Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Injunctive Norms On Marijuana Use: The Role Of Reference Groups, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac, Christine M. Lee

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Objective: Little work has evaluated the relationship between injunctive norms and marijuana use. This study sought to establish whether misperceptions exist between perceived injunctive norms of typical college students and the actual approval level of the students. We also examined respondents’ perceptions of which groups (typical student, close friends, and parents) were the most and least approving of marijuana. These variables were then applied to an explanatory model to assess their relationships with marijuana use.

Method: Participants were 3,753 students (61% female) randomly recruited from two West Coast campuses. Participants were asked about their own marijuana use and their own …

How Effectively Do People Learn From A Variety Of Different Opinions?, Andrew Healy

Economics Faculty Works

This paper presents experimental evidence about how effectively individuals learn from information coming from heterogeneous sources. In the experiment, Thai subjects observed information that came from Americans and from other Thais that they could use to help them answer a series of questions. Despite listening too little to either group, subjects demonstrated a significant amount of statistical sophistication in how they weighed observed American information relative to observed Thai information. The data indicate that subjects understood that outside information has extra value because people from the same group tend to make the same kinds of mistakes. The results illustrate the …

Perceived Behavioral Alcohol Norms Predict Drinking For College Students While Studying Abroad, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer

Heads Up!

Objective:

College students who study abroad may represent a subgroup at risk for increased drinking while living in foreign countries. The present study explores this idea as well as the extent to which students' pre-abroad perceptions of study-abroad student drinking are related to actual drinking while abroad.

Method:

Ninety-one students planning to study abroad completed an online survey of demographics, pre-abroad drinking behavior, perceptions of study-abroad student drinking behavior while abroad, and intentions to drink while abroad. Halfway into their study-abroad experience, participants completed a follow-up survey assessing drinking while abroad.

Results:

Pre-abroad intentions of drinking and pre-abroad perceptions of …

Alcohol-Related Information In Multi-Component Interventions And College Students' Drinking Behavior, Vandana Thadani, Karen Huchting, Joseph Labrie

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Education-only interventions produce little change in drinking behaviors; but, multi-component prevention programs, which include alcohol information as one feature, can decrease drinking. This study examined the role of alcohol knowledge in a multi-component intervention previously found to reduce first-year female college students' alcohol consumption. Intervention and control group students completed pre and postintervention assessments of drinking behaviors, and a postintervention assessment of alcohol-knowledge. Intervention students outperformed control students on the measure of alcohol knowledge. However knowledge did not predict drinking outcomes for this group, and it was positively correlated with drinkingbehaviors for control students. The findings suggest that, although learning …

Youth Empowerment And High School Gay-Straight Alliances, Stephen T. Russell, Anna M. Muraco, Aarti Subramaniam, Carolyn Laub

Sociology Faculty Works

In the field of positive youth development programs, “empowerment” is used interchangeably with youth activism, leadership, civic participation and self-efficacy. However, few studies have captured what empowerment means to young people in diverse contexts. This article explores how youth define and experience empowerment in youth-led organizations characterized by social justice goals: high school Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). Through focus group interviews, fifteen youth leaders of GSAs from different regions of California explain what they think empowerment means and how they became empowered through their involvement with the GSA. Youth describe three inter-related dimensions of empowerment: personal empowerment, relational empowerment, and strategic …

Myopic Voters And Natural Disaster Policy, Andrew Healy, Neil Malhorta

Economics Faculty Works

Do voters effectively hold elected officials accountable for policy decisions? Using data on natural disasters, government spending, and election returns, we show that voters reward the incumbent presidential party for delivering disaster relief spending, but not for investing in disaster preparedness spending. These inconsistencies distort the incentives of public officials, leading the government to underinvest in disaster preparedness, thereby causing substantial public welfare losses. We estimate that $1 spent on preparedness is worth about $15 in terms of the future damage it mitigates. By estimating both the determinants of policy decisions and the consequences of those policies, we provide more …

Alcohol-Related Information In Multi-Component Interventions And College Students’ Drinking Behavior, Vandana Thadani, Karen Huchting, Joseph W. Labrie

Heads Up!

