THE ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND WHITE ADOLESCENTS

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we analyze African-American and white respondents' reports of the nature of their romantic experiences. We explore levels of companionate intimacy, including frequency of interaction and intimate self-disclosure, degree of romantic and sexual intimacy, as well as problem areas including relationship violence and nonexclusivity. African-American respondents report relationships of longer average duration relative to white youths, but overall responses reflect a somewhat less intense or intimate relationship style. These observed differences were not completely attenuated once relevant controls are introduced. We connect these findings to prior research on African-American adolescent family and peer relations, and call for additional research that supplements the behavioral emphasis of Add Health.     

The ubiquitous angle

Summary.  Previously we used the geometry of n -dimensional space to derive the paired samples t -test and its p -value. In the present paper we describe the 'ubiquitous' application of these results to single degree of freedom linear model hypothesis tests. As examples, we derive the p - and t -values for the independent samples t -test, for testing a contrast in an analysis of variance and for testing the slope in a simple linear regression analysis. An angle θ in n -dimensional space is again pivotal in the development of the ideas. The relationships between p , t , θ , F and the correlation coefficient are also described by using a 'statistical triangle'.     

Sounds of Silence: narrative research with inarticulate subjects

This article addresses the challenge of using narrative methods with people who have learning difficulties. Such informants present four particular interview problems: inarticulateness; unresponsiveness; a concrete frame of reference; and difficulties with the concept of time. The authors focus on the first two of these problems and argue that neither of them constitutes an insuperable barrier to people telling their story. Drawing on detailed interview material from an informant with learning difficulties, the authors set out to show in practical terms how these problems might be tackled, emphasising in particular the importance of being attentive to what goes unsaid. They conclude that researchers should put more emphasis on overcoming the barriers that impede the involvement of inarticulate subjects in narrative research instead of dwelling on their limitations as informants.     

ASPECTS OF CORRELATION IN BIVARIATE POISSON DISTRIBUTIONS AND PROCESSES

This paper reviews some interesting but scattered results that are known about correlation in bivariate Poisson distributions and processes and presents some new results. A particular concern in both contexts is with results and examples relating to negative correlation.     

The Proportion of Gaming Revenue Derived from Problem Gamblers: Examining the Issues in a Canadian Context

The legitimacy of government-sponsored gambling and its continued expansion depends in part on the impact that gambling has on society and the extent to which gambling revenue is derived from vulnerable individuals. The purpose of the present article is to try to establish a valid estimate of the proportion of gaming revenue derived from problem gamblers in Canada. Using recent secondary data collected in eight Canadian provinces, we estimate this proportion to be 23.1%, compared to a problem gambling prevalence rate of 4.2%. This estimate must be seen as tentative, however, as self-reported expenditures are 2.1 times higher than actual provincial gaming revenues.     

Discrepancies in Perceived Organizational Control: their Incidence and Importance in Local Churches*

The effects of discrepancies between preferred and perceived control among church members are investigated in terms of amount and distribution of control. For each dimension of control, three categories of respondents are identified: those who preferred a greater amount or wider distribution of control than they perceived to exist within their churches (deficit); those whose preferred and perceived control scores were identical (balance); and those who preferred a lesser amount or more concentrated distribution of control in their churches than they perceived to exist (surplus). For both amount and distribution of control, a perceived deficit is more common than a surplus. Respondents experiencing discrepancies in either direction are more dissatisfied and alienated than those with a balance in desired and perceived organizational control. A deficit is associated with more dissatisfaction (but not necessarily more alienation) than a surplus. Subsample comparisons show these findings hold for both officers and non-officers. Regression analyses show that discrepancies regarding organizational control are important even after other aspects of control have been introduced.