can obtain.

Housing Affordability, Stress And Single Mothers: Pathway To Homelessness, Elizabeth A. Mulroy, Terry S. Lane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Examining the research literature in housing, planning, and the social sciences, this paper argues that the housing crisis of the 1980s spawned a new environmental stress, housing affordability, which has had devastating consequences for economically vulnerable single mothers and their children. A conceptual framework is developed that depicts how the housing affordability dilemma generates a pathway to homelessness beset by four pinchpoints: a resource squeeze that precipitates loss of permanent housing; residential mobility that destabilizes families; discrimination in the housing market that constrains housing choices; and multiple stressors that demoralize a fragile family system. Implications of these findings are discussed, …

Asset-Based Social Welfare Policy: Homeownership For The Poor, Alice K. Johnson, Michael Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Asset-based social welfare policy is an emerging theme in public policy that focuses on accumulation of wealth rather than on levels of household consumption. In this paper, housing policy is used to illustrate asset-based policy for the poor. Rather than increasing income-based rent subsidies, asset-based housing policy would promote homeownership. Homeownership has played a critical role in the upward mobility of immigrant groups (Bauman, 1987) and the exiting of families from public housing (Fuerst & Williams, 1983). U.S. public policy promotes homeownership for the nonpoor, and we spend quite a lot of money on it. But for the poor, we …

Federal Relief Programs In The 19th Century: A Reassessment, Frank M. Loewenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American model of the welfare state, incomplete as it may be, was not plucked out of thin air by the architects of the New Deal in the 1930s. Instead it is the product and logical evolution of a long historical process. 19th century federal relief programs for various population groups, including veterans, native Americans, merchant sailors, emancipated slaves, and residents of the District of Columbia, are examined in order to help better understand contemporary welfare developments.

Alive On The Street, Dead In The Classroom: The Return Of Radical Social Work And The Manufacture Of Activism, William De Maria

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

International evidence is presented for a renewal of radical social work. After a decade of monopolization by neoconservatism in all aspects of public policy and private consciousness, a new commitment to radical analysis and transformation is detected. Radical social work, the second time around, will need to avoid the earlier mistake of abandoning action for critique. In the context of social work education the manufacture of radicalism in the classroom is explored.

Intimate Femicide: An Ecological Analysis, Karen Stout

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research identifies the killing of women by male partners as a multidimensional problem and, through empirical analysis, identifies relationships between intimate femicide and individual, family, community services, state status of women, and violence against women factors. The conceptual base follows an ecological framework. Individual demographic and situational factors are presented. The findings of the study indicate that factors within each of the ecological settings are associated with intimate femicide. An implication of this exploratory study is that intimate femicide is related to a number of state factors, including factors associated with gender inequality in a state.

Correlates Of The Elderly's Participation And Nonparticipation In The Supplemental Security Income (Ssi) Program: A New Evaluation, Namkee G. Choi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper analyzes the economic and sociodemographic factors associated with the elderly's participation and nonparticipation in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Unlike the previous findings based on the early phase of the program, this analysis found that the amount of benefit is no longer a significant predictor of participation for couples and individuals receiving support and maintenance. Level of education and housing status are now found to be consistently significantly associated with participation of all or most filing units. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy recommendations for more aggressive outreach efforts.

Primary Prevention Of Child Abuse: Is It Really Possible?, Mary K. Rodwell, Donald E. Chambers

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the growing interest in child abuse and its prevention, to date no systematic research has been conducted to determine the usefulness of instruments used to identify and predict abuse or neglect. The present study is a review and analysis of predictive instruments of abuse or neglect with the goal of identifying the predictive efficiency of the instruments. Analysis reveals a variety of problems with predictive efficiency, particularly as predicting individual risk of abuse or neglect relates to primary prevention. Implications of the findings and suggestions for practice are discussed.

