Purification Equals Silence: Censorship of Queer Expression by the Theocratic Right

Censorship in all its forms has recently been increasing across the United States. While censorship is practiced across the political spectrum, the greatest threat to free expression comes from the Theocratic Right, The largest category of material targeted by this movement is queer expression. Present censorship efforts are rooted in a long-standing American tradition of hostility to art and to dissenting voices. The five principal areas in which queer expression is censored are: (I) state and federal cultural agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts; (II) public education, school curricula, and public libraries; (III) higher education; (IV) print, broadcast, and digital media; (V) arts and entertainment. The progress the Theocratic Right is making in narrowing the limits to speech is often abetted by unholy alliances with the Left. Anti-censorship organizations exist, but have thus far been insufficient to turn the tide.     

Videogames: Transitional phenomena in adolescence

Videogames are discussed in light of the concepts of transitional objects and transitional phenomena. Their role in the second individuation process of adolescence is considered.An earlier version of this article was presented at the Midwinter Meeting of the Division of Psychotherapy, American Psychological Association, San Diego, California, March, 1984.     

Motion Popout in Selective Visual Orienting at 4.5 But Not at 2 Months in Human Infants

The effect of element density on selective orienting was examined in 2 experiments with 2‐ and 4.5‐month‐old infants. Selective visual orienting to a singleton oscillating target that appeared with other static bars was used to study the effects of element density. Increasing the set size and density of the static bars decreased selective orienting to the moving target in the 2‐month‐old infants, but it increased selective orienting in the 4.5‐month‐olds despite the fact that the overall levels of correct orienting to the target were titrated to be the same at the 2 ages. Thus, density affected the selectivity of visual orienting to movement at these 2 ages differently with popout being evident at the older age. In the 2nd experiment, motion popout for the 4.5‐month‐old infants was replicated using oscillating targets that had the same peak and mean speeds but different temporal frequencies and amplitudes of oscillation. Increases in the efficiency of perceptual grouping of similar elements between 2 and 4.5 months of age could overcome the lateral masking effects of increasing element density seen at the lower end of this age range.     

Nation speaking unto nation? Newspapers and national identity in the devolved UK

There are two problems with the existing account of the relationship between newspapers and national identity in the UK. The first is that although it is widely assumed that the mass media are central to the reproduction and evolution of national identity this has never been empirically demonstrated. The second is that exactly what comprises the relevant ‘national’ context in the UK is unclear. Content analysis of 2,500 sampled articles, together with qualitative comparison of different editions of the same newspaper titles and interviews with editors and journalists are used to show the extent and nature of ‘national’ frames of reference in newspapers in England and Scotland. Paradoxically, devolution may have reduced the spatial diversity of news stories in the press in England and Scotland.     

An Experiment with a Confidentiality Reminder in a Telephone Survey

The effect of a confidentiality reminder was tested during atelephone survey of the general public of a metropolitan area.One-half of the sample was administered the reminder just priorto the demographic questions; the other half of the sample didnot receive the treatment. The results showed no significantdifferences on the distribution of nonsubstantive responsesbetween the two groups. There was some evidence that the confidentialityreminder had a negative effect on data quality.     

The Social Security Advisory Committee

This article examines the work of the Social Security Advisory Committee, whose main role as the ‘eyes, ears and heart’ of the Department of Social Security is explained. The work of the Committee shows that it has taken a keen interest in the effects of changes in benefit entitlement on claimants. Its recommendations attempt to mitigate the worst effects of changes on the most vulnerable benefit claimants. While some pressure groups have expressed disappointment with the SSAC's work, there are grounds for a more positive evaluation of it.     

Predicted outcomes in a national sample: A source of comparison for program evaluation

The lack of comparison groups is a common problem for researchers conducting evaluations of small, specialized programs. When conventional comparison groups are not available, the authors suggest a possible alternative approach which involves: (a) locating a sub-group in a national study for whom relevant variables have been measured; (b) generating a statistical model which predicts the outcome of interest in the national data; and (c) applying the predictive model to program data, in order to estimate outcomes in the absence of progam intervention. The authors illustrate this new application by presenting the results of an analysis of data from Project Talent, a national manpower study, and discuss its application to the evaluation of a medical training program in New York City.     

The stability and sensitivity of subjective well-being measures

A longitudinal investigation of the stability and sensitivity of several subjective social indicators is presented. Over a seven year period, data collected from 93 Canadians indicated moderate stability for measures of enjoyment, satisfaction, and life quality. When respondents were divided into “change” and “no change” groups on the basis of their self-reported health status, the self-anchoring ladder of present life quality was found to be sensitive to change. Implications of this methodological inquiry are examined.