American Indian Secondary School Students' Preferences for Counselors

Researchers examined the importance of similar ethnicity and the preference for a counselor of the same sex among American Indian secondary school students.     

The value created by the removal of cut lines: Evaluating the impact of finishing of industrial designs on purchase intention

Color, material, and finish (CMF) are essential to the competitiveness of industrial products. However, in the existing research on CMF from the consumer behavior perspective, there is an insufficient focus on finish, compared with that on color and material. Research on finish is limited to technical methods, and there is a lack of discussion about its impact on consumer purchasing behavior. This study examines the effect of cars' exterior design finish on purchase intention in Japan. The research question is, “does changing the quality of the finish by removing cut lines have a positive effect on purchase intention?” Two sets of images were used: normal images of car exteriors and images of car exteriors improved by removing cut lines. An online survey was conducted to explore the impact of a car's finish on consumers' purchase intentions in the Japanese market. The randomized controlled trial results showed that finish had a significant positive effect on purchase intention. This study analyzes the interaction of finish with consumer characteristics. A multiple regression model with interactions revealed that, among consumers who emphasize design, a higher finish quality prompted a greater positive influence on purchase intention. In design research, styling tends to attract significant attention. However, practitioners should not neglect efforts to improve finishing when manufacturing products. Companies that consider it impossible to convey to consumers the quality of products with delicate finishing need to change their mindset. These suggestions apply not only to the automotive industry but also to other durable consumer goods industries.     

Ethnicity of Defendants and Jurors as Influences on Jury Decisions1

To assess the influence of ethnicity on jury decisions, 480 subjects viewed a videotaped trial of an Anglo or Hispanic defendant. Anglo or Hispanic majority 6-person juries deliberated until a unanimous verdict was reached. The juries that convicted the defendant were asked to determine sentence length and to provide a probation/ parole recommendation. Anglo majority juries convicted the defendant significantly more (M= 79%) than did the Hispanic majority juries (M= 52%), x²= 5.45, p < 0.02. No main effect of defendant ethnicity was obtained, but there was an interaction between the defendant and the jury's ethnicity, x²= 5.41, p < 0.02. Anglo majority juries were more lenient with the Anglo defendant, but the Hispanic majority juries did not differ in their conviction rates. No significant effects were obtained for sentence length. Differences in probation/parole recommendations were a function of jury ethnicity, F(l, 15) = 4.74, p < 0.05. Anglos were more likely to recommend that the defendant serve the full term of the sentence. These results are interpreted in terms of stereotyping and are discussed regarding their implications for a defendant's constitutional right to a fair trial.     

Evaluating the Impact of a National AIDS Prevention Radio Campaign in St. Vincent and the Grenadines1

Based on extensive formative research in the three Eastern Caribbean countries of St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada (Fishbein, Middlestadt, & Trafimow, 1993; Fishbein, Trafimow, et al., 1993), a three-nation, mass media, condom use campaign was developed. In order to assess the impact of the campaign, a follow-up survey was conducted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This paper examines the effectiveness of the campaign by comparing responses on this survey by respondents who were or were not exposed to the campaign. A statistically significant impact of exposure to the campaign was obtained, indicating that a well-designed, empirically based, mass media campaign can be an effective tool in the battle to prevent the spread of AIDS.     

Male teacher effects on young children: A theoretical and empirical consideration

The argument has been frequently made that an increase in the number of male teachers working at the early school levels would reduce the number of school-related problems for boys. This argument is evaluated in the context of two major theories of sex-role development, the social learning and cognitive developmental theories, and the results of an examination of the studies of children's performance and development in relation to teacher's gender. The hypothesis that male teachers reduce boys' problems in school does not receive much support empirically or theoretically.This work was supported by a grant from the Quebec Department of Education to the first author.     

Coping strategies in obsessive-compulsive patients during Covid-19 lockdown

Background/ObjectiveThe main aim of this study was to compare coping strategies in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and a healthy control group during COVID-19 lockdown and to analyze the relationship with some variables which may influence results (depression, anxiety, comorbidity, subtype of obsession-compulsion). Method: There were 237 participants, 122 OCD and 115 healthy controls, aged 17-61 years old (M = 33.48, SD = 11.13). Results: Groups showed differences in the use of some adaptive strategies (positive reinterpretation, acceptance, humor) and maladaptive (denial, self-blame). Within obsessive-compulsive group, comorbidity affected the greater use of inappropriate strategies (denial, substance abuse and self-blame) while type of obsession-compulsion did not influence use. Anxiety and depression levels were related to the use of less adaptive strategies. Conclusions: These findings strengthen the need for training in the use of effective and adaptive coping strategies, making it necessary to improve clinical follow-up of these patients. It is relevant to be in contact with healthcare professionals, review medication and observe the anxiety and depression levels.     

Fitting Rasch model using appropriateness measure statistics

In this paper, the distributional properties and power rates of the Lz, Eci2z, and Eci4z statistics when they are used as item fit statistics were explored. The results were compared to t-transformation of Outfit and Infit mean square. Four sample sizes were selected: 100, 250, 500, and 1000 examinees. The abilities were uniform and normal with mean 0 and standard deviation 1, and uniform and normal with mean -1 and standard deviation 1. The pseudo-guessing parameter was fixed at .25. Two ranges of difficulty parameters were selected: +/- 1 logits and +/- 2 logits. Two test lengths were selected: 15 and 30 items. The results showed important differences between the T-infit, T-outfit, Lz, Eci2z, and Eci4z statistics. The T-oufit, T-infit, and Lz statistics showed poor standardization with estimated parameters because their distributional properties were not close to the expected values. However, the Eci2z and Eci4z statistics showed satisfactory standardization on all conditions. Further, the power rates of Eci2z and Eci4z were 5% to 10% higher than the power rates of Lz, T-outfit, and T-infit to detect items that do not fit Rasch model.