Chinese Attitudes, Norms, Behavioral Control and Gambling Involvement in Macao

This study tested the applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on gambling intention and involvement in a representative Chinese sample in Macao, recruited by a random residential number dialing method. We successfully interviewed 685 respondents, with about one-third of them reporting that they had participated in gambling activities during the 12 months prior to the interview. The results of structural equation modeling suggested that favorable attitudes toward superstition and techniques, poor sense of perceived behavioral control over gambling refusal, and high gambling intention increased vulnerability to excessive gambling involvement. These findings generally support the efficacy of the TPB in explaining gambling intention and involvement among both Chinese gamblers and non-gamblers. Some practical implications of the findings are discussed within the Chinese context.     

Voting and Social Inclusion in Sweden

Three decades ago, Sweden extended municipal and provincial voting privileges to non‐citizen residents arguing that it would increase political influence, interest and self‐esteem among foreign citizens. The aim of this paper is to explore the act of voting as a measure of social inclusion by comparing voting propensities of immigrants (people born outside Sweden), their descendants (born in Sweden) and native Swedish citizens (those who have citizenship through jus sanguine) while controlling for a range of socio‐economic, demographic characteristics, contextual factors and a set of “hard” and “soft” social inclusion related variables. In particular we focus on the impact of citizenship acquisition ‐‐ does the symbolic act of attaining citizenship result in increased voting participation on the part of Swedish residents who are not citizens by birth. We use the Swedish 2006 electoral survey matched to registry data from Statistics Sweden to assess the correlates of voting by Swedish‐born and immigrant residents. Using instrumental variable regressions we estimate the impact of citizenship acquisition. We find that acquisition of citizenship makes a real difference to the probability of voting. Immigrants who naturalise are in general far more likely to vote than those who do not.     

Response Validity in Surveysof Voting Behavior

This paper presents the results of a project which validatedthe reported registration and voting behavior of respondentsin a national election study. The accuracy of reported votingbehavior in the 1976 general election is assessed in terms ofthe demographic characteristics of the respondents to the Centerfor Political Studies National Election Study as well as theextent of their participation in a survey panel begun in 1972.Increased levels of registration and turnout are observed inassociation with the number of interviews in which respondentsparticipated, and three alternative social psychological modelsof the effects of preelection interviews are evaluated. Althoughthe interview apparently served as a stimulus to voting, neithera model associated with self-concept theory nor alienation theoryappears to explain the phenomenon adequately. The intervieweffect is significant and appears to be cumulative, indicatingthat researchers usingthe survey method with panel designs shouldbe sitive to the effects of their method on the behavior whichthey are tryingto measure.     

Changing Patterns in American Voting Behavior, 1914-1980

This paper analyzes voting behavior for President, Senate, andHouse at the state level for the period 1914–80. The majorfinding of this study is that since World War II, there hasbeen a pronounced trend toward "particularization" in votingfor federal offices. This trend consists of more than the erosionof party attachments among the electorate; it also includesthe dissolution of other traditional electoral ties such aspresidential coattails, the midterm congressional swing, andincumbency. As a result of this trend, the vote in federal electionsis largely determined by factors which are unique to the specificsetting in which each election occurs and by the ability ofcandidates to convert these factors to their political advantagethrough mass media campaigns.     

Impact of Social Work Education on Student Attitudes and Behavior concerning Oppression

Although human service professionals increasingly are the victims of violence, no data exist on the prevalence of violence in the undergraduate field setting, and only one study has addressed the incidence of violence at the graduate level. To fill this gap in the research, the authors surveyed 121 social work students and 96 field instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels to identify safety issues, compare incidents of violence, and to examine agency policies on violence prevention and management. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate students experienced verbal abuse, as well as physical violence. Field instructors were verbally abused or threatened by clients, but did not report any verbal abuse by students; they also reported physical assaults by clients and paraprofessionals. Students reported that, although they received some classroom instruction on safety issues in practice, agencies used as practicum sites often did not have policies on violence or did not inform students of those policies. The authors suggest that curriculum materials on violence and safety issues be integrated into the curriculum or included in field placement seminars. They also recommend that the Council on Social Work Education mandate the inclusion of such content.     

Social Participation,Social Status and Extremist Political Attitudes*

Two measures of extremist political attitudes are used to test the relationship between social participation, social status, and extremist attitudes. The expected relationships are found only for a measure called “support for democratic institutions.” Another measure of political attitudes, vigilantism, was found not to relate to the independent variables. We conclude that people who may adhere to abstract democratic ideals, at the same time may not reject the use of extralegal force to further their political goals. The findings also suggest that the “mobilization function” of social participation will need to be further specified.     

The Good Society: Core Social Values,Social Norms,and Public Policy

This essay is an attempt to transcend the contentious political environment by offering a conceptual framework for discussing the outlines of a “good society” and its constituent elements. We offer an argument that is grounded in social theory that identifies a way to develop public policies to remedy long‐standing economic and social problems in American society. The development of public policies that can unify individuals and groups to provide their support depends upon the existence of core social values and shared social norms to realize those values. We proceed by first identifying a set of core social values that we believe most Americans would endorse, and then present a set of guides for behavior that would advance those values. Finally, we propose a series of public policies that are consistent with the core values and social norms and that would help to create what we have called the “good society.” Our assumption is that when a citizenry endorses a set of core values and acts in a fashion that supports those values, the usually divided political factions will be compelled to respond with real solutions.     

