Characteristics of men and women who complete or exit from an on‐line internet sexuality questionnaire: A study of instrument dropout biases

This study compared respondents who completed an Internet sexuality questionnaire and those who dropped out before completion. The study was in Swedish and comprised 3,614 respondents over a 2‐week period (53% males, 47% females). There were significant differences between males, of whom 51% dropped out before completion of the 175‐item questionnaire, and females, of whom 43% dropped out. Dropout in both genders followed a curve of negative acceleration. The data suggest that dropout is likely to be significant and gender and demographically biased, and to occur significantly earlier for men than for women. Geography, education, sexual orientation, age, relationship status, living arrangements, and Internet connection speed were related to dropout for men, while only relationship status and living arrangements, which were in the opposite direction from men, were related to dropout in women.     

Nonconscious processing of sexual information: A generalization to women

Sexually competent stimuli may nonconsciously activate sexual memory and set up sexual responding. In men, subliminally presented sexual pictures facilitated recognition of sexual information (Spiering, Everaerd, & Janssen, 2003). The goal of the two experiments reported here was to investigate to what extent this result can be generalized to women. A direct replication in women failed in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, besides the male‐oriented sexual picture set, pictures of two other sets were presented: female‐oriented sexual pictures and baby pictures. Effects of the menstrual cycle were also examined. In Experiment 2, only male‐oriented pictures showed a facilitation effect. Sensitivity for reproductive stimuli was enhanced during the midluteal phase. Like men, women may nonconsciously recognize a stimulus as sexual. This recognition process seems unrelated to the potential of the stimulus to elicit subjective arousal.     

The Nature and Value of Sex - A BOOK REVIEW OF: Sex: A Philosophical Primer,Expanded Edition by Irving Singer

Heterosexual and homosexual males who erotically preferred physically mature partners were compared with respect to the erotic impact of the nonpreferred age groups (of the preferred gender) and the nonpreferred gender. Erotic impact was assessed by phallometric test of erotic gender and age preferences. This measures penile volume changes during the presentation of potentially erotic stimuli. Homosexual males who preferred physically mature partners responded no more to male children than heterosexual males who preferred physically mature partners responded to female children. Although heterosexual males showed a (slight) erotic aversion to the male stimuli, and homosexual males did not show an aversion to the female stimuli, this difference was minimal.     

Central Analytical Issues in the Generation of Cumulative Sociological Knowledge

Abstract

The growth of theories, methodologies, and substantive/empirical areas in sociology has not led to consensus about what sociology is or how to generate cumulative knowledge. Recourse to general or “grand” theories, conceptual frameworks, and methodological advances has not proven noticeably helpful in resolving this situation. Suggesting an alternative strategy, this paper delineates nine analytical issues central to “doing” sociology. The authors contend that systematic attention to these issues will increase the generation of cumulative sociological knowledge.     

Does Marxism allow for the magical side of things? Magical realism and a comparison between one hundred years of solitude and the house of the spirits

This paper examines Magical Realism from a few different angles. Does this genre arise out of socio‐economic conditions in the Third World, distinguishing it from the cultural conventions of First World Postmodernism? Can the fiction of Magical Realism capture complex social and historical realities? Put another way, are the conventions of Magical Realism compatible with Marxism? Can a Marxist framework incorporate mystery and magic? I deal with these issues both theoretically and by way of a comparison between two well known Latin American novels ‐ One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. These two novels are shown to be quite dissimilar in their use of Magical Realist techniques.     

When the Border Is “Everywhere”: State‐level Variation in Migration Control and Changing Settlement Patterns of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States

Governments increasingly exclude unauthorized migrants from labor markets and public provisions and apprehend those who have settled in the territory. In the U.S., recent increases in interior control coincided with a reduction in (the growth of) the estimated unauthorized population. This study describes the mechanisms through which interior control may impact migration patterns and analyzes whether interior control has been responsible for the changing settlement patterns. We find that when the effects of labor markets and internal dynamics of migration processes are controlled, policy has a (moderate) negative effect on estimated levels of unauthorized residence, both in individual states and the U.S. as a whole.     

Beyond Qualification: Experiences of Black Social Workers on a Post‐Qualifying Course

This article reports on the findings from a small‐scale qualitative study of the experiences of five black women studying on a Post‐Qualifying Child Care Award (PQCCA). The study considered the expectations of the women, their experiences of recruitment and selection, and support for the candidates from their agency and from the universities offering the programme. Also reported are the experiences of the course content, course completion and the specific experience of being a black candidate on the course. The article sets all this in the context of post‐qualifying education, current child care practice and the relevant literature. We make extensive use of the rich data provided by the five respondents in the study, and conclude with recommendations arising from the black women themselves and the researchers' reflections on their experiences.     

Troubling Times for British Social Work Education?

Although the creation of a new framework for qualifying education in social work combined with the introduction of a new framework for post qualifying education appears to have clarified and protected the future of social work in Britain, there remain a number of problems which these developments have not resolved. Indeed, as I will argue, their implementation has created a set of new questions that could derail the best intentions for the development of British social work. The purpose of this paper is to identify the scope of these problems, which potentially affect the provision both of qualifying and post qualifying education. It is suggested that while these issues may particularly impact upon social work education in England, it is probable that they will also present a problem for other countries in the United Kingdom.