Behavioral evaluation of a state program of deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled

The purpose of this study was to evaluate one phase of a statewide program of deinstitutionalizing developmentally disabled individuals. Forty adults who had spent a minimum of six months in community placements were evaluated with respect to changes in behavior associated with movement out of state institutions and into community settings such as group homes and day activity centers. Pre- and post-deinstitutionalization measures were taken with the Behavior Development Survey. Post-deinstitutionalization measures on Cataldo and Risley's Resident Activity Manifest were compared to the same measures obtained on 159 developmentally disabled individuals scheduled for deinstitutionalization. A consistent pattern of positive changes on both instruments favored deinstitutionalization, but changes could not be unequivocally attributed to movement out of the institutions per se.     

robability is obtained as the va

algebraic equation that depends on the cumulant generating function (CGF) of the performance variable. A method for calculating the saddlepoint using random samples of the performance variab     

Explaining the causes of poverty in the West Indies: A cross-cultural comparison

Research into attitudes towards the poor and lay explanations for poverty have heen primarily concerned with the structure and determinants of these attitudes and explanations. Whereas a number of variables — education, religion, ethnic group — have been shown to relate to explanations for poverty, there have only been a few cross-cultural studies. This study set out to compare the explanations adolescents gave for poverty in two West Indian islands — the relatively wealthy island of Barbados and the relatively poor island of Dominica. The overall economic development/prosperity of the two islands, and the extent and visibility of economic inequality between the two islands appeared to account for the numerous national differences. These results are discussed in terms of the social, political and historical differences between the two islands.     

Evaluating employee assistance policy in an HMO-based alcoholism project.

One aspect of successful employee assistance program (EAP) implementation is the adoption of a formal, written policy, reflecting company commitment to EAP guidelines and goals. This study of criteria predictive of such policy adoption was conducted at the occupational alcoholism project of a New England health maintenance organization (HMO). Data on nearly 400 organizations contacted by occupational program consultants (OPCs) over a 20-month period were collected by questionnaire and interview. One third of these organizations adopted employee assistance policies and set about establishing formal programs. Stepwise multiple regression is the principal method used to pinpoint the correlates of policy adoption. Two of the most important of these are the attitudes of contact persons within the organization toward alcoholism and employee assistance programs, particularly their admission of alcohol problems within their social networks; and the consultants' persistence and marketing skills. The adopting organizations also had reputations for being progressive, and actively concerned about employee welfare; they tended to be large, their executives autonomous, and their union membership rates high. Inhibiting policy acceptance were fears that a written policy would jeopardize the reputation and image of the organization, and that an employee assistance program would remove internal control of personal procedures. The adequacy of the evaluative data and methods are discussed, and recommendations are offered in the interests of streamlining the efforts of OPCs and of achieving greater penetration of targeted organizations.     

Unemployment and economic psychology: An introduction

Starting from literature a short sequential scheme is being presented, including contextual and causal factors of employment, phenomenal aspects of unemployment, moderator variables, effects and lastly interventions and solutions.General aspects as well as more restricted aspects of unemployment as an area of research within economic psychology are mentioned. The contributions within this issue are discussed in connection with the scheme and the different aspects that were distinguished.     

体育院系高校健美操课程内容的改革探微

健美操是一项正在蓬勃发展而又更新很快的体育运动项目,若是仅滞留于对健美操这一项目的基本了解层面,已不能满足当前学生对其学习的欲望和需求。我们根据当前社会体育发展对健美操运动项目的新动向及其对健美操专项人才的需求,考虑学科建设发展的需要和学生自身发展的需求,重视其教学内容改革的新颖性和丰富性,拓宽学生编排能力、思维能力和创新能力,倡导健美操任课教师积极运用现代化辅助教学方式和手段,激发和拓宽学生的知识和能力结构,促进其多种思维能力协和发展,从而使培养出的健美操专业人才更好地投身和服务于社会。     

Behavioral epidemiology and social area analysis: The study of blackout looting

This article describes the use of social area analytic techniques in the study of the looting which occurred during the Con Edison power failure of July 13 and 14, 1977. Detailed procedures are outlined of the systematic collection and analysis of data which were developed from available data. Analyses contrasting competing explanatory theoretical models for blackout looting are presented. The central dependent variable is ratio of looted to retail stores. Both the numerator and denominator are aggregated to the census tract level.     

Changes in the world income distribution

Drawing on new international comparison estimates for 127 nations, this study examines in some detail for the decinnial years 1950–1980 the world size distribution of income. Different income concepts—national output valued in different ways, and also consumption alone; and income per-equivalent adult as well as per capita—have been considered in judging how world inequality has changed. The principal findings are: (i) at a point in time, the intercountry differences in income—differences among nations—are greater than the usually observed intracountry differences in income—differences within nations; and (ii) over time systematic differences in national economic growth rates of countries led on balance to very slightly increased intercountry inequality (quite possible not beyond the margin of measurement error) but that (and this judgment is quite tentative) the changes in intracountry inequality over time have left inequality in the overall distribution unchanged.     

How changes in price and salary affect economic satisfaction: Information integration models and inference processes

Preliminary studies demonstrated the interactive effects of changes in salary and inflation rate on feelings of personal satisfaction, and showed that the effects of price increases in different cost categories could he described by a weighted average model. Participants in the main study were presented with varying hypothetical economic situations which included salary changes (raises) as well as specific price changes. A ratio model was found to describe how raise levels and price increases were combined. The rationality of this model was discussed in terms of how variations in price and income would affect the amount of a given commodity that could he purchased. On some trials only partial information was presented. Low ratings of personal satisfaction were produced when information about raises was missing, and high ratings were produced when information about price increases was missing. These results were discussed in terms of inferences people make when a key source of information is missing.