The development of evaluation as a profession: Current status and some predictions

Sociological models of professionalization are applied to recent events in program evaluation in order to understand the development of the field and to predict future events. The focus is on problems that might arise and on the necessity of ameliorating them. The possibility of eliminating such problems is discounted since they appear to be integral elements of the process of professionalization. Major elements of the analysis include discussions of the consequences of the development of a specialized body of evaluation knowledge, the definition of evaluation tasks, exclusivity in the performance of those tasks, the development of professional associations, and problems in the training of evaluators. The reasons for problems in these areas are presented and the importance of being aware of the origin of the problems is discussed.     

The misuse and use of metatheory

Some approaches to metatheory are criticized for their tendency to avoid scientific sociology's central task: to explain how the social universe operates. While much metatheory is intellectually stimulating, it can also be debilitating in that it pulls social theory into reviews of the history of ideas, textual debate, philosophical discourse, ideological critique, and other unresolvable intellectual issues. In so doing, metatheory directs attention away from the analysis of the operative dynamics of the social world. Such need not be the case, however, for metatheory can be used to produce better theories. A general strategy for using metatheory to produce theory is proposed, and portions of this strategy are illustrated with a preliminary analysis of several conflict theories.     

Theologies of Exclusion: Christian Universities and Discrimination against Sexual Minorities1

Abstract

In an era of rapidly evolving attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights, why do some Christian colleges and universities continue to discriminate against lesbian, gay, and bisexual students? The most intuitive answer to this question might point to many religious traditions’ conservative teachings about same-sex relationships. Nevertheless, many schools associated with socially conservative religious traditions are actually inclusive of their sexual minority students. Building on recent insights from the literature on religion and the “culture wars,” and analyzing original data on student handbook bans on same-sex relationships and “homosexual behavior” across 682 Christian colleges and universities, I show that it is when schools are associated with individualist religious traditions that emphasize personal piety that conservative teachings on same-sex relationships are associated with discrimination against sexual minorities. The study holds implications both for research on the exclusion of sexual minorities in schools and for theoretical debates on the relationship between religion and social injustice.     

Perceptions of Institutional Elder Neglect in Civil Court

Perception of institutional elder neglect (IEN) in civil court was investigated. Experiment 1 participants (N = 162) read an IEN trial summary in which alleged victim testimony was presented or not. Victim testimony increased the likelihood of ruling for the plaintiff, partially mediated by credibility of witnesses for each side. Experiment 2 (N = 68) included a condition with testimony from the victim's floor-mate. Likelihood of ruling for the victim: victim = floor-mate > no testimony, was mediated by perceived credibility of the plaintiff's case. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of alleged victim testimony in IEN cases.     

The Frustrating Effects of Just Missing the Jackpot: Slot Machine Near-Misses Trigger Large Skin Conductance Responses, But No Post-reinforcement Pauses

Near-misses in slot machines resemble jackpot wins but fall just short. Previous research has demonstrated that near-misses are behaviorally reinforcing despite the absence of monetary reward. We assessed the hedonic properties of near-misses by measuring the time between outcome delivery and the initiation of the next spin—the post-reinforcement pause (PRP) and skin conductance responses (SCRs) for losses, near-misses, and a range of wins (5, 15, 25, 50 or 250 credits) while participants (N = 122) played a slot machine simulator. PRPs and SCRs were compared for 40 low frequency and 22 high frequency slots players who were non-problem gamblers, 37 at risk players, and 23 problem gamblers. For winning outcomes, PRPs and SCRs tracked monotonically with win size such that progressively larger wins were associated with progressively larger PRPs and SCRs. Near-misses with jackpot symbols landing on the first two reels had significantly larger SCRs than regular losses, and other types of near misses. Crucially, PRPs for this kind of near-miss were significantly smaller than all wins, and when non-parametric statistics were used, significantly smaller than regular losses. This pattern of large SCRs and small PRPs suggest that these are highly frustrating outcomes that stimulate appetitive components of the reward system to promote continued gambling.     

Race of the Future: Mixing of Colors in the United States Leading to One Race?

This article examines the impacts of the race of the future theory on the U.S. population. By and large, the theory posits that the mixing of different races—due to the process of miscegenation, especially in marriage, cohabitation, or sexual relations—will blend all races, so much so that, in the future, the end result of this mixing will be a panracial formation (i.e., one race). In this analysis, the authors attempt to determine whether the mixing of colors currently happening in the United States will lead to one race and what the race of the future in the United States will “look” like. One of the major conclusions is that, although the possibility of the existence of the race of the future has yet to be established, the degree of multiraciality in the U.S. population is rapidly growing (based on data and statistics from the U.S. Bureau of the Census).