Education-only interventions produce little change in drinking behaviors; but, multi-component prevention programs, which include alcohol information as one feature, can decrease drinking. This study examined the role of alcohol knowledge in a multi-component intervention previously found to reduce first-year female college students’ alcohol consumption. Intervention and control group students completed pre and postintervention assessments of drinking behaviors, and a postintervention assessment of alcohol-knowledge. Intervention students outperformed control students on the measure of alcohol knowledge. However knowledge did not predict drinking outcomes for this group, and it was positively correlated with drinking behaviors for control students. The findings suggest that, although …

Preventing Risky Drinking In First-Year College Women: Further Validation Of A Female-Specific Motivational-Enhancement Group Intervention, Joseph W. Labrie, Karen K. Huchting, Andrew Lac, Summer Tawalbeh, Alysha D. Thompson, Mary E. Larimer

Heads Up!

Objective:

Female college students have increased their alcohol consumption rates. The current study sought to replicate the effectiveness of a female-specific motivational-enhancement group intervention and extended previous work by adding a 6-month follow-up. The intervention included several motivational-enhancement components delivered in a group setting and included a group discussion of female-specific reasons for drinking.

Method:

Participants were 285 first-year college women. Data collection consisted of an online pre-intervention questionnaire, 10 weeks of online follow-up assessment, and a 6-month online follow-up. Using a randomized design, participants chose a group session, blind to treatment status. Held during the first weeks of the …

The Theological Origins Of Modernity, By Michael Allen Gillespie, John M. Parrish

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Is Fairness In The Eye Of The Beholder?: An Impartial Spectator Analysis Of Justice, James Konow

Economics Faculty Works

A popular sentiment is that fairness is inexorably subjective and incapable of being determined by objective standards. This study, on the other hand, seeks to establish evidence on unbiased justice and to propose and demonstrate a general approach for measuring impartial views empirically. Most normative justice theories associate impartiality with limited information and consensus. In both the normative and positive literature, information is usually seen as the raw material for self-serving bias and disagreement. In contrast, this paper proposes a type of impartiality that is associated with a high level of information and that results in consensus. The crucial distinction …

The Prognostic Power Of Normative Influences Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Justin F. Hummer, Joseph W. Labrie, Andrew Lac

Heads Up!

This study evaluated the predictive power of perceived descriptive and injunctive norms on intercollegiate student-athlete alcohol consumption and attitudes toward drinking-related behaviors. The sample consisted of 594 NCAA student-athletes from two geographically opposite sites. Norms variables utilized a school and gender-specific athletic peer reference group. Results indicate that respondents reported greater perceived injunctive norms than actual attitudes, and greater perceived descriptive norms than actual alcohol use. Further, after accounting for demographics and alcohol motivations, perceived injunctive norms were the strongest predictors of athletes' attitudes with the final model explaining 54% of the variance. Similarly, perceived descriptive norms were among the …

Gender And Friendship Norms Among Older Adults, Diane Felmlee, Anna M. Muraco

Sociology Faculty Works

The authors examined same- and cross-gender friendship norms in a sample of 135 adults (average age 73 years). Participants evaluated a friend’s behavior, quantitatively and qualitatively, in vignettes in which the friend’s gender was experimentally manipulated. Gender often significantly, though modestly, influenced normative evaluations. Women frequently had higher expectations of friends than men and placed a greater emphasis on intimacy. Women were more disapproving of violations of friendship rules, such as betraying a confidence, paying a surprise visit, and failing to stand up for a friend in public. However, both men and women were less approving of a man than …

Family History Of Alcohol Abuse Moderates Effectiveness Of A Group Motivational Enhancement Intervention In College Women, Joseph W. Labrie, Nashla Feres, Shannon R. Kenney, Andrew Lac

Heads Up!

This study examined whether a self-reported family history of alcohol abuse (FH+) moderated the effects of a female-specific group motivational enhancement intervention with first-year college women. First-year college women (N= 287) completed an initial questionnaire and attended an intervention (n=161) or control (n=126) group session, of which 118 reported FH+. Repeated measures ANCOVA models were estimated to investigate whether the effectiveness of the intervention varied as a function of one’s reported family history of alcohol abuse. Results revealed that family history of alcohol abuse moderated intervention efficacy. Although the intervention was effective in producing …

Effects Of Onset Density In Preschool Children: Implications For Development Of Phonological Awareness And Phonological Representation, Judith G. Foy, Virginia A. Mann

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Neighborhood density influences adult performance on several worked processing tasks. Some studies show age-related effects of density on children's performance, reflecting a developmental restructuring of the mental lexicon from holistic into segmental representations that may play a role in phonological awareness. To further investigate density effects and their implications for development of phonological awareness, we compared performance on dense and sparse onset words. We adapted these materials to three phonological awareness tests that were pretested on adults then administered to preschool children who were expected to vary in phonological awareness skills. For both the adults and the children who passed …

What Men Want: The Role Of Reflective Opposite-Sex Normative Preferences In Alcohol Use Among College Women, Joseph W. Labrie, Jessica Cail, Justin F. Hummer, Andrew Lac, Clayton Neighbors

Heads Up!

