The concept "patterns of cultural choice," defined as patterns of money and time use among which people may choose to some degree, is contrasted with terms such as lifestyle and subculture. Eight research articles, comprising this journal issue, which employ alternative strategies of isolating choice patterns, are introduced. (Author/RM)

The Leisure Activity Survey is a large national data set collected in 1982 by the Bureau of the Census for the National Endowment for the Arts. Selected preliminary findings are discussed and several other uses of the data set are suggested. (Author/RM)

Factor analysis of a 1978 survey of St. Louis shows that different age, race, and educational attainment segments have approximately the same patterns of interest, participation, and enjoyment in leisure activities. Leisure activities of four types of fine arts activities--arts, music-dance, visual arts, and nonarts types--are described.…

Different types of time-series data sets can be used to identify cultural change and continuity. Indicators, including musical instruments, clothing, sporting goods, drugs, garbage, telephones, and magazines, are used to study social change since World War II. (Author/RM)

The authors isolate seven patterns of cultural choice using a cluster analysis of a multidimensional scale of items from a 1977 survey of leisure activities in the South. They then use regression analysis to isolate the social demographic correlates of the clusters. (Author/RM)

Using a multiple-indicator multiple-cause model to analyze a 1972-73 national survey of consumer expenditures, the author isolates four patterns of spending on leisure activities and identifies the social and demographic characteristics of people exhibiting each pattern. (Author/RM)

Eight patterns of cultural choice, isolated from data collected in a 1973 national survey using a hand-crafted clustering technique, cannot be arranged in hierarchical order by social class, bringing into question the hypothesized association between culture class and social class. (Author/RM)

The paper presents an overview of an ethological approach to the study of abnormal human behavior and a review of research using ethological approaches (with an emphasis on autism research). Ethology is defined as the study of behavior as it occurs in its natural habitat. The four types of questions ethologists ask about behavior, such as what is…

Using a stepwise multiple regression analysis of data from a 1964-1965 national urban sample, the author identifies the social and demographic variables that best help to predict each of six factor-analytically derived dimensions of leisure activity. (Author/RM)

Using their own 1978 national survey sample, the authors describe the social and demographic characteristics, psychological needs, and television viewing behaviors of persons who exhibit each of 14 patterns of leisure activities. The patterns were isolated through factor analysis and clustering techniques. (Author/RM)

Four case studies were used to illustrate application of panel analysis in sociological research. The panel design requires that (a) identical units be reobserved; (b) identical criteria be employed; and (c) initial and subsequent observations be made at the same times for all units and all criteria. Units may be individuals, qroups (such as…

The usefulness of the social class construct for life-cycle research is discussed in this paper. Social class is defined as used in the paper, and as it is generally used by students of the human life cycle. It is further evaluated as a descriptor, and a predictor of behaviors and attitudes. The construct seems to be most useful in studies of…

Cultural event analysis assists traditional social science methodologies--ethnographies and survey instruments--in the study of urban life. Testing a hypothesis--that educational problems arise and persist for Puerto Rican youth because of contrast, contrariety, and noncomplementarity between the cultural forms and patterns of their home life and…

Educational development in Saudi Arabia is closely related to Moslem religious belief. A review of the socio/cultural behavior based upon Saudi religious belief can provide insight to educators on how to make educational and research activities in developing nations more relevant to people with a non-Western frame of reference. Among muslims,…