Minding the Gap: Bias, Soft Structures, and the Double Life of Social Norms

We argue that work on norms provides a way to move beyond debates between proponents of individualist and structuralist approaches to bias, oppression, and injustice. We briefly map out the geography of that debate before presenting Charlotte Witt’s view, showing how her position, and the normative ascriptivism at its heart, seamlessly connects individuals to the social reality they inhabit. We then describe recent empirical work on the psychology of norms and locate the notions of informal institutions and soft structures with respect to it. Finally, we argue that the empirical resources enrich Witt’s ascriptivism, and that the resulting picture shows theorists need not, indeed should not, choose between either the individualist or structuralist camp

The Chatham Coloured All-Stars 1933-34

The following case study deals with endeavours of one localised Black Canadian group and their individual effort at “breaking the existing race barrier.” This study elaborates on the themes previously outlined and is illustrative of the Canadian Black experience generally, as well as implicating the discreet subtitles of Canadian racism and discrimination during the 1930s. Robin Winks, author of the definitive work on Canadian Black History, wrote that the Canadian Negro’s problem of the 1930s stemmed primarily from a lack of organisation and the improper utilisation of opportunity. “To find opportunity, he (the Black) often had to go to the land of segregation (the United States). To combat discrimination, he stood alone, without effective national organisations, social cohesion, dynamic church leadership, full education, protective legislation, or a medium for making known achievements or grievances.” Generally speaking, this seems a reasonable assertion when one considers the historical development of the Black race on Canadian soil. This is particularly true of the Black Canadians in the area of Chatham, Ontario

LCSW-Perceived Therapeutic Alliance and Job Satisfaction A Correlational Pilot Study

One-hundred-and-fifty Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) were sent surveys measuring demographics, therapeutic alliance, and job satisfaction. Past literature suggests that clinician-perceived therapeutic alliance is related to job satisfaction. Results of this study failed to confirm this. Implications and limitations are discusse

Compensation and the California Guest Statute: Updating the Tangible Benefit and Motivation Tests

The California Vehicle Guest Statute does not protect the driver of the car from ordinary negligence liability if his passenger has paid compensation for his transportation. The author analyzes the nature of the compensation and the necessity for a connection between the payment and the ride

The Effects of a Freshman Orientation Course on Academic Achievement and Retention

Freshman business administration students were placed into an extended orientation course during their first semester of enrollment at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The 60 course participants met twice a week for fifteen weeks in a 55-minute class spending approximately 20% of class time in each of the following: (a) lecture; (b) skill exercises; (c) group discussion; (d) guest speaker presentations; and (e) a combination of reviews, quizzes, previews, and assignments. The purpose of the course was to provide students with information and the opportunity to acquire skills to help them to be more successful in college. Following the end of their first semester the records of the freshmen participating in the course were compared to two control groups; a random sample of 89 entering freshmen, and the 1985 entering class of 51 business administration students. Analysis of the study data led to the following conclusions: (a) The academic achievement of freshmen, as measured by academic standing, ratio of completed classes to hours for which enrolled, and grade point average was not found to be significantly impacted by attending the orientation course; (b) the retention of freshmen into a second semester was not fostered by course attendance; (c) the faculty members teaching the course were not unanimous in their praise of or continuing the course; and (d) the majority of students enrolled in the course did report the course to be beneficial to their academic and social adjustment and recommended that it continue to be offered to incoming freshmen. Recommendations resulting from the studies findings and conclusions included: (a) to use caution in relying on such courses to improve academic performance and retention; (b) to further explore benefits of such a course to assist in providing a smoother transition to college for freshmen; (c) in offering such courses greater care should be taken with the selection and training of instructors; (d) that benefits or lack of benefits of course participation be tracked over several semesters; and (e) that replication of this or other similar studies be undertaken and that the studies be constructed to limit self-selection into the study groups

Relation of modifiable neighborhood attributes to walking

Abstract Background There is a paucity of research examining associations between walking and environmental attributes that are more modifiable in the short term, such as car parking availability, access to transit, neighborhood traffic, walkways and trails, and sidewalks. Methods Adults were recruited between April 2004 and September 2006 in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area and in Montgomery County, Maryland using similar research designs in the two locations. Self-reported and objective environmental measures were calculated for participants\u27 neighborhoods. Self-reported physical activity was collected through the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-LF). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine adjusted associations between environmental measures and transport and overall walking. Results Participants (n = 887) averaged 47 years of age (SD = 13.65) and reported 67 min/week (SD = 121.21) of transport walking and 159 min/week (SD = 187.85) of non-occupational walking. Perceived car parking difficulty was positively related to higher levels of transport walking (OR 1.41, 95%CI: 1.18, 1.69) and overall walking (OR 1.18, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.37). Self-reported ease of walking to a transit stop was negatively associated with transport walking (OR 0.86, 95%CI: 0.76, 0.97), but this relationship was moderated by perceived access to destinations. Walking to transit also was related to non-occupational walking (OR 0.85, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.99). Conclusions Parking difficulty and perceived ease of access to transit are modifiable neighborhood characteristics associated with self-reported walking

Urban Containment Policies and Physical Activity A Time–Series Analysis of Metropolitan Areas, 1990–2002

Background: Urban containment policies attempt to manage the location, character, and timing of growth to support a variety of goals such as compact development, preservation of greenspace, and efficient use of infrastructure. Despite prior research evaluating the effects of urban containment policies on land use, housing, and transportation outcomes, the public health implications of these policies remain unexplored. This ecologic study examines relationships among urban containment policies, state adoption of growthmanagement legislation, and population levels of leisure and transportation-related physical activity in 63 large metropolitan statistical areas from 1990 to 2002. Methods: Multiple data sources were combined, including surveys of urban containment policies, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the U.S. Census of Population, the National Resources Inventory, and the Texas Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Study. Mixed models were used to examine whether urban containment policies and state adoption of growth-management legislation were associated with population levels of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and walking/bicycling to work over time. Results: Strong urban containment policies were associated with higher population levels of LTPA and walking/bicycling to work during the study period. Additionally, residents of states with legislation mandating urban growth boundaries reported significantly more minutes of LTPA/week compared to residents of states without such policies. Weak urban containment policies showed inconsistent relationships with physical activity. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that strong urban containment policies are associated with higher population levels of LTPA and active commuting. Future research should examine potential synergies among state, metropolitan, and local policy processes that may strengthen these relationship