Desiderata: towards indigenous models of vocational psychology

As a result of a relative lack of cross-cultural validity in most current (Western) psychological models, indigenous models of psychology have recently become a popular approach for understanding behaviour in specific cultures. Such models would be valuable to vocational psychology research with culturally diverse populations. Problems facing current psychological models and methods of improving cultural validity are discussed. An integrative model of cross-cultural psychology is reviewed and the relevance of indigenous psychological methods to the advancement of vocational psychology is explained.     

Correlates of Psychological Abuse Perpetration in College Dating Relationships

This study examined the contributions of gender, adult romantic attachment orientations (i.e., avoidance, anxiety), defense mechanisms (i.e., narcissism, other‐splitting), and stressors to college student psychological abuse perpetration (dominance). Men with higher levels of attachment avoidance, narcissistic entitlement, and stressful problems reported more dominance of female partners. Women with higher levels of other‐splitting reported more dominance of male partners. Attachment avoidance contributed to women's dominance of male partners only in the context of elevated narcissistic entitlement or few stressors.     

A microfluidic platform for measuring electrical activity across cells

In this paper, we present a microfluidic chip that is capable of measuring electrical conductance through gap junction channels in a 2-dimensional cell sheet. The chip utilizes a tri-stream laminar flow to create a non-conductive sucrose gap between the two conducting solutions so that electrical current can pass across the sucrose gap only through the cells. Using the chip, we tested the effect of a gap junction inhibitor, 2-APB, on the electrical coupling of connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junction channels in NRK-49F cells. We found that 2-APB reversibly blocks the conductivity in a dose-dependent manner. The tri-stream chip further allows us to simultaneously follow the conductance changes and dye diffusion in real time. We show that 2-APB affects both conductance and diffusion, supporting the interpretation that both sets of data reflect the same gap junction activity. The chip provides a generic platform to investigate gap junction properties and to screen drugs that may inhibit or potentiate gap junction transmission.     

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the rhetorical construction of "bad" scientific work

How are secondary accounts of "bad" scientific practice constructed? How do they engage with the primary data produced by "bad" scientists? And what happens to those primary data as generations of secondary accounts purporting to describe them accumulate? This paper addresses such questions via a case study of Dr. Hong, a microbiologist accused of "bad" scientific practice by numerous secondary accounts of the 2003 SARS outbreak. Bringing Hong's own account of his own actions into dialogue with one of the most influential secondary accounts of his actions, the paper highlights the gross disparity between the two. Having argued that the rhetorical structuring of the secondary account is, ultimately, responsible for Hong's characterisation as a "bad" scientist, it then moves to explore how subsequent accounts developed their own characterisations. What becomes clear is that as secondary accounts began feeding off one another, references to Hong's account disappeared. Aided by the concepts of the "vanishing" and the "phantasm", the paper concludes with a consideration of how this process left Hong's work with a very peculiar form of existence.     

Comparisons among Designs for Equating Mixed-Format Tests in Large-Scale Assessments

In this study we examined variations of the nonequivalent groups equating design for tests containing both multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) items to determine which design was most effective in producing equivalent scores across the two tests to be equated. Using data from a large-scale exam, this study investigated the use of anchor CR item rescoring (known as trend scoring) in the context of classical equating methods. Four linking designs were examined: an anchor with only MC items, a mixed-format anchor test containing both MC and CR items; a mixed-format anchor test incorporating common CR item rescoring; and an equivalent groups (EG) design with CR item rescoring, thereby avoiding the need for an anchor test. Designs using either MC items alone or a mixed anchor without CR item rescoring resulted in much larger bias than the other two designs. The EG design with trend scoring resulted in the smallest bias, leading to the smallest root mean squared error value.     

Relations between early family risk, children's behavioral regulation, and academic achievement

This study examined relations among early family risk, children's behavioral regulation at 54 months and kindergarten, and academic achievement in first grade using data on 1,298 children from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Family risk was indexed by ethnic minority status, low maternal education, low average family income from 1 - 54 months, and high maternal depressive symptoms from 1 - 54 months. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that minority status, low maternal education, and low family income had significant negative effects on reading, math, and vocabulary achievement in first grade. Modest indirect effects were also found from ethnicity, maternal education, and maternal depressive symptoms, through 54-month and kindergarten behavioral regulation to first-grade achievement. Discussion focuses on the importance of behavioral regulation for school success especially for children facing early risk.     

Fluvial processes in geomorphology and environmental management: The 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science awarded to Luna B. Leopold and M. Gordon Wolman

Starting in the 1950s Luna B. Leopold and M. Gordon Wolman transformed the field of geomorphology with quantitative and process-orientated studies designed to understand landscape adjustments to temporal and spatial changes in sediment supply and streamflow. By integrating fundamental science with keen observations they developed the first comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of rivers and floodplains. Their research has not only provided a quantitative framework for understanding landscape evolution, it is a cornerstone of modern water resource management and environmental impact analysis. Specific research areas included quantifying: (1) the “hydraulic geometry” of rivers; (2) the morphology and processes of rivers; (3) channel networks and the longitudinal profiles of rivers; (4) processes controlling floodplain formation; (5) the magnitude and frequency of geomorphic processes; and (6) the cycle of sedimentation in response to urban development. Much of this research was published in seven co-authored articles and in a widely used 1964 book that they co-authored with John Miller, Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology. While their contributions are synergistically linked and stem from their co-authored papers, their individual contributions are distinct and extend over 50 years. For these accomplishments, Luna Leopold and M. Gordon Wolman were awarded the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Earth and Environmental Science.