Using Automated Emergency Notification Systems to Inform the Public: A Field Experiment

Research and experience have shown that it can be difficult to get citizens to pay attention to risk messages and preparedness information in the absence of an actual emergency. As the use computerized systems that alert the public to hazards by automatically ringing their home phones increases, we thought it important to ask if tests of these "call down" systems can also be used to convey preemergency information. We worked with a local government to add instructions on how to shelter-in-place to the message on a routine test of a call down system. We then surveyed a test group and a control group before and after the test call and a second control group on after the call. The results indicate that the test call raised awareness of the emergency notification system without generating undue concern about the possibility of a chemical accident. Those who received the test call demonstrated significant improvements in their knowledge of how to shelter-in-place while no such improvement was observed in those who did not get the call. While the nature of the sample used in this study limits generalizability, we feel this outcome is positive enough to warrant further exploration of this method of disseminating risk information and preparedness instructions.     

Early Childhood Developmental and Nutritional Training for Foster Parents

This exploratory study examined the effectiveness of a foster parent nutrition training program. Conducted in collaboration between Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) and a state foster care licensing agency, the study involved providing an intensive training to 11 self-selected foster parents. The participants completed pre-tests and post-tests related to their level of knowledge and comfort in the area of infant nutritional needs. Paired t-tests detected significant differences before and after the intervention, with participants reporting improved knowledge and understanding. While the sample was small and voluntary, the authors feel these pilot results merit further attention in the areas of practice and research.     

Interval estimation for log-linear models with one variable subject to non-ignorable non-response

Summary.  Log-linear models for multiway contingency tables where one variable is subject to non-ignorable non-response will often yield boundary solutions, with the probability of non-respondents being classified in some cells of the table estimated as 0. The paper considers the effect of this non-standard behaviour on two methods of interval estimation based on the distribution of the maximum likelihood estimator. The first method relies on the estimator being approximately normally distributed with variance equal to the inverse of the information matrix. It is shown that the information matrix is singular for boundary solutions, but intervals can be calculated after a simple transformation. For the second method, based on the bootstrap, asymptotic results suggest that the coverage properties may be poor for boundary solutions. Both methods are compared with profile likelihood intervals in a simulation study based on data from the British General Election Panel Study. The results of this study indicate that all three methods perform poorly for a parameter of the non-response model, whereas they all perform well for a parameter of the margin model, irrespective of whether or not there is a boundary solution.     

Examining the Impact of Changes in Maternal Employment on High School Completion Among Low-Income Youth

The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and decisions about its re-authorization have resurrected interest in the impact of maternal employment on child outcomes in poor families. The emerging evidence suggests that employment stability among former welfare recipients is a key factor in making successful transitions from welfare to work. This investigation explores how changes in maternal employment in poor families relate to high school completion among at risk youths. Our findings show that a substantial number of mothers experience unstable employment patterns. This instability is positively correlated with dropout among adolescents. The paper concludes with policy implications for the next phase of welfare reform.     

A comparison study of realtime fatality rates: severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Toronto and Beijing, China

Summary.  In an outbreak of a completely new infectious disease like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), estimation of the fatality rate over the course of the epidemic is of clinical and epidemiological importance. In contrast with the constant case fatality rate, a new measure, termed the 'realtime' fatality rate, is proposed for monitoring the new emerging epidemic at a population level. A competing risk model implemented via a counting process is used to estimate the realtime fatality rate in an epidemic of SARS. It can capture and reflect the time-varying nature of the fatality rate over the course of the outbreak in a timely and accurate manner. More importantly, it can provide information on the efficacy of a certain treatment and management policy for the disease. The method has been applied to the SARS data from the regions affected, namely Hong Kong, Singapore, Toronto, Taiwan and Beijing. The magnitudes and patterns of the estimated fatalities are virtually the same except in Beijing, which has a lower rate. It is speculated that the effect is linked to the different treatment protocols that were used. The standard estimate of the case fatality rate that was used by the World Health Organization has been shown to be unable to provide useful information to monitor the time-varying fatalities that are caused by the epidemic.     

Determinants of Portfolio Efficiency Losses in US Self-directed Pension Accounts

This empirical study evaluates the magnitude of efficiency losses of household portfolio choices in self-directed pension accounts (SDAs). It uses data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). The determinants of the magnitude of efficiency losses across household investors are investigated in detail. The findings of this study lend empirical support to the belief that the magnitude of efficiency losses for household investors differs with the different demographic characteristics and investment propensities. In particular, household investors with long-investment horizons, with more autonomy of choices in their SDAs, or with the tendency to select high levels of portfolio risk in SDAs are more vulnerable to efficiency losses. Factors to predict the levels of portfolio risk maintained by household investors in their SDAs are also explored.     

Neural Correlates of Human and Monkey Face Processing in 9‐Month‐Old Infants

Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence suggests a gradual, experience‐dependent specialization of cortical face processing systems that takes place largely in the 1st year of life. To further investigate these findings, event‐related potentials (ERPs) were collected from typically developing 9‐month‐old infants presented with pictures of familiar and unfamiliar monkey or human faces in 2 different orientations. Analyses revealed differential processing across changes in monkey and human faces. The N290 was greater for familiar compared to unfamiliar faces, regardless of species or orientation. In contrast, the P400 to unfamiliar faces was greater than to familiar faces, but only for the monkey condition. The P400 to human faces differentiated the orientation of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. These results suggest more specific processing of human compared to monkey faces in 9‐month‐olds.     

A Typical American Family? How Adoptive Families Acknowledge and Incorporate Chinese Cultural Heritage in their Lives

When a child from China is adopted by U.S. parents, the adoptive family must address questions about if, when, how, and how much to acknowledge the birth cultural heritage of their child. This paper addresses these concerns by presenting findings of a study that examined ways families address the myriad issues surrounding cultural heritage. Drawing on work by H. David Kirk, D. M. Brodzinsky (Brodzinsky, Schechter, & Henig, 1992. Being adopted: The lifelong search for self. New York: Anchor Books), and others, a conceptual framework is presented to aid in understanding the dynamics involved in emphasizing (or de-emphasizing) cultural heritage Second, results of a web-based survey that extends the results of earlier work on cultural heritage in families with children adopted from China (Rojewski & Rojewski, 2001. Intercountry adoption from China: Examining cultural-heritage and other post-adoption issues. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey) are presented. Specific findings reveal the range of actions taken by adoptive parents on (a) how families cope with family-child differences, (b) how families acknowledge the child’s birth culture and heritage (e.g., acknowledging birth cultural heritage and culturally-related events, having contact with other Chinese children and adults), and (c) the perceived benefits and importance of incorporating Chinese cultural heritage into family life. Results add to an emerging baseline for understanding the range of responses adoptive families have to address issues of Chinese heritage, as well as trends in the reasoning parents use when deciding about cultural heritage-related issues.     

The development of friendship in childhood: A clinical conversation

Our friendships are a way to think about meaning in life. Friendships are like protein, a psychological essential for growth and development. When we see two three-year-olds playing together at the park running, holding hands, laughing, we cannot help but be filled with a sense of joy and warmth We can view making friendships as a developmental process in itself. In this discussion, I will explore the use of toys as a means of making friends. I will also explore the psychological meaning of toys and how they are a developmental precursor to friendship. Two clinical examples will be given in which friendship was the predominant theme in the therapy.The author would like to thank the late Gary Davis for his enthusiasm and friendship. Also: Mary Louise Denardo, Emily Halstead and Marilyn Silin.Lynn Borenstein MSW is on the faculty of the Institute for Clinical Social Work, and the faculty of the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program, Institute for Psychoanalysis.