A Replication of Xu & Burleson (2001) “Effects of Sex,Culture, and Support Type on Perceptions of Spousal Social Support: An Assessment of the ‘Support Gap’ Hypothesis in Early Marriage”

In response to recent calls regarding the social sciences’ “replication crisis,” we have endeavored to replicate Xu and Burleson’s (2001) research study, “Effects of Sex, Culture, and Support Type of Perceptions of Spousal Support: An Assessment.” This study, which examines the support gap hypothesis and its different manifestations among men and women from the United States of America and China, has contributed greatly to scholarly conversations on social support, sex, culture, and support gaps. Results from our study partially replicate Xu and Burleson’s (2001) original findings and provide general empirical evidence for the support gap hypothesis. Differences in findings between the two studies and their implications are discussed.     

Shielding yourself from the perils of empathy: the case of sign language interpreters

Cross-cultural exchanges between deaf and hearing persons are replete with unintentional misunderstandings and even purposeful acts of oppression. Sign language interpreters routinely bear witness to the negative emotional fallout of these dynamics on the Deaf consumer. It is largely inevitable-a psychological reflex-to experience some degree of empathic pain. One must achieve a healthy balance of empathizing enough while shielding oneself from its perils. I describe the psychological effects of juxtaposed extremes of affect, projective identification, and the dual nature of empathy.     

Articulating the Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services of the Association of Colleges and Research Libraries Outside the Library Profession

The author views the Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) as a sort of constitution that guarantees the rights of distance higher education students to the provision of appropriate library services by their higher education institutions. He thus presents the ten precepts underlying the Guidelines as a sort of Bill of Rights relating to library services provided to distance learning students.     

The Iranian Library Scene

Iranian librarianship is developing rapidly. While there have been libraries in Iran for several millenia, it is only in the last two or three years that libraries have begun to move forward in modern fashion. Perhaps now that they are improving, an assessment of their status is appropriate, so this paper will attempt to describe the current pattern of Iranian library service and the directions it is likely to take.