Distal and Proximal Factors in Domestic Violence: A Test of an Integrated Model

We employed 4,095 couples from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) to test a model of couple violence drawn from several theoretical perspectives. The outcome distinguishes among nonviolent couples and those experiencing either physical aggression or intense male violence. According to the model, background characteristics of couples are related to relationship stressors, which affect the risk of violence via their tendency to promote verbal conflict. Considerable support for the model was found. Couples were at higher risk for one or both forms of violence if they were younger at union inception, had been together for less time, were both in their first union, had only one partner who was employed, had a nontraditional woman paired with a traditional man, had at least one partner who abused substances, had more children, had more frequent disagreements, exhibited a more hostile disagreement style, or lived in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood. Moreover, the effects of stressors such as the number of children and couples' employment status disparities appear to be mediated by disagreement frequency and disagreement style.     

The Effect of Mixing Events on the Dynamics of pH1N1 Outbreaks at Small Residential Colleges

Abstract Objective: The authors examine the dynamics and the impact of all-campus events on pH1N1 spread at Bates College in fall 2009, with comparisons to 3 other campuses. Participants: Students (N = 285) presented or called in to the Bates Health Center with symptoms consistent with influenza-like illness. Methods: Health Center staff at Bates collected data on the outbreak; data from other colleges are from Web sites and journal articles. Data were analyzed using a mathematical model for influenza. Results: Bates held 2 vaccine clinics mid-outbreak. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the vaccine clinics may have altered routine student interactions, facilitating transmission of pH1N1 among students who otherwise might not have encountered each other. Conclusion: The vaccine clinics, held when vaccine became available, were too late to halt transmission. The disruptions to campus rhythms due to the vaccine clinics may instead have contributed to pH1N1 spread.     

How Fortune 500 companies used the Web for philanthropic and crisis communication following Hurricane Katrina

This study examined how Fortune 500 companies used their Web sites to provide philanthropic and crisis communication response following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Results showed that companies tended to use traditional means of communication versus new media tactics to disseminate information related to the disaster. Companies with holdings in Louisiana and Mississippi tended to use slightly more types of information than companies without a substantive presence in those two states.     

A Summary and Commentary on D. and S. Premack’s Original Intelligence

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior -     

Grievance initiation: A literature survey and suggestions for future research

The correlates of grievance initiation are described within the context of categories of relevant factors suggested by the literature. The categories include environmental, management, union, union-management interaction, and employee factors. In the environmental category, the literature indicates that technology effects provide substantial promise for the explanation of grievances. Several important correlates of grievance activity are described in each of the other categories. Suggested methodological improvements for future research include expanded sets of control variables, multiple industry data sets, greater attention to grievance types, and the use of causal analytical techniques in longitudinal studies. Future research should provide a better understanding of the effects of several variables, including technology, methods of grievance resolution, workgroup cohesion, and fair representation requirements. It should also identify relationships that are specific to different issues. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Jack Fiorito, I. B. Helburn, Tim Keaveny, R. Dennis Middlemist, Robert C. Rodgers, and anonymous reviewers.     

The Social Contagion of Gambling: How Venue Size Contributes to Player Losses

The Social Facilitation Effect shows performance on many simple tasks is enhanced by crowds of onlookers or co-actors (others performing the same activity). Previous experimental research has shown that Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM) betting behavior is intensified by the belief that others are gambling along with the subject (Rockloff and Dyer, J Gambl Stud 23(1):1–12, 2007). The present study extends these findings by simulating crowds of differing sizes using a fake video-conference along with a live confederate who gambles concurrently with the subjects. Fifty-four male and 81 female subjects aged 18–82 (M = 46.9, SD = 16.7) played a laptop simulated 3-reel EGM using a $20 stake in 3 conditions: (1) alone, (2) in a simulated group of 5 persons plus 1 live confederate, or (3) in a simulated group of 25 persons plus 1 live confederate. The EGM outcomes were rigged with a fixed 20 trial winning sequence followed by an indefinite losing sequence. As hypothesised, gambling intensity, as measured by trials played, speed of betting and final payouts, was progressively greater with larger crowd sizes (P < .05). In contrast, bet-size was slightly lower with larger crowds. The results suggest that gambling venues with more players tend to increase gambling persistence and contribute to greater long term monetary losses.     

Emergence of Untaught Mands or Tacts of Novel Adjective-Object Pairs as a Function of Instructional History

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - We tested the effects of multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) on the emergence of untaught mands or tacts of adjective-object pairs in a multiple-probe design...