Identifying Higher‐Order Rationality

Strategic choice data from a carefully chosen set of ring‐network games are used to obtain individual‐level estimates of higher‐order rationality. The experimental design exploits a natural exclusion restriction that is considerably weaker than the assumptions underlying alternative designs in the literature. In our data set, 93 percent of subjects are rational, 71 percent are rational and believe others are rational, 44 percent are rational and hold second‐order beliefs that others are rational, and 22 percent are rational and hold at least third‐order beliefs that others are rational.     

The Right Side of the Tracks: Affluent Neighborhoods in the Metropolitan United States*

Objectives. We describe the geography, population composition, and housing stock of extremely affluent neighborhoods and evaluate the extent to which conclusions about these neighborhoods differ across definitions of affluence. Methods. Using Census 2000 data on tracts in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, we compare neighborhoods at the very top of the income distribution (highest 2 percent) to their counterparts in lower‐income categories. The distributions for median household income, median family income, per‐capita income, and the household income ratio allow us to define affluence in alternative ways. Results. Contrary to past findings, rich neighborhoods are no longer concentrated in the Northeast, and they exhibit substantial proportions of foreign‐born and Asian residents and average labor force participation rates. Other of their characteristics (e.g., educational level, professional‐managerial employment, housing size and value) seem more predictable. Although certain results vary depending on how affluence is defined, the majority do not. Conclusion. Our analysis lays an empirical foundation for future work on affluent neighborhoods, which have received scant research attention. It also makes a conceptual contribution, demonstrating that such neighborhoods stand out irrespective of the definitional approach taken.     

Passivity in Childminded Children: Problem or Prejudice?

SUMMARY. Many people still believe that healthy social and emotional development in very young children depends upon the presence of maternal care. Some research work in the UK has also suggested that childminded children, when away from their mothers, typically manifest withdrawn and passive behaviour. Drawing on findings from unpublished research and illustrations from an exploratory study in which childminded children and childminders' own children were videotaped and compared, it is argued that such conclusions cannot easily be demonstrated empirically. Rather, they may result from observational and interpretative biases which overlook the role of factors such as children's age and social experience. Further, it is suggested that attempts to quantify and measure theoretical constructs such as passivity may be less informative than observations focused more specifically upon the behaviour of individual children in day care.     

Building community capacity in governance and decision making

Civil society is generally understood as the realm within whichpeople can participate collectively and work toward a commoninterest. This article examines the mechanisms for involvingmarginalized groups in this process. The study focuses on parents'experiences with two of Canada's largest community-based healthpromotion programmes for children. The conclusions emphasizethe need to recognize the informal and everyday as importantsites for governance and decision making. In addition, theyadd substance to the claim that women's spaces that focus on‘women's work’ are legitimate sites from which tobuild civil society.     

The risk of conception on different days of the menstrual cycle

Abstract Data on 1898 menstrual cycles, for 241 married women, were analysed by means of a quantal regression programme. The locations of the day of ovulation was determined by the basal body temperature method. Estimates were obtained of the risk of conception from an act of coitus on each day, as measured from the day of ovulation. The relationship between fecundability and coital frequency was also examined.     

Prevalence, perpetrators, and characteristics of witnessing parental violence and adult dating Violence in Latina, East Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern women

The present study describes and compares the prevalence, perpetrators, and characteristics of witnessing parental violence during childhood and experiencing adult relationship violence in 251 college-educated South Asian/Middle Eastern (n = 93), East Asian (n = 72), and Latina (n = 86) women residing in the United States. Results showed that more than 50% of each ethnic group witnessed parental and adult relationship violence. For all three groups, adult psychological violence was more prevalent than physical violence, which, in turn, was more prevalent than injury violence. Significant differences were found for paternal and maternal psychological, physical, and injury violence witnessed within ethnic groups. High prevalence rates and significant differences emerged for psychological, physical, and injury violence experienced as a victim and enacted as a perpetrator within ethnic groups. The implications of college-educated, higher socioeconomic status (SES) women of color being at risk for witnessing and experiencing family violence are discussed.     

Authorship and publication practices: evaluation of the effect of responsible conduct of research instruction to postdoctoral trainees

We have studied postdoctoral trainees funded by NIH F32 fellowship awards in order to test the effectiveness of responsible conduct of research (RCR) education in the areas of authorship and publication practices. We used a 3-wave telephone and on-line survey design, conducted over a period of two years, in order to test for individual change before and after completing RCR education. Overall the responses of the subjects suggested a clear awareness of standards and practices in publication. However, our results failed to suggest that RCR education in this group significantly increased the level of ethically appropriate behavioral responses measured in the study. Similarly we saw no significant effect on increasing awareness of or attention to ethical guidelines about authorship and publication practices. Our interpretation of these null findings was influenced by the significant publication experience of our cohort of subjects. We forward possible explanations for these null findings in this context. Most importantly, we do not suggest that our results argue against continued instruction in RCR education. Instead, we believe our data reinforce the importance of careful articulation of course goals and objectives with attention to the background and experience of the student audience when developing RCR curricula.