Undercover Social-distancing Techniques

This article explores the excuses undercover narcotics officers in high schools make to maintain social distance (i.e., affective detachment) from students. Social distance is necessary to prevent students from later claiming in court they were entrapped. Officers used four social-distancing techniques, each linked to particular conditions and circumstances: (1) claims of existing interpersonal attachment, (2) parental-recrimination excuses, (3) extracurricular-role-obligation excuses, and (4) feigned interest followed by unforeseen-circumstance excuses or appeals to defeasibility. Discussion focuses on the conceptual importance of social-distancing excuses for the sociology of accounts. The data's larger microstructural implications are considered through the notion of attenuated ties. I interviewed 30 undercover officers operating out of a large U.S. city.     

Person-Environment Congruence and Coping Strategies

This study explored the differences in coping strategies and styles between students who made congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choices. The coping strategies were operationally defined by the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ; Folkman & Lazarus, 1988) and the Coping Inventory (CI; Zeitlin, 1985). Congruent, incongruent, and undecided college major choice groups were defined operationally using the Self-Directed Search (SDS; Holland, 1985b) and the College Majors Finder (CMF; Rosen, Holmberg, & Holland, 1989). The Holland codes that resulted from the SDS and the CMF defined the congruent and incongruent students using the Iachan congruence index. The multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant findings for the main effect of gender on the WCQ. On the CI, the multivariate analysis of variance again revealed a main effect for gender. In general, the findings of this study suggest that male and female students report some different coping strategies and styles. Follow-up tests further suggest a few group differences among the congruent, incongruent, and undecided students.     

Is the ACSW examination valid?

The written examination required for membership in the National Association of Social Workers' Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) purports to be a valid indicator of generalist social work knowledge. We tested this contention by administering a practice ACSW examination, published in the official NASW study guide for the test, to 62 M.S.W. students in their first year of study. This practice test is stated to be equivalent in terms of content and difficulty to the actual examination. We blanked out thequestion content for each of 40 practice test items and requested the students to choose the correct answer from the among the four provided. Probability suggests that the average score should be no better than chance, or about 25% correct (one out of four). In actuality our sample of first year students scored, on average, 40.5% correct, which is statistically significantly higher than chance. These results call into question the content validity of the ACSW examination.     

BANK PANICS, SUSPENSIONS, AND GEOGRAPHY: SOME NOTES ON THE "CONTAGION OF FEAR" IN BANKING

Recent attempts to understand bank panics tend to emphasize informational asymmetries or the possibilities of multiple equilibria. Such approaches stand in contrast to historical research that emphasizes legal factors influencing the organization of the banking system. This paper constructs a model of a banking system operating under regulations similar to those in effect under the National Banking System and in which information is complete. In all other respects the model resembles that of Diamond and Dybvig [1983]. The results indicate that, given the regulatory environment, it would have been surprising if suspensions of convertibility had not recurred periodically.     

How Dangerous Is Low Level Radiation?

Problems in the theoretical basis for the linear-no threshold theory of radiation carcinogenesis are reviewed, and it is shown that they very strongly suggest that the theory greatly overestimates the risk of low level radiation. A direct test of the theory, based on the radon—lung cancer relationship is described; it strongly reinforces that conclusion. However, it is shown that even if the linear-no threshold theory is valid, the public's fear of low level radiation, at least in some contexts, is grossly exaggerated.     

Some subjective bayesian considerations in the selection of models

Some considerations relating to the post-data selection of models are discussed. These include some difficulties with orthodox theory, implementation of the likelihood principle, and Bayesian tests of hypotheses.     

Re-authoring the stories we work by Situating the narrative approach in the presence of the family of therapists**

This paper evaluates the work of the narrative school of family therapy, as developed by Michael White. This is examined in relation to the field of ideas in family therapy out of which it emerged, highlighting some of the similarities and differences, The lack of acknowledgement by the narrative school of many of the commonalities shared with others is then considered. A second order perspective is taken, situating the therapist's theory in the presence of the family of therapists to examine the development of the narrative approach to theory and practice. Constructionist contributions are considered in relation to the development of an eclectic approach where the therapist adopts a multiverse of theories to draw upon in practice. Development of theory becomes then a dialogue between different lenses rather than the development of any one truth.     

Labor’s inequality of bargaining power: myth or reality?

This article responds to Morgan O. Reynolds’ paper which questions the inequality of labor’s bargaining power by addressing four issues: (1) the economic case for collective bargaining, (2) the concept of an inequality of bargaining power, (3) the extent of employer market power, and (4) the role of public policy. The author thanks Jack Blicksilver for helpful comments.