The challenge of training in applied sociology

This paper adds to the current dialogue in our discipline regarding the challenge of expanding nonacademic employment opportunities for sociologists and training our students for such employment. The argument is made that this challenge should be seen as an opportunity for us to demonstrate the relevance of our knowledge and expertise to society and to advance the intellectual development of our discipline. Moreover, the achievement of these benefits does not require sacrificing the distinctive intellectual core of sociology as a humanistic liberal arts discipline. To help bridge the gap between academic and nonacademic cultures, several interrelated strategies are suggested that address issues of marketing and public relations, as well as curriculum revision. The internship, as a key feature of “applied” programs, is crucial in terms of both training students and facilitating our contacts with potential employers. where he developed the department’s internship program, and has done consultation with religious and social service organizations. where he helped develop the Master’s program in applied sociology, and has done extensive consultation with business organizations regarding their needs for sociological skills and expertise. which is jointly sponsored by the College of Business and Management and the Department of Sociology, and which conducts studies in organizational design, entrepreneurship, and strategic management at the University of Maryland in College Park. has done extensive consultation and research with business organizations and the military on personnel and family issues. in Jacksonville and utilizes sociological concepts in courses on organizational management and design. a member of the ASA Ad Hoc Committee on Under- and Un-employment. where he recently completed a term as Head of the Department and a leave of absence to the staff of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.     

Perceived Parental Acceptance‐Rejection and Psychological Adjustment: A Meta‐Analysis of Cross‐Cultural and Intracultural Studies

Meta‐analytic procedures were used to pool information from 43 studies worldwide to test one of the major postulates of parental acceptance‐rejection theory (PARTheory). Specifically, using child and adult versions of the Parental Acceptance‐Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ) and the Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), these studies allowed us to assess the claim within PARTheory's personality subtheory that perceived parental acceptance‐rejection is associated universally with a specific form of psychological (mal)adjustment among children and adults, regardless of differences in gender, race, geography, language, or culture. Results of the analysis showed that the predicted relation emerged without exception in all studies. The mean weighted effect sizes across the full range of sociocultural and ethnic groups studied were r= .51 for children and r= .46 for adults. Analysis of fail safe N showed that 3,433 additional studies, all with nonsignificant results, would be required to disconfirm the pancultural association between the PARQ and PAQ among children; 941 such studies would be required to disconfirm this relation among adults.     

Using Econometric Models for Intrafirm Equity Salary Adjustments

This paper addresses the question of how econometric models can provide guidance on the means by which intrafirm discriminatory gender salary differences may be eliminated and how much each injured party should receive. Equity pay adjustment algorithms are developed that incorporate constraints dictated by practical considerations and the legal environment. Bounding salary adjustments from below, while holding constant the aggregate estimated equity salary adjustment, can redistribute compensatory adjustments away from the most underpaid to the most overpaid members of the injured class. Empirical examples are provided for a sample of faculty at a Research I university and a sample of employees of a state-wide supermarket chain.     

Knowledge acquisition for a supportive user interface for correspondence analysis

We studied the way in which experienced statisticians handle the output of a correspondence analysis program, in order to investigate the possibility of computerized support for the interpretation of complex output from statistical software. Four experts participated in this study, all with experience in consultation and with a high level of theoretical knowledge on the subject. In ‘thinking-aloud sessions' they tried to reach conclusions from two forms of output (first without and then with indication of the meaning of variables). We present results on rule-based reasoning by the experts. Suggestions are given for the application of these results in the construction of an intelligent user interface for correspondence analysis.     

Aliternative methods for estimating long-run responses with applications to australian import demand

This paper compares and contrasts a number of single-equation and systems estimators of long-run responses with application to a three-variable import demand model. Two variants of Box and Tiao's (1977) canonical estimator are developed and associated tests for the number of cointegrating vectors are introduced. A simulation study indicates that, while both Box-Tiao estimators have empirical distributions with fatter tails than the normal, there is evidence that the incidence of extreme values is even greater with Johansen's (1988) ML procedure.