The Relation Between Emotion Production Behavior and Preschool Social Behavior: In the Eye of the Beholder

Two questions were examined with a sample of preschool children: (a) What is the relation between emotion production behavior and classroom social behavior?; and (b) Does familiarity with a child affect the perception of emotion expressions and the relations between emotion expressions and social behavior? Two theoretical perspectives on the ‘eye of the beholder’ (familiarity) were evaluated: reputation bias and generalized effects. Sixty‐eight (55% female) children were photographed posing emotion expressions (e.g., happy, sad, and angry). Expressions were rated by classmates, peer strangers, and adults. Classmates and teachers evaluated social behavior. Analyses indicated that children who were more negative and dependent had angry production biases and were likely to display happy expressions instead of sad. Results support the reputation bias and generalized familiarity theories.     

Models of Neurotoxicity: Extrapolation of Benchmark Doses in Vitro

In risk assessment, no observed exposure level (NOAEL) and benchmark dose (BMD) are usually derived either from epidemiological studies in humans or from animal experiments. In many in vitro studies, concentration-effect/response curves have been analyzed using different mathematical models finalized to the identification of EC50. In the present article, we propose a model to fit dose-response curves in vitro. The BMD approach has been used to compare the cell viability (MIT assay) of different rat (C6 and PC12, glial and neuronal, respectively) and human cell lines (D384 and SK-N-MC, glial and neuronal, respectively) after 24-hour exposure to the following neurotoxic substances: manganese chloride (MnCl2), methyl-mercury (Me-Hg), and the enantiomers of styrene oxide (SO). For all rat and human cell lines, the potency of the examined compounds was: MnCl2 < S-SO < R-SO < Me-Hg. A preliminary comparison with in vivo toxicity data for these substances gave rise to consistent results. Whereas a reasonable agreement between in vitro and in vivo data has been found for Mn and styrene oxide, a wide scatter of LOAEL has been reported for Me-Hg and these appear to be either much higher or lower than the BMD for the MIT assay we observed in vitro.     

Probability Distributions for Showering and Bathing Water-Use Behavior for Various U.S. Subpopulations

It has been shown that bathroom-type water uses dominate personal exposure to water-borne contaminants in the home. Therefore, in assessing exposure of specific population groups to the contaminants in the water, understanding population water-use behavior for bathroom activities as a function of demographic characteristics is vital to realistic exposure estimates. In this article, shower and bath frequencies and durations are analyzed, presented, and compared for various demographic groups derived from analyses of the National Human Activities Pattern Survey (NHAPS) database and the Residential End Uses of Water Study (REUWS) database as well as from a review of current literature. Analysis showed that age and level of education significantly influenced shower and bath frequency and duration. The frequency of showering and bathing reported in NHAPS agreed reasonably well with previous studies; however, durations of these events were found to be significantly longer. Showering frequency reported in REUWS was slightly less than that reported for NHAPS; however, durations of showers reported in REUWS are consistent with other studies. After considering the strengths and weaknesses of each data set and comparing their results to previous studies, it is concluded that NHAPS provides more reliable frequency data, while REUWS provides more reliable duration data. The shower- and bath-use behavior parameters recommended in this article can aid modelers in appropriately specifying water-use behavior as a function of demographic group in order to conduct reasonable assessments of exposure to contaminants that enter the home via the water supply.     

THEORIZING THE FORM OF MEDIA COVERAGE OVER TIME

Because the media plays a critical role in cross‐cultural communication, bias in the portrayal of particular cultures is an important issue. In this article, we use the form of newspaper articles over time to arbitrate between two competing theories of media coverage: Is the media primarily driven by self‐interest, that is, the need to sell newspapers, or is it driven primarily by the same principled ideas that fuel international activism? Analyzing international newspaper articles on female genital cutting from 1978 to 1998, we find a close correspondence to international activism. Tracing the strategies of “transnational advocacy networks,’ most articles are primarily devoted to leverage and accountability themes. Further, the ultimate decrease in articles on female genital cutting was not preceded by a decrease in articles designed to shock readers but rather by a peak in stories that emphasized the accountability of governments to eradicate female genital cutting. Over time, perhaps as the appropriateness of action became more taken for granted, there were fewer news stories on proposed solutions but relatively more news stories on success and implementation.     

