An elementary proof of the conditions for a generalized Condorcet paradox

We give an elementary proof of the relationship between the possibility of a generalized majority rule cycle and the number of voters, V, the number of alternatives, A, and the number required for a majority, M.     

Population studies on three Native Alaska population groups using STR loci

Allele distributions for 13 short tandem repeat (STR) loci D3S1358, vWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO and D16S539 were determined for three Native Alaskan population groups-Athabaskans, Inupiats, and Yupiks. Although genetic diversity is lower in the Native Alaskan populations compared with Caucasians and Africans, almost all loci are highly polymorphic in all three Native Alaskan groups. There was little evidence for departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations (HWE) in any of the populations. Only two examples of detectable departures from HWE out of 39 locus-population tests performed were observed based on the exact test (Yupik, D8S1179, P=0.030; Yupik, D5S818, P=0.016). The F(ST) estimate overall 13 STR loci is 0.0309 for the Native Alaskan populations. Based on a genetic distance measure, Athabaskans are more closely related to Apaches and Navajos (all of the same linguistic group) than the other Native Alaskan groups. The F(ST) estimate for Athabaskans, Apaches and Navajos is 0.0180 and for Inupiats and Yupiks is 0.0167. The allele frequency data can be used for estimating DNA profile frequencies for Native Americans residing in Alaska.     

Children’s Use of a ‘Time Line’ to Indicate When Events Occurred

Children who allege abuse are often asked to provide temporal information such as when the events occurred. Yet, young children often have difficulty recalling temporal information due to their limited knowledge of temporal patterns and linguistic capabilities. As time is an abstract concept (we cannot see it), some investigators have begun to use ‘time-lines’ or pictorial representations of time to aid children. Yet, there is no published research testing whether children are able to use time-lines and whether they can provide adequate temporal information using them. We tested whether children could indicate the time-of-day of events using a pictorial time-line and then compared their responses to their parents’. Seven- to 8-year-olds were most consistent with parental estimates while 4-year-olds were least consistent. Responses from the 5- to 6-year-olds depended on the temporal task. Guessing and using general knowledge to estimate the time-of-day were ruled out, and so children were genuinely drawing on episodic memory when making time-line judgments. Thus, there was a developmental progression in children’s use of physical representations to communicate abstract information. These results are promising for the use of the time-line in forensic settings but much more research is needed.     

It Looks Good,but What is it Like to Live There? Exploring the Impact of Innovative Housing Design on Crime

This paper reports on the findings of a collaborative project (funded by the Home Office and managed by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment - CABE) which was conducted in late 2009 and early 2010. The project set out to strengthen and update the evidence base on the impact of design on a range of crime types – with a specific focus upon housing developments acclaimed for their innovative design and award winning architecture. This paper presents the findings of an in-depth assessment of the impact of housing design features on crime. Utilising a comprehensive data collection exercise, the specific design features of thousands of homes were collated and assessed against police recorded crime data. The design features were based upon the key elements of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) including road layout, house design, surveillance, territoriality, car parking, communal space, management and maintenance and physical security. The unique and painstaking methodology not only provided an excellent dataset for analysis, but also highlighted the need both for greater conceptual clarity within CPTED and for crime-risk assessments to be based on the careful operationalisation and measurement of CPTED factors. As well as assessing the impact of specific (and combined) design features upon crime, the research also resulted in the production of a new data collection tool designed to address the weaknesses of existing checklists in assessing innovative contemporary developments, which are often unconventional in nature. The paper explores the degree of conflict and/or synergy between the traditional principles of CPTED and contemporary directions in architecture and design. Finally the paper considers the extent to which traditional CPTED principles remain relevant within contemporary residential developments and explores whether areas of revision are required.     

The importance of self-beliefs on relational aggression of college students

This study examined the interrelationships among mattering to friends, self-esteem, spirituality, and perpetration of relational aggression in friendships among 457 college students. While the three self-belief variables were positively related to each other, only spirituality and mattering to friends discriminated between men and women. Women reported higher spirituality and mattering to friends, and men reported slightly higher self-esteem. Perpetration of relational aggression was negatively related to mattering to friends and self-esteem and was not related to spirituality. Findings are discussed in light of Erikson's theory of adolescent development and Gilligan's theory of interpersonal relationships.     

An Experimental Investigation of Electoral Delegation and the Provision of Public Goods

How effectively do democratic institutions provide public goods? Despite the incentives an elected leader has to free ride or impose majority tyranny, our experiment demonstrates that electoral delegation results in full provision of the public good. Analysis of the experimental data suggests that the result is primarily due to electoral selection: groups elect prosocial leaders and replace those who do not implement full contribution outcomes. However, we also observe outcomes in which a minimum winning coalition exploits the contributions of the remaining players. A second experiment demonstrates that when electoral delegation must be endogenously implemented, individuals voluntarily cede authority to an elected agent only when preplay communication is permitted. Our combined results demonstrate that democratic delegation helps groups overcome the free‐rider problem and generally leads to outcomes that are often both efficient and equitable.     

The information gained from witnesses' responses to an initial "blank" lineup

Wells ("The psychology of lineup identifications," Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1984, 14, 89-103) proposed that a blank lineup (an initial lineup of known-to-be-innocent foils) can be used to screen eyewitnesses; witnesses who chose from a blank lineup (initial choosers) were more likely to make an error on a second lineup that contained a suspect than were witnesses who rejected a blank lineup (initial nonchoosers). Recent technological advances (e.g., computer-administered lineups) may overcome many of the practical difficulties cited as a barrier to the use of blank lineups. Our research extended knowledge about the blank lineup procedure by investigating the underlying causes of the difference in identification performance between initial choosers and initial nonchoosers. Studies 1a and 1b (total, N = 303) demonstrated that initial choosers were more likely to reject a second lineup than initial nonchoosers and witnesses who did not view a blank lineup, implying that cognitive biases (e.g., confirmation bias and commitment effects) influenced initial choosers' identification decisions. In Study 2 (N = 200), responses on a forced-choice identification test provided evidence that initial choosers have, on average, poorer memories for the culprit than do initial nonchoosers. We also investigated the usefulness of blank lineups for interpreting identification evidence. Diagnosticity ratios suggested that suspect identifications made by initial nonchoosers (cf. initial choosers) should have a greater impact on estimates of the likely guilt of the suspect. Furthermore, for initial nonchoosers, higher confidence in blank lineup rejections was associated with higher diagnosticity for subsequent suspect identifications. These results have implications for policy to guide the collection and interpretation of identification evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Postmortem exsiccation of the fingertips--results of a systematic quantitative and qualitative experimental study

To date there have been no results published on qualitative and quantitative time-related changes with regard to desiccation of human fingertips post mortem. The fingertips of 52 hands from 36 corpses were qualitatively examined soon after death (2-6 h) to 120 h post mortem. The quantitative investigations were confined to the tips of the middle fingers. The width of three adjoining ridges of the skin was measured in four defined areas of the middle fingertips, and photographs were taken at intervals of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 32, 44, 50, 60, 72, 84, 96 and 120 h p.m. Concerning the qualitative test results, four time-related stages were classified macroscopically and by a pocket lens (X25). Desiccation stage IV correlates to the period 72 h after death in bodies found in apartments. Besides the rough, wrinkled, and brown or black surface of the fingertips, microwrinkles of the epidermis occur on the skin ridges, which have so far not been described. The quantitative results did not show any changes in the width of the skin ridges, independent of age, sex, right or left hand.