Social Norms Research in College Health

Abstract

The authors report findings from the first national survey of gambling among college students. They collected information from 10,765 students attending 119 scientifically selected colleges included in the 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), which indicated that 42% of responding students gambled in the last school year and 2.6% gambled weekly or more frequently. These findings contradict the widely held opinion based on previous studies that gambling is prevalent among college students. Previous studies used convenience samples that might have overestimated the risk for gambling problems. Male students and students of legal age (> 21 y) were more likely than others to gamble. Availability of gambling, measured by the number of types of gambling venues located in the schools' states, influenced their decisions to gamble. The concordance of characteristics associated with both gambling and binge drinking suggested a disposition to take risks that is independent of the risk objects.     

Social Norms and Their Implications for Disability

Abstract

This paper discusses how and why the norms for defining disability continue to change. This analysis illustrates the social nature of the disability and that changing norms continue to define the meaning of disability. The paper is grounded in a postmodern perspective, a notion that has only entered the field of disability in the 21st century.     

Implicit Nativist Attitudes,Social Desirability,and Immigration Policy Preferences

While previous research on immigration attitudes among the American public has focused on factors such as economic threat, social context, and racial prejudice, fewer studies have examined the psychological determinants of immigration policy preferences. This study analyzes the results of an implicit association test (IAT) procedure that measures automatic nativist preferences for a traditional American culture versus a Latino‐American culture (i.e., implicit nativist attitudes). In brief, this study demonstrates that implicit nativist attitudes are fairly common, that they are an independent predictor of immigration policy attitudes, and that they affect those who are not explicitly nativist but who still hold restrictionist policy views.     

Premarital Sexual Attitudes and Behavior*

The purpose of this study is to add to adolescent sexuality theory by modifying and extending current theoretical models—especially those of Reiss (1967), Burr (1973), Reiss and Miller (1974), and Jessor and Jessor (1973). A total of 492 female and 308 male Canadian university and high school student respondents provided the data for this study. Reiss' Guttman scale of sexual permissiveness and a Guttman scale of intimacy of sexual behavior were used to operationalize the major dependent variables. Path analysis indicates substantial support for a normative-opportunity model based on Jessor and Jessor's (1973) “distal-proximal” model and question Reiss'(1967) assumption of “opposing institutions” and Reiss and Miller's (1974) emphasis on autonomy of individuals in explaining their sexual attitudes. The findings indicate the importance of the peer group in determining both sexual attitudes and behavior of individuals and the importance of frequency of dating in predicting individuals' sexual behavior.     

Social Presence, Embarrassment, and Nonverbal Behavior

Nonverbal behaviors in response to viewing slides depicting nude males, nude females, erotic couples and neutral pictures, either alone or in the presence of two unfamiliar individuals, were studied in 22 female and 16 male university students. Participants were unaware of being videorecorded. Results revealed discrepancies between self-reported embarrassment and nonverbal behaviors supposedly expressive of embarrassment. Although self-reported embarrassment was higher when certain types of slides were viewed in the presence of others than when they were viewed alone, we observed significantly fewer lip movements, gaze shifts, face touches, downward gazes, and downward head movements in the presence of unfamiliar individuals than in the alone condition. We also compared behaviors during slide exposure and during the inter-slide intervals. For 9 out of 11 coded behaviors, frequencies were significantly higher during inter-slide intervals than during slide presentation. We argue that this is probably due to the fact that visual attention to the slides inhibited nonverbal behaviors. The results cast doubt on the possibility of inferring the internal state of an emotion such as embarrassment by analyzing nonverbal behaviors without taking account of the social setting in which such observations are made.     

Positive Social Support,Negative Social Exchanges,and Suicidal Behavior in College Students

Abstract

Objective: Risk for suicide is often higher among college students, compared to same-age noncollegiate peers, and may be exacerbated by quality of social support and interactions. The authors examined the independent contributions of positive social support and negative social exchanges to suicide ideation and attempts in college students. Participants: Participants were 439 volunteer undergraduate students, who were primarily female (71%). Methods: Cross-sectional, survey design. Participants completed measures assessing positive social support, including emotional, informational, and tangible support; negative social exchanges; and suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts. Results: Positive social support, particularly tangible support, and negative social exchanges were significantly predictive of greater suicidal behavior. Conclusions: Practical manifestations of support may buffer against suicide risk for college students, whereas conflict-based interactions may contribute to increased risk. At the institutional, parental, and peer levels, promotion of supportive relationships may be an important suicide prevention strategy.     

Referent Group Proximity,Social Norms,and Context: Alcohol Use in a Low-Use Environment

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived normative use of alcohol and reported consumption in an environment where relatively little alcohol use occurs. Participants: A total of 585 undergraduate students completed an online survey on alcohol use in March 2006. Methods: Participants reported personal alcohol use and perceptions of use by “friends,” “the average student,” and “the average student who drinks.” Results: Due to the large number of students reporting zero alcohol use, zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the data. Results showed that perceptions of use and beliefs about the acceptability of use by proximal groups were strongly and positively correlated with personal alcohol use. Perceptions of distal groups were either not correlated or were correlated negatively with personal use. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the use of distal referent groups for a social norms campaign in a low-use environment may have paradoxical effects.