A Continuum Theory For Social Work Knowledge, Yair Caspi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Relativist approaches, to knowledge, suggested by some social workers as alternative to the predominant scientific logical positivistic approaches to knowledge, suffer from serious flaws. Between the poles of objectivism and relativism exists a third and more useful approach to knowledge in social work. This approach is presented and developed based on recent sources from the philosophy of knowledge, the philosophy of science, and metatheoretical developments in the social sciences. A continuum theory of knowledge, between objectivism and relativism, is suggested for social work. The continuum theory narrows the gap between research and practice and between the scientific side and the …

The Effect Of Public Posting And Supervisor Recognition On Treatment Team Performance In A Mental Health Institution, Susan Mencarelli

Masters Theses

This study compared the effects of public posting and supervisor recognition on the performance of professional staff in a mental health institution. Eleven indicators of successful performance in the writing of patient treatment plans were established after an analysis of existing standards. Seven treatment teams comprised the subjects of the study and included psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, activity therapists, and residential care aides. Group performance data were used. The measurement and scoring systems which were developed proved to be highly reliable.

Neither form of performance feedback resulted in consistent improvement in performance on any of the eleven indicators. This …

Mdma And Memory: The Acute And Chronic Effects Of Mdma In Pigeons Performing Under A Delayed-Matching-To-Sample Procedure, Mark Lesage

Masters Theses

The physiological effects of (+) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have been studied extensively. The behavioral effects of MDMA, however, have not been examined in detail. In an attempt to gain further information about its behavioral effects, the acute and chronic effects of MDMA were examined in pigeons responding under a delayed-matching-to-sample procedure with 0-, 3-, and 6-s delays. In the absence of drug, accuracy (percentage o f correct responses) was inversely related to delay length. When administered pre-chronically, MDMA (0.32 to 5.6 mg/kg) decreased accuracy and response rates at higher doses. Tolerance developed following chronic exposure to 3.2 mg/kg. Performance did not …

The Effects Of Public-Posted Feedback On The Use Of A Photocopy Machine By Faculty In An Academic Department, Shijing Hu

Masters Theses

This study assessed the effects of a public-posting intervention on photocopy machine use by faculty members in an academic department. Public posting included posting of a chart that displayed number of copies made each week by individual faculty members along with the average cumulative rate of copying for previous weeks for each person. The intervention was applied in an A-B-A reversal design where data were collected prior to the intervention under usual conditions (A), during public posting (B), and after the public posting intervention was removed and usual conditions were restored (A). The results indicated that: (1) number of copies …

Foster Parents’ Experience Of Loss And Their Coping Response Style, Kathleen M. Kirby

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective experience of emotional and physical stress reported by foster parents that may be caused by serial placements of foster children. It also addressed the coping response mechanisms and style of foster parents that may promote successful endurance of serial losses. In addition, the relationship between specific coping responses of foster parents was investigated to determine if the circumstances of placement or characteristics of foster parents interact to exacerbate or remediate emotional/physical stress.

Demographics were tabulated for Michigan foster parents including age, family income, religious affiliation, racial/cultural identification, marital status, educational …

Political Action Committees In The State Of Michigan, Keeley I. Taylor

Masters Theses

A survey was conducted of all political action committees (PACs) registered with the Secretary of State's Office in Michigan for the 1986 and 1990 Statewide elections. A portrait of the structure of the organization, decision making criteria, and solicitation techniques of Michigan PACs has been developed from the survey data.

Most PACs in Michigan tend to be infant organizations because they are cyclical in nature, forming and dissolving around election periods. They tend to form around economic issues; have no specific PAC office; no permanent staff; have little or no office budget; fund their activities through direct mail solicitation; focus …

Juvenile Justice: An Examination Of Disparities In Dispositions, Michael P. Brown

Dissertations

The present study tests the utility of status characteristics and expectation states theory in the context of the juvenile court. The theory contends that there is dispositional certainty when case related factors are consistently rated serious or nonserious; the severity of the sanction will reflect the seriousness of the case. However, the likelihood of sentencing disparities based on individual characteristics (e.g., race and SES) increases as case related factors become increasingly inconsistent, with some rated serious and others rated nonserious.

