Sociology research at liberal arts colleges

tis article examines the research activity in sociology by faculty at liberal arts col-leges. We used Sociological Abstracts to compile a list of journal articles published from 1960 to 1999 for which the first author's affiliation was among the 161 schools classified as liberal arts colleges by the Carnegie Foundation. We rank the colleges by the number of journal publications over the whole time period as well as a subset of the last ten years, and provide information on which journals are the most frequent outlets for liberal arts faculty. Finally, we provide some evidence that this research output is linked to teaching effectiveness. During the past fifty years there has been an amazing development of the colleges and universities of this country. They have grown in numbers, in size of faculties, in enrollments of students, in scope of work....It has seemed worth while to attempt to secure a rating of the graduate schools in the different lines of study based on the opinions of a considerable group of college professors....Such a rating also seems proper and desirable in printed form, so that any one interested can turn to it readily for a rough estimate of the work in a given field. (Hughes 1925)     

Determinants of Probability Neglect and Risk Attitudes for Disaster Risk: An Online Experimental Study of Flood Insurance Demand among Homeowners

Little is known about why individuals place either a high or a very low value on mitigating risks of disaster‐type events, like floods. This study uses panel data methods to explore the psychological factors affecting probability neglect of flood risk relevant to the zero end‐point of the probability weighting function in Prospect Theory, and willingness‐to‐pay for flood insurance. In particular, we focus on explanatory variables of anticipatory and anticipated emotions, as well as the threshold of concern. Moreover, results obtained under real and hypothetical incentives are compared in an experiment with high experimental outcomes. Based on our findings, we suggest several policy recommendations to overcome individual decision processes, which may hinder flood protection efforts.     

Do Young Children's Representations of Discipline and Empathy Moderate the Effects of Punishment on Emotion Regulation?

This study examined whether children's representations of parenting (perceptions of authoritative discipline and empathy) moderated the association between harsh punishment—including corporal punishment (CP) and verbal punishment (VP)—and children's emotion regulation at the age of five years. Participants were 559 low‐income mother‐child dyads. Maternal self‐reports and home observations were used to measure punishment. Children's representations were assessed using the MacArthur Story Stem Battery. Children's emotion regulation was assessed by observer rating via the Leiter International Performance Scale–Revised. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that children's authoritative disciplinary representations moderated the effects of both VP and CP on children's emotion regulation. Empathic representations moderated the effects of VP only on children's emotion regulation. The current findings highlight the role of children's internal representations as potential protective factors in the context of harsher forms of punishment.     

Update on international adoption: focus on Russia

American families will continue to adopt children from foreign countries; the desire to have a child transcends national boundaries. Sadly, not all adoptions have happy outcomes. A recent and well-reported incident involved an American mother, who, exasperated with her adopted son's severe behavioral problems, returned him to Russia, alone, on an aircraft. Other tragic reports involve internationally adopted children who have died at the hands of their American parents. This article provides an overview of the consequences of institutionalization as a risk factor for behavioral health of children; implications for nursing care of adoptive families follow.     

Mothers' Typical and Event-Specific Positive Expressions Influence Children's Memory for Events

Mothers (N=67) taught their preschool children crafts while varying emotional expressions (delight, irritation). Mothers’ typical expressive styles were assessed by questionnaire. After three weeks, children's memory was assessed with a free‐recall interview followed by re‐enactment of craft‐making with an interviewer. Children of mothers high in positive expressiveness had more elaborate recall when mothers expressed delight rather than irritation. Children of mothers low in positive expressiveness re‐enacted more event details when their mothers were less varied in expression rather than expressive of emotion in general or delight in particular, and had more elaborate recall when their mothers expressed irritation rather than delight. Findings suggest that children remember more when their mother's emotional expressions during an event fit her typical style.