The (In)validity of Self‐Construal Scales Revisited

This paper offers a critical rejoinder in the discussion concerning the viability of self‐construal scales. It is our contention that the existing data reported in our previous article (Levine et al., 2003) and elsewhere are more than sufficient to justify the conclusion that self‐report scales purporting to measure interdependent and independent self‐construals as 2 orthogonal constructs lack validity. The arguments to the contrary offered by Gudykunst and Lee (2003) and Kim and Raja (2003) are disputed. Additional data (N = 1,013) show that neither age, occupation, sample size, standardization, nor a 2nd‐order structure can account for the problems we documented previously. Although we see potential utility in the self‐construal construct, we believe that the 3 primary scales fail to meet reasonable and accepted social scientific standards. Difficult conceptual problems will need to be solved prior to the development of new and improved measures.     

信仰的阶序建构:藏传佛教中国化的实践--以甘肃省武威市金塔寺为例

本文根据田野调查资料,观察藏传佛教金塔寺与地方社会中其它宗教形态及社会文化之间的张力和共生状态,分析其在多元文化空间中吸纳和整合其它社会文化过程中所体现出的阶序特点,为藏传佛教中国化乃至宗教中国化实践提供一个启发性的经验案例。     

Discontinuous growth of tin whiskers

Three types of discontinuous growth behaviour of tin whiskers are described. First, growth bands were observed in whiskers on a tin finish held in an ambient environment for 30 days after plating; the spacing between the growth bands was 0.2–0.4?µm. Second, growth of a whisker was discontinuous with time, in which there was about 30 days of stagnation, after which whisker growth reoccurred. Third, an irregular whisker with a triangular morphology and abruptly changing cross-section was observed by SEM. Discontinuous whisker growth behaviour challenges the previously proposed mechanism of tin whisker growth. It is postulated that alternating breakdown and self-curing in air of an oxide film at point defects could be a reason for discontinuous growth of whiskers.