Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Realist's View Of Ethics, Howard H. Lentner Ph.D.

Howard H. Lentner

Confronting the common opinion that realism is immoral or amoral, this essay argues that realists are as implicated in ethics and morality as other analysts.

Computational Style Processing, Foaad Khosmood

Foaad Khosmood

Our main thesis is that computational processing of natural language styles can be accomplished using corpus analysis methods and language transformation rules. We demonstrate this first by statistically modeling natural language styles, and second by developing tools that carry out style processing, and finally by running experiments using the tools and evaluating the results. Specifically, we present a model for style in natural languages, and demonstrate style processing in three ways: Our system analyzes styles in quantifiable terms according to our model (analysis), associates documents based on stylistic similarity to known corpora (classification) and manipulates texts to match a desired …

The Epistemology Of Ethnography: Method In Queer Anthropology, Margot D. Weiss

Margot Weiss

This essay explores methodological dilemmas in queer anthropology by reviewing three recent queer ethnographies: Mary Gray's Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America; Mark Padilla's Caribbean Pleasure Industry: Tourism, Sexuality, and AIDS in the Dominican Republic; and Gloria Wekker's The Politics of Passion: Women's Sexual Culture in the Afro-Surinamese Diaspora. The essay aims to illuminate the epistemology of queer studies more broadly by focusing on a key paradox of ethnographic method: the binary of theory and data that is simultaneously made and unmade in ethnographic research and writing. In a newly transnational queer studies, ethnography …

Logic Models In Participatory Evaluation, Douglas Bruce

Douglas Bruce

No abstract provided.

The Opc: An Experimental Approach, Ewelina Barski

Ewelina Barski, PhD

A variety of studies have documented the acquisition of the Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) (Montalbetti 1984) in second language speakers (Kanno 1997, Pérez-Leroux & Glass 1999, Rothman & Iverson 2007). This study is an experimental approach to the Overt Pronoun Constraint in native Spanish speakers. Much has been said about this constraint but very few data have been collected to corroborate the asymmetry between referential NPs and quantified antecedents. According to the Overt Pronoun Constraint (OPC) (Montalbetti, 1984) unlike the null pronoun, the overt pronoun can never refer back to a quantified expression (1) or a WH-word (2): The overt …

The Scholarly Influence Of Heinz Klein: Ideational And Social Measures Of His Impact On Is Research And Is Scholars, Duane P. Truex, Michael J. Cuellar, Hirotoshi Takeda, Richard Vidgen

Duane P Truex III

Heinz Klein was a fine scholar and mentor whose work and life have inspired us to explore the notion of ‘scholarly influence’ which we cast as ‘ideational’ and ‘social influence’. We adopt a portfolio of measures approach, using the Hirsch family of statistics to assess ideational influence and Social Network Analysis centrality measures for social influence to profile Heinz Klein’s contribution to information systems (IS) research. The results show that Heinz was highly influential in both ideational terms (a significant body of citations) and social terms (he is close to the heart of the IS research community). Reflecting on the …

Evolving Influence: Resolving Extreme Conflicts Of Interest In Advisory Relationships, Raphael Boleslavsky, Tracy Lewis

Raphael Boleslavsky

An advocate for a special interest provides advice to an uninformed planner for her to consider in making a sequence of decisions. Although the advocate may have valuable information for the planner, it is also known that the advocate is interested only in advancing his cause and will distort his advice in order to influence the planner's decision. Each time she repeats the problem, however, the planner learns about the accuracy of the advocate's recommendation, mitigating some of the advocate's incentive to act in a self-serving manner. We propose a theory to explain why planners do sometimes rely on information …

Being Leaders: Identity And Identity Work In Leadership, Amanda Sinclair

Amanda Sinclair

No abstract provided.

Do State Policies Constrain Local Actors? The Impact Of English Only Laws On Language Instruction In Public Schools, Melissa Marschall, Elizabeth Rigby, Jasmine Jenkins

Elizabeth Rigby

This study examines how instrumental and symbolic messages embedded in state law shape the practices of ‘street-level’ bureaucrats. Specifically, we investigate whether passage of state-level English Only laws influences the way English language learners are instructed in local public schools. Using data on state English Only laws from 1987-2004 and school-level data from the National Center for Educational Statistics, we find that instrumental aspects of English Only laws serve to constrain, but not eliminate, schools’ use of bilingual instruction, while those sending only symbolic messages are less constraining. Further, when state laws are vague in scope, adherence to the English …

Heart Of A Lion, Mind Full Of Pride: The Paradox Of Teaching E-E As A Heuristic For Homegrown Change In Rwanda, Sarah E. Ryan

Sarah E Ryan

No abstract provided.

