The Effects of Prior Workplace Behavior on Subsequent Sexual Harassment Judgments

A dual processing model of sexual harassment judgments predicted that the behavior of a complainant in a prior case would influence evaluations in an unrelated subsequent case. In the first of two experimental scenarios depicting social-sexual conduct at work, the female complainant's conduct was manipulated to be aggressive, submissive, ambiguous, or neutral. Half of the participants were asked to reflect upon the first scenario after reading it and before answering responsibility questions. The other half simply reviewed the scenario and answered the questions. When the complainant acted aggressively, her behavior in the first scenario caused men who reflected on the fact pattern to find less evidence of harassment. Most interestingly, an aggressive complainant observed in the first scenario caused participants (especially women) to rate lower the likelihood that a neutral complainant in a second independent case was the victim of gender discrimination. Across cases, men found less evidence of harassment than did women.     

The application of an automated allele concordance analysis system (CompareCalls) to ensure the accuracy of single-source STR DNA profiles

A powerful method for validating a scientific result is to confirm specific results utilizing independent methodologies and processing pathways. Thus, we have designed, developed and validated an automated allele concordance analysis system (CompareCalls, patent pending) that performs comparisons between two independent DNA analysis platforms to ensure the highest accuracy for allele calls. Application of this system in a quality assurance role has shown the potential to eliminate greater than 90% of the STR analysis required of a DNA data analyst. While this system is broadly applicable for use with any two independent STR analysis programs, either prior to or following human data review, we are presenting its application to data generated with the ABI Prism Genotyper software system versus data generated with the SurelockID system. With the automated allele concordance analysis system, the GeneScan DNA fragment data generated from an ABI 377 gel image are analyzed in two independent pathways. In one analysis pathway, the GeneScan data are imported into Genotyper software where STR labels are assigned to the fragment data based upon the criteria of the Kazam 20% macro. The "Kazam" macro provided with the Genotyper program works by labeling all peaks in a category (or locus) and then filtering (or removing) the labels from peaks, such as those in stutter positions, that meet predefined criteria. In the second pathway, the GeneScan data are imported into the SurelockID analysis platform where STR labels and error messages are assigned to the fragment data based upon hard-coded allele calling criteria and quality parameters. The resulting STR allele calls for each analysis platform are then compared, utilizing the automated allele concordance analysis system. Any differences in the STR allele calls between the two systems are flagged in a discordance report for further review by a qualified DNA data analyst. The automated allele concordance analysis system guides the DNA data analyst to the discordant data generated by either analysis platform. Additionally, the analyst is also directed to data that are of less than pristine quality which may have an increased potential for errors in interpretation by either analysis platform or by a human DNA data analyst. Implementation of an automated allele concordance analysis system will yield high-quality data for CODIS and free the human DNA data analyst to perform other critical duties within the laboratory.     

Do courtship-violent men have characteristics associated with a “Battering Personality”?

Three studies explored the presence of characteristics associated with battering personalities in courtship-violent college men. These characteristics were derived from Signs to Look for in a Battering Personality developed in Fayetteville, AR, to describe wife-batterers. In the first study, two questions measured aggression. In the second and third study, Straus's (1979) Conflict Tactics Scale was also used. Attitudes toward Women (Spence et al., 1973) were measured in the first two studies. Sexual aggression (Koss et al., 1987) was measured in the third investigation. Univariate ANOVAs in all three studies showed that many of the characteristics associated with wife-battering men were also associated with college men who admitted to engaging in low-level courtship violence. However, stepwise discriminant analyses showed that two variables, threats and verbal abuse, were the most predictive of courtship violence in college men. Additional notable associations were found between the use of playful force during sex and self-reported sudden mood swings and/or a quick temper and courtship violence.     

The psychological effects of state socialization: IGO membership loss and respect for human rights

We present an interdisciplinary theory that considers how loss of membership in international organizations affects states’ human rights practices. Drawing mostly from social psychology and international relations research, we argue that states are socialized into the international community through a process of social influence, whereby they are incentivized to comply with group norms by the promise (threat) of social rewards (punishments). Social influence occurs when states form social bonds through interactions with other states. When social bonds are severed, fewer opportunities for social influence occur due to lower information to both the remaining states and the state that lost those social bonds. Thus, we hypothesize that the loss of membership from IGOs reduces incentives to comply with group norms and adversely affects human rights practices at home. A combination of propensity score matching/regression and autoregressive distributed lag (ADL) models on a global cross-section across the years 1978–2012 supports the theory. Specifically, losing at least one IGO membership leads to a long-run drop in human rights respect of about one quarter to one half standard deviation.     

Pan-European thought in British fascism: the International Third Position and the Alliance for Peace and Freedom

Shaffer’s article explores pan-Europeanism in post-war British fascism by examining the International Third Position (ITP) and the Alliance for Peace and Freedom (APF). More marginal than the National Front and the British National Party, these groups never sought electoral influence or attracted a noteworthy membership. However, the ITP and the APF served as an important expression of extremist thought after the National Front and British National Party suffered from declining support. Both notably involved Nick Griffin and Roberto Fiore—who played significant roles in post-war fascism—although their involvement has not been explored in detail. By examining their activities, Shaffer argues that the pan-Europeanism of the ITP and the APF represented an evolution of British fascism that focused on foreign audiences and non-electoral goals. Despite containing elements of pan-Europeanist thought that existed in the NF and the BNP, they sought a purer and more exclusive objective with a strictly international focus.     

A Quarter Century of Participation in School-Based Extracurricular Activities: Inequalities by Race,Class, Gender and Age?

Extracurricular activity participation is linked to positive development, but it is also a setting for inequality. Using a quarter century of data from Monitoring the Future (N?=?593,979; 51% female; 65% non-Hispanic white; 13% non-Hispanic black; 12% Hispanic; 4% non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander; 7% other race), this article documents patterns and trends in school-based extracurricular participation by race, social class, gender, and age, and their links to academic and substance use outcomes. Findings reveal differences by race and confirm a division by social class that has worsened over time. Further, girls are gaining on boys and surpass them in some types of school-based activities. Participation is linked to better academic outcomes and less substance use, affirming the importance of redressing the inequalities revealed.