Hegemonic Shorthand: Technology and Metonymy in Modern Policing

Western police forces have always been institutions powered principally by the efficient accumulation of information, from the oral histories that defined the earliest foot patrols, to the communicative velocity of modern mobile data terminals. As these technologies evolve, however, the more the police devolve to become a data mining entity in earnest. This article interrogates the genealogy of a disciplinary nomenclature the author coins hegemonic shorthand—a formulaic meta-language grounded in a culture of standardization and interpolation among the police that flourishes in paranoid times under the pretense of public protection.     

Mass Media Production Guides

William Hawes' The Performer in Mass Media in Media Professions and in the Community (New York: Hastings House, 1978—$15.75/8.95)

Robert L. Hilliard, ed. Television Broadcasting: An Introduction (New York: Hastings House, 1978— $15.75/7.95)

Charles Bensinger's The Video Guide (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Video-Info Publications (P.O. Box 1507), 1977— $11.95, paper)

Mike Wolverton's And Now the News (Houston, Tex.: Gulf Publishing Co., 1977— $10.95)

The WAFL Book: A Guide to Film and Video in the Washington, D.C. Area (Washington Area Filmmakers League, P.O. Box 6475, Washington, D.C. 20009 —$5.45, including postage, paper)

David E. Fear's Technical Writing (New York: Random House, 1978—price not given, paper)     

Ukrainian Libraries of Yesterday,Today, and Tomorrow: Impressions From an American Fulbright Librarian

The author received a ten‐month Fulbright grant to lecture in Ukraine on digital library concepts. In this article she shares her observations and experiences gathered by visiting libraries and librarians all over the country. After 17 years of Ukrainian independence, the libraries are generally in a better situation than they were immediately after the breakup of the Soviet Union. However, they are also in a state of great transition as they rethink their role in society and grapple with new information technologies.     

The role of communication in managing reductions in work force

Reductions in work force (downsizing, delayering, resizing, outplacement, layoffs, demassing) are used by organizations to achieve desired economic goals and ensure survival. However, these reductions often negatively affect the work behaviors and attitudes of continuing employees and thus, may detract from the success of the reduction in work force. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the effects of multiple workforce reductions on survivors by extending Brockner's (1988) model and outlining the role of communication in the process so that researchers and practitioners can better predict and control for the effects of workforce reductions. In pursuit of this goal, a causal model of effects on survivors was developed and then tested with data collected in a large, midwestern insurance company that implemented two workforce reductions.

The hypothesized model was inconsistent with the data and subsequently was rejected. A revised model was then tested and found to fit at three time periods. The revised model demonstrates survivor reactions to reductions are complex and change over time and in response to multiple reductions. The main conclusion was that managers can influence survivor information deprivation, career future uncertainty, work satisfaction, and propensity for turnover by paying attention to, and if possible controlling, organizational identification, financial rewards, work team communication support, and manager communication support. The results also suggest that survivor reactions to prior organizational interventions may influence the success of current interventions.     

Gaming motivations,avatar-self identification and symptoms of online game addiction

This study conducted a survey of 217 adult game players in Hong Kong to explore the effects of gaming motivations and avatar-self identification on symptoms of online game addiction. Results show that avatar-self identification is positively associated with the problems and salience dimension as well as the uncontrollable game-play dimension of game addiction. The motivation to relax is positively related to perceived avatar-self identification and uncontrollable play; the motivation to socialize in online games is positively linked with the avatar-self identification and both symptoms of online game addiction. The motivation to escape is positively related to the symptom of problems and salience. The drive to achieve virtual accomplishment in online games is negatively associated with the problem caused by gameplay and the salience of online games.     

Understanding the science of environmental issues: development of a subject knowledge guide for primary teacher education

In the light of an increased concern for environmental education (especially in the context of sustainable development) in the UK, this study used questionnaire surveys to explore the understanding of 170 practising primary school teachers, 120 primary trainees and 88 secondary science trainees in four areas: biodiversity, the carbon cycle, ozone and global warming. A methodological innovation in this research was the prior identification of basic scientific explanations of each area for a primary teacher and the use of these as benchmarks for judging understanding. Knowledge of the component parts of these explanations was tested in the questionnaires. Hence the study was able to identify those underpinning science concepts which were well understood, and those which were not so well understood. The frequencies of several misconceptions, uncovered in earlier interviews and also included in the questionnaires, are also reported. It is suggested that both the basic explanations and the difficulties of understanding displayed by the teachers in some areas can usefully inform programmes of professional development for sustainable development and environmental education. An outline of a guide for teachers adopting this approach is provided.     

A Review and Meta-Analysis Examining the Relationship of Music Content with Sex,Race, Priming,and Attitudes

This meta-analysis (k = 35, N = 11,629) examines the effect that listening to music, particularly popular music, has on consumers. Results demonstrate that listening to music generates an effect on listeners consistent with the content of the music (average r = .210, k = 35, N = 11,629). This effect was similar when considering survey research (r = .227) or experimental research (r = .265). The tenets of excitation transfer theory received some support, particularly when considering the effects of music as a priming material (r = .399), demonstrating the impact of music as a means of establishing mood, and ultimately the subsequent reactions of individuals. One conclusion is that efforts toward media literacy or education may prove far more productive than media content restrictions when attempting to curb potential undesirable media effects. Additional implications for policy and theory are discussed.     

Pupils' perceptions of practical science in primary and secondary school: implications for improving progression and continuity of learning

In spite of the introduction of a National Curriculum in UK schools and the improved progression and continuity that it promised, pupils still have problems with learning when they transfer from primary to secondary school. These problems are particularly acute in science. One approach is to provide a programme of ‘bridging work’, focused on practical science, that is started in the primary school and continued in the secondary school. The research reported here explored pupils' perceptions and experiences of science practical work before and after transfer to secondary school. The implications of the findings for the design of bridging work in science are discussed.