Knowledge of police and court procedures and respect for the law a survey

Data were collected measuring knowledge of procedures and civil liberty protections in the juvenile justice system. In addition, questions from the Rundquist-Sletto Respect for Law Scale were used to assess attitudes toward the system. Three hundred ninety-six subjects, selected through stratified random sampling, were instructed to answer twenty-eight forced-choice questions on procedures and six Guttman-type scale questions on attitudes toward authority, all presented in the context of a brief scenario. Subjects were also asked to indicate age, sex, race, and previous arrest. Several questions were identified as applications of the Miranda decision, and the hypothesis was confirmed that these would be most often answered correctly by all subjects.A brief survey of the development of a separate juvenile justice system is presented. The authors concluded that by relying on informal channels of communication about its role, the court does not meet its obligation to educate the public.     

Implicit and Explicit Stereotyping of Adolescents

Although adolescents are commonly assumed to be rebellious, risky and moody, two experiments demonstrate for the first time that these beliefs operate both explicitly and implicitly as stereotypes. In Experiment 1, participants (a) explicitly endorsed adolescent stereotypes and (b) implicitly associated adolescent stereotyped words more rapidly with the adolescent than the adult social category. Individual differences in the explicit endorsement of adolescent stereotypes predicted explicit perceptions of the rebelliousness of a 17-year-old but not a 71-year-old, although individual differences in implicit stereotyping did not. Identification with adults was associated with greater implicit stereotyping but not explicit stereotyping. In Experiment 2, subliminal exposure to adolescent stereotyped words increased subsequent perceptions of the rebelliousness of a 17-year-old but not a 71-year-old. Although individual differences in implicit adolescent stereotyping did not predict explicit evaluations of adolescents, stereotypes of adolescents nevertheless influenced explicit evaluations unconsciously and unintentionally.

Assessment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Differences in Standards and Practice between Licensed and Board-Certified Psychologists

The purpose of this study was to examine the current diagnostic standards and assessment practices of psychologists when diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A web-based survey was employed to gather information on opinions and assessment practices of psychologists who were either licensed with no board certification, board certified in clinical psychology, or board certified in forensic psychology. Significant differences were found between the three groups of psychologists in frequency of inclusion of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–Fourth Edition–Text Revision Criterion A, in use of recommended collateral information sources, in use of assessment methods or types of recommended instruments, and in assessing for over-reported PTSD symptoms. Results indicated that board certification status had significant impact on psychologists’ diagnostic standards and assessment practices related to PTSD.     

Getting to the frontier

This article analyses a Stackelberg differential game in which households' labour supply and fertility decisions are taken assuming husbands as leaders and wives as followers. The model solution yields the optimal number of children and labour supply of male and female. In equilibrium male and female labour supply increases with wage and decreases with children costs and time preference, and the optimal number of children increases with male wage and decreases with cost of children, husband's time preference, and female's wage and time preference. We test the model using Ghana Living Standard Survey Round 4 and find that women are more sensitive to changes in the labour market conditions than males, and better labour market opportunities for women may lead to a strong reduction in fertility.     

Helping the Homeless: The Role of Empathy,Race and Deservingness in Motivating Policy Support and Charitable Giving

Political Behavior - What will motivate citizens to support efforts to help those in need? Charitable organizations seeking support for their cause will often use the story of a specific individual...     

Analysis of cocaine-positive fatalities

A review of all autopsy and toxicology reports for persons dying in New York City in an 11-month period found 935 persons dying with cocaine in their bodies. Cocaine-positive fatalities were more likely in the young black and Hispanic and male population. In addition to cocaine and its metabolites, heroin and other opiates were found in 39% of persons and ethanol in 33% and barbiturates and minor tranquilizers in only 2% of the deceased. Cocaine overdose was responsible for 4% of the deaths and overdose with heroin and cocaine for 12% of the deaths. Violence was often the cause of death. Thirty-eight percent died of homicide, seven percent of suicide, and eight percent from accidents. Of particular interest were 6 persons who died of acute cardiac events directly related to cocaine as well as 4 cases of ruptured dissections of the ascending aorta, and 9 cases of cerebral hemorrhage. Autopsy findings for these individuals are described, and possible mechanisms of death are discussed.