Using Suggested Contributions in Fundraising for Public Good

This article presents a provision point mechanism experiment designed to investigate the impact of suggested contributions in a public-good contribution process. We find that suggesting contributions is ineffective if subjects value the public good equally. However, if valuations for the public good differ among individuals, as they do in the real world, we find that contribution suggestions increase the likelihood of providing the public good, increase the fraction of individuals contributing their suggested share, and improve the equity of the distribution of contributions.     

The Slut-Shaming Instrument: Preliminary validation,correlates, and links with psychological distress among adolescent girls

Despite social awareness of the problem of slut-shaming for adolescent girls, no existing measure captures this construct. Using data from a sample of 202 girls from Québec, Canada (ages 14–17; 68% White), preliminary validation is provided for the Slut-Shaming Instrument, a seven-item measure of negative peer experiences related to being perceived as too sexually active, sexualized, or flirtatious. The measure showed strong psychometric properties including good reliability and factor structure, expected associations with daily experiences of slut-related victimization and sexual harassment, and links with number of sexual partners and other forms of peer victimization. Slut-shaming was associated with distress accounting for these other forms of victimization (including sexual harassment), suggesting the pertinence of addressing this type of gender-based victimization.     

Rapport: Little effect on children’s,adolescents’, and adults’ statement quantity,accuracy, and suggestibility

Abstract

Rapport building is widely recommended in eyewitness interview situations and is a critical component in some interview protocols. However, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of rapport building on memory performance is scant. The current experiment examined the effects of different levels of rapport (none, minimal, extensive) on children’s, adolescents’, and adults’ memory (N?=?229). Participants viewed a video of a mock theft and received one of three possible rapport manipulations. They then provided a free narrative of what they had seen, followed by 18 cued (suggestive and nonsuggestive) questions. In general, we found limited evidence of positive effects of rapport building on statement quantity and accuracy across age groups. Adolescents did profit more from extensive rapport building compared to no rapport. In line with the idea of a linear development of memory measures with age, adolescents generally fell in-between the other two age groups across different memory measures. The current study encourages systematic experimental research on the effect of rapport building on eyewitness memory.     

Serials Spoken Here: Reports of Conferences,Institutes, and Seminars

This quarter's column spans nearly eight months in 2016 and comprises reports from three library conferences. The UKSG 39th Annual Conference and Exhibition took place in the Bournemouth International Center (BIC), April 11 to April 13. The Potomac Technical Processing Librarians 92nd Annual Meeting convened October 21 at the University of Richmond. The Charleston Conference took place in Charleston, SC, October 31 to November 5.     

The value of administrative data for longitudinal social research: a case study investigating income support receipt and relationship separation in Australia

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the Australian government has encouraged open access to administrative data, providing new opportunities for examining life course pathways and evaluating social policies. This paper demonstrates the importance of establishing partnerships in the use of administrative data for social research. In collaboration with the data custodian, we used administrative welfare data to investigate a policy-relevant topic: the association between income support receipt and relationship separation. Our results provided greater statistical power for detecting associations for minority groups than is possible with panel survey data, highlighting the benefits of administrative data for understanding the outcomes of population groups that are not well represented in surveys. The collaboration between university researchers and data custodians was critical to enable appropriate sharing of data for research and for accurate interpretation of the data and outcomes for relevance to policy.     

THIRD‐PARTY CERTIFICATION AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VOLUNTARY POLLUTION ABATEMENT PROGRAMS: EVIDENCE FROM RESPONSIBLE CARE

We analyze whether third‐party certification has been successful in improving the performance of voluntary pollution abatement in the Responsible Care (RC) program which made certification mandatory from 2005 onward. We use facility‐level panel data from 821 plants between 1996 and 2010, and exploit the change in the program requirements to estimate the causal impact of third‐party certification on participating facility emissions compared to non‐RC plants in the U.S. chemical industry. We address endogenous selection into RC via instrumental variables, and explore heterogeneity in the treatment effect. We find that, on average, there is no statistically discernible effect of third‐party certification on facility emissions, and that this result is robust to a variety of models that correspond to different assumptions related to identification. (JEL Q53, Q58, L60)     

Family contact in foster care in Portugal. The views of children in foster care and other key actors

This is a pilot study on the sensitive issue of how children and young people experience family contact in foster care, and the views of key adults in their lives on the same issue. There is a special focus on the children's experiences, opinions, and feelings. The study is a response to the relative scarcity of literature on family contact based on the experiences of children and adults in caring roles. This is a qualitative and exploratory study, with a sample of 10 children and young people in care in the district of Porto, aiming to identify key issues and areas for further examination. The results allow us to conclude that the possibility of maintaining contact is positively evaluated. However, perspectives on the relationships involved, and on the reactions to and difficulties associated with visits, revealed considerable disagreement among the actors. A possible set of implications drawn from the findings pointed out to the importance of developing a monitored cooperation that improves communication processes in order to take into account the children's and young people's views in the decision‐making process; and to develop more attentive and open working relationships with parents throughout the foster care placement.     

Intensive interaction and autism: some theoretical concerns

The authors consider the possible application of intensive interaction to children with autism. Intensive interaction is briefly described, and the question asked whether children with autism (and developmental delay) can gain from this exemplar of naturalistic, interactive approaches to facilitating sociability and communication. A theoretical approach is taken to unravel the difficulties faced by children with autism in developing sociability and communication, and the way in which intensive interaction functions. Five areas of possible mismatch between the particular difficulties/needs of these children and the method are identified and interrogated. The authors conclude that children with autism can be enabled to learn about interaction and communication through this naturalistic and supportive process. The need for empirical evidence to substantiate this position is highlighted. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.