Gap-based inverse sampling

We present a new inverse sampling design for surveys of rare events, Gap-Based Inverse Sampling. In the design, sampling stops if after a predetermined interval, or gap, no new rare events are found. The length of the gap that follows after finding a rare event is used as a way of limiting sample effort. We present stopping rules using decisions based on the gap length, the total number of rare events found, and a fixed upper limit of survey effort. We illustrate the use of the design with stratified sampling of two biological populations. The design uses the intuitive behavior of a field biologist in stratified sampling, where if in a stratum nothing is found after a long search, the field surveyor would like to consider the stratum is empty and stop searching. Our design has appeal for surveying rare events (for example, a rare species) with stratified sampling where there are likely to be some completely empty strata.     

Perceived Stress and Sexual Orientation Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Little is known about the cancer survivorship experiences of sexual minority women (SMW). SMW breast cancer survivors are hypothesized to experience more stress compared to heterosexual breast cancer survivors. A convenience sample of 211 breast cancer survivors (68 SMW, 143 heterosexual women) participated in this cross-sectional online investigation of perceived stress. Regression analyses indicated significant differences in reported stress between heterosexual and SMW breast cancer survivors (β= -.15, p = .03). Our findings may reflect unique experiences had by sexual minority breast cancer survivors. Future research should explore the factors that contribute to elevated perceived stress in this group.     

Promoting social equality values to improve judgement of a woman reporting sexism / El fomento de valores relacionados con la igualdad social para mejorar la opinión sobre las mujeres que denuncian discriminación por sexismo

Previous research has shown that discriminated women blame themselves more than they blame discrimination when meritocracy values are salient. In two studies, we examined whether meritocracy values also influence female observers when they judge a female victim of sexism. Such values were expected to lead them to judge more positively a victim incriminating herself than a victim claiming discrimination. Conversely, social equality values should lead them to judge more positively a victim claiming discrimination. Women who were either feminists or non-feminists (Study 1) or who were exposed to either social equality values or personal merit values (Study 2) had to judge a female victim of sexism who ascribed what happened to discrimination or to her ability. Feminist women and women exposed to social equality judged the female victim more positively when she reported discrimination than when she incriminated herself. The reverse pattern of judgement was observed for non-feminist women and women exposed to meritocracy values. The importance of values is discussed to improve the image of women claiming sexism.     

Capacity for Stakeholder Participation in Recovery Planning

It is generally accepted that meaningful participation by a representative, well-informed public contributes to a better plan. We surveyed the lead official responsible for the development of recovery plans in a sample of US Atlantic and Gulf Coast counties to determine capacity for stakeholder participation. We report on a variety of engagement techniques that were positively associated with an increase in participation in recovery plan development. We also link increased participation with better plan quality scores in plan quality principles. Investing human and fiscal resources in participation can increase involvement in the planning process and improve recovery plan quality.     

Affective ties and social information processing

We examined whether second‐ and fifth‐graders could display differentiated social information processing (SIP) about known peers varying in affective ties. Children's response evaluation and decision (RED) and goal importance ratings were obtained for nine ambiguous provocations involving their best friends, neutral peers, and enemies (three stories for each relationship). For each story, RED was assessed for hostile, competent and passive responses to provocation, and the importance of four social goals was rated. Both second‐ and fifth‐graders displayed RED that depended on both the type of relationship they had with the provocateur and on the type of response (hostile, competent or passive). Children's social goals were affected by their relationship with the provocateur. Younger children's failure to display sensitivity to situational cues in previous studies is likely due to the cognitive demands of reasoning about hypothetical characters rather than an insensitivity to situational cues, per se.     

Rethinking a Case of Paranoia as a Workplace Complaint

This essay re-reads Freud’s essay “A Case of Paranoia Running Counter to the Theory of the Disease” (1963) through Marxist feminist writing on the division of labor. I approach the story presented in that essay as a workplace complaint and use it to meditate on sexual harassment as a haunting of the workplace.