A model for the assessment of static and dynamic factors in sexual offenders

A sample of 519 sexual offenders who were consecutive admissions to the Ontario Region of Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) were assessed with reference to a large series of variables thought to be related to sexual offending. We grouped these variables into five domains: criminality, social competence, sexual deviance, substance abuse and treatment readiness. We standardized scores on each of these domains to facilitate the calculation of total scores for each domain. We then performed a variety of analyses to determine whether these domains might constitute a reasonable model for the comprehensive evaluation of sexual offenders. Analyses indicated that overall the model received a moderate level of support.     

Capacity in the NGO Sector: Results from a National Survey in Cambodia

Capacity has become a prominent theme in the literature on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the last few decades, due in part to the increasingly global role these organizations play in development. We analyze data obtained from a national sample of local and international NGOs operating in Cambodia, documenting capacity differences between these two groups as well as highlighting overall levels of capacity in the sector. The analysis covers a number of different organizational dimensions that have been associated with capacity, including structural characteristics and concrete management practices. Results suggest that international NGOs generally have greater capacity, but overall levels of capacity are relatively low for a variety of measures. We conclude with an exploratory cluster analysis that identifies four distinctive groups of NGOs based on capacity, providing additional insights into diversity within the sector. These findings will be useful for comparative NGO research and for capacity-building programs, in addition to helping establish an agenda for future research to monitor progress.     

Pax Americana? Accent attitudinal evaluations in New Zealand,Australia and America

This study describes a series of evaluations of gender pairs of New Zealand English, Australian English, American English and RP-type English English voices by over 400 students in New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.A. Voices were chosen to represent the middle range of each accent, and balanced for paralinguistic features. Twenty-two personality and demographic traits were evaluated by Likert-scale questionnaires. Results indicated that the American female voice was rated most favourably on at least some traits by students of all three nationalities, followed by the American male. For most traits, Australian students generally ranked their own accents in third or fourth place, but New Zealanders put the female NZE voice in the mid-low range of all but solidarity-associated traits. All three groups disliked the NZE male. The RP voices did not receive the higher rankings in power/status variables we expected. The New Zealand evaluations downgrade their own accent vis-a`-vis the American and to some extent the RP voices. Overall, the American accent seems well on the way to equalling or even replacing RP as the prestige—or at least preferred—variety, not only in New Zealand but in Australia and some non-English-speaking nations as well. Preliminary analysis of data from Europe suggests this manifestation of linguistic hegemony as 'Pax Americana' seems to be prevalent over more than just the Anglophone nations.     

A Note on the Growth of Research in Service Operations Management

We present an empirical assessment of the productivity of individuals and institutions in terms of service operations management (SOM) research. We reviewed five mainstream operations management journals over a 17‐year time period to generate a sample of 463 articles related to service operations. The results indicate that SOM research has been growing and key contributions are being made by an array of researchers and institutions.     

Speed of Processing and Face Recognition at 7 and 12 Months

This research examined developmental and individual differences in infants' speed of processing faces and the relation of processing speed to the type of information encoded. To gauge processing speed, 7‐ and 12‐month‐olds were repeatedly presented with the same face (frontal view), each time paired with a new one, until they showed a consistent preference for the new one. Subsequent probe trials assessed recognition of targets that either preserved configural integrity (Study 1: 3/4 profile and full profile poses) or disrupted it while preserving featural information (Study 2: rotations of 160° or 200° and fracturings). There were developmental differences in both speed and in infants' appreciation of information about faces. Older infants took about 60% fewer trials to reach criterion and had more mature patterns of attention (i.e., looks of shorter duration and more shifts of gaze). Whereas infants of both ages recognized the familiar face in a 3/4 pose, the 12‐month‐olds also recognized it in profile and when rotated. Twelve‐month‐olds who were fast processors additionally recognized the fractured faces; otherwise, processing speed was unrelated to the type of information extracted. At 7 months then, infants made use of some configural information in processing faces; at 12 months, they made use of even more of the configural information, along with part‐based or featural information.     

Social Constructivist Practice with Youth

Social constructivism is an important and creative perspective for helping social workers in their work with adolescents. This paper demonstrates how theoretical orientations and clinical techniques that adhere to a social constructivist perspective can be integrated with the developmental realities of adolescence to provide effective social work interventions. Fundamental assumptions are discussed and are related to problems of practice. Case studies are utilized to demonstrate social constructivist principles in clinical work with adolescents.     

The Potential Contributions of Quantitative Research to Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism is often mischaracterized as a perspective that rejects quantitative research. We argue that the rich conceptual tradition of symbolic interactionism allows for the use of quantitative data and statistical analysis within a pragmatist epistemology and that this is desirable, especially in conjunction with qualitative data. We discuss types of quantitative data and their appropriate uses and then describe types of contemporary multivariate statistical methods and what they offer. To illustrate these data and analytic techniques, we draw from examples in our area of specialization, criminology, and from our own quantitative work. Researchers can use quantitative data and methods in the service of six core symbolic interactionist concerns—meaning, variation, comparisons, situations, contexts, and probability—and we contend that quantification and statistics pose no threat to the interactionist perspective. In fact, the principled, critical use of quantitative research can enhance it.