The Politics of Race and Gender: Children's Perceptions of Discrimination and the U.S. Presidency

In the year prior to Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's bids to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency, we explored children's views about the role of race and gender in the U.S. presidency, with a specific focus on perceptions of discrimination. Specifically, we examined children's (aged 5 to 10) knowledge of and attributions for the lack of female (Study 1, N = 76), African American (Study 2, N = 64), and Latino (Study 3, N = 65) presidents. Results indicated that children are knowledgeable about the gender, race, and ethnicity of past presidents, and that many children attribute the lack of female, African American, and Latino presidents to gender and racial discrimination. Theoretical and policy implications of the work are discussed.     

Threshold Effects in the U.S. Budget Deficit

We contribute to the debate on whether the U.S. large federal budget deficits are sustainable in the long run. We model the U.S. government deficit per capita as a threshold autoregressive process. We find evidence that the U.S. budget deficit is sustainable in the long run and that economic policy makers will only intervene to reduce per capita deficit when it reaches a certain threshold. (JEL C32 , E62 )     

Television Characterizations of Homeless People in the United Kingdom

Media link events in society into meaningful plotlines for public consumption. For social issues such as homelessness this storytelling process continues until an issue is resolved or another concern takes precedence. This article investigates British Independent Television News ¹ (ITN) portrayals of homelessness from January 1993 to December 2002 ( n = 99). News items are explored as instalments in a larger news narrative through which the public is offered engagements with homeless characters. A quantitative content analysis was used to establish the general prevalence of items throughout the year, story locations, causes and solutions offered for homelessness, and character roles. A qualitative narrative analysis was used to explore the function of these story elements in the overall patterning of the ITN story of homelessness. Of particular note was the promotion of a philanthropic approach to service delivery through the characterization of homeless people as needy victims and the maintenance of estranged relationships between the viewing public and homeless people. The significance of ITN's exclusion of homeless people from public deliberations regarding their needs is discussed in relation to the failure of this wealthy nation to resolve homelessness.     

Constructing the Self in Early, Middle, and Late Adolescent Boys: Narrative Identity, Individuation, and Well-Being

The present study examined aspects of identity development in a sample of adolescent boys from two approaches: individuation and narrative. To extend the more recent research on narrative identity development, we also examined relations between narrative identity, well-being, and age. Narrative meaning making was predicted by themes of individuation in the narratives, specifically the interaction of autonomy and connectedness. Well-being was predicted by different aspects of meaning depending on the kind of meaning and the stage of adolescence. Finally, results showed an age-related increase in meaning-making processes, particularly meaning related to perceiving the self as changing. Results are discussed in terms of the processes of narrative identity development for adolescent boys.     

Pattern–mixture and selection models for analysing longitudinal data with monotone missing patterns

Summary. We examine three pattern–mixture models for making inference about parameters of the distribution of an outcome of interest Y that is to be measured at the end of a longitudinal study when this outcome is missing in some subjects. We show that these pattern–mixture models also have an interpretation as selection models. Because these models make unverifiable assumptions, we recommend that inference about the distribution of Y be repeated under a range of plausible assumptions. We argue that, of the three models considered, only one admits a parameterization that facilitates the examination of departures from the assumption of sequential ignorability. The three models are nonparametric in the sense that they do not impose restrictions on the class of observed data distributions. Owing to the curse of dimensionality, the assumptions that are encoded in these models are sufficient for identification but not for inference. We describe additional flexible and easily interpretable assumptions under which it is possible to construct estimators that are well behaved with moderate sample sizes. These assumptions define semiparametric models for the distribution of the observed data. We describe a class of estimators which, up to asymptotic equivalence, comprise all the consistent and asymptotically normal estimators of the parameters of interest under the postulated semiparametric models. We illustrate our methods with the analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial of contracepting women.     

欧洲治理的不同路径及其对国家制度的影响

欧盟国家制度变迁及国家间趋同的潜能随着所运用的特定治理模式的改变而变化。这些模式可分为以下三种:一、服从对国家执行机关具有法律约束力的欧盟规章;二、不同国家管理体制之间为达到欧盟要求展开竞争;三、跨国层面的监管机构在欧盟法律或制度架构内进行沟通。国家官僚机构做出应对的行为理性包括:持续驱动、结果驱动和合法性驱动。国家变迁程度和方向上存在着某些矛盾,即一致的政治目标与实际趋同之间似乎是一种相反的关系:基于服从治理的政策,显然旨在使国家政策一致;而相对于接受国家多样化的斗争和沟通治理路径而言,却对国内制度趋同的推动力不那么明显。