Misperceptions of peer drinking norms have been found to be strongly associated with individual drinking behavior, especially for proximal reference groups such as same-sex friends. Less studied are the effects of perceived preferences from the opposite sex on alcohol use; that is, the behaviors an individual believe the opposite sex prefers from them. Research suggests that these perceived “reflective” normative preferences may be particularly salient among college women, who may drink in pursuit of intimate relationships and positive attention from male peers. Heterosexual undergraduate students from two universities participated in this project. Females answered questions regarding the amount of alcohol …

Differential Drinking Patterns Of Family History Positive And Family History Negative First Semester College Females, Joseph W. Labrie, Shannon R. Kenney, Andrew Lac, Savannah F. Migliuri

Heads Up!

Objective

This study compares the natural drinking patterns of family history positive and family history negative women during their first semester of college, a transitional period known to coincide with considerable alcohol-related risks.

Method

Seventy-two incoming undergraduate females, approximately half of whom reported a family history of alcohol misuse, completed initial questionnaires as well as Timeline Followback assessments. In addition, participants completed five successive weeks of online behavioral diaries measuring three categories of prospective alcohol consumption: total drinks, maximum drinks, and heavy episodic drinking events. Repeated measures ANCOVA models, controlling for prior alcohol consumption, examined participants’ drinking behavior.

Results

Over …

Reclaiming Koreatown: A Prescription For Current And Future Needs Of Koreatown Residents, Edward J.W. Park, Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance

Asian and Asian American Studies Faculty Works

This report presents current and future needs of neighborhood residents and analyzes the challenges facing the multi-ethnic, low-income Koreatown community in Los Angeles. For the thousands of low-income residents of Los Angeles's Koreatown, the economic hardships brought on by the recent subprime mortgage housing and financial crises are not new. In the words of a Koreatown resident, "....the housing 'crisis' has been a crisis for us for a long time." Well before the current recession, Koreatown residents were complaining of increased housing costs due to the influx of upscale luxury housing units that replaced affordable housing units. The 2008 financial …

Mental And Social Health Impacts The Use Of Protective Behavioral Strategies In Reducing Risky Drinking And Alcohol Consequences, Joseph W. Labrie, Shannon R. Kenney, Andrew Lac, Jonathan A. Garcia, Paul Ferraiolo

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The present study is the first to examine the moderating effects of mental and social health status in the relationship between protective behavioral strategies utilized to reduce high risk drinking (e.g., alternating alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks or avoiding drinking games) and alcohol outcomes (drinking variables and alcohol-related negative consequences) among first-year college females (N = 128). Findings revealed that protective behaviors were particularly effective in reducing both alcohol consumption and related risks among participants reporting lower mental health as compared to higher mental health. Further, participants with higher social health who utilized protective behaviors consumed significantly fewer maximum drinks per …

Chronically Ill Midlife And Older Lesbians, Gay Men, And Bisexuals And Their Informal Caregivers: The Impact Of The Social Context, Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen, Hyun-Jun Kim, Anna M. Muraco, Shawn Mincer

Sociology Faculty Works

With the exception of HIV care, informal caregiving of chronically ill lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults has received very limited attention in the extensive caregiving literature. This article reports on research that considered the social context of care and a dyadic caregiving approach for 36 chronically ill LGB adults ages 50 and older and their informal caregivers. In this study, both discrimination and relationship quality were associated with depression among chronically ill LGB adults and their caregivers. Furthermore, preliminary findings suggested that relationship quality moderates the impact of discrimination as a risk factor for depression in chronically ill LGB …

Normative Misperceptions And Marijuana Use Among Male And Female College Athletes, Joseph W. Labrie, Joel R. Grossbard, Justin F. Hummer

Psychological Science Faculty Works

This research assessed the frequency of marijuana use and perceptions of gender-specific marijuana use among intercollegiate athletes from two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 universities. Normative data were gathered in a live setting. Male athletes reported significantly greater marijuana use than female athletes and the overall sample reported higher prevalence of use than national averages for college athletes and non-athletes. Gender-specific perceptions among male and female athletes exceeded actual self-reported use, and perceived marijuana use among male athletes was strongly associated with personal use. The findings demonstrate the salience of group-specific marijuana norms and present implications for normative …