Education, Labor Markets, And The Retreat From Marriage, Kristen Harknett, Arielle Kuperberg

Kristen Harknett

Transborder Membership Politics In Germany And Korea, Rogers Brubaker, Jaeeun Kim

Rogers Brubaker

This paper examines changing German and Korean policies towards transborder coethnics (Germans in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and Koreans in Japan and China) during the high Cold War and post-Cold War eras. The paper contributes to the emerging literature on transborder forms of membership and belonging by highlighting and explaining the selective, variable, contingent, contested, and revocable nature of states’ embrace of transborder coethnics. The explanation highlights the relationship of transborder populations to predecessor polities; changing geopolitical contexts and domestic political conjunctures; the constitutive, group-making – and group-unmaking – power of state categorization practices; and the enduring …

A Matter Of Diversity, Equity And Necessity: The Tension Between Maryland's Higher Education System And Its Historically Black Institutions Over The Ocr Agreement, Robert T. Palmer, Phd, Ryan J. Davis, Marybeth Gasman, Phd

Marybeth Gasman

Eighteen years after the Supreme Court rendered its decision in Fordice, many states have complied somewhat or not at all to its mandates. This has been particularly evident in Maryland, where the presidents of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are pressuring the state to fulfill its commitment with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), stemming from Fordice, to make HBCUs comparable to their White peers. While Maryland has declared that it has complied with its OCR agreement by preventing unnecessary program duplication between HBCUs and White institutions, investing more money into HBCUs, and increasing racial diversity on all of …

Water Quality Violations And Avoidance Behavior: Evidence From Bottled Water Consumption, Joshua Graff Zivin, Matthew Neidell, Wolfram Schlenker

Joshua Graff Zivin

No abstract provided.

Interpreting Psychotherapy: Developing The Interpreter’S Uncommon Sense, Arlyn A. Anderson

Arlyn A. Anderson

This paper is a discussion of several under-recognized areas of unintentional influence of the sign language interpreter in mental health environments. Based on the author’s professional experience as an interpreter in private practice in the mental health field, and through her role as mentor, coach, and educator for mental health interpreters, she proposes that well-respected standard interpreting approaches may be inadequate when applied to the mental health environment. She recommends significant shifts in the practice of interpreting in mental health settings, such as increased recognition of the therapeutic alliance and the unique role the interpreter has in its development. She …

The Visualization Of Database Search Results, James A. Van Fleet

James A. Van Fleet

Introduction: Edward Tufte describes the visual presentation of quantitative data as “envisioning information.” A number of databases, from Google to specialized subject databases, offer a graphical representation of research results. Visualization is offered as an alternative method for evaluating search results. This trend deserves closer scrutiny, since the question of how database users evaluate their search results is central to the success of their library research.

Modulation Of Methylphenidate Effects On Wheel Running And Acoustic Startle By Food Deprivation In Commercially And Selectively Bred Rats., I. B. Mclaughlin, C. D. Chapman, Nancy K. Dess

Nancy K Dess

Behavioral effects of the same dose of the same drug can vary in degree and direction between and within individuals. The present study examines behavioral base rates, feeding status, and dispositional differences as sources of inter- and intra-individual heterogeneity in drug response. Modulation of the effects of methylphenidate (MPD) on wheel running and acoustic startle by food deprivation was examined in three experiments. Freely fed or food deprived Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats (running study) or rats selectively bred for low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin intake (running and startle studies) were given MPD (10 mg/kg) or saline before testing. Overall drug …

Predicting Adolescents’ Future Intentions To Seek Help For Mental Health Problems., Coralie J. Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

This study examined whether high school students’ current symptoms of general psychological distress, self-rated social problem-solving skills, and recent help-seeking experiences predict their future intentions to seek help for a mental health problem. At Time 1, 98 high school students, aged 12-17 years, completed the study self-report survey that included measures of psychological distress, social problem-solving skill, and recent help-seeking behaviour. At Time 2, three weeks later, the same students completed measures of help-seeking intentions. Students with more severe levels of distress symptoms at Time 1 had lower intentions to seek help for a mental health problem at Time 2. …

The Location Of Our Debates: Finding, Fixing, And Enacting Reality, Jill G. Morawski

Jill G. Morawski

No abstract provided.

