The special magic of the eighties: Shaping words and shape-shifting words

She has a Master's degree in children's literature and a Ph.D. in Australian literature. One of her particular research interests is in teaching literature to ESL students.     

Egocentrism, ethnocentrism, and altrocentrism: factors in individual and intergroup violence

Egocentrism and ethnocentrism are considered as cognitive biases which foster violence at both individual and group levels. Each is characterized as a lack of empathy or an inability to see reality as it appears to others. Altrocentrism is conceptualized as a more mature, socialized form of perceiving in which the individual can understand another person because he sees the facts as they appear to the other. Adolescents tend to see policemen and teachers as hostile and threatening because they cannot empathize with the roles of these authority figures. Evidence indicates that violent behavior is associated with egocentric and ethnocentric thinking. Devices such as role-playing, stating the case of the other, fantasy, and the culture-assimilator foster altrocentric thinking, and some evidence indicates that they reduce the frequency of resort to violence. Cross-cultural education must begin use of such procedures if we are to minimize domestic and international violence.     

Analysis of postural stability in collegiate soccer players before and after an acute bout of heading multiple soccer balls

The aim of our study was to determine if any immediate changes in balance were discernable in college soccer players after a specially designed heading session. Eight male and two female skilled collegiate soccer players had a baseline balance pre-test using the Balance Master, followed by heading 20 balls kicked consecutively by a teammate from the touchline to a point near the goal, which was followed by a post-test using the same testing technique. Paired t-tests were used to compare balance ability between pre- and post-test conditions. There was no difference in balance pre- to post-test (85.3% and 86.2% respectively). No significant difference was noted from pre- to post-test in the mean equilibrium scores for conditions three through six on the Sensory Organization Test, with the exception of condition four, which revealed a significant increase from pre- to post-test. We concluded that an acute session of heading soccer balls may not result in balance changes in collegiate soccer players.     

Technique and timing in women's inward two and one half somersault tuck (405C) and the men's inward two and one half somersault pike (405B) 3 m springboard dives

The purpose of this study was to compare the inward two and one half somersault dive in a tuck position (405C) performed by females (n = 22) and the inward two and one half somersault dive in a pike position (405B) performed by males (n = 24) to determine changes required by females to successfully perform 405B. Key performance variables in inward dives were also compared to those of backward dives. Video data of the dives performed at the 1999 FINA World Diving Cup were captured and digitized to obtain times and postures of the divers at specific events including takeoff and entry. Estimates of flight height and mass-normalised work done on the springboard were obtained from flight times. Some females worked the springboard strongly enough to generate sufficient height and rotation to perform 405B. Males performed 405B comfortably because they achieved better height and rotation than the females. A comparison of backward and inward dives revealed that divers are able to attain greater height in backward dives than inward dives.     

VALUE-FRAMING ABORTION IN THE UNITED STATES: AN APPLICATION OF MEDIA SYSTEM DEPENDENCY THEORY

This paper is in the tradition of social analysis aimed at creatingframeworks to join mass media and public opinion processes (e.g.Clarke and Evans, 1983; Gamson, 1975; Gitlin, 1980; Hall, 1977;Iyengar and Kinder, 1987; Lang and Lang, 1968, 1983; Lippman,1922; Mollotch and Lester, 1974; Noelle-Neuman, 1974; Paletzand Entman, 1981; Shaw and McCombs, 1977; Turner and Paz, 1986).After a brief review of media system dependency (MSD) theory,we illustrate how it may apply to public opinion processes thatentail contested issue ‘value-frames’ (Ball-Rokeachand Rokeach, 1987). In such cases, the media system is directlyimplicated in the negotiation of legitimacy of opposing positionson an issue. Our illustrative case is the abortion issue asit has been played out in the United States over recent decades(Luker, 1984). We focus upon the respective capacities of pro-and anti-abortion movements to control the value-frame of mediacoverage of the issue (Guthrie, 1989). A value-frame may beconceived as ‘... the main substantive theme of a moralityplay’ (Ball-Rokeach and Tallman, 1979) wherein the distinctionbetween ‘good’ and ‘bad’ hangs in thebalance; in this case, between positions on abortion. We suggestthat change in the value-frame of media coverage and publicdiscourse may be understood, at least in part, as an outcomeof change in contestants' MSD relations.