The longitudinal link between popularity,likeability, fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance across adolescence

This study investigated the longitudinal bidirectional associations between likeability, popularity, fear of negative evaluation, and social avoidance, to aid in preventing the negative consequences and persistent trajectories of low social status and heightened social anxiety. In total, 1741 adolescents in grades 7–9 participated at 3 yearly waves. A self-report questionnaire measured fear of negative evaluation. Peer nominations assessed likeability, popularity, and social avoidance. Lower popularity predicted more avoidance, and vice versa. More avoidance was related to lower likeability over time. Being less popular and/or more liked by peers, increased fear of negative evaluation. Support for a transactional model between social anxiety and social status was found, but distinguishing different social status and social anxiety components is necessary.     

Discussion: Why do we test multiple traits in genetic association studies

Zhu and Zhang [Zhu, W., &; Zhang, H. (2009). Why do we test multiple traits in genetic association studies. Journal of the Korean Statistical Society, 38(1), 1–10] publish a paper “Why Do We Test Multiple Traits in Genetic Association Studies?” in this issue. The authors used linear structural equations and acyclic graph as tools to explore the performance of testing multiple traits simultaneously by large-scale simulations for various genetic models. The methods, conclusions and results are of great interest in quantitative genetics. Diseases are caused by dynamic interaction among many genes and many environmental exposures through regulation and metabolism. In the past several decades, researchers have primarily focused on (1) the role of individual genetic variation in determining the diseases and (2) one single trait at a time. Little attention has been paid to determining how the genetic variations and environmental perturbation are integrated into networks which act together to dynamically alter regulations and metabolism leading to the emergence of complex phenotypes and diseases. Pending conceptual and statistical challenges are (1) how to identify networks involved in molecular phenotypes and endpoint clinical phenotypes under perturbation of environments and (2) how to connect DNA variation to disease outcomes through gene regulations and cellular intermediate traits. Structural equations and graphical models of multiple quantitative traits provide a general framework for developing novel analytic strategies for identifying the path from genomic information coupled with the environmental exposures, through gene expressions and other intermediate traits, to the clinical endpoints of complex diseases, to meet the above conceptual and statistical challenges. In this discussion, we use structural equations to analyze multiple intermediate traits of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as a real example to further demonstrate the importance of network approach to genetic studies of complex traits.     

Negatively correlated author seniority and the number of acknowledged people: Name-recognition as a signal of scientific merit?

Evidence from five general-interest journals in economics reveals an inverse relationship between author seniority and the number of colleagues whom authors choose to thank and acknowledge. The large seniority effect is insensitive to the inclusion of controls for the number of co-authors, number of pages, number of words in the title, and journal fixed effects. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that name-recognition is an important signal used by economists in evaluating scientific merit.     

Preference Reversals and Induced Risk Preferences: Evidence for Noisy Maximization

We combine two research lines: preference reversal research (Lichtenstein and Slovic, 1971) and research on lottery-based risk preference induction (Roth and Malouf, 1979). Our results are informative for both research lines. We show that inducing risk preferences in preference reversal experiments has dramatic effects. First, while our subjects still display reversals, they do not display the usual pattern of predicted reversals suggested by the compatibility hypothesis. By inducing risk averse and risk loving preferences, we can dramatically reduce reversal rates and even produce the opposite pattern of reversals. Our results are consistent with the assumption that subjects maximize expected utility with error. This provides evidence that Camerer and Hogarth's (1999) framework for incentive effects can be extended to include the risk preference induction reward scheme.     

Opposition to Pro‐Immigrant Public Policy: Symbolic Racism and Group Threat

This study examines the relationship between symbolic racism and native‐born citizens’ policy opinions toward legal and undocumented immigration. With data from the 1994 General Social Survey and the NPR/Kaiser Foundation/Kennedy School of Government 2004 Immigration Survey, the results from logit regression models indicate that symbolic racism significantly predicts opposition to legal immigration, immigrant access to federal aid, and standard costs for college, citizenship for U.S.‐born children, and work permits for undocumented immigrants. The effects are independent of group threat and other factors. Symbolic racism explained more variation in policy opinions toward government assistance, while group threat explained more variation toward immigration levels and citizenship status. Depending on the issue, native‐born citizens likely derive their immigration policy opinions from moral ideologies in addition to intergroup competition.     

Use of and Interest in Smoking Cessation Strategies Among Daily and Nondaily College Student Smokers

Abstract

Objective: To examine use of and interest in cessation strategies among nondaily and daily college student smokers. Participants: 800 undergraduate student smokers aged 18 to 25. Methods: The authors examined nondaily versus daily smoking in relation to use of and interest in cessation strategies using an online survey. Results: Nondaily (65.8%) versus daily smokers (34.3%) were more likely to have made a quit attempt (p = .01) but less likely to have used any assistance (p < .001). Nondaily smokers were less interested in pharmacotherapy and traditional behavioral interventions; however, there was no difference in interest in technology-based interventions among nondaily versus daily smokers. Controlling for covariates, there were no significant differences in interest in traditional or technology-based behavioral interventions. Higher motivation, lower confidence, and depressive symptomatology were related to interest in each intervention. Smoking for social reasons was related to interest in technology-based interventions. Conclusions: Different intervention strategies may be appropriate for nondaily and daily smokers.     

Do stepping-stone jobs exist? Early career paths in the medical profession

In the Netherlands, students who want to become a medical specialist have to enrol in a training program which is in limited supply. During the search for a position as trainee (or “junior medical specialist”), they may accept a temporary job as a medical assistant. We use a micro data set to investigate whether such work experience increases the probability of becoming junior medical specialist. To deal with selectivity, we simultaneously model the transitions from unemployment to trainee, from unemployment to medical assistant, from medical assistant to trainee and from medical assistant to unemployment. We find that a job as medical assistant helps to become a medical specialist. Received: 27 July 2000/Accepted: 31 January 2001 All correspondence to Gerard J. van den Berg. Responsible editor: John F. Ermisch.