Role similarity and complexity in social networks

A new concept of role similarity is presented; this definition is a generalisation of structural equivalence but is stricter than the idea of regular equivalence of White and Reitz (1983). This new definition forms a standard part of graph theory literature and as such has been well researched. Consequently a complexity measure first proposed by Mowshowitz, 1968a, Mowshowitz, 1968b, Mowshowitz, 1968c can be given a definite meaning in terms of network concepts. A new measure of structural complexity based on role similarity is also introduced.     

Predicting informant accuracy from patterns of recall among individuals

This paper examines the question of informant accuracy in reporting patterns of communication in face-to-face groups. We are attempting to establish the extent to which it is possible to predict individual differences in accuracy from the patterns of recall among informants. We use data from a series of studies by Bernard, Killworth, and Sailer (Killworth and Bernard, 1976, Killworth and Bernard, 1979Bernard and Killworth 1977;Bernard et al., 1980, Bernard et al., 1982) in which they collected observed behavior interaction frequencies and subsequently asked informants to recall and rate the degree of previous communication. In this paper we attempt to predict the accuracy of recall, i.e. how well each individual's ranking corresponds to the overall observed interactions for the group as a whole, by looking solely at the recall ranking. Using this method, we are able to account for a major share of the variance in accuracy among the subjects. We outline a theory and method for predicting accuracy based upon recall data that may be generalized to a variety of situations beyond social interaction data.     

An analysis of cyclically dense data using EBLOC

Everett (1982a) has proposed a graph theoretic technique for analysing social networks. It is not usually possible to apply this method to data which contain a large number of interlocking cycles. We demonstrate a technique which overcomes this problem by referring to the data analysed by MacRae (1960).     

A game theoretic approach to measuring degree of centrality in social networks

We present a new measure of degree of centrality in a social network which is based on a natural extension of the Banzhaf (1965) index of power in an N-person game.     

Tripartite structural analysis: Generalizing the Breiger-Wilson formalism

Tripartite graphs have three types of nodes and ties exist only between nod this paper, we indicate the background of work in structural analysis that leads to the use of such graphs and we develop the associated matrix methods. Fundamentally, the idea is to move another step forward in our ability to treat in analytical terms the general phenomenon of overlapping inclusions, such as that of persons and groups. We relate this idea to classic concerns with the interpenetration of persons, social systems, and cultural systems. In detail, the framework and results generalize those of Breiger (1974) and Wilson (1982).     

An extension of ebloc to valued graphs

In this paper we show how the algorithm EBLOC can be extended to deal with valued data directly. The technique is then applied to Sampson's (1969) monastery data and comparisons are made with the original EBLOC algorithm.     

Structures of connectivity

From the earliest days of research on blockmodeling, one primary goal was to develop a method that would exploit the algebra of the social relations among individuals to describe the social structure of the group. This goal was reluctantly abandoned, however, because the presence of idiosyncratic relational ties in the data obscured the structure and no reliable method for identifying these ties existed. This paper presents such a method. We have found it useful to distinguish emotionally weak ties (Granovetter 1973), those with low intensity, from structurally weak ties, those that fail to conform to the pattern of ties that exist in and are reinforced by the social structure. The latter type of weak ties are the idiosyncratic ties that interfere with attempts to describe a social structure. This paper operationalizes the concept of structurally weak ties and presents an algebraic method for identifying them in sociometric data. This enables us to use the algebra of social relations to identify a blockmodel that describes the social structure of the group.     

Bridging ties at the neighborhood level

This paper examines the relevance of the “strength of weak ties” model (Granovetter 1973) in devising community development strategies for urban neighborhoods. The policy implications of this model for activities designed to promote neighborhood identification and cohesion are outlined, and Granovetter's specific assumptions about the structure and functioning of urban neighborhood social networks are assessed in light of existing research. Little support is found for the presumed absence of bridging weak ties among urban neighbors, or for the assumption that strong ties create an obstacle to effective political mobilization in working-class neighborhoods. An alternative model of local-level integration is suggested, which retains Granovetter's concept of dense clusters of network ties linked by “local bridges”, but re-examines the role of weak ties in effecting such bridges.     

