Techniques of disinformation: Constructing and communicating “soft facts” after terrorism

Informed by social media data collected following four terror attacks in the UK in 2017, this article delineates a series of “techniques of disinformation” used by different actors to try and influence how the events were publicly defined and understood. By studying the causes and consequences of misleading information following terror attacks, the article contributes empirically to the neglected topic of social reactions to terrorism. It also advances scholarship on the workings of disinforming communications, by focusing on a domain other than political elections, which has been the empirical focus for most studies of disinformation to date. Theoretically, the analysis is framed by drawing an analogy with Gresham Sykes and David Matza's (1957) account of the role of “techniques of neutralization” originally published in the American Sociological Review. The connection being that where they studied deviant behaviour, a similar analytic lens can usefully be applied to disinformation cast as “deviant” information.     

Validity of work-related assessments

Insufficient evidence of the validity of work-related assessments is frequently reported as a major concern in occupational rehabilitation. Despite this concern, and the continuing development of new and old assessments, no comprehensive evaluation of the evidence has been conducted. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to first determine the extent and quality of available evidence for the validity of work-related assessments, and then where sufficient evidence was available, determine the level of validity. STUDY DESIGN: This study examined available literature and sources in order to review the extent to which validity has been established for 28 work-related assessments. RESULTS: The levels of evidence and validity are presented for each assessment. Most work-related assessments have limited evidence of validity. Of those that had adequate evidence, validity ranged from poor to good. There was no instrument that demonstrated moderate to good validity in all areas. Very few work-related assessments were able to demonstrate adequate validity in more than one area, or with more than one study, even when contributory evidence was included. CONCLUSION: With this study clinicians will be able to examine their options with regard to the validity of the assessments they choose to use.     

Examining the effectiveness of health and safety committees and representatives: a review

The establishment of a health and safety committee in the workplace and/or the appointment of an elected health and safety representative is believed to foster employee participation and consultation in the workplace. Despite an emphasis within the Australian occupational health and safety legislation towards employee participation in relation to health and safety issues, there is little known about the effectiveness of the strategies used to involve workers in health and safety matters in the workplace. There is anecdotal evidence published in relation to the implementation of health and safety committees and their effectiveness in the Australian workplace. Few opinions however are substantiated by empirical evidence. Significantly more research has been conducted on the role of health and safety representatives in Australia. This paper presents the findings of a review of the literature and identifies the factors that are considered to impact on the effectiveness of workplace health and safety committees and representatives. Several factors are described as being fundamental to the effective performance of committees and representatives. These factors include management commitment, communication, training and information, union involvement, the infrastructure of an organisation, committee processes and the involvement of professional experts. It is concluded that the effectiveness of health and safety committees in Australia is unexplored and it is unknown if these committees achieve the purpose for which they were established. Recommendations are made for future research to be conducted to test the current anecdotal evidence and assumptions associated with the operation and effectiveness of health and safety committees.     

The quantification of smiling using a microcomputer-based approach

This study examines the relationship between the ratings made of a set of smiling and neutral expressions and the facial features which influence these ratings. Judges were shown forty real face photographs of smile and neutral expressions and forty line drawings derived from these photographs and were asked to rate the degree of smiling behavior of each expression. The line drawings of the face were generated by a microcomputer which utilizes a mathematical model to quantify facial expression. Twelve facial measures were generated by the computer. Significant differences were found between the ratings of smile and neutral expressions. The Mode of Presentation did not contribute significantly to the ratings. Using the facial measures as separate covariates, five mouth measures and one eye measure were found to discriminate significantly between the ratings made on smile and neutral expressions. When entered as simultaneous covariates, only four mouth measures contributed to the differences found in the expression ratings. Future research projects which may utilise the computer model are discussedThe research reported in this paper was conducted in the Department of Psychology, University of Adelaide. The authors would like to thank Ulana Sudomlak for her assistance in the gathering and recording of the data for this project, and the reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.     

Breaking away

While life as hospital employees was comfortable, the lure of independence won out for these two emergency department physicians. Breaking away to develop a new company was not easy, but it's paid off for the entrepreneurs of the Capital Region Emergency Medicine, P.C. Developing an emergency medicine business meant learning all aspects of business: billing services, evaluating legal services, raising capital, and becoming employers. The advantage has been an ability to use profits to improve the moral of staff, an increase in salary, and an overall sense of satisfaction.     

Reliability of work-related assessments

Insufficient evidence of the reliability of work-related assessments is a major concern in this area of practice. Despite this concern there has been ongoing development of new assessments, while existing assessments have been revised, modified and updated and others are no longer used or available. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and quality of evidence for the reliability of work-related assessments. STUDY DESIGN: This study examined available literature and sources in order to review the extent which reliability has been established for 28 work-related assessments. RESULTS: The levels of evidence and reliability are presented for each assessment. This indicates that a number of commercially available work-related assessments have insufficient evidence of reliability. For the limited number of work-related assessments with an adequate level of evidence on which to judge their reliability, most demonstrate a moderate to good level. Few assessments, however, have demonstrated levels of reliability sufficient for clinical (and legal) purposes. CONCLUSION: With this study clinicians will be able to examine their options with regard to the reliability of the assessments they choose to use. Interpretation of changes in test results can be considered in the light of the evidence for the reliability of the instrument used.     

Asperger's Coming Out of Our Ears: Making Sense of a Modern Epidemic

Asperger's syndrome (AS) as a diagnostic category has gained enormous popularity and the label is being applied with increasing liberality. While greater awareness of the disorder may be of advantage to certain children and their families, we argue that the over‐inclusive use of the diagnosis may also lead to professional conflicts and ethical dilemmas. Perhaps most concerning of these is that diagnostic ‘generosity’ may exclude children from treatments they would have received if an alternative formulation had been considered. We present clinical scenarios, with special consideration of contextual and intergenerational influences on the children's early lives, and offer alternative conceptualisations. We argue that the new ‘epidemic’ of Asperger's should not be allowed to compromise our professional standards. Assessment should always include a detailed family and developmental history. Finally, we would be interested in feedback from clinicians working in this field.