Policing the Edge: Risk and Social Control in Skydiving

The State of the Masses, by Richard F. Hamilton and James D Wright. New York: Alcline Publishing Company. 1986. 470 pages, $18.95 paperback.

Breaking the Impasse in the War on Drugs, by Steven Wisotsky. Wesport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1986, 279 pp. including Index and bibliography, hardback.

Learning to be Deaf, by A. Donald Evans and William W. Falk. Berlin, New York, Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter, 1986, 228 pages, $34.95.

Vengeance: The Fight Against Injustice, by Pietro Marongiu and Graeme Newman. New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, pp. 177.

Hidden Bedroom Partners: Needs and Motives that Destroy Sexual Pleasure, by Frank Hajcak, Ph.D. and Patricia Garwood, M.S. San Diego, California: Libra Publishers, Inc., 1987, 229 pages, $17.95, hardback.

The Publie Defender: The Practice of Law in the Shadows of Repute, by Lisa J. McIntyre. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987, 199 pages, $24.95, hardback.

Women and Criminality: The Woman as Victim, Offender, and Practitioner, by Ronald Barri Flowers. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987, 217 pages.

Techniques for Dealing with Family Violence by Arlene Baxter, Ph.D. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 1987, 147 pages, $24:75, hardback.

Bad Acts and Guilty Minds: Conundrums of the Criminal Law, by Leo Katz. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987. 307 pages, $45.00 (hardback), $14.95 (paper).

In Pursuit of Equality in Higher Education, by Anne S. Pruit.t (ed.). Dix Hills, New York. General Hall, 1987, 217 pages.

The Parameters of Urban Fiscal Policy: Socioeconomic Change and Political Culture in San Francisco, 1860–1906, by Terrence McDonald. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1987. xvi + 356 pps. Hardbound, $45.00.

Declaration of a Heretic, by Jeremy Rifkin. Boston, Massachusetts: Routledge &; Kegan Paul. 1985. 140 pp., $19.95 cloth, $7.95 paper.

Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry, by John Braithwaite. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1984.

Mainstreaming Outsiders: The Production of Black Professionals (Second Edition), by James E. Blackwell. New York: General Hall, 1987, 374 pages, $35.95, cloth.

Interactionism: Exposition and Critique by Larry T. Reynolds. Dix Hills, New York: General Hall, Inc., 1987, 171 pp., $28.95. cloth.

The Adolescent Molester by William Breer. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, 1987, 228 pp., $34.75 hb.     

White–black differences in g and non-g effects for the SAT and ACT

This research examined g and non-g effects for the SAT and ACT for whites and blacks. SAT scores, ACT scores, and college GPAs were obtained from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. g was estimated using the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Results indicated that (a) the g loadings of SAT and ACT composite scores were lower for whites than blacks, (b) group differences in the g loadings were related to the math subtests of the SAT and ACT, and (c) non-g variance accounted for surprisingly large percentages of SAT–GPA and ACT–GPA relations (range = 37–67%). The findings are discussed in terms of Spearman’s Law of Diminishing Returns.     

Nonjudgment as a moderator of the relationship between present-centered awareness and borderline features: Synergistic interactions in mindfulness assessment

The symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been characterized as deficits in mindfulness. Mindfulness can be defined as nonjudgmental, present-centered awareness. The present study investigates the theory that, consistent with this conceptualization, the extent to which acting with awareness predicts reduced BPD features and related dysfunction depends upon levels of nonjudgment. In a sample of 223 undergraduates, we calculated the interaction between awareness-based and nonjudging-based mindfulness skills using subscales of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Regression analyses demonstrated a significant effect of the interaction on several difficulties that are common in BPD: problems with relationships, emotion-related impulsivity, and anger rumination. For acting with awareness to benefit individuals with these difficulties, a less judgmental stance toward internal experiences may be necessary. These findings have significant treatment implications and demonstrate the importance of assessing mindfulness as a multifaceted, synergistic construct.     

Support Groups for Suicide Survivors: Results of a Survey of Group Leaders

To update and expand Rubey and McIntosh's (1996) survivors of suicide support groups report, SPAN USA completed a survey of U.S. support group leaders (n = 100; 24% completion). There are now more survivor groups (from 280 to 417), and the majority of groups now have a survivor leader (78% vs. 25%). Groups continue to be small (88% < 10 members per session) and meet on a monthly basis (55%). Sharing continues to be a universal experience in groups, which tend to be open‐ended (85%). Current groups are newer, and more operate without a sponsor. Further research is needed to examine group member perspectives and effectiveness of groups.     

Searching for threat

In a series of experiments, a visual search task was used to test the idea that biologically relevant threatening stimuli might be recognized very quickly or capture visuo-spatial attention. In Experiment 1, there was evidence for both faster detection and faster search rates for threatening animals than for plants. However, examination of the basis of this effect in Experiment 2 showed that it was not due to threat per se, as detection and search rate advantages were found for pleasant rather than threatening animals compared to plants. In Experiment 3, participants searched for the plants and pleasant and threatening animals used in Experiments 1 and 2, among a fixed heterogeneous selection of non-target items. There was no search rate or detection advantage for threatening animals compared to pleasant animals or plants. The same targets and non-targets as those used in Experiment 3 were also used in Experiment 4. In Experiment 4, participants searched for targets that were presented either close to or distant from an initial fixation point. There was no evidence for a "threat" detection advantage either close to or distant from the cross. Finally, an experiment was conducted in which target categories (fruit, flowers, and animals) were not pre-specified prior to each trial block. There were no differences in reaction times to detect pleasant animals, threatening animals, or fruit. We conclude that the visual search paradigm does not readily reveal any biases that might exist for threatening stimuli in the general population.     

Defective stimulus set attention in generalized epilepsy

This study examined auditory selective attention in primary generalized and complex-partial (temporal lobe) epileptics using binaural and dichotic versions of the Continuous Performance Test. The patient groups did not differ from normal controls when only one channel was presented or when divided attention (simultaneously monitoring two channels) was required. However, generalized epileptics had significantly depressed hit rates when directed attention (responding to critical stimuli in only one channel) was required. These results suggest a contribution of brain stem “arousal” mechanisms to stimulus set attention. In addition, right ear perceptual advantages were found on these dichotic monitoring tasks, lending support to the contention that short-term auditory memory and verbal report are not required for the dichotic ear effect.     

A Call for Research: The Need to Better Understand the Impact of Support Groups for Suicide Survivors

Support groups for suicide survivors (those individuals bereaved following a suicide) are widely used, but little research evidence is available to determine their efficacy. This paper outlines the pressing public health need to conduct research and determine effective ways to identify and meet the needs of suicide survivors, particularly through survivor support groups. After describing the various approaches to survivor support groups, we explain the need for further research, despite the inherent challenges. Finally, we pose several questions for researchers to consider as they work with survivors to develop a research agenda that sheds more light on the experiences of survivors and the help provided by survivor support groups.