drinking patterns,social interaction,and barroom behavior: a routine activities approach

Routine activities and place theory both offer a unique analytical framework to study the types of activities and behaviors that occur within urban drinking settings as well as the consequent problem-related behavior in surrounding residential neighborhoods. Using observational data from two urban bars this study set out to determine how routine drinking patterns, social interaction, and formal guardianship, such as controls and management practices, are related to patron alcohol consumption and behavioral responses within and outside the bar. The results illustrate that the level and extent of effective forms of guardianship within the facility correspond with patron behavior. Generally, the bar that provided the greatest level of guardianship by the use of effective bouncers had a lower amount of predatory sexual offending and disorder within the bar. Moreover, the routine activities of patrons attending the bars in this study also contributed to increased amounts of disorder outside the bars and in adjoining neighborhoods. Several theoretical and policy implications of bar owners social responsibility to regulate the disorderly and destructive behavior of their patrons are presented.     

Not Only Whites: Racial Priming Effect for Black Faces in Black People

Black people are widely negatively stereotyped. The presence of unconscious stereotypes can be effectively assessed with the administration of “racial priming tasks.” An ethnically diverse group was subjected to a priming paradigm to test whether racial cues could bias the identification of target objects. Participants were asked to categorize objects (either as dangerous or nondangerous) after the presentation of Black/White faces as primes. Results show that both Black and White participants were faster in categorizing dangerous objects when primed with Black faces compared to the control condition (i.e., scrambled faces). One possible explanation for this effect is that Black faces are generally associated with a feeling of danger, which ultimately leads to faster responses.     

Behavior Problems in Toddlers With and Without Developmental Delays: Comparison of Treatment Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an in-home parent management program for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays by comparing outcomes for a group of toddlers with developmental delays (n = 27) and a group of toddlers without developmental delays (n = 27). The majority of children lived in single parent, low-income homes. Results suggest that the parent management program is equally effective for children with and without developmental delays. Parents from both groups reported clinically significant improvement in their children's behavior and parenting practices. Clinical implications regarding the importance of these findings for improving outcomes for toddlers with behavior problems and developmental delays living in poverty were discussed.     

The Joint Multivariate Modeling of Multiple Mixed Response Sources: Relating Student Performances with Feedback Behavior

The present study concerns a Dutch computer-based assessment, which includes an assessment process about information literacy and a feedback process for students. The assessment is concerned with the measurement of skills in information literacy and the feedback process with item-based support to improve student learning. To analyze students’ feedback behavior (i.e. feedback use and attention time), test performance, and speed of working, a multivariate hierarchical latent variable model is proposed. The model can handle multivariate mixed responses from multiple sources related to different processes and comprehends multiple measurement components for responses and response times. A flexible within-subject latent variable structure is defined to explore multiple individual latent characteristics related to students’ test performance and feedback behavior. Main results of the computer-based assessment showed that feedback-information pages were less visited by well-performing students when they relate to easy items. Students’ attention paid to feedback was positively related to working speed but not to the propensity to use feedback.     

Strengthening socio‐emotional competencies in a school setting: Data from the Pyramid project

Background. Development of socio‐emotional competencies is key to children's successful social interaction at home and at school. Aims. This study examines the efficacy of a UK primary school‐based intervention, the Pyramid project, in strengthening children's socio‐emotional competencies. Sample. Participants were 385 children from seven schools in two UK cities. All children were aged 7–8 years and in school Year 3. Children were screened for socio‐emotional difficulties through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997 ) and a multi‐agency meeting of relevant professionals before being allocated to attend a Pyramid Club intervention (n= 103) or a comparison group (n= 282). Method. A 2 × 2 mixed‐model design was used: group (intervention group vs. comparison group) × 2 time points (pre‐ vs. 12 weeks post‐intervention) with repeated measures on the time factor to investigate the impact of the Pyramid Year 3 intervention. Teachers completed the SDQ‐T4‐16 for all children pre‐ and post‐intervention to measure participants’ socio‐emotional health status. Results. As measured by the two SDQ difficulty sub‐scales of Emotional and Peer problems and the SDQ strength sub‐scale of Prosocial behaviour, post‐intervention improvements in the Pyramid attendee group were of greater magnitude than those of the comparison group. Conclusions. The Pyramid project intervention improves the socio‐emotional health of vulnerable children through promoting positive outcomes as well as reducing socio‐emotional deficits. These findings further support the inclusion of a salutogenic approach in promoting children's socio‐emotional well‐being.     

Maternal Factors Related to Parenting Practices,Developmental Expectations,and Perceptions of Child Behavior Problems

Parenting practices of a representative sample of 1,056 urban mothers with very young children were studied via the Parent Behavior Checklist (Fox, 1994) and the Behavior Screening Questionnaire (Richman & Graham, 1971). Potential determinants of parenting practices were also addressed, including maternal age, marital status, education level, number of children living at home, and family socioeconomic status. Less positive parenting practices concerning nurturing and discipline were found among mothers who were younger, had more than one child living at home, were single, had a lower income level, and had lower educational attainment. These mothers also tended to perceive their children as demonstrating more difficult behavior problems. However, the negative influence of some determinants of parenting practices, such as low income, was found to be moderated by the presence of other determinants, such as more education. The present results provide evidence that multiple determinants influence parenting practices among parents of young children.     

Changes in Physiological Stress and Self-Reported Mood in Younger and Older Adults After Exposure to a Stressful Task

ABSTRACT

The objective of the current study was to compare the trajectories of physiological levels of stress and self-report measures of mood in younger and older adults and to examine how a stress induction would affect performance. The current study examined physiological and subjective indicators of stress and mood before, mid-way through, and after being exposed to a stressful computer task. Stress levels and negative affect increased after stress induction relative to levels before and after the stressful task. Practice on the task helped to improve performance (accuracy and reaction time) but high workload measured during the task mitigated accuracy in younger and older adults, whereas it enhanced response speed in younger adults.     

Political Authority,Practical Identity,and Binding Citizens

Abstract

Allen Buchanan (2002) argues that it doesn’t matter whether a state has authority in the sense of being able to create binding obligations for its citizens, so long as it is morally justified in wielding political power. In this paper, I look at this issue from a slightly different angle. I argue that it matters a great deal whether citizens relate to their state in an obligatory fashion. This is for two reasons. First, a fully morally justified state must be an efficacious state; it must be able to realise its values and make its rules stick. My contention will be that enduring stability can only be secured when citizens, or at least a significant proportion of citizens, are tangibly bound to regulate their conduct in accordance with a principle of obedience to just states. Second, it is only when individuals interact in the right way with the justification for state power that the state itself as a pervasive and coercive entity does not pose a problem for them as reason-responsive agents. In fact, under the right circumstances, submission to state authority can greatly enhance autonomy as it facilitates collective responses to challenges that individuals would struggle to overcome alone.