Nonverbal Auditory Cues Allow Relationship Quality to be Inferred During Conversations

Journal of Nonverbal Behavior - The claim that nonverbal cues provide more information than the linguistic content of a conversational exchange (the Mehrabian Conjecture) has been widely cited and...     

Monitoring Human Development Goals: A Straightforward (Bayesian) Methodology for Cross-National Indices

We offer a straightforward framework for measurement of progress, across many dimensions, using cross-national social indices, which we classify as linear combinations of multivariate country level data onto a univariate score. We suggest a Bayesian approach which yields probabilistic (confidence type) intervals for the point estimates of country scores—a vital, and often missing, feature in cross-national comparisons. We demonstrate our approach using the United Nations Development Programme’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), via the Maternal and Neonatal Program Effort Index (MNPI) data (Ross et al. in Trop Med Inter Health 6(10):787–798, 2001), and Human Development Index (HDI) (2010) as examples.     

Adaptation and validation of the Double Standard Scale in Basque adolescents / Adaptación y validación de la Escala de Doble Estándar en adolescentes vascas-os

The goal was to adapt the Double Standard Scale to the Basque language and to validate it in this language. The sample was comprised of 2,919 adolescents in secondary school. The reliability was analysed and the cross-validation method was applied with exploratory factorial analysis and confirmatory factorial analysis to check the structure of the scale. A differential item analysis was performed according to sex. Finally, correlations were made with ambivalent sexism and distorted beliefs about women and violence, and a contrast of means was performed by sex and age groups using variance analysis and effect sizes. The results were: (a) good internal consistency; (b) a one-dimensional structure with seven items; (c) just one item presents a differential functioning; (d) a positive, significant relationship between the sexual double standard, ambivalent sexism and sexist beliefs; (e) boys and younger adolescents showed a greater adherence to the double standard; and (f) social desirability affects the responses of girls, especially younger ones.     

Cool Pose: Black Male Homicide and the Social Implications of Manhood

ABSTRACT

Black male homicide has reached crisis proportions. This study investigated homicidal incidents to assess associations of Cool Pose with Black male homicides. Cool Pose is a tradition of manhood originating in Africa. The relationship of Cool Pose and homicide was examined by analyzing with multivariate statistical techniques 721 homicide incidents that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey. Findings suggest that Cool Pose is linked to homicides involving Black males. Society is not irrelevant to Cool Pose homicides and therefore relevant to their resolution. Social services may contribute to said resolution by informing the social work profession.     

Canadian Sociology for Sale? Academic Branding in the ‘Neo-Liberal Age’

Narratives about the influence of neo-liberal forces on post-secondary education are legion within the contemporary literature. Some have recently argued that the promotional tactics used by Canadian sociology departments reflect the broader corporatization of the system, highlighting the vocationalization of the discipline at the hands of market forces. We conduct a mixed-methods analysis of the marketing practises used by English-speaking sociology departments in Canada and find only limited support for this argument. Instead, observed promotional tactics appear to be quite diverse, aimed at multiple stakeholders, and reflecting the complex institutional environment in which sociology departments operate.