The Monster that Ate the United States Senate

Under this allegorical title the article addresses the lawmaking process that has led to the acceptance of three major laws: the 1996 welfare law, the 1997 tax law, and the 1997 balanced budget law. The article presents the author's critical views regarding the budget reconciliation process that underlies the acceptance of these laws.     

The Effect of a Standard to Improve Person Descriptions by Children

This study examines whether or not using a person as a standard/comparison improves the ability of a child witness to provide more accurate detail about a previously observed person. Study participants included 135 children who observed a male stranger and were then later asked to describe and answer various questions about that person using a third-person standard/comparison. Despite the fact that one-half of participants were exposed to a standard/comparison, neither participants’ gender or exposure to the standard/comparison improved recollection outcomes. However, the gender of the standard/comparisons - especially where female - did have a significant effect on the recall ability of male participants.