Cultural intermediaries and the circuit of culture: The Digital Ambassadors project in Johannesburg,South Africa

The question raised by Cheney and Christensen (2001) as to “what a non-Western, non-managerial and non-rationalist form of public relations will look like” (p.182), together with the call made by Gregory (2014) for public relations practitioners (PRPs) to be active social change agents, motivated this paper. The aim of this research is to follow a culture-centred approach and apply the circuit of culture (Curtin & Gaither, 2005) to investigate the meanings that young people (aged 18 to 34), as cultural intermediaries, ascribe to their participation in a digital empowerment project implemented by the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. This research forms part of a larger, ongoing multi-disciplinary research project.The research highlights the complexity of projects of this nature, the wide variety of stakeholders involved, the significance of structure, the importance of training of cultural intermediaries, and the benefits such intermediaries gain from their involvement. A key finding is that self-development and financial benefit contribute significantly to the success of cultural intermediaries. This paper contributes to the field of public relations by providing an analysis of cultural intermediaries’ contribution to the circuit of culture as influenced not only by production and consumption but also by identity and regulation as seen in the way they represented the meaning created during their experience.     

Power struggles: A sociological approach to activist communication

This paper proposes an alternative approach to the scholarship of activist public relations, based on the ideas of the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu; notably his understanding of activism in society. Although Bourdieu is one of the most quoted sociologists in the world (Santoro, 2011; Truong & Weill, 2012), his work has only received limited attention in public relations, and has been entirely ignored within the context of activist communication. This is despite his focus on power, relationships and the role of activists in modern democracies, all of which are central themes in public relations practice and research. Based on Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the discipline’s prevailing, dominant, industry serving, functionalist paradigm positions public relations’ role in society as to perpetuate social inequalities. However, drawing on his ideas leads us to question if public relations skills could be equally utilized to challenge existing power imbalances in society, either in support or on behalf of those groups and individuals whose voices have been drowned out by traditional public relations efforts. The author argues that Bourdieu was not only an accomplished scholar, but also an activist in his own right. It is this combination of personal experience with academic ideas that lends weight to his scholarly work through which he urged the scholarly community to utilize their skills, knowledge and research to challenge (perceived) inequalities in society. The emergence of this type of activist academic, committed to giving voice to multiple coexisting, sometimes directly competing points of views, would arguably further justify and strengthen the existence of public relations as a scholarly discipline in its own right.     

Experimenting with dialogue on Twitter: An examination of the influence of the dialogic principles on engagement,interaction, and attitude

Much of the public relations research on online relationship building has examined social media content for the use of the dialogic principles outlined by Kent and Taylor (1998). These studies, using content analysis as the primary methodology, have found that the dialogic capabilities of social media are under-utilized. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these methods. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine the influence of social media content utilizing these principles on engagement, interactivity, and attitude. Results of this study indicate that usefulness of information can have a significant influence on engagement and attitude.     

The state and the colonial unconscious

In this article, Fanon’s concept of the colonial unconscious – introduced in Black Skin, White Masks (Fanon 1968 Fanon, F. 1968. Black Skin, White Masks, London: Paladin.  [Google Scholar]) – is used to clarify the post-1994 political conjuncture in South Africa; in particular, unconscious forms of resistance against the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). Fanon’s concept of colonialism is first outlined and developed before his concept of the colonial unconscious is itself refined and put to work in the analysis of Brett Murray’s The Spear in terms of the return of the colonial repressed. It is argued, in conclusion, that the NDR needs to include within its ambit this unconscious dimension of South African politics without, however, giving in to the temptation of attempting to totalise and saturate all processes of subject formation.     

Motivational Interviewing Intervention With College Student Tobacco Users: Providers' Beliefs and Behaviors

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed college student health providers' use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) with tobacco users, as well as their beliefs about the use of brief interventions to help college student tobacco users quit. MI is recommended by the United States Public Health Service to increase tobacco users' willingness to quit. Participants: Participants included 83 clinicians from health clinics at 7 different universities in North Carolina. Methods: Paper-and-pencil baseline survey from a cluster randomized trial of college student health clinicians. Results: Twenty-two percent of respondents reported always or usually using MI during the past month for tobacco-using patients not ready to make a quit attempt. Student health providers also reported information with regards to their beliefs about tobacco cessation treatment, barriers to intervening with patients, and confidence in motivating students to consider quitting. Conclusions: Results highlight the need to encourage clinicians' use of motivationally focused interventions with student tobacco users.

