JournaIism

MAKING NEWS by Martin Mayer (New York: Doubleday, 1987—$18.95)

BAD NEWS AT BLACK ROCK: THE SELL-OUT OF CBS NEWS by Peter McCabe (New York: Arbor House, 1987—$17.95)

SHARED VULNERABILITY: THE MEDIA AND AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS OF THE BHOPAL DISASTER by Lee Wilkins (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987—$29.95)

SELLING SCIENCE: HOW THE PRESS COVERS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY by Dorothy Nelkin (New York: Freeman, 1987—$16.95)

COMMUNICATING POLITICS: MASS COMMUNICATIONS AND THE POLITICAL PROCESS edited by Peter Golding, et al. (New York: Holms & Meier, 1986 $35.00/17.50)

MAGAZINES: A BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THEIR ANALYSIS, WITH ANNOTATIONS AND STUDY GUIDE by Fred K. Paine and Nancy E. Paine (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1987—$62.50)

THE TRAINING AND HIRING OF JOURNALISTS by Lee B. Becker, et al. (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1987—$29.50)

ETHICAL JOURNALISM by Philip Meyer (New York: Longman, 1987—$18.95, paper)     

Spelling errors in adults with a form of familial dyslexia

We compared the spelling errors on the WRAT II made by adults (N = 24) with an apparent autosomal dominant form of dyslexia to those made by their normal adult relatives (N = 17) and by spelling-age matched normal controls (N = 17) using a computerized error evaluation program (SEEP). The normal adult relatives were significantly better than the dyslexics in both reading and spelling, but did not differ in age, education, or IQ. SEEP evaluated each error independently for both phonological and orthographic accuracy at 2 levels of complexity. Each level of complexity was analyzed separately using a 3 X 2 (group X dimension) analysis of variance. The main finding of interest was a significant group X dimension interaction effect at the complex level, which indicated that the dyslexics had a qualitatively different profile across the 2 dimensions than either normal group who had parallel profiles. The dyslexics performed like the younger normal group on the complex phonological dimension but like the adult normal group on the complex orthographic dimension. These results indicate a dissociation in this form of familial dyslexia between these 2 dimensions of spelling development, and suggest that these dyslexics may fit the subtype of dysphonetic or phonological dyslexia. The implications of these results for the underlying cognitive deficit in this form of dyslexia are discussed.     

Kinematic differences between front crawl sprint and distance swimmers at a distance pace

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine whether there are differences in kinematics between sprint and distance front crawl specialists when swimming at a distance pace using a six beat kick. Seven sprint and eight distance male specialists performed one maximum 400 m swim through a 6.75 m³ calibrated space recorded by six gen-locked cameras. The following variables were calculated: average swim velocity, stroke length, stroke frequency, upper limb and foot displacement, elbow angle, the shoulder and hip roll angle, duration of the stroke phases and time corresponding to particular events within the stroke cycle relative to hand entry. Differences between the groups were assessed by an independent t-test and effect size (d) calculations for each variable. The groups only differed significantly with respect to the average swim velocity, with the distance swimmers maintaining a greater velocity throughout the 400 m. However, effect sizes were moderate for elbow angle range during the pull phase (d = 0.78) and the total hip roll magnitude (d = 0.76). There was little evidence to suggest that sprint and distance swimmers using a six beat kick pattern differ in technique when swimming at a distance pace and therefore coaches should not encourage the development of different techniques between these groups.     

The Importance of Parent‐to‐Parent Support among Families of Children with Autism in the People’s Republic of China

This article reports the experiences of families of children with autism in the People’s Republic of China. The caregivers of 43 children with autism attending one of two short‐term (3‐month) intervention programmes for young children with autism were interviewed about their experiences before, during, and after the programme. Parent‐to‐parent support emerged as the main theme. Specifically, caregivers in this study discussed the value of being with other parents who share similar experiences. Two reasons were given for the importance of parent‐to‐parent support: to learn from each other, and to gain moral support and encouragement in a relationship that is more equal and less discriminatory than was experienced from others in society. This report also briefly highlights the factors that are similar to family experiences in western contexts, as well as factors that are influenced by the Chinese context.