Effects of Social Demand on Reports of Self-Monitored Blood Glucose in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that social demand could substantially affect reports of self-monitored blood glucose (BG) in adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Of 34 patients initially enrolled in the study, 10 were excluded because they did not bring any BG records with them to an outpatient clinic appointment. The remaining 24 patients were randomly assigned to either a low or high social demand condition that provided instructions for monitoring of BG for the week following the appointment. The subjects' BG records were quantified to provide frequency of measurement and mean reported BG for the week prior to and after the clinic visit. Five subjects did not return their BG records for the week following the intervention. The analyses were therefore based on the 19 subjects from whom complete records were obtained. The 12 subjects in the low social demand group and 7 subjects in the high social demand group were equivalent with regard to age, duration of diabetes, socioeconomic status, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Frequency of BG measurement was similar in both groups during both weeks. The mean BG value reported in the week prior to intervention was similar for the groups. However, analyses of the post-intervention BGs revealed that subjects in the low-demand group reported significantly higher BGs compared to pre-intervention and to subjects in the high-demand group. These findings suggest that self-monitoring and reporting of BG is a social behavior that is affected by the demand characteristics of the interpersonal patient-health provider relationship. Because optimal treatment planning for individuals with diabetes requires accurate BG records, care must be taken to interpret them in light of the social demand characteristics associated with clinical assessment.     

Cognitive processes and computerized personality assessment

Several implications of the cognitive viewpoint on personality are tested and the predictive validity of cognitive processing variables is assessed with judgements of parents and friends as a criterion measure. Free recall of items was related to cognitive schemas but reaction time during score recall was not. Ease of faking as well as response latency during faking were not related to cognitive schemas. Intra-individual analysis revealed a consistent non-linear relationship between response latency and item score in all conditions of the experiment. Although some cognitive process variables were correlated with the criterion measures, adding these variables to item scores did not always increase the predictive validity.     

Cultural practices of Hispanics: implications for the prevention of AIDS

Hispanic Americans have one of the highest rates of HIV seroprevalence among all ethnics groups in the US, with high rates being especially noticeable among women and children. Were it known which cultural factors have the most influence on whether Hispanics engage in high-risk behavior for HIV transmission, prevention interventions could be targeted accordingly. To that end, this study was mounted to identify which Hispanic cultural factors relate to condom use. 117 males and 73 females aged 17-56 years of mean age 25.67 were surveyed in Washoe county, Nevada. These mostly young adults had recently immigrated to the western US. It was initially posited that fate orientation, male- female relationships, family relationships, machismo behavior, and religion would have equal influence with respect to condom use. Analysis found that condom use was largely associated with and determined by men who are the principal buyers of condoms. A machismo attitude toward protecting women by using condoms was also associated with condom use. Neither fate orientation with respect to AIDS, nor religion were important determinants of condom use, even though 86.5% of the respondents were Catholic. The degree to which respondents adhered to traditional Hispanic cultural values was influenced by the degree of education and acculturation. On the basis of these findings, the authors suggest targeting AIDS prevention messages to males, while emphasizing the protection of women through condom use. They also suggest that both education and acculturation levels be assessed before implementing prevention programs.     

Book reviews and notes

GENERAL.

READINGS IN THE QUR'AN. Selected and translated by KENNETH CRAGG. London: Collins Liturgical Publications, 1990. 389pp. Pb. £8.95. ISBN 0–00–599087–4.

DER KORAN UND DIE JUDEN: DIE GESCHICHTE EINER TRAGODIE. By Johan Bouman. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buch‐gesellschaft, 1990. 130pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 3–534–80123–7.

ISMAIL HAKKI BURSEVPS TRANSLATION OF AND COMMENTARY ON FUSUS AL‐HKAM. VOLS. 3 and 4. By Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. Translated by Bulent Rauf with the help of R. Brass and H. Tollemache. Oxford: Muhyiddin ibn ^cArabi Society, 1989, 1991. 254pp, 353pp. Hb. £40.00, £50.00. ISBN 0–9509527–2–9; 0–9509527–4–5.

