The social maps of children approaching adolescence: Studying the ecology of youth development

This article reports the first results of the three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development, stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological transitions. The study focuses on characteristics of children's social networks (the web of relationships in which the individual is involved) as a function of neighborhood type, socioeconomic status, and level of physical maturation. The social heterogeneity of the social network (e.g., the relative salience of peers versus adults) is a primary concern. The child's and parent's perceptions of the network, of the people available to help the child, and the child's friends are compared within the context of ecological, socioeconomic, and maturational factors. The results (for 111 sixth-grade children from three contrasting neighborhood schools) shed some light on age segregation and the overall heterogeneity of the social environments of children facing the transition to adolescence. They provide a context and a baseline for the longitudinal study.A version of this paper was presented at the 85th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, August 25–30, 1977.Received his Ph.D. in human development and family studies from Cornell University in 1973. Principal interests are the ecology of social development and child maltreatment.     

The Limited Modesty of Subsidiarity

Abstract:  This paper provides an account of the European principle of subsidiarity that presents it as a principle of democratic structuring: engaging both with the allocation of powers to existing democratic institutions and with the creation of new democratic institutions. In the process of discussing the European principle, a contrast is drawn with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity and with the rival doctrine of national self-determination. It is argued that the European principle is a central part of the Union's constitutional identity, and, as such, crucial to an understanding of the European project.     

Binge Drinking,Greek-Life Membership,and First-Year Undergraduates: The “Perfect Storm” for Drugging Victimization

ABSTRACT

Drugging victimization is an understudied phenomenon. This study examines the relationship between the campus party culture and drugging victimization. Campus party culture has been shown to influence risk of other types of victimization, and there is reason to believe it may also influence drugging victimization. Using three behavioral indicators of participation in the campus party culture—binge drinking, Greek life membership, and first-year student status—this study estimates the main effect of each indicator, and their interaction, on undergraduates’ rates of drugging victimization. Estimating a generalized linear model using a large random sample (N = 6,931) from three universities, results show that each party culture variable and their three-way interaction significantly influenced students’ rate of drugging victimization. Sorority members who were first-year students and binge drank at least once in the past month had significantly higher rates of drugging victimization compared to all other groups of students.     

Effect of Substrate Interferences from High‐Density Polyethylene on Association of Simulated Ignitable Liquid Residues with the Corresponding Liquid

The effect of substrate interferences from high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) on the ability to associate an ignitable liquid residue with the corresponding liquid standard, using statistical procedures, is demonstrated. Gasoline, kerosene, and lighter fluid, at three different evaporation levels, were spiked onto HDPE and subsequently burned to generate simulated ignitable liquid residues (ILRs). Samples were extracted using a passive headspace procedure and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The total ion chromatograms were subjected to data pretreatment procedures prior to principal components analysis and Pearson product moment correlation. Using the combination of these statistical procedures, simulated ILRs were successfully associated with the corresponding liquid type, despite the presence of compounds inherent to the HDPE substrate, as well as those resulting from pyrolysis of the substrate.