The female athletic role as a status determinant within the social systems of high school adolescents

This study examined the relationship between female athletic participation and status attainment within the social status systems of high school adolescents. Although earlier research has consistently demonstrated that the athletic role for males is associated with greatest status within the school, findings regarding the status of female athletes have been contradictory: Some studies have found high status rankings for female athletes while others have revealed negative results. It was therefore argued that current research go beyond the general construct of "female athlete" and consider the type of sport with which the adolescent female is associated as a possible status determinant. Employing a sport typology proposed by Metheny (1967), it was predicted that females associated with sex-appropriate or "feminine" sports (e.g., tennis) would receive significantly higher status ratings than those identified with sex-inappropriate or "masculine" sports (e.g., basketball). One hundred and twenty-one male subjects were asked to indicate which female athlete (associated with a sex-appropriate versus a sex-inappropriate sport) they would most like to date, while 111 female subjects were asked to choose which female athlete they would most like to have as a friend. Chi-square analyses revealed that, as predicted, females associated with sex-appropriate sports were given significantly greater status than females identified with sex-inappropriate sports by both male and female subjects. These results suggest that social assessments made about female sport participation within high school status systems remain heavily influenced by traditional beliefs regarding feminine, "ladylike" behavior.     

Stevens' power law and time perception: effect of filled intervals, duration of the standard, and number of presentations of the standard

Subjects estimated the duration of five different time intervals, either filled or unfilled, in relation to one or two standard intervals. Half of the subjects were presented with the standard at the beginning of the experiment only, and half were presented with the standard before every interval. The five estimations were then used to calculate, for each subject, the exponent in Stevens' Power Law which describes the form of the power relationship. The resulting over-all exponent of .91, although nearly linear, was significantly different from 1.0. The data were then analyzed by a 2 X 2 X 2 analysis of variance which showed a significant interaction between presenting the standard either once or before each interval with the duration of the standard.     

Proactive personality and the successful job search: a field investigation with college graduates

The current article tests a model of proactive personality and job search success with a sample of 180 graduating college students. Using structural equation modeling, the authors tested a theoretical model that specified the relations among proactive personality, job search self-efficacy, job search behaviors, job search effort, and job search outcomes. Job seekers were surveyed at 2 separate points in time, once 3-4 months prior to graduation and once 2-3 months following graduation. The results suggest that proactive personality (a) significantly influenced the success of college graduates' job search, (b) was partially mediated through job search self-efficacy and job search behavior, and (c) was independent of self-esteem and conscientiousness. The findings are discussed in terms of their general implications for understanding the nature of the process through which distal personality factors, such as proactive personality, affect the nature and success of an individual's job search.     

Working memory span tasks: A methodological review and user’s guide

Working memory (WM) span tasks—and in particular, counting span, operation span, and reading span tasks—are widely used measures of WM capacity. Despite their popularity, however, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of the merits of WM span tasks as measurement tools. Here, we review the genesis of these tasks and discuss how and why they came to be so influential. In so doing, we address the reliability and validity of the tasks, and we consider more technical aspects of the tasks, such as optimal administration and scoring procedures. Finally, we discuss statistical and methodological techniques that have commonly been used in conjunction with WM span tasks, such as latent variable analysis and extreme-groups designs.     

Statistical power analysis for one-way analysis of variance: A computer program

To facilitate the computation of statistical power for analysis of variance, Cohen developed the index of effect sizef, defined as theSD between groups divided by theSD within groups. A microcomputer program for statistical power allows the user to compute the value off in any of several ways: by specifying the mean andSD for every cell in the ANOVA; by specifying the mean value for the two extreme cells and the pattern of dispersion for the remaining cells; by estimating the proportion of variance in the dependent variable that will be explained by group membership; and/or with reference to conventions for small, medium, and large effects. The program will compute power for any single set of parameters; it will also allow the user to generate tables and graphs showing how power will vary as a function of effect size, sample size, andα.     

Type A behavior, competitive achievement-striving, and cheating among college students

The present study examined the cheating behavior in competitive and noncompetitive situations of 40 college students classified as Type A (16 women, 24 men) and 40 as Type B (19 women, 21 men). Type A-scoring students were more likely to cheat than Type B-scoring students irrespective of competition. The results suggest that in some situations, especially where expectations for success cannot be met, Type A-scoring students may cheat to achieve success.     

The Ryōan-ji axiom for common knowledge on hypergraphs

The article studies common knowledge in communication networks with a fixed topological structure. It introduces a non-trivial principle, called the Ryōan-ji axiom, which captures logical properties of common knowledge of all protocols with a given network topology. A logical system, consisting of the Ryōan-ji axiom and two additional axioms, is proven to be sound and complete.     

Click here for HIV status: Shifting templates of sexual negotiation

In the last decade, many aspects of gay social and sexual life have moved online. This article explores how the increasing use of the internet as a way of organizing gay sex is shaping sexual and risk subjectivities. It investigates how online cruising is mediating investments in, and tensions between, different HIV prevention ethics in Sydney, Australia – in particular, those that operationalise HIV status disclosure as a precursor to casual sex, and those that don't. One popular online cruising site, Manhunt.net, is the first socio-sexual context in Australia in which participants are routinely asked to indicate their HIV status for sexual purposes, as a design feature of participation. The article grapples with the implications of this development for socio-sexual community. Different sites install culturally specific HIV prevention ethics, which users negotiate in different ways. Online interfaces also generate particular ‘affective climates’ in the sense that they produce new experiences of connection and isolation and create new practical challenges around self-presentation for participants. Affective climates are technologically mediated, and are co-produced and shared by HIV-negative and HIV-positive individuals, among others. Some online formats may be contributing to a new state of ‘seronormativity’ in gay culture, in which the politics of the ‘template’ or the ‘format’ will become increasingly significant. Participants can also be seen to be engaging in reflexive processes around different styles of participation in this environment and their effects on others, suggesting educational possibilities.     

Investigating attitudes of Catholic priests toward the media and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Response to the Sexual Abuse Scandals of 2002

Since 2002, researchers have investigated the incidence of clergy sexual abuse and the perceptions and attitudes of non-ordained Catholics toward the responses of the U.S. Catholic bishops. The perceptions of functioning Catholic priests were investigated in 2002. There has been little follow-up research about priests who have never been accused of sexual misconduct. Using non-probability sampling techniques, this study employed a structured format to confidentially interview 22 Catholic priests in 2006 and 2007. The interviews yielded themes around the reporting of the events of 2002 by the media, and the response of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the crisis and the media. Findings suggest that most priest-respondents believed that the media had accurately reported that the bishops had engaged in a cover-up. Most respondents believed that the media had portrayed all priests as pedophiles. Most priest-respondents believed the response of the USCCB was inadequate, poorly conceived, and generated to satisfy public pressure. Most respondents believed that bishops had abandoned their priests and compromised the canonical rights of priests. Finally, several priest respondents identified a double standard in the process and outcome by which allegations against priests and bishops are handled.