Criticizes studies of egocentric development in children using cutaneous perception procedures. Also questions study contribution to the understanding of the development of decentering. (Author/SDH)

In industrialized countries, a fundamental shift in child bearing practices has resulted in an increase in the proportion of families with one child. Assumptions contributing to negative ideas about the single child include the notions of the deprivation of positive sibling influences and of debilitating, anxiety-ridden parenting by mothers and…

Some of the frustrations inherent in trying to incorporate qualifications of statistical results into meta-analysis are reviewed, and some solutions are proposed to prevent the loss of information in meta-analytic reports. The validity of a meta-analysis depends on several factors, including the: thoroughness of the literature search; selection of…

The first step in aggregating qualitative data is to establish parameters for cross site analysis. Establishing parameters should include: (1) building a conceptual framework, (2) defining units of analysis, (3) developing core questions, and (4) establishing guidelines for handling unique features in each site. Two basic approaches to analyzing…

This paper serves two purposes: (1) it outlines some of the conflicting characterizations of the differences among scientific and artistic approaches to qualitative research; and (2) it provides some illustrations from conceptual and empirical research to demonstrate that these are indeed differences that matter. The following four ways in which…

A study examined whether mass media exposure is a unidimensional, bidimensional, or multidimensional construct as reflected in commonly used indicators of exposure. Telephone interviews were conducted with 534 households to determine media exposure. A structural equation model was proposed to account for the dimensionality of mass media exposure,…

Three factors are considered that contribute to the perception that the higher education research effort has done a poor job in dealing with problems confronting academe. The first factor is the magnitude of the higher education enterprise and the number of problems and issues inherent in it. The second factor is the level of support for research,…

Part of a study on the link between LD (learning disabilities) and delinquency, the paper summarizes the literature on the prevalence of handicapped juveniles in the justice system. Following a review of methodological limitations in the literature, the paper summarizes findings about the prevalence of emotional disturbances, mental retardation…

Covert checks of observational methodology reveal declines in reliability of observations. This appears to be particularly true when complex codes are used to track social interaction. The present study was undertaken to see whether reliability could be maintained through a combination of technological advancements and the development of improved…

Reasons for the glaring gaps in recommendations for humanities and social science emphasis in the National Commission on Excellence in Education report, "A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," are examined; and remedies are proposed. It is important to recognize that only 4 of the Commission members represented the…

This book evaluates methodologies in epidemiologic and related studies for obtaining measurements of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The book is divided into three parts. The first part discusses physicochemical and toxicological studies of environmental tobacco smoke, including physicochemical nature of smoke and in vivo and in…

This paper details the pathway of development of early intervention program evaluation research along with the often-enumerated problems with research results. Early intervention evaluation, which was initiated in 1969, involves those organized efforts designed to remediate and/or reconcile developmental disabilities in young children up to the…

The purposes of this paper are to consider how the prototypical research design of day care studies may unjustifiably emphasize day care as the effective factor or "treatment" in children's development, and to describe processes by which the family or some interaction between the family and day care may also affect preschoolers'…

This paper compares five growth measures using the High School and Beyond database. The measures are: (1) simple gain (posttest minus pretest); (2) difference between group means; (3) percentage of students who scored higher on the posttest than the pretest; (4) percentage of items missed on the pretest which are subsequently answered correctly on…