Occupational influences on retirement,disability, and death

This research examines the alternative mechanisms by which occupations influence the nature and timing of older men's labor force withdrawal. We specifically assess the extent to which occupational factors operate directly and indirectly on exiting events and whether occupations constrain traditional determinants of labor force participation. Based on a discrete-time hazard modeling approach, the results substantiate that the occupational task activities--substantive complexity and physical demands--are key elements of the work environment that are evaluated against nonwork alternatives. In the case of retirement, these aspects of occupational attractiveness function as a dominant and direct force in retirement decision making. With regard to disability, the occupational attribute of substantive complexity operates as an indirect advantage (through higher wages) by reducing the risk of disability. Indicators of career continuity also influence retirement among older workers. Finally, the results suggest that financial characteristics and health problems are central to the distribution of older workers across the alternative destination statuses of retirement, disability, and death.     

Socioeconomic Heterogeneity of Mining-Dependent Counties1

Abstract Recent typologies of U.S. counties differentiated by sustenance base suggest that mining-dependent counties are characterized by levels of socioeconomic well-being slightly above national averages. However, striking regional differences in well-being among mining-dependent counties are masked when such counties are considered as a single category. Comparison with nonmetropolitan nonmining-dependent counties in the same states reveals that the differences are only partly accounted for by overall regional effects. Further disaggregation demonstrates substantial effects of mining subsector and of subsector-region interaction on well-being. Of particular concern is the disadvantage associated with coal mining dependence in the South and Great Lakes regions contrasted with the advantage associated with such dependence in the West.     

Pathways Among Marital Distress,Parental Symptomatology,and Child Adjustment

A community sample of 295 mothers, fathers, and children (M age = 11.14 years, SD = 2.32 years) rated marital distress, maternal and paternal psychological symptoms, and child adjustment. The predicted direct relations between these family and child variables were demonstrated for both fathers and mothers. Tests of pathways among these variables were conducted for separate but complementary mediation models. Maternal and paternal symptoms mediated the association between marital distress and child adjustment. Marital distress mediated the link between fathers’ symptoms and child adjustment, but the direct pathway between mothers’ symptoms and child adjustment remained. Pubertal status was modestly related to higher levels of family stressors. Joint implications of marital distress and parental symptoms for child adjustment are discussed.     

Scared selfish: a culture of fear’s values in the age of terrorism

In the Age of Terrorism fear becomes a constant companion. This is particularly true in a society already beset by a culture of fear. We explore some cognitive effects of fear induced by victimization to explain America’s reaction to the events of 9/11. Using reliable measures of value orientations we find that exposure to violence produces a shift in value orientations toward values that are more self-enhancing. America’s seemingly fractured state may be explained in part by this effect.     

Simulations on the Jelinski-Moranda model of software reliability; application of some parametric bootstrap methods

In software reliability theory many different models have been proposed and investigated. some of these models intuitively match reality better than others. The properties of certain statistical estimation procedures in connection with these models are also model-dependent. In this paper we investigate how well the maximum likelihood estimation procedure and the parametric bootstrap behave in the case of the very well-known software reliability model suggested by Jelinski and Moranda (1972). For this study we will make use of simulated data.     

301 Research topics from Skinner’s book Verbal Behavior

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior addresses some of the most important issues in human behavior. However, relatively few of the analyses presented...