Approximate and estimated saddlepoint approximations

Classical saddlepoint methods, which assume that the cumulant generating function is known, result in an approximation to the distribution that achieves an error of order O(n^?1). The authors give a general theorem to address the accuracy of saddlepoint approximations in which the cumulant generating function has been estimated or approximated. In practice, the resulting saddlepoint approximations are typically of the order O(n^?1/2). The authors give simulation results for small sample examples to compare estimated saddlepoint approximations.     

Content Analysis of CDQ From 1994–2003: Implications and Trends for Practitioners and Researchers From a Decade of Research

A review of the content of The Career Development Quarterly (CDQ) was conducted for the period between 1994 and 2003. In total, 297 articles were published in CDQ during this period. The content analysis was based on content, authorship, and institutional affiliation. The principal areas of research were career development: life‐span perspectives and women's workforce participation. Of the articles published during this period, 33% fell into 1 of these 2 categories. Compared with the previous analysis (W. Buboltz & M. Savickas, 1994), a change was noted in the amount of research in women's workforce participation, which rose from 1.4% to 12.8%, whereas research on career development interventions fell by approximately 50%. The authors discuss implications and areas for future research.     

Material culture and embodied action: sociological notes on the examination of musical instruments in jazz improvisation

This paper argues that the examination of technologies and their social contexts, which form the basis of the material culture perspective, can be strengthened through an increased awareness of the intersubjective and embodied features of social action. With reference to the ways in which jazz musicians improvise with instruments through embodied praxological skills ( Sudnow, 1978 ) and intersubjective art world knowledge ( Becker, 1982 ), the paper demonstrates the empirical value of these basic sociological concepts. It shows that the ‘affordances’ of usage ( Gibson, 1979 ) that result from social actors’ application of objects through orientation to normative procedure become visible through an understanding of embodied habituated social practice, and it is exactly such affordances that constitute the contextual relevance of materiality for social action.     

Trauma Symptoms: Relationship With Career Thoughts,Vocational Identity,and Developmental Work Personality

Knowledge of traumatic events and how trauma symptoms relate to social and psychological well‐being continues to grow. One aspect of an individual's functioning that may be affected by exposure to traumatic events is the ability of the individual to engage in career‐ and work‐related activities (D. H. Coursol, J. Lewis, & L. Garrity, 2001). The current study examines the relationship between trauma symptoms and the career development process of 131 college students. Results indicate a significant relationship between higher levels of trauma symptoms and higher levels of dysfunctional career thoughts and lower levels of work personality. Implications for career counselors are discussed.     

The Social Costs of Child Poverty: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Evidence

This paper describes a systematic review of qualitative studies of children living in material disadvantage, which compares and confirms experiences across a pool of studies that meet predetermined quality criteria. The review found that, according to children's narratives, the costs of poverty are not only material but also profoundly social. The evidence suggests that, despite their efforts to maximise their resources, many poor children experience a gradual narrowing of their horizons, both socially and economically. In conclusion the paper suggests the need for further research from children's viewpoints, given the UK government's commitment to reducing child poverty and associated problems of social exclusion.     

Aging-related temporal constraints to stability and instability in postural control

In this study, we review the evidence that older adults tend to have both a shorter time to lose stability in the maintenance of standing posture and the functionally related but inverse problem of needing more time to reacquire stability in transitioning to a postural state. These age-related time limitations to processes of stability are hypothesized to enhance the probability of falling with aging and the problems that can occur in the transition between activities, such as sitting to standing and standing to walking. The potential role of fitness and health variables in mediating the temporal constraints on the acquisition and loss of postural stability in aging is discussed.     

High Hopes but Even Higher Expectations: The Retreat From Marriage Among Low‐Income Couples

This study examines why low‐income, unmarried parents who say that they plan to marry at the time their child is born do not follow through on their plans. We use data from a nationally representative birth cohort survey—the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N =3,710)—combined with data from an embedded qualitative study—Time, Love, Cash, Caring, and Children (n =47)—to explore the reasons behind this apparent discrepancy. We find that some of the difference between parents’ expectations and behavior may be because of the overstatement of intentions at the time of the birth. Most of the discrepancy, however, results from parents’ perceived social and economic barriers to marriage. Specifically, unmarried parents have a long list of financial and relationship prerequisites they believe must be met in order for them to wed. Combined with other factors, these standards lead to an indeterminate delay in marriage.     

Conclusions: Adolescents' Preparation for the Future

The future of societies depends on their success in providing pathways whereby young people develop and prepare themselves to be contributing adults to their communities. When these pathways are well marked, stable, supported by the community, and inviting to adolescents, a society can be confident that new generations will join the ranks of adulthood well prepared. When these paths are hazardous, unpredictable, uninviting, or ill fitted to the demands of adulthood in that society, the future is insecure, both for adolescents and for society. This volume and the additional two volumes of this study group (Brown, Larson, && Saraswathi, 2002; Mortimer && Brown, 2002) suggest the following observations about the experiences of youth and how well they are being prepared for adulthood in the 21st century.