An assessment of the behavior of sexually abused and nonsexually abused children with anatomically correct dolls

The behaviors of two groups of children were observed and recorded in their play with anatomically correct dolls. One group had been determined to have been sexually abused and the other group had not been determined to have been sexually abused. The findings show that significantly more children who had been sexually abused demonstrated sexual behavior(s) with the anatomically correct dolls than did the group of children who had not been sexually abused. These findings suggest that anatomically correct dolls are a useful instrument in sexual abuse investigations.     

Performing property cycles

Economists characterize fluctuations in property markets as ‘cyclical’ in that characteristics repeat and recur instead of being temporally isolated or random. I argue that cycle metaphors naturalize change and distract us from the social and institutional relations underpinning transformation in local property markets. I emphasize the performative nature of cycles by focusing on the networks of actors – brokers, appraisers, investors, and planners – that move capital through the built environment, articulating arguments for its free passage, identifying inflexion points, and temporarily stabilizing the meanings associated with individual buildings, submarkets, and periods. Drawing from a case study of an office development cycle in downtown Chicago (1998–2009), I argue that cycles can be treated not only as metaphors that describe economic processes, but also as socially effective constructions in their own right. Specifically, I consider three ways in which actors perform cycles, including (1) professionals’ use of market devices that contain within them assumptions regarding the proper timing of (dis)investment; (2) the existence of incentives for herding among professionals that draw them to and away from assets at roughly the same times; and (3) the importance of cycle thinking in instilling the confidence necessary to speculate on an unknown future.     

An interactive systems model derived from experts' perceptions of human-computer issues

This research elicited experts' perceptions of factors affecting the development and use of interactive technologies (e.g., interactive video, multimedia, videoconferencing) using a survey of 85 human/social items extracted from current literature. Analysis of responses from members of several professional organizations having significant involvement with these technologies allowed determination of perceptions of key issues. Factor analyses were used to formulate a categorization and identify underlying dimensions, from which a general model of interactive systems was derived. The model is a graphical display of the co-dependencies and interactions among the dimensions of interactive systems. It is useful for educational technologists, instructional designers, and communications professionals in the analysis of interactive technologies and a means for viewing overall systems development, use, and effectiveness.     

Die Unzulässigkeit fremdsprachiger Curricula an österreichischen Universitäten

Bei der Ausarbeitung der Curricula an den österreichischen Universitäten im Gefolge der Implementierung des UG 2002 werden auch Teile des Studienangebots in Fremdsprachen angeboten, ja es werden zum Teil weite Teile oder sogar das gesamte Studienangebot einzelner Studien in Fremdsprachen angeboten. Dies ist nicht auf Sprach- bzw Kulturstudien beschränkt. Diese Bestrebungen wollen der Internationalisierung der österreichischen Universitäten Vorschub leisten. Allerdings stößt dies auf schwerwiegende rechtliche Bedenken. Die Verfassungsbestimmung des § 5 UniStG, die in das UG 2002 übergeleitet wurde, ermächtigt nur den Bundesgesetzgeber, die Einführung von fremdsprachigen Lehrveranstaltungen, Prüfungen etc mit verpflichtendem Charakter vorzusehen. Der Gesetzgeber hat bei der Erlassung des UG 2002 eine solche Ermächtigung nicht vorgesehen. Da das Studienrecht in Hoheitsverwaltung vollzogen wird, gilt das strenge Legalitätsprinzip des Art 18 Abs 1 und 2 B-VG. Danach wären verpflichtende fremdsprachige Prüfungen und Lehrveranstaltungen schlechthin ausgeschlossen. Im folgenden Beitrag wird jedoch der Frage nachgegangen, ob dieses Verbot absolut gilt oder ob zumindest bei Sprach- bzw Kulturstudien, wo ein fremdsprachiger Teil der Curricula nicht nur sinnvoll, sondern auch notwendig ist, zulässig ist. Dabei wird das Problem der Amtssprache des Art 8 B-VG ebenso zu erörtern sein wie die Frage nach den immanenten Grenzen des Verbots fremdsprachiger Curricula. Die Frage wird letztlich vom Gesetzgeber zu entscheiden sein.     

Urban African American Children's Prerogative at Home and School

The study replicates a previous investigation done with middle class children to examine their conceptions of prerogative and restriction, Weber (1999). For the present study, forty nine first, third and fifth grade children who were primarily African American, were drawn from two public schools in a small aging midwestern industrial city. They participated in two interviews which elicited responses concerning personal prerogative at home and school. The children identified areas of prerogative in both settings. They distinguished between personal and conventional issues at school. Children's claims to prerogative appeared to increase with age, as did the amount of disagreement and conflict over such issues. There appeared to be a flattening out of opportunity at school however, that did not occur at home. Unlike the middle class sample, these children sometimes used prudential and punishment reasoning to justify restrictions. Direct responses from the children clearly indicated that school should be different from home in prerogative offered them. They appeared to accept more narrow and rigid boundaries at school with little reservation. The totality of the children's responses, however, suggests the possibility of more complex attitudes. The flattening of provision at school, combined with some presence of punishment reasoning, suggests that there may be some interesting differences in approach between middle class and working class schools.