Motivational Interviewing Intervention With College Student Tobacco Users: Providers' Beliefs and Behaviors

All authors

Robert S. McNamara PhD, Eunyoung Y. Song PhD, Beth A. Reboussin PhD, John Spangler MD, Jessica R. Pockey MPH, Caroline Kimes BS, Kristie L. Foley PhD & Erin L. Sutfin PhD

https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2014.1003376

Published online:

11 May 2015

TABLE 1. Providers' Beliefs About Patient Tobacco Intervention and Cessation (N = 83)

CSVDisplay Table

     

“SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY IS OVERRATED”: WHITE ATTITUDES ON RACE AND CLASS IN A RACIALLY INTEGRATED NEIGHBORHOOD

This article investigates homeowners' perceptions of race and class within a racially integrated neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Forty-two semi-structured interviews were completed with 59 white homeowners between September 2005 and September 2006. Adding a social class component to Bonilla-Silva's (2006 ——— . 2006 . Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States, , 2nd edition . Lanham , MD : Rowman & Littlefield . [Google Scholar]) color-blind racism perspective, I ask if white homeowners in a racially-integrated neighborhood accept a color-blind worldview, or if they have an alternate framework for understanding race. Akin to O'Brien's antiracists (2001 Bonilla-Silva , Eduardo. 2001 . White Supremacy and Racism in the Post-Civil Rights Era . Boulder , CO : Lynne Rienner Publishers . [Google Scholar]), there was a range of rejection of color-blindness, from selective to reflexive race cognizance. Most homeowners recognized the institutional basis of racial inequality and their own white privilege. However, many conflated race and class and argued that it was really class differences that caused racial differences. While many supported more racial integration, most rejected class integration in the neighborhood. This paradoxical set of attitudes will most likely continue to be an obstacle to the maintenance of racially integrated neighborhoods.     

Masculinities and the Aesthetics of Love: Reading Terrorism in De Niro's Game and Paradise Now

This article examines Rawi Hage's (2006 Hage , R. ( 2006 ). De Niro's Game . Toronto , Ontario , Canada : House of Anansi Press . [Google Scholar]) De Niro's Game and Hany Abu-Assad's (2005) Paradise Now for their capacity to give us insight into the meanings of racialized masculinities. Neither text represents a very consoling picture of men in war and conflict, but they have a great deal to teach us about the fragility that underpins masculinity in volatile political contexts. Indeed, they give us insight into the affective realities of racial traumas that inhabit our constructions of identity, ideological positionalities, and cultural representation. Inspired by Frantz Fanon's (1952 Fanon , F. ( 1952 ). Black Skin, White Masks . New York , NY : Grove Press, 1967 . [Google Scholar]) plea for a new humanism and Paul Gilroy's (2005 ——— . ( 2005 ). Postcolonial Melancholia . New York , NY : Columbia University Press . [Google Scholar]) assertion that we attend to and politicize human suffering, I propose a psychoanalytic aesthetics of loss as a model for understanding and renewing cultural and political life. My method demands that we recognize that aesthetic cultural texts have an emotional source and that “being touched” by affect might teach us how to become better readers of our time.     

HPV vaccination campaign fear visuals: An eye-tracking study exploring effects of visual attention and type on message informative value,recall, and behavioral intentions

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and there are alarming global disparities in cervical cancer and HPV vaccination uptake (CDC, 2016a). To inform HPV vaccination public health campaigns, an experiment with a psychophysiological measure (eye-tracking) explores the effects of visual attention to vaccination messages on message recall, informative value, and behavioral intentions. Results indicate 1) visual type affects recall and informative value of vaccination messages as well as intentions to vaccinate; 2) visual attention is negatively related to message recall only when a non-fear visual is used; and 3) visual attention predicts intent to vaccinate only when a fear visual is utilized. These results suggest the use of fear appeals in health, crisis, and risk public relations campaigns may promote performance of recommended safeguarding behaviors.     

Racial Camouflage: Thinking Race Apart From Sexuality: Commentary on Harris's “The House of Difference”

This article uses Adrienne Harris's (this issue) “The House of Difference, or White Silence” as a jumping-off point to think about the overlap between a queer of color critique and the poststructuralist methodology of relational psychoanalysis that Harris proposes. Although queer of color critiques have not tended to draw on psychoanalysis, they do provide ways to understand the epistemological construction of race. As such, reading Harris in conjunction with Chandan Reddy (2011 Reddy , C. ( 2011 ). Freedom With Violence: Race, Sexuality, and the US State . Durham , NC : Duke University Press .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), this article attempts to find a method for understanding race according to an epistemology that is separate from sexuality. Drawing on Harris's discussion of the unconscious and Reddy's analysis of amendments, this article attempts to make legible some of the nonoverlapping space between race and sexuality.