Dyadic Analyses of Preschool‐aged Children's Friendships: Convergence and Differences between Friendship Classifications from Peer Sociometric Data and Teacher's Reports

Peer sociometrics and teachers' friendship reports were compared in 2179 preschool dyads. One hundred twenty of 306 reciprocated friend dyads from peer sociometric data were also identified as good friends by their classroom teachers, and 301 of 600 of non‐reciprocated dyads in peer data were named as friends by one or both classroom teachers (overall kappa = .16). Friendship classifications from both peer and teacher data had significant relations with variables relevant to peer interactions, social skills, peer acceptance, and teacher‐rated scales (six of seven tests significant for peer data; five of eight significant for teacher data). Multilevel analyses indicated that friendship status effects were not qualified by classroom‐level differences. Findings suggest that sociometric tasks can identify preschoolers' peer friendships and that the range of correlates may be broader in peer‐choice data than in teachers' friendship evaluations.     

Life Satisfaction Judgments and Item-Order Effects Across Cultures

We conducted two studies to investigate the item-order effect on life satisfaction judgments. In Study 1, Japanese and American participants completed various life-domain satisfaction items either before or after completing general life satisfaction items. American respondents weighed the best life domains more strongly than Japanese respondents, in particular when they answered domain satisfaction items before making life satisfaction judgments. Overall, Japanese tended to weigh the worst life domains more heavily when making life satisfaction judgments than Americans. We hypothesized that the Japanese patterns of life satisfaction judgments come from the chronic attention to others’ perspective. To examine this hypothesis in Study 2, Japanese participants were exposed to either the “other are not watching” or the “other are watching” manipulation. As expected, when Japanese participants were led to believe that “others are not watching,” they judged their overall life satisfaction based more heavily on the best life domains (like Americans in Study 1).     

Effect of Changes in Living Conditions on Well-Being: A Prospective Top–Down Bottom–Up Model

Using the German Socio-Economic Panel, we examined life-satisfaction and housing satisfaction before and after moving (N = 3,658 participants from 2,162 households) with univariate and bivariate two-intercept two-slope latent growth models. The main findings were (a) a strong and persistent increase in average levels of housing satisfaction, (b) no increase in average life-satisfaction, (c) low stability in individuals’ level of housing satisfaction, and (d) high stability in individuals’ level of life-satisfaction. The results are discussed in the context of top–down and bottom–up models as well as adaptation theories of well-being. We conclude that moving or living in a better home is unrelated to life-satisfaction judgments for two reasons. First, housing makes a small contribution to life-satisfaction judgments. Second, positive effects of better housing are undermined by the greater costs of living in a better home. The results provide no support for the prediction of adaptation theory that shifting aspirations undermine the benefits of living in a better home.     

Social Competence in Preschool Children: Replication of Results and Clarification of a Hierarchical Measurement Model

This study tested assumptions and conclusions reached in an earlier confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) study of the social competence (SC) construct for preschool children. Two samples (total N = 408; a new Portuguese sample and one from US samples that had participated in the original study) contributed data. Seven SC indicators were tested for mean differences across age, sex, and sample. Significant sex differences were found for peer acceptance (favoring girls) and for initiating affectively neutral interactions (boys had higher rates), and the sex by sample interaction also was significant for initiating interactions (i.e., effect significant only in the Portuguese sample). In CFAs, the hypothesized structure of SC fits the data and was invariant across sample and age within sample in both measurement and structural tests. The model was invariant at the measurement level for sex within sample tests, but not at the structural level. The results replicate and extend understandings of SC reported in the original study.     

NOS3基因与阿尔茨海默病患病风险关联的研究

目的：阿尔茨海默病（ AD）是最常见的神经退行性疾病,与基因的多态性有关,包括内皮一氧化氮合酶3（ NOS3）发生变化。 NOS分解一氧化氮,并且在血脑屏障中起到有关键作用。探索NOS3基因（ rs1799983,G）与中国南方人群阿尔茨海默病患病风险的关联。方法采用病例-对照研究,在74例散发性患者和139例对照者中,对NOS3基因（rs1799983, G）进行两组间的等位基因及遗传模型基因型差异分析,NOS3基因使用聚合酶连反应-限制性内切酶（ PCR-RFLP）方法分型并测序进行验证。结果①NOS3基因（rs1799983,G）风险等位基因和基因型的频率在病例组和对照间组间的分布无显著性差异（P＞0.05）。②NOS3基因（rs1799983,G）在AD患者中携带ApoE4与非携带ApoEε4两组间基因型频率无显著性差异。结论研究显示NOS3基因rs1799983,G可能与中国南方人群AD患病风险无关联。     

Fundamentalist Religious Affiliation and Support for Civil Liberties: A Critical Reexamination

The perceived connection between theological and political conservatism has motivated many scholars to test its implications using quantitative data analysis. However, those studies have yielded quite contradictory findings. One reason lies in the way the religious orientation variable is typically operationalized. Researchers often select respondents for the analysis based on their denominational affiliation, further restricting the group based on religious beliefs or participation. In contrast, this study will utilize the 2000 General Social Survey (GSS) data and logistic regression analysis to assess if fundamentalist religious affiliation independently of other religious or demographic characteristics correlates with low support for civil liberties. The findings suggest that fundamentalist religious affiliation itself does not show a statistically significant effect in most cases. Instead, the demographic composition of religious groups and belief in the literal truth of the Bible are largely responsible for the variation in attitudes of their adherents.     

上市商业银行资本充足率影响因素实证分析

以中国A股上市的16家商业银行2005—2013年的财务年度数据为研究样本,实证检验商业银行会计政策、财务政策对资本充足率的影响。实证检验的结果表明,银行的管理者可能利用会计政策（计提贷款损失准备金）和财务政策（股利变化）来操控资本充足率;当管理者需要提高资本充足率水平时,会提高计提贷款损失准备金,同时,分配股利虽然会消耗部分利润,但能给企业带来更多资本;计提贷款损失准备金和股利变化对于资本充足率的影响具有互补关系。     

独立学院英语教学小探

独立学院有别于国家一本、二本院校,独立学院学生在英语基础上较差,在教学上应该更注重学生技能的培养。本文从独立学院学生的特点出发,结合国家英语四级考试,谈谈如何从实际出发。在教学的过程中综合提高学生的英语水平和能力。     

Ethnicity and fertility desires in Ghana

Journal of Population Research - The extant literature shows that fertility desires are an important indicator for understanding and predicting the future course of fertility; however, little work...