Ownership, Bank Organization And Retail Lending In A Low Income Area, Paola Bongini, Laura Nieri, Maria Luisa Di Battista, Simone Rossi

Paola Bongini

The focus of this study is on the organizational features of banks operating in the South of Italy, namely major Italian banking groups and local independent banks. In our opinion, in order to evaluate the allocative and operational efficiency of the Southern Italian banking system, the issue to be addressed relates to the potential heterogeneous behavior between banks which are “truly local” – i.e. those banks whose real decisional centres are located in the Southern regions – with respect to those banks operating in the South but which have their decisional centres located in the Centre-North of the country (“outer …

White College Students' Explanations Of White (And Black) Athletic Performance: A Qualitative Investigation Of White College Students, Harrison

Dr. C. Keith Harrison

No abstract provided.

Student Employee Handbook - Circulation, Adam Steele

Adam Steele

Training manual for the student workers of the Kent State University Libraries main circulation desk. Updated 2011-2012 school year.

“Socializing” Achievement Goal Theory: The Need For Social Goals, Ronnel B. King

Ronnel B King

Cultures shape the types of goals that students pursue in the classroom. However, research in achievement goal theory seems to have neglected this cultural aspect with its exclusive focus on individualistically-based goals such as mastery and performance goals. This emphasis on mastery and performance goals may reflect Western individualist psychological thinking. Thus, social goals, which may be more salient in collectivist cultures, are relatively neglected. There is a dearth of studies investigating the role of social goals in academic motivation, and the few studies that did explore them are somewhat problematic. This paper reviews research done within the achievement goal …

Race And American Politics, Richard M. Skinner

Richard M. Skinner

Teaching presentation.

Mariska Leunissen, Explanation And Teleology In Aristotle’S Science Of Nature, David J. Depew

David J Depew

No abstract provided.

Who Lacks Support? An Examination Of Mothers’ Personal Safety Nets, Kristen Harknett, Caroline Sten Hartnett

Kristen Harknett

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 12,140 person–waves) to identify characteristics associated with mothers’ having or lacking “personal safety net” support from family and friends. We focus on characteristics that are likely to increase the importance of having support available but may also interfere with the maintenance of supportive ties: poverty, poor physical and mental health, and challenging child rearing responsibilities. By capitalizing on distinctions among these types of personal disadvantages and among types of personal safety nets (financial, housing, child care, and emotional), we help to explain why personal disadvantages are associated …

Quantitative Modeling Of The Neural Representation Of Objects: How Semantic Feature Norms Can Account For Fmri Activation, Kai-Min Kevin Chang, Tom Mitchell, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Soft Power: What It Is, Why It’S Important, And The Conditions Under Which It Can Be Effectively Used, Giulio M. Gallarotti

Giulio M Gallarotti

The Europeanisation Of The British Political Marketplace, Patrick Butler, Neil Collins, Richard Speed

Richard Speed

The coalition government that resulted from the 2010 general election represents a new scenario in the British political marketplace with implications for political marketing theory and practice. The modelling of political marketing in the UK has evolved in relatively stable market conditions in which majority governments are elected; the market restructure arising from the 2010 election outcome offers an opportunity for a revised understanding of the field. Political science has established an important and dynamic body of knowledge that explains the founding and operation of coalitions. A comparative appraisal of coalition government and commercial cooperative arrangements indicates some commonalities. Western …

“School Is So Boring”: High-Stakes Testing And Boredom At An Urban Middle School, Richard Mora

Richard Mora

Existing evidence suggests that high stakes exams result in little increased learning among students (Amrein & Berliner, 2002; Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, & Stetcher, 2000; Koretz, Mitchell, & Stetcher, 1996). Yet, given the federal mandates for greater accountability, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and Race to the Top policies, and the “pervasive testing culture” (Moses & Nanna, 2007, p. 55), the use of high-stakes tests is presently an accepted practice. The importance ascribed to standardized tests within public education has significant impact on pedagogical practices. The majority of teachers surveyed in two large school districts reported placing “greater …