Social relationships in the local church. A comparison of networks in the rural and urban church

Social network theory is a useful tool in charting the relationships which exist between the members of any social group. Any local church consists of people gathered together, and centred round a special interest which is the worship of God and the expression of the Christian faith. The social interaction which occurs within the church community has this special focus, but it creates social relationships which are open to analysis by social network theory. To examine the effectiveness of the theory’s application two contrasting local churches were chosen as case histories to demonstrate ways in which network analysis could illuminate relationships within their constituencies. One local church was in a suburban situation and the other in a rural location. The aim of the study is threefold: to indicate how social network theory can provide a contrast in the churches’ structures as human groups; to indicate the quality and the outcomes of social relationships; and to explore how the application of the theory to other local churches can be useful for mission and outreach in their own neighbourhood communities.     

Children's understanding of advertising: an investigation using verbal and pictorially cued methods

Conflicting results on children's understanding of advertising may stem from differences in research methods. Most studies are conducted using interviewing techniques, employing only verbal questioning. In the present study, 136 children of two age groups (7 and 10 years) were first asked what advertising was for and, after responding, shown depictions of possible reasons. The results indicate that although older children are more likely than younger ones to understand that advertising seeks to promote selling, pictorial cues allow a much larger proportion of all children to indicate their understanding than verbal questioning does on its own, with younger children especially showing improvement. Thus, seven‐year‐olds seem to have an implicit understanding of the persuasive intent of advertising that they are unable to articulate in response to investigators' questions. Multiple methods appear to offer a means of evaluating the level of sophistication in children' understanding of advertising. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure: Can They Survive in the Market Place of Ideas?

Recently academic freedom and academic tenure have been in the media spotlight because of concerns that academic freedom is being misused and that academic tenure provides job security to a select few. First, this paper provides a brief history of these two institutions and follow with an analysis using Stone’s (2002) policy analysis format. Second, this paper examines the university through two lenses: (a) an economic market lens; and (b) a community lens. These two lenses offer contrasting views of the university and help explain the different views of academic freedom and tenure. The authors suggest that faculty make use of the economic model to increase their chances of maintaining tenure in a university atmosphere frequently characterized by a business approach rather than a collegial one. Recommendations for future research are also provided.     

The Power of Personality: The Comparative Validity of Personality Traits, Socioeconomic Status, and Cognitive Ability for Predicting Important Life Outcomes

ABSTRACT— The ability of personality traits to predict important life outcomes has traditionally been questioned because of the putative small effects of personality. In this article, we compare the predictive validity of personality traits with that of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive ability to test the relative contribution of personality traits to predictions of three critical outcomes: mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment. Only evidence from prospective longitudinal studies was considered. In addition, an attempt was made to limit the review to studies that controlled for important background factors. Results showed that the magnitude of the effects of personality traits on mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment was indistinguishable from the effects of SES and cognitive ability on these outcomes. These results demonstrate the influence of personality traits on important life outcomes, highlight the need to more routinely incorporate measures of personality into quality of life surveys, and encourage further research about the developmental origins of personality traits and the processes by which these traits influence diverse life outcomes.     

Cecil H. "Pat" Patterson (1912-2006)

Cecil Holden "Pat" Patterson, 93, passed away on May 26, 2006, at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. A fellow of APA's Divisions of Counseling Psychology (17), Rehabilitation Psychology (22), and Psychotherapy (29), Pat was elected president of APA Division 17 in 1972. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the field, he received the Division 17 Leona Tyler Award in 1994. Cecil H. "Pat" Patterson will be remembered as much for his love of family and the genuine personal interest he took in everyone he met as he will for his outstanding professional achievements.     

The effects of errorless learning and backward chaining on the acquisition of Internet skills in adults with developmental disabilities

An important area in the learning and development of individuals with disabilities is the acquisition of independent, age-appropriate leisure skills. Three adults with autism and mental retardation were taught to access specific Internet sites using backward chaining and most-to-least intrusive prompting. The number of independent steps completed in the task analysis increased following training.     

Performance of schizophrenia and bipolar patients on verbal and figural working memory tasks

Working memory (WM) was studied in 82 healthy volunteers, 43 schizophrenia patients, and 81 bipolar patients. Schizophrenia patients were impaired on verbal and figural WM tasks that possessed similar test discriminating power. Bipolar patients performed similarly to healthy volunteers. A mathematical model of WM performance revealed a primary role for reduced WM span in accounting for the impaired verbal WM of schizophrenia patients and a primary role for diminished attention in accounting for impaired figural WM. Although WM impairment in schizophrenia is due neither to the general effects of severe mental illness nor to the specific type of material studied, the microarchitecture of abnormal WM in schizophrenia may depend on the stimulus material presented.     

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Factors Influencing Adolescents' Decisions About Having Sex: A Test of Sufficiency of the Theory of Planned Behavior1

This study tested the theory of planned behavior's (TPB) expectation that attitudes, social norms, and self‐efficacy would mediate other variables' effects on intention for having sex and probability of having sex. Longitudinal data were collected from 790 high‐school‐aged adolescents. In an intrapersonal variable model, sensation seeking, alcohol use, hard work, smoking, and moral beliefs had mediated effects, but the last 2 also had direct effects (on intention and behavior, respectively). In an interpersonal model, school attachment had mediated effects, pressure to have sex had a direct effect on behavior, and parent communication and number of sexually active friends had both. Intrapersonal variable effects were better described by the TPB than those of interpersonal variables. Targeting distal psychosocial factors may enhance intervention efficacy.