Neighborhoods as a Developmental Context: A Multilevel Analysis of Neighborhood Effects on Head Start Families and Children

Neighborhoods have been recognized in theory and research as an important context for child development. This study used data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) and Census 2000 to assess the underlying factor structure and impact of neighborhood factors on child cognitive and behavioral outcomes, including the critical family and social factors that may mediate and/or moderate these relationships. Factor analyses found five factors described Head Start neighborhoods. After controlling for family and child factors, multilevel analyses found significant direct effects of neighborhood factors on Head Start children’s cognitive and behavioral outcomes. There were no mediation effects found for family or social variables between neighborhood factors and child outcomes. A large number of moderation effects were found although there was not a clear pattern to the results. Future research, policy, and practice implications are discussed.     

Behavioral and physiological correlates of aggressive dominance in male brown lemmings (Lemmus sibiricus)

Naive male brown lemmings were paired with the same opponent for 10 min/day for 11 consecutive days. Males of a control group were placed in an empty arena for the same period. There was no decrement in the incidence of attack and chase by dominant males in pairs showing stable dominant-subordinate relations. Subsequently, seminal vesicles of dominant animals were heavier than those of subordinate, control and “no rank” (pairs in which no clear-cut dominance relations were established) animals. Dominant animals also had greater mean testis weights and higher plasma testosterone levels than subordinates. Adrenal weights did not differ significantly between the various groups. Among dominant males there were significant positive correlations between plasma testosterone levels, testis and seminal vesicle weights, and attack and chase scores. These results suggest that many of the physiological correlates of dominance status reported in previous studies in which subjects were group housed are also observed when contact between naive individuals is limited to brief encounters.     

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Techniques for Counseling Incarcerated Female Adolescents: A Case Illustration

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) may successfully address the needs of female juvenile offenders, but systemic barriers prohibit adherence to the full DBT protocol. The authors built a rationale for using select DBT techniques with female adolescent offenders and provided a case illustration.     

Results-blind review: a masked crusader for science

The organizational sciences are entering a confidence crisis where a growing number of scholars recognize our science is imperfect and our knowledge base is potentially flawed. One contributing factor that scholars have identified is the peer-review process; issues such as QRPs, positive outcome biases and publication bias are, in part, a product of the traditional peer-review process and contribute to the questionable credibility of our science. The current paper focuses on the results-blind review as a solution to improve the existing system because it has received little attention yet fits well with the nature of our discipline (e.g., not entirely grant-funded, field-research oriented). Using a mixed-methods approach, we surveyed 203 editorial board members to understand the scientific community’s reactions to the results-blind review initiative and readiness to implement change. Our results suggest that there are noted advantages of the results-blind review process and the scientific community is open to the initiative in our field. However, our data also suggest that there may be some hesitations about the initiative, particularly with implementing a new review process. Based on the results, we offer actionable recommendations for authors, reviewers, and editors regarding the results-blind review.     

Semantic congruity and expectancy in symbolic judgments

These experiments assess the degree to which the semantic-congruity effect in comparative judgment can be explained by such expectancy effects as priming, perceptual "set," or strategies used in the task. The first experiment mixed a lexical-decision task with the comparative-judgment task and showed that neither automatic semantic priming nor deliberate preparation can account for the congruity effect. Experiments 2-4 assessed expectancy effects in a different way by presenting the instructions for comparative judgment either before or after the pair to be judged. These experiments included, among other things, a number of safeguards against artifacts in this paradigm. In these three experiments the congruity effect was obtained with both orders of stimuli and instructions, contrary to the prediction of an expectancy hypothesis. The results indicate that when stimuli are not degraded. The semantic-congruity effect depends largely on the relation between the stimuli and the instructions and only to a small degree, if at all, on expectancy.     

Parenting Behavior and Cognitions in a Community Sample of Mothers with and without Symptoms of Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults has recently emerged as an important area of research, little attention has been given to the family functioning of women with ADHD, particularly in their role as mothers. We examined parenting self-esteem, locus of control, and disciplinary styles in a community sample of mothers with varying levels of ADHD symptoms. Women with high levels of ADHD symptoms reported more occupational and psychiatric problems than women with lower levels of ADHD symptoms. They also reported lower parenting self-esteem, a more external parenting locus of control, and less effective disciplinary styles. The findings suggest that women with ADHD symptoms may face a number of difficulties within the parenting domain.