Spatially Specific Changes in Infants' Muscle Coactivity as They Learn to Reach

Infants first reach out and touch objects between the ages of 3 and 5 months. This article reports changes in muscle coactivity associated with this transition. A group of 4 infants were observed weekly from 3 to 30 weeks and every 2 weeks from 30 to 52 weeks. Hand kinematics of both prereaching and reaching movements were collected, as was electromyographic activity from the trapezius, deltoid, biceps, and triceps. Before infants first reached for toys presented at midline, they used biceps and triceps to move their hands near the toy in front of them and 45° to the side of midline. After the transition, they used trapezius and deltoid to move the hand toward the toy and combinations of multiple muscles when their arms were high and extended near the toy. Thus, infants showed a dramatic change in which muscles worked together across the transition to reaching, even though their hands moved in similar spatial regions.     

Out-of-home maltreatment: An analysis of risk in various settings for children

Abuse and neglect of children in out-of-home care are common, but comparisons of relative risk among such facilities are rare. Data from Indiana for the period 1984–1990 permit an examination of maltreatment in various settings and computations of rates of physical and sexual abuse and neglect. Findings suggest that children in daycare homes and centers and schools are less likely to be maltreated than those in foster homes, residential homes, or state institutions and hospitals. These differences in risk may reflect variation in staff morale and turnover, different ages and experiences of children, alternative emphases on custody, control or nurturance by the home or institution, and different approaches to substantiating abuse. However, in three of the seven out-of-home settings, there are higher rates of maltreatment than for children in their own homes. Some implications of these findings are explored.     

Hiding in plain sight: Dehumanization as a foundation of white racial prejudice

In the media, during sporting events, in online forums, and in interpersonal interactions, whites often portray Black people as animals, especially as apes or monkeys. In this essay we consider what contemporary research on prejudice in American politics has to say about these dehumanizing portrayals of Black people. We argue that contemporary political science work has not done enough to understand both the historical roots and the continuing practices of whites' dehumanization of Black people, to the detriment of an accurate understanding of racial attitudes in the United States. To rectify this omission, we draw on the work of historians to map out a brief overview of race-making and the dehumanizing attitudes that shaped this process. Then, we review political science literature on contemporary white attitudes toward Black people, emphasizing connections between prevailing conceptions of these attitudes and long-standing processes of dehumanization. We conclude by charting directions for future scholarship; we seek to unsettle the mainstream of a subfield dominated by mild conceptions of racial attitudes.     

STOP‐GO MONETARY POLICY

We propose and estimate several discrete choice models of monetary policy decision‐making that feature time‐varying inertia. The models permit us to account for three stylized facts characterizing monetary policymaking in the United States: (1) target interest rates are gradually adjusted in small discrete movements, (2) there are some long stretches of time in which rates are repeatedly moved, and (3) there are other long stretches in which the policy rate does not change. The models are used to account for delayed monetary policy responses to the recession of 2001 and to the housing‐driven expansion of 2003–2006. (JEL E52, E58, E65)     

A Decade Review of Sex and Partnering in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

The formation and development of romantic relationships continues to be an important area of study among adolescent and young adult populations. Although many adolescents and young adults report having committed romantic relationship experiences, which may or may not include sexual activity, research has grown during the past decade to study a variety of sexual experiences and relationship types. Consistent with identity formation and exploration and the opportunity for experimentation, adolescents and young adults also engage in a variety of casual sexual relationships and experiences. The past decade saw a dramatic growth in the study of casual sex and in particular hooking-up experiences. Furthermore, scholars have begun to examine more fully young adults' attitudes toward and willingness to engage in consensually nonmonogamous relationships; however, little research has examined actual involvement in consensually nonmonogamous relationships among those in young adulthood. As with previous decade reviews, ongoing attention regarding how adolescent experiences serve to inform relationships and sex during the period of young adulthood is warranted. Directions for future research are identified and discussed.     

Actors in Search of a Character: Student Social Workers' Quest for Professional Identity

This article presents a case study of the professional socialization of neophyte social workers. Drawing primarily upon interviews of the 14 members of a senior class in an accredited social work program, the article presents an analysis of student interns' attempts to dramatically realize the occupational identity of social worker. Contrasts between their experiences and the experiences of student doctors are stressed in order to illustrate the reflexive relationship between the historical and the biographical processes of professionalization.     

Results of a heart disease risk-factor screening among traditional college students

The author collected data on serum cholesterol, blood pressure, and self-reported health behavior in 226 college students aged 18 to 26 years. Twenty-nine percent had undesirable total cholesterol levels, 10% had high cholesterol, 10% had high systolic blood pressure, and 11% had high diastolic blood pressure. Half or more of the participants consumed a diet high in saturated fats, engaged in binge drinking, had a parental risk for high cholesterol or blood pressure, or reported they experienced elevated stress levels. Men had higher risk-factor levels than women. Findings from a regression analysis revealed that smoking, binge drinking, lack of cardiovascular exercise, and eating a high saturated-fat diet were predictive of undesirable cholesterol levels. Study limitations included self-selection of participants and single measurements of blood pressure and cholesterol. Trained students served as screeners in the program for providing an effective, low-cost screening intervention.