A Social Version of Gerotranscendence: Case Study

This article reexamines the concept of gerotranscendence in the light of anthropological findings. Particular social patterns in a nursing home reveal a unique reality communal to its tenants. The author assumes that the tenants' spontaneous patterns of social gathering construct a collective death consciousness which is spiritual in its nature. Tornstam's term another paradigm seems suitable not only for a developmental shift in old age but also for the situational shift in the daily life of the subjects. Anthropological concepts, as well as contextual and inter-subjective parameters, join to indicate that some gerotranscendence dimensions are experienced in what the author terms as sitting and giving episodes.     

Yielding behavior of Israeli drivers: interaction of age and sex

The main objective of the present study was to explore the yielding behavior of Israeli drivers. A series of observations were carried out at a busy crosswalk during rush hour to determine the association between demographic factors, i.e., the sex and age of both pedestrians and drivers and the rate of compliance with yielding regulations. The rate of yielding observed did not exceed 53%. Drivers within the 26-50 age range, excluding other age groups, tended to exhibit a higher yielding rate towards the members of their own age group.     

From understanding to insight: using reflexivity to promote students’ learning of qualitative research

Reflexivity is qualitative researchers’ thoughtful and self-aware examination of the intersubjective dynamics between themselves and study participants, evoking insightful understanding of others. Novice qualitative researchers need to acquire reflexive skills for their professional development. In this article, we examine reflexivity among Israeli students on a qualitative research course. We conducted thematic content analysis of the data gathered from the students’ written reflexive journals. Reflexivity was demonstrated by three dimensions in each stage of the students’ experience of learning qualitative research: (1) ‘I as a person’, relating to students’ critical personal perspective; (2) ‘I as a researcher’, referring to the students’ insights about their evolving competencies as researchers; and (3) ‘I as an individual in a sociocultural context’, stressing students’ awareness of their values, beliefs and norms. These findings are discussed, highlighting four key concepts in qualitative research: Taken-for-Granted Expectations; Experience of Discovery; Resonance, and Meaning Making and Insights.     

An initial investigation of validation of the Matrix Analogies Test-Expanded Form in Ecuador

This is a first preliminary study of the validity and reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test--Expanded Form in South America. Participants were 104 Spanish-speaking children between the ages of 5 and 17 years living in Ecuador. Values of Cronbach alpha ranged from .87 to .92 for the 4 groups of items and was .95 for the total score. Raw scores on the MAT increased across ages. Scores of boys did not differ significantly from those of girls. Total test scores correlated significantly with scores on the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (r = .62, p < .005; r = .82 before controlling for age). A principal factor analysis conducted to provide evidence of the test's construct validity indicated that all four sets of items loaded substantially on one unrotated factor, presumed to be g. In sum, these results suggest that the test is a valid and reliable nonverbal measure of general cognitive ability in this population.     

The body as narrator: Body movement memory and the life stories of holocaust survivors

The present study explores the interaction between two narrative worlds of substance: verbal life stories and body movement expressions among Holocaust survivors. A narrative phenomenology approach was used to investigate the way in which people organize their lives, granting them meaning through their life stories and narratives. Sixteen Holocaust survivors participated in this study: men and women aged 73–93. Qualitative open and unstructured interviews were conducted and videotaped. Six major clusters were found. Each cluster presents unique characteristics of verbal and movement expressions: activity, passivity, arousal, self-reassurance, deadlock, and suffocation. These findings shed new light on the survivors’ traumatic life stories.     

A within-subject design of comparison of waiting time of pedestrians before crossing three successive road crossings

This study is a partial replication of the work of Hamed (2001) who found a negative correlation between waiting time of pedestrians before crossing the first and the second stage of a road divided by an island. The innovation of the current study is an addition of testing the waiting time before crossing a third successive crosswalk. The research is based on examining the correlation between the waiting times of pedestrians before each stage of crossing a triple-crossing. The research was conducted in two different types of three successive crossings: (1) with a narrow or (2) with a wide refuge island dividing between the two parts of the main road. We hypothesized that in a narrow island condition the correlation between the waiting time of the first and the second crossings will be negative; a finding that would have replicated Hamed’s finding. However, in a wide island condition, so that the two-stage crossing will be perceived by the pedestrian as two separate units, the correlation between the waiting time in the first and the second crossings would be positive. More than 750 people (of which 54% were female) were observed crossing junctions with a triple-stage crossings in three different locations in the center of Israel (two with wide islands and one with a narrow island). The waiting time before crossing each part of the road was measured by two experienced observers. The mean waiting time beyond individual differences was 6.00, 5.76 and 0.79 s at the first, second and third crossings respectively. Our results are not in line with those of Hamed (2001). At the junction with the narrow island no correlation between the waiting time of the first and the second crossing was found. A positive correlation has been found between the waiting time of the first and the second crossing in the condition of the wide refuge island. In all locations a positive correlation has been found between the waiting times at the second and third crossings. These findings lead to an optional explanation that the width of the refuge island determines the way in which the pedestrian perceives the task of crossing two-stage crossings. These findings support a possible explanation by a newly suggested model – Renewed Patience Model. The implications of the research and other methodological issues are discussed.     

Eclectic Sales Management: Strategic Response to Trends in the Eighties

Abstract

Future sales managers will need more eclectic managerial training if they are to adapt successfully to developing trends in the marketing environment.     

For heaven’s sake follow the rules: pedestrians’ behavior in an ultra-orthodox and a non-orthodox city

The present study focuses on the effect of the elements of religiosity and faith on pedestrian behavior. The sample consisted of 1047 pedestrians who were observed at two busy urban intersections. The observations were conducted in three separate intervals at two busy intersections in Ramat-Gan (secular area) and Bnei-Brak (ultra-orthodox area) during the afternoon hours. Five activities were the focus of the observation: running a red-light, crossing where there is no crosswalk, walking along the road, failing to check for traffic prior to crossing, and taking a child’s hand when crossing. A Chi square test for independence was used to estimate the effect of location, gender and age. In the case of two-by-two cross-tabulation, Φ, the non-directional measure of association for categorical variables, was calculated. Findings indicate that males committed significantly more violations than females, and there is a negative correlation between age and frequency of violations. The younger the individual, the more frequently s/he commits a violation. Beyond age and gender as behavioral determinants, pedestrians in the orthodox environment committed violations about three times more frequently than those in the secular environment. Part of the robust difference found between the secular and the ultra-orthodox pedestrians, may be due to the fact that the age-related trend does not exist in Bnei-Brak. Age was related to the violation rate in Ramat-Gan, but not in Bnei-Brak. The following discussion relates to ideological, psychological and practical explanations of these findings.