Achievement and identity in college-age vs. adult women students

This study tested a developmental hypothesis with respect to Fear of Success (FOS), Identity Status, and the relationship between the two. Forty college students, equally divided between regular college-age women (18–23) and adult college women (over age 30), were given a multiple-choice and a projective measure of FOS; they were then interviewed regarding exploration and commitment in five content areas: vocation, family vs. career priority, politics, religion, and sex roles. The hypothesis that the adult students would exhibit less FOS than their college-age counterparts was confirmed with both measures of FOS. Chi-square analysis also revealed that a significantly higher proportion of the adult students was classified as identity-achieved and a lower proportion as identity-diffuse than the college-age students. The influence of life experience on the relationship between FOS and each identity status could not be tested due to an insufficient number of identity achievers in the college-age subsample; when the relationship of FOS to identity status was examined for the total sample, however, foreclosures and achievers manifested significantly less FOS than diffusions and moratoriums.Doctoral candidate in developmental psychology with major interests in adolescent and adult learning and development.Associate Professor, interested primarily in personality and developmental psychology with emphasis on ego and moral development.     

Factors associated with patterns of dating violence toward college women

This study hypothesized that female victims of force in dating relationships are erroneously considered a homogeneous group. Various patterns of dating violence, along the lines of frequency and severity, were hypothesized to be related to attitudinal and behavioral factors of the women in the dating relationship. Analyses of 48 female victims at a university campus revealed a number of differences between women with only one incident of force and women who were recipients of ongoing force. Females with ongoing violence were more likely to allow controlling behaviors by a male, had more controlling behaviors occur toward them generally in dating relationships, reported higher levels of commitment and love toward a romantic partner, and experienced a higher frequency of controlling behaviors in the actual relationship where physical force occurred. Females with ongoing violence in which the abuse lasted for a longer period of time were less likely to end the relationship due to the occurrence of abuse. Earlier onset of the first physical incident in a dating relationship was related to more traditional attitudes toward women's roles, more likelihood of using justifications for abuse, romanticizing relationships, and a likelihood of endorsing stronger attitudes of love in these female victims than when onset occurred later for other women. Women who ended the relationship because of physical force experienced more controlling behaviors by the male in the relationship than women who did not end the relationship for that reason. Further research needs to investigate the decision-making processes and interpretations of the females involved regarding the presence of abuse in the dating relationships.     

Addressing the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity Through School-Based Interventions: What Has Been Done and Where Do We Go From Here?

Schools are ideal settings for implementing multi-component programs to prevent and control childhood obesity. Thoughtful improvements to proven strategies, coupled with careful evaluation, can contribute to accumulation of evidence needed to design and implement the next generation of optimal interventions.     

The expanding galaxy of performing arts: extending theories and questioning practices

This paper introduces the Special Issue on the languages of performing arts and is therefore aimed at designing how the context of the latter can be illuminated by socio-semiotic and multimodal approaches to communication. In this Special Issue, performances and performing arts are described as multimodal semiotic acts that co-deploy a range of semiotic resources to produce and construct meanings across different cultures and ages. Seen as dynamic and interactive processes of meaning-making, their analysis calls for new and multidisciplinary frameworks which are collected in this Special Issue. The introduction gives an overview of these papers and discusses their range of diverse phenomena, both live and recorded, including theatre performances and films, art installations, opera, as well as reading out aloud. By outlining the significance and contribution of different disciplines and fields of studies to the broad area of performance studies, the chapter argues the case for innovative approaches that can extend theories and analyse aesthetic and performative practices in context. With the help of some case studies, it provides guidelines for the reading and interpretation of the several theoretical discussions and practical case studies presented to encourage further multidisciplinary research on these domains.     

Undermining Gender Equality: Female Attrition from Private Law Practice

The number of women in the legal profession has grown tremendously over the last 40 years, with women now representing about half of all law school graduates. Despite the decades‐long pipeline of women into the profession, women's representation among law firm partnerships remains dismally low. One key reason identified for women's minority presence among law firm partners is the high level of attrition of women associates from law firms. This high rate of female attrition undermines efforts to achieve gender equality in the legal profession. Using a survey of 1,270 law graduates, we employ piecewise constant exponential hazard regression models to explore gendered career paths from private law practice. Our analysis reveals that, for both men and women, the time leading up to partnership decisions sees many lawyers exit private practice, but women continue to leave private practice long after partnership decisions are made. Gender differences in leaving private practice also surface with reference to cohorts, areas of law, billable hours, firm sizes, and career gaps. Notably, working in criminal law augmented women's risk of leaving private practice, but not for men, while taking time away from practice for reasons other than parental leaves, hastens both men's and women's exits from private practice.     

Analysing multimodality in an interactive digital environment: software as a meta-semiotic tool

The present paper discusses issues arising from the use of an interactive digital software tool to analyse multimodal communication. The focus is on the ways in which such technical resources and associated techniques enable the analyst of social semiosis to apply different types of analysis, and provide the site for critical reflection upon the results of such analyses. The aim is to present an argument for the use of an interactive digital software application as a meta-semiotic tool. Three major challenges for scholars engaged in multimodal social semiotics are addressed in pursuing this aim, specifically with reference to the development of digital interactive analytical resources. Firstly, scholars are faced with the task of not only accounting for an increasing range of semiotic resources, but also for the way different semiotic phenomena interact to produce meaning. Secondly, the multimodal semiotician has a broad range of analytical approaches potentially relevant to any task to draw upon. Thirdly, the nature of contemporary media forms offer challenges themselves in terms of access, analysis and presentation of analysis.     

The Distance Selling Directive: Points for Future Revision

The EU Distance Selling Directive that was implemented in UK law in the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 has provided guidelines for the protection of consumers undertaking distance transactions. The following paper discusses the provisions of the Directive with particular reference to e-commerce via the Internet, highlighting some possible areas for further consideration. Articles within the Distance Selling Directive are examined for problems of legal interpretation and implementation. There is discussion of: Article 2 (Definitions) and difficulties with its fundamental concepts of 'supplier' and 'consumer'; unnecessary exemptions in Article 3 (Exemptions); the 'local taxes' headache (and others) in Article 4 (Prior Information) and using e-mail under Article 5 (Written Confirmation of Contract). Under Article 6 (Right of Withdrawal), the 'cooling off period', exempted goods and services, refunds and reclaiming goods, and for Article 7 (Performance) substitute goods and contract law implications, are investigated. Finally Article 8 (Payment by Card) looks at protection against fraudulent card use.