Component processes in reading: shared and unique variance in serial and isolated naming speed

Reading ability is comprised of several component processes. In particular, the connection between the visual and verbal systems has been demonstrated to play an important role in the reading process. The present study provides a review of the existing literature on the visual verbal connection as measured by two tasks, rapid serial naming and isolated (or discrete-trial) naming speed, as they relate to reading ability. For each identified study, a secondary data analysis was conducted using the provided correlations between serial naming, isolated naming, and reading. The same analysis was repeated for average population-level correlations among these constructs using meta-analytic weighting techniques. Results suggested that isolated naming acts as a suppressor variable in the relation of serial naming with reading, indicating that there exists at least one cognitive component of the serial naming task that is predictive of reading but is not shared with isolated naming speed. The effect has several implications for understanding the underlying cognitive components reading ability, which are discussed.     

Deregulation and public perceptions of television: A longitudinal study

The deregulation of television and resulting implications for programming and the public interest have been the focus of considerable debate. This study investigated perceptions of issues related to current policy, perceptions of the effectiveness of television in meeting informational needs, and whether perceptions have changed since deregulation. Significant differences were found between pre‐ and post‐deregulation attitudes toward policy‐related issues and the quantity of commercials on television. Perceptions of the amount of news broadcast, coverage of local issues, and the extent to which programming meets local needs revealed no significant change since deregulation. The results revealed strong public support for the requirement that broadcasters cover more than one side of controversial issues.     

An Evaluation of the Federal Communications Commission's 2007 Report on TV Violence

At the behest of 39 members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce, in 2007 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report that addressed the effects of violent television on children, the constitutionality of various strategies for regulating children's exposure to violent television content, and the viability and benefit of a congressionally developed definition of excessively violent television programming. This review evaluates how well the FCC carried out the tasks assigned to it by Congress, particularly in regards to the FCC's assessment of the social scientific research on the effects of exposure to televised violence.     

Hollywood: Films in General

Basil Wright's The Long View (New York: Knopf, 1974—$15.00)

Paul Sylbert's Final Cut: The Making and Breaking of Film (New York: Seabury Press, 1974—$7.95)

Gerson Kanin's Hollywood: Stars and Starlets, Tycoons and Flesh-Peddlers, Moviemakers and Moneymakers, Frauds and Geniuses, Hopefuls and Has-Beens, Great Lovers and Sex Symbols (New York: Viking Press, 1974—$8.95)

John Milton Hagen's Holly-Would! (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1974—$7.95)

David Madden's Remembering James Agee (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1974—$8.95)

Richard Lawton's A world of Movies: 70 Years of Film Art (New York: Delacorte Press, 1974—$19.95)

Bob Willoughby and Richard Schickel's The Platinum Years (New York: Random House, 1974—$25.00)

Stephen H. Scheuer's The Movie Book (New York: Playboy Press with distribution by Simon and Schuster, 1974— $17.95)

Cecil Munsey's Disneyana: Walt Disney Collectibles (New York: Hawthorne, 1974—$19.95)

George Barris and Jack Scagnetti's Cars of the Stars (Jonathan David, Publisher, Middle Village, N.Y. 11379, 1974—$16.95)     

General Media (Advertising)

Varda Langholz Leymore's Hidden Myth: Structure and Symbolism in Advertising (New York: Basic Books, 1975—$10.00).

John S. Wright and John E. Mertes's Advertising's Role ie Society. (St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Co., 1974—price not given, paper).

Allan M. Cartter's Ph.D's and the Academic Labor Market (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976—$12.50).     

Relational Commitment and the Silent Treatment

When upset with a relational partner, intimates often enact the silent treatment, although it can harm their relationships. This study investigates the degree to which relational commitment predicts a person's self-reported use of the silent treatment. Undergraduate daters indicated their relational commitment, their use of the silent treatment when upset with their partner, and what they do if the partner asks if they are upset. Relational commitment was negatively related to using the silent treatment and stonewalling when the partner asked if there was a problem. Relational commitment was only positively related to admitting being upset when the partner asked if there was a problem. Study limitations and future research implications are discussed.     

A Brief History of Reference Assessment: No Easy Solutions

The author discusses the different methods of reference assessment that have been tried in libraries over the years to help improve service, justify the existence of the service itself, train new staff, and counter declining statistics.     

Practical Knowledge,Performance, and Physical Education

This paper is based on the premise that physical education as a practical subject on an educational curriculum is often undervalued because the concept of practical knowledge is not sufficiently understood. Explanations that rely on either propositional knowledge or on practical reasoning are inadequate. A critique is given that exposes “knowing how” as an ambiguous concept. It is argued that the performance itself counts, judged against the public standards of excellence that a particular physical education activity demands. Practical knowledge, it is concluded, is a legitimate kind of knowledge where there will be evidence of intentional action and learning and where there will be an implicit, as well as an explicit, dimension.