Memories of Jack Michael From a Freshman Whose Life He Changed

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior -     

Book reviews

Periodicity and Stochastic Dends in Economic Time Series by Philip Hans Franses. Pp. xii+230. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. ($US 65.00 cloth, $US 32.50 paper) WEB INFORMATION: www.oupusa.org/docs/0198774540.h.     

Die Sheldon die: The Big Bang Theory,everyday neoliberalism and Sheldon as neoliberal man

This article is about the very popular American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It is focused on the ways that the economic assumptions of neoliberalism are made clear in the programme and how much of this process is linked to the character of Sheldon. I argue that Sheldon is a version of the literary trope of the fool. In this case, a person who is lacking in social skills and who therefore speaks the “truth” of his understanding of social situations. It is this understanding which, I argue is neoliberal. I am not arguing that The Big Bang Theory promotes neoliberalism. Rather, I am suggesting that, most probably unintentionally, the show lays out many of the key premises of neoliberalism, such as the importance of contracts, and enables audiences to consider these while laughing at the show.     

Computer decision support tools in primary care

Computer Decision Support Tools (CDSTs) can support clinicians at various stages of the care process and improve healthcare, but implementation of these tools has been difficult. In this study we examine the need for, the use of, and barriers and facilitators to the use of a CDST from a human factor perspective. Results show that there is a need for CDSTs, and that physicians do use well-developed CDSTs. However, there are also barriers against the use, such usability issues and problems fitting them into the clinical workflow.     

Reliability,Validity, and Classification Accuracy of the DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Gambling Disorder and Comparison to DSM-IV

The DSM-5 was published in 2013 and it included two substantive revisions for gambling disorder (GD). These changes are the reduction in the threshold from five to four criteria and elimination of the illegal activities criterion. The purpose of this study was to twofold. First, to assess the reliability, validity and classification accuracy of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for GD. Second, to compare the DSM-5–DSM-IV on reliability, validity, and classification accuracy, including an examination of the effect of the elimination of the illegal acts criterion on diagnostic accuracy. To compare DSM-5 and DSM-IV, eight datasets from three different countries (Canada, USA, and Spain; total N = 3247) were used. All datasets were based on similar research methods. Participants were recruited from outpatient gambling treatment services to represent the group with a GD and from the community to represent the group without a GD. All participants were administered a standardized measure of diagnostic criteria. The DSM-5 yielded satisfactory reliability, validity and classification accuracy. In comparing the DSM-5 to the DSM-IV, most comparisons of reliability, validity and classification accuracy showed more similarities than differences. There was evidence of modest improvements in classification accuracy for DSM-5 over DSM-IV, particularly in reduction of false negative errors. This reduction in false negative errors was largely a function of lowering the cut score from five to four and this revision is an improvement over DSM-IV. From a statistical standpoint, eliminating the illegal acts criterion did not make a significant impact on diagnostic accuracy. From a clinical standpoint, illegal acts can still be addressed in the context of the DSM-5 criterion of lying to others.     

Targeted harassment,subcultural identity and the embrace of difference: a case study

This paper examines the significance of experiences and understandings of targeted harassment to the identities of youth subcultural participants, through case study research on goths. It does so against a context of considerable recent public discussion about the victimization of alternative subcultures and a surprising scarcity of academic research on the subject. The analysis presented indicates that, although individual direct experiences are diverse, the spectre of harassment can form an ever‐present accompaniment to subcultural life, even for those who have never been seriously targeted. As such, it forms part of what it is to be a subcultural participant and comprises significant common ground with other members. Drawing upon classic and more recent understandings of how subcultural groups respond to broader forms of outside hostility, we show how the shared experience of feeling targeted for harassment tied in with a broader subcultural discourse of being stigmatized by a perceived ‘normal’ society. The role of harassment as part of this, we argue, contributed to the strength with which subcultural identities were felt and to a positive embrace of otherness.     

The effect of Phase One training on young recruits' personal and professional development in the British army

This paper focuses on young men in the British army and their attitudes towards, and experiences of, Phase One basic training. The research, which took place in 2008–2011, used a longitudinal design. Using mixed methods, the findings draw on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 26 young trainees, and interviews and quantitative survey data with 1518 recruits, with an average age of 19.6 years. It reports on recruits’ motivations for enlisting and then tells a story of socialisation, transition and change from both civilian to soldier and from adolescent to man. Drawing on Goffman's theory of the ‘total institution’ the research is centred around two contexts – the outside training ranges and the indoor barracks. It argues that the army has a set of highly effective structures and processes that socialise individuals into the culture of the military organisation. By the time they pass out of Phase One training, recruits are in the possession of a set of norms, values, knowledge and skills, and have not only been transformed into competent members of the military organisation, but have also begun to take on and construct new forms of self-image and identity.     

Sex,greed, and nonprofit mismanagement: A review essay

The United Way: Dilemmas of Organized Charity, by Eleanor L. Brilliant, New York: Columbia University Press, 1990. 382 pp. $47.00. The United Way Scandal: An Insider's Account of What Went Wrong and Why, by John Glaser. New York: Wiley, 1994, 274 pp., $34.95. Free Ride: The Tax-Exempt Economy, by Gilbert Gaul and Neill M. Borowski. Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1993. 197 pp., $6.95 (paper).