Evidence of a new violation of the independence axiom

During the past 40 years there has been an accumulation of experimental evidence suggesting that most of the axioms of expected utility theory are liable to be systematically violated by substantial numbers of individuals. Much of this evidence has focused on failures of the independence axiom and has stimulated a number of alternative models that try to explain that evidence in various ways. This article presents a fresh experiment that looks at a different kind of violation—one that does not appear to be easily accommodated by several of the more prominent alternative models as they are currently formulated.The experimental work reported in this article was funded by Economic and Social Research Council Award No. B 00 23 2163.     

Risk reduction or risk compensation? The case of mandatory safety-belt use laws

The technological approach to risk regulation seeks to lessen the incidence of mortality and morbidity by modifying environmental conditions. Insofar as risk-taking behavior is purposive, social scientists have predicted that technological progress may be negated by various forms of risk compensation. The validity of this hypothesis is tested in the transportation sector with data from the U.S. on the effects of new mandatory safety-belt-use laws. A fixed-effects model of traffic fatality counts is estimated using pooled data from 50 states during the 1975–1987 period. Results suggest that such laws have reduced mortality among car occupants to a degree that is compatible with the predictions of technologists. However, there is weak evidence of increased mortality among some nonoccupants, a pattern predicted by risk-compensation theorists. The lifesaving effects of belt-use laws are largest in states that permit primary police enforcement and appear to be somewhat larger for front-seat occupants age 21 and under. Although offsetting behavior appears to be small relative to lifesaving effects, it may take several more years for any compensatory behavior to achieve a new equilibrium.This research was supported in part by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control to the New England Injury Prevention Research Center.     

Social work intervention with Bedouin-Arab children in the context of blood vengeance.

Blood vengeance is a culturally specific phenomenon that can place Bedouin-Arab children at high risk of neglect. This case study examines the psychological and social implications of vengeance on children, the children's coping strategies, and the role of social work. The social work function includes nonauthoritarianism, strategies for forming a positive helping alliance, and various forms of culturally sensitive assessment and intervention. The study therefore yields insight into bridging the emic-etic gap in conceptualizing and responding to child neglect in a non-Western society.     

Estimation of relaxation time distributions in magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging techniques can be used to measure some biophysical properties of tissue. In this context, the T₂ relaxation time is an important parameter for soft‐tissue contrast. The authors develop a new technique to estimate the integral of the distribution of T₂ relaxation time without imposing any constraint other than the monotonicity of the underlying cumulative relaxation time distribution. They explore the properties of the estimation and its applications for the analysis of breast tissue data. As they show, an extension of linear discriminant analysis is found to distinguish well between two classes of breast tissue.     

Possible Selves Among Urban Youths of Color: An Exploration of Peer Beliefs and Gender Differences

Drawing from possible selves theory (H. Markus & P. Nurius, 1986), this study explored the roles of peer beliefs about school and gender differences in the development of academic and occupational visions of the future among 216 urban youths of color. Peer beliefs were not related to career and educational possible selves. No gender‐based differences were found in educational possible selves; however, boys were more likely to report hoped‐for and expected possible selves with lower occupational prestige than were girls. Directions for future research and the implications for practice in counseling urban youths of color are discussed.     

Social work in mental health services: A survey of the field

Abstract

A survey of social workers employed in mental health services was conducted in Victoria in mid-1997. Approximately 300 social workers were identified as working in the sector. About half were employed in adult clinical services, 23% in psychiatric disability services, 12.4% in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and the rest in a range of other services. More than 90% worked in a community based service or team. The number of entry-level (SW I) positions in clinical services was found to have declined over the last ten years from 61 to 14, resulting in a lack of opportunities for social workers to gain experience in base grade positions, and difficulty in recruiting to SW II positions. Major issues of concern reported by social workers included: the lack of accommodation and other community resources for consumers; diminished opportunities for professional development, supervision, and discipline-specific training; lack of professional recognition; increasing workloads; and organisational emphasis on throughput rather than quality.     

The United States Economic Crisis: Young Adults’ Reports of Economic Pressures, Financial and Religious Coping and Psychological Well-Being

Using a sample of 222 young adults attending college, the present study examined the relative contribution of young adults’ perceived economic pressures, financial coping and religious meaning-making coping strategies in accounting for variation in their reports of psychological well-being within the context of the United States economic crisis. Results suggest a direct relationship between perceived economic pressure and psychological well-being such that young adults who reported having to make more economic adjustments as a result of economic crisis also reported higher levels of depressed mood and anxiety. Young men and women who reported having to make fewer economic adjustments and being able to meet their material needs reported higher levels of life satisfaction. Regardless of young adults’ self-reported level of economic pressures, the use of education and communication financial coping strategies was related to lower levels of self-reported anxiety and depressed mood and greater life satisfaction. Viewing the financial crisis as a punishment from God was generally associated with young adults’ reports of greater depressed mood and less life satisfaction. Implication of findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Policymakers' Use of Social Science Research: Looking Within and Across Policy Actors

Evidence‐informed policy creates the conditions for families to perform the functions they provide for their members and society. To increase research utilization in policymaking, we must better understand policymakers and the professional and institutional cultures in which they operate. This exploratory cluster analysis examined within‐group differences in valuing, seeking, and use of social science research among 68 legislative staffers and 56 high‐ranking officials from 8 family‐serving executive agencies in Wisconsin. The findings are compared with a parallel study of 109 legislators from New York and Wisconsin. Among all 3 policy actors, a substantial proportion highly value research, actively seek it, and frequently use it in policy decisions; these Enthusiastic High Users of research are more attuned to political considerations compared to other clusters. Enthusiastic High Users in the legislative institution place a higher priority on innovative and action‐oriented research, whereas those in the agency institution prioritize the quality of research.