Data to test this theory were collected from the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Court, Kalamazoo, Michigan in June and July, 1990. …

A Measure Of State-Trait Anger With Adolescent Sex Offenders, Adolescent Delinquents, And A Normal Adolescent Population, Brett D. Lincoln

Dissertations

Research indicates that sexual offending juveniles are angry. Furthermore, sexual offending is seen as a primary means to reduce anger by these youth. However there is little empirical support of these positions. Few comparative studies of sexual offenders with other experimental or control groups exist.

The purpose of this study was to assess differences of anger among three adolescent groups: juvenile delinquent, sexual offender and a control. Assessment of anger was across six subscales of Spielberger's (1988) State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). The subscales of interest were: State, Trait, Trait Anger Temperament, Trait Anger Repressed, Anger Expression/In and Anger …

Applied Relaxation Training In The Treatment Of Genital Herpes, Kent A. Koehn

Dissertations

Four individuals with frequent recurrences of genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) were trained in Applied Relaxation (AR). Participants included in the research were all women, had been diagnosed with herpes at least one year prior to the study, experienced 6 or more outbreaks annually, and were not taking antiviral medications.

The experiment employed a multiple baseline across subjects design with individual baselines of 11, 13, 17, and 21 weeks. Participants maintained daily diary recordings of the frequency, duration, and severity of their herpes activity from baseline until a minimum of three months post-treatment.

Treatment consisted of 10 individual AR sessions. …

The Rise And Decline Of Mental Health Hospitals In The State Of Michigan, Gerald H. Smith

Dissertations

The State of Michigan has been partially responsible for the treatment of the mentally ill population since 1832, when Wayne County General Hospital opened its doors. The state government made a commitment to care for the afflicted, and at the same time provide an opportunity for other individuals to participate in their treatment. Eventually this commitment led to the establishment of employment for many citizens, and gradually, over the decades, a mental health bureaucracy emerged. It was necessary to hire not only professional staff, but also support staff such as food services, housekeeping, maintenance, and the like. Mental health facilities …

The Differential Effects Of Performance Monitoring And Performance Contingent Consequences In A Laboratory Setting, Julie A. Glasser

Masters Theses

A simulated work task, consisting of paper and pencil quality control inspection, was used to examine the effects of performance monitoring and performance-contingent feedback on the quality and quantity of work produced. Six subjects were exposed to two treatment conditions. During monitoring only, a supervisor checked performance by asking subjects about their progress. During performance-contingent feedback, a supervisor informed subjects of the number of correct inspections completed on a sample page and summarized the quality of their work in a brief statement. Performance was measured in terms of error detection accuracy (errors missed and false error detections) and rate of …

The Suburban Rice Farmers: Economic And Cultural Change In Japan, Makoto Chiwaki

Masters Theses

The world economic situation is forcing the Japanese government to initiate policies designed to make its rice farming industry more competitive on the world market. These new policies, along with the growth of Japan's urban areas, are causing certain stresses on the cultural institution called bunke among the part-time rice farmers in the Kaizuka region of Chiba City, Japan.

An ethnographic study of these farmers reveals that the farmers of the Kaizuka region have responded to recent changes differently from the farmers of other regions because of their cultural institutions and traditions.

The Effects Of The Caribbean Basin Initiative On Jamaica's Trade, Arlene Hendricks

Honors Theses

This paper will analyze the export-led model for development by looking at the intended versus the actual results of the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) as it relates to the Caribbean country of Jamaica. The CBI was passed into law by the U.S. Congress under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) in 1983. An exploration is made of the circumstances leading to the CBI, the main precepts and legislation of the CBI, its implementation and its effects. This paper also discusses the amendment to the CBERA, known as CBI II, which was passed into law effective October 1,1990. There will …