SCIENCE AND MUSLIM SOCIETIES. By Nasim Butt. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991. 135pp. Pb. £5.95. ISBN 1–85640–023–9.

THE MUSLIMS OF AMERICA. Edited by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. 249pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–19–506728–2.

TURNING POINTS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES. By URSULA KING. Edinburgh: T & T Clark Ltd, 1990. 329pp. Hb. £19.95. ISBN 0–567–09564–9.

THE SEPARATED ONES: JESUS, THE PHARISEES AND ISLAM. By Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood. London: SCM Press, 1991. 194pp. Pb. £9.95. ISBN 0–334–02498–6.

WHO NEEDS AN ISLAMIC STATE! By Abdelwahab El‐Affendi. London: Grey Seal Books, 1991.115pp. Pb. £5.95. ISBN 1–85640–022–0.

‘MULTI‐FAITH WORSHIP'? QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FROM THE INTER‐FAITH CONSULTATIVE GROUP. By The. General Synod Board of Mission. London: Church House Publishing, 1992. 66pp. Pb. £3.50. ISBN 0–7151–5530‐X.

WAS SAGT DER KORAN ZUM HEILIGEN KRIEG? By Adel TheodorKhoury. Giitersloh: Gutersloher Verlaghaus Gerd Mohn, 1991. 95pp. Pb. DM12.80. ISBN 3–579–00787–0.

REGIONAL.

Africa.

RELIGION AND CUSTOM IN A MUSLIM SOCIETY: THE BERTI OF SUDAN. By Ladislav Holy. Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 243pp. Hb. £30.00; $49.50. ISBN 0–521–39485–6.

POPULAR ISLAM IN TUNISIA. By Kees Schilder. Research Reports 1991/44. Leiden: African Studies Centre, 1991. 171pp. Pb. DFL.12.50. ISBN 90–70110–85–7.

A POEM CONCERNING THE DEATH OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD UTENDI WA KUTA WAFUNABII. Edited by J.W.T. Allen, Rland Allen, N.Q. King, Jan Knappert Et Al. African Studies, 26. New York/Ontario/Larnpeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1991. 161pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 0–7734–9705–6.

SACRED VOID: SPATIAL IMAGES OF WORK AND RITUAL AMONG THE GIRIAMA OF KENYA. By David Parkin. Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 259pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–521–40466–5.

PEOPLE AND EMPIRES IN AFRICAN HISTORY: ESSAYS IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL CROWDER. Edited By J.F. Ade Ajayi and J.D.Y. Peel. London and New York: Longman, 1992. 254pp. Hb. £36.00. ISBN 0–582–08997–2.

Asia.

MUSLIMS IN CENTRAL ASIA: EXPRESSIONS OF IDENTITY AND CHANGE. By Jo‐ANN GROSS. Durham: Duke University Press, 1992. 224pp. Pb. $18.95. ISBN 0–8223–1190–9.

Europe.

ISLAM IN DUTCH SOCIETY: CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS. Edited by W.A.R. Shadid and P.S. Van Koningsveld. Kampen. Kok Pharos Publishing House, 1992. 205pp. Pb. n.p.ISBN 90–242–3047–0.

VAN MAT TOT MINARET. By Nico Landman. Amsterdam: VU Uitgeverij, 1992. 387pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 90–5383–086–3.

DE ISLAM IN WEST‐EUROPA, IN HET BIJZONDER IN NEDERLAND. By HuUG Van Ooijen, Rinus Penninx, Jan Rath and ThulSunier. Nijmegen: Reeks REcht & Samenleving, 1991. 76pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 90–71478–20–3.

MUSLIMS IN WESTERN EUROPE. By Jorgen S. Nielsen. Islamic Surveys 20. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1992. 186pp. Hb. £25.00. ISBN 0–7486–0309–0.

