An Initial Assessment of Effective Preference Assessment Intervals Among Employees

Previous research has shown that employee preferences for tangible items may change significantly from one month to the next. Although a 1-month interval may be too long to wait between preference assessment administrations, no guidelines exist with regard to how often to assess employee preference. This study examined changes in preference as measured by two different preference assessments across four different time intervals. We measured preference stability by assessing changes in designations of high- and low-preference items from one assessment to the next. Only the 1-week interval indicated no changes in item designation from high preference to low preference or low preference to high preference. These data suggest that if tangibles are used, preferences may need to be assessed over time.     

The Little Magazine Collection at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

Abstract

Serials Review visits the University of Wisconsin–Madison Memorial Library to hear about the Little Magazine Collection. This collection consists primarily of literary journals, but it also contains magazines, which reflect trends in art, society, and politics. Readers of Serials Review will recognize this collection as the source of a regular column, “Little Magazine Interview Index,” compiled by Yvonne Schofer and Barbara Richards. The author discusses the history of the collection and its current development. Serials Review 2002; 28:153–155.     

News from the field

Two problems are always present in any research: reliability and validity, and this paper will attempt to assess reliability and validity in relation to dietary data. Reliability means stability of results over a period of time or in similar situations. (It is very difficult to find two identical situations, especially outside a laboratory, as some variation is always introduced.) Validity refers to the accuracy of techniques and results. It includes the idea of measuring methods and results against a standard or criterion.     

The United States Book Exchange

Serials Review visits the United States Book Exchange in Cleveland, Ohio. The staff of this nonprofit organization supplies back issues to over 2,000 member libraries in addition to nonmember libraries in the United States and the world. The tour will examine how this exchange is organized and how electronic access to journal literature has changed its emphasis. Serials Review 29:318–320.     

Examining the Diversity of Prosocial Behavior: Helping,Sharing, and Comforting in Infancy

Prosocial behaviors are a diverse group of actions that are integral to human social life. In this study, we examined the ability of 18‐ and 24‐month‐old infants to engage in three types of other‐oriented behaviors, specifically helping, sharing, and comforting. Infants in both age groups engaged in more prosocial behavior on trials in which an unfamiliar adult experimenter required aid (experimental conditions) than on those in which she did not (control conditions) across two of the three prosocial tasks (i.e., helping and sharing). The infants engaged in these behaviors with similar frequency; however, there was no correlation between the tasks. The implications for the construct of prosocial behavior and the presence of a prosocial disposition are discussed.     

College Smoking Policies and Smoking Cessation Programs: Results of a Survey of College Health Center Directors

Abstract

College students' cigarette smoking rose dramatically during the 1990s. Little is known about what colleges do to address the problem. Health center directors at 393 4-year US colleges provided information (response rate: 65.1%) about college policies addressing smoking and the availability of smoking cessation programs. Of the health center directors surveyed, 85% considered students' smoking a problem; yet only 81% of colleges prohibit smoking in all public areas and only 27% ban smoking in all indoor areas, including students' rooms in dormitories and in private offices. More than 40% of the respondents reported that their schools did not offer smoking cessation programs and that the demand for existing program was low. Colleges need to do more to discourage student tobacco use. Recommended actions include campus-wide no-smoking policies that apply to student residences and identification of new ways of providing smoking prevention and cessation services.     

What Colleges Are Doing About Student Binge Drinking A Survey of College Administrators

Abstract

In 1999, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed 734 US college administrators to learn what colleges were doing to prevent binge drinking. Respondents rated the severity of student alcohol-abuse problems and described prevention efforts and institutional investments in prevention infrastructure. Prevention practices were widespread in the areas of general education about alcohol, use of policy controls to limit access to alcohol, restricting advertising at home-game sporting events, and allocation of living space to alcohol-free dormitories. Programming was less prevalent for more targeted alcohol education, outreach, and restrictions on alcohol advertising in campus media. Nationally, most of the surveyed colleges reported having a campus alcohol specialist, many had task forces, and about half were performing in-house data collection. Less common were program evaluations, community agreements, or neighborhood exchanges. Prevention practices varied with institutional characteristics and the surveyed administrators' perceptions of the severity of alcohol problems.     

The Role of the Gerontological Social Worker in Assisted Living

This qualitative study reports on thirteen assisted living (AL) administrators' perspectives of the role and the importance of the AL social worker in addressing the unmet needs of older adults as they move and transition into AL. Participant interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Administrators described 5 AL social work roles: (a) decision-making and adjustment coordinator; (b) resident advocate; (c) mental health assessor and counselor; (d) family social worker; and (e) care planner. Implications include directly examining AL social workers' views, analyzing costs and benefits of employing AL social workers, and developing social work practicum sites within AL.