NATIONAL PROBLEMS IN THE BALKANS: HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS. Edited by V. Mincheva. Sofia: Arges Publishing House for the Institute of Balkan Studies, 1992.247pp. Pb. LV20,00. No ISBN.

THE BALKANS: MINORITIES AND STATES IN CONFLICT. By Hugh Poulton. London: Minority Rights Publications, 1991. 244pp. Pb. £8.95. ISBN 1–873194–05–6.

THE SATANIC VERSES: BRADFORD RESPONDS. Edited by David G. Bowen. Bradford: D.G. Bowen and Bradford & Ilkley Community College, 1992. 82pp. Pb. .n.p. ISBN 0–947–851–25–9.

THE KINGDOM OF CYPRUS AND THE CRUSADES 1191–1374. By Peter W. Edbury. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.241pp. Hb. £27.50, $44.50. ISBN 0–521–26876–1.

DIE MIGRANTEN AUS SUBAY: TURKEN IN DEUTSCHLAND: EINE ETHNOGRAPHIE. By Werner Schiffauer. Stuttgart: Klett‐Cotta, 1991. 388pp. Hb. n.p. ISBN 3–608–93170–8.

Middle East.

POLITICAL ISLAM: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN THE ARAB WORLD. By Nazih N. Ayubi. London and New York: Routledge, 1991. 291pp. Hb. £40.00. ISBN 0–415–05442–7.

THE ARAB CHRISTIAN: A HISTORY IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By Kenneth CRAGG. London: Mowbray, 1992. 336pp. Pb. £9.95. ISBN 0–264–67257–7.

ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM AND THE GULF CRISIS. Edited by JAMES PISCATORI. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991. 267pp. Pb. £7.95; $11.50. ISBN 0–9629608–0–2.

RACE AND SLAVERY IN THE MIDDLE EAST. By BERNARD LEWIS. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. 184pp. Hb. £22.50. ISBN 0–19–506283–3.

THE IRAQI REVOLUTION OF 1958: THE OLD SOCIAL CLASSES REVISITED. Edited by Robert A. Fernea and Wm. Roger Louis. London: I.B. Tauris, 1991. 232pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 1–85043–318–6.

CULTURE, HISTORY AND IDEOLOGY IN THE FORMATION OF BA'THIST IRAQ, 1968–69. By AMATZIABaram. New York: St Martin's Press, 1991. 196pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 0–312–04805‐X.

THE PALLESTINIAN UPRISING: A WAR BY OTHER MEANS. By F. Robert Hunter. London: I.B. Tauris, 1991.292pp. Hb. £17.95. ISBN 1–85043–325–9.

POLITICS IN AN ARABIAN OASIS: THE RASHIDI TRIBAL DYNASTY. By Madawi AL Rasheed. London: I.B. Tauris, 1991. 300pp. Hb. £35.00. ISBN 1–85043–320–8.

THE LION OF EGYPT: SULTAN BAYBARSI AND THE NEAR EAST IN THE TfflRTEENTH CENTURY. By Peter THORAU. London: London and New York, 1987. 319pp. Pb. £13.50. ISBN 0–582–06823–1.

HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF LIBYA. By RONALD BRUCE ST JOHN. African Historical Dictionaries, 33.2nd Edition. Metuchen, NJ & London: Scarecrow Press, 1991. 192pp. Hb. £18.75. ISBN 0–8108–2451–5.

ACCOMMODATING PROTEST: WORKING WOMEN, THE NEW VEBLING AND CHANGE IN CAIRO. By ARLENE ELOWE MACLEOD. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991. 206pp. Hb. $37.50. ISBN 0–231–07280–5.

FEZ: CITY OF ISLAM. By Titus Burckhardt. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1992. 175pp. Hb. £24.95; $39.95. ISBN 0–946621–17–9.

CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELA TIONS.

ROBIN LAMBURN — FROM A MISSIONARY'S NOTEBOOK: THE YAO OF TUNDURU AND OTHER ESSAYS. Edited by NOEL Q. KING and Klaus Fiedler with Gavin White. Social Science Studies on International Problems, no. 164. Saarbriicken; Fort Lauderdale: Verlag Breitenbach, 1991. 240pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0584–603‐X.

MATERIAUX POUR SERVIR A L'ETUDE DE LA CONTROVERSE THEOLOGIQUEISLAMO‐CHRETIENNE DE LANGUE ARABE DU Vffle AUX Xlle SIECLE. By PAUL KHOURY. Religionswissenschaftliche Studien 11/2. Wurzburg: Echter Verlag and Altenberge: Oros Verlag, 1991. 633pp. Pb. $633.00; DM99.80. ISBN 3–429–01410–7 (Echter); 3–89375–039–8 (Oros).

THE CONQUEST OF CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM SPAIN 1031–1157. By Bernard F. Reilly. Oxford: Blackwell, 1992. 284pp. Hb. £40.00. ISBN 0–631–16913‐X.

ISLAM IN A WORLD OF DIVERSE FAITHS. Edited by Dan Cohen‐Sherbok. Library of Philosophy and Religion. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1991. 218pp. Hb. £45.00. ISBN 0–333–52612–0.

LA FOIE EN MARCHE: LES PROBLEMES DE FOND DU DIALOGUE ISLAMO‐CHRETIEN. By PONTIFICIOISTITUTO Dl STUDI Arabie D'islamistica. Collection ‘Studi Arabo‐Islamici del PISAF, no.4. Rome: PISAI, 1990. 235pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 88–85907–05–9.

DIPLOMATARIUM II: DOCUMENTS 1–500: FOUNDATIONS OF CRUSADER VALENCIA: REVOLT AND RECOVERY 1257–1263. By ROBERT I. Burns. Princeton: New Jersey, 1991. 440pp. Hb. $69.50. ISBN 0–691–05435–5.

ANTI‐CHRISTIAN POLEMIC IN EARLY ISLAM: ABU ‘ISA AL‐WARRAQ'S ‘AGAINST THE TRINITY’. By David Thomas. University of Cambridge Oriental Publications 45. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. 218pp. Hb. £40.00; $74.95. ISBN 0–521–41244–7.

INCULTURATION ET LIBERATION EN AFRIQUE AUJOURDHUI: MELANGES EN L'HONNEUR DU PROFESSEUR ABBE MULAGO GWA CKALA. Revue Africaine de Theologie, 27–28, April‐October 1990. 336pp. No ISBN number.

STRIVING TOGETHER: A WAY FORWARD IN CHRISTIAN‐MUSLIM RELATIONS. By Charles Kimball. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1991. 132pp. Pb. n.p. ISBN 0–88344–691‐X.

INTERWINED WORLDS: MEDIEVAL ISLAM AND BIBLE CRITICISM. By Hava Lazarus‐Yafeh. Princeton University Press, 1992. 178pp. Hb. £22.50; $29.95. ISBN 0–691–07398–8.     

The applicability of verbal mnemonics for different populations: A review

The main aims of this review were to assess(1) the likelihood of learners making spontaneous use of verbal mnemonics, and (2) the extent to which learners will benefit from using verbal mnemonics. Over 60 investigations of verbal mnemonics were reviewed, most of which concentrated upon sentence mnemonics or first-letter mnemonics; although many of the studies used students as subjects, the review also considers the value of verbal mnemonics for schoolchildren, mentally handicapped people, brain-injured patients, and the elderly. On the whole, verbal mnemonics are relatively popular internal memory aids and, when compared to standard control conditions such as rehearsal, appear to be effective learning strategies for most of the populations studied, although mentally handicapped people and schoolchildren may find it difficult to produce effective mnemonics themselves; additionally, students and schoolchildren can benefit from the use of mnemonic sentences as part of more complex techniques. Comparisons between verbal mnemonics and other memory-aiding strategies have, however, given more equivocal results. A number of areas for future research are identified. In particular it is hoped to see a development of recent trends to use non-student subject, and to investigate the applicability of verbal mnemonics outside the laboratory.