Private Sector Development In Xinjiang, China: A Comparison Between Uyghur And Han, Tyler Harlan

Sociology Faculty Works

Private sector development has been sluggish in China's west, where ethnic minorities make up a sizeable part of the population. In the northwest Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the state maintains a steady presence in the small but growing private sector, largely populated by Han-owned firms and entrepreneurs. The Uyghurs, one of fourteen recognised ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, primarily reside in the poorer agricultural south where the private sector has made few inroads. Not surprisingly, Uyghurs have little presence in the private sector beyond informal trade. This has considerable implications for ethnic relations in a region already threatened by rising Uyghur-Han …

Envy Freeness In Experimental Fair Division Problems, Dorothea K. Herreiner, Clemens Puppe

Economics Faculty Works

Envy is sometimes suggested as an underlying motive in the assessment of
different economic allocations. In the theoretical literature on fair division, following Foley (1967), the term “envy” refers to an intrapersonal comparison of different consumption bundles. By contrast, in its everyday use “envy” involves interpersonal comparisons of well-being. We present and discuss results from free-form bargaining experiments on fair division problems in which inter- and intrapersonal criteria can be distinguished. We find that interpersonal comparisons play the dominant role. The effect of the intrapersonal criterion of envy-freeness is limited to situations in which other fairness criteria are not applicable.

Social Preferences And Moral Biases, Rachel Croson, James Konow

Economics Faculty Works

A consensus seems to be emerging in economics that at least three motives are at work in many strategic decisions: distributive preferences, reciprocal preferences and self-interest. An important obstacle to this research, however, has been moral biases, i.e., the distortions created by self-interest that can obscure our measures of social preferences. Among other things, this has led to disagreement about the relative importance of self-interest, distributive and reciprocal preferences. This paper describes a simple experiment that decomposes behavior into these three forces. We compare the decisions of implicated “stakeholders” with those of impartial “spectators,” who have no stake. Several surprising …

Book Review: Presidents In Retirement: Alone And Out Of Office, By Paul B. Wice, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Treason Trials Of Aaron Burr, By Peter C. Hoffer, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Unitary Executive: Presidential Power From Washington To Bush, By Steven G. Calabresi And Christopher S. Yoo, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Book Review: To Serve The President: Continuity And Innovation In The White House Staff, By Bradley H. Patterson, Michael A. Genovese

Political Science and International Relations Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

A Night To Remember: A Harm-Reduction Birthday Card Intervention Reduces High-Risk Drinking During 21st Birthday Celebrations, Joseph W. Labrie, Savannah Migliuri, Jessica Cail

Heads Up!

Objective

In collaboration with Residence Life, the Heads UP research team developed a 21st birthday card program to help reduce the risky drinking often associated with these celebrations.

Participants

81 students (28 males, 53 females) completed a post-21st birthday survey. Of these, 74 reported drinking during their 21st birthday and were included in the analyses.

Methods

During the 2005–2006 school year, the authors assigned students celebrating 21st birthdays to either receive an alcohol risk-reduction birthday card or to a no-card condition. The students completed a survey after their birthday.

Results

Students who received the card consumed fewer drinks and reached …

Before You Slip Into The Night, You’Ll Want Something To Drink: Exploring The Reasons For Prepartying Behavior Among College Student Drinkers, Eric R. Pedersen, Joseph W. Labrie, Jason R. Kilmer

Heads Up!

Prepartying among college students is an emerging topic of research and clinical focus. Unfortunately for some students, prepartying, or quick drinking before going out for the primary event of the evening, can lead to high blood alcohol levels, further drinking, and subsequent consequences. The present study was designed to explore the reasons for prepartying among a sample of 444 male and female students. Males and females reported arriving to a social event already under the influence, saving money, and making the night more interesting as their most highly endorsed reasons for prepartying. Males endorsed reasons relating to increased social and …

A Brief Live Interactive Normative Group Intervention Using Wireless Keypads To Reduce Drinking And Alcohol Consequences In College Student Athletes, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Karen K. Huchting, Clayton Neighbors

Heads Up!

Introduction and Aims

Misperceptions of how members of one’s social group think and act influence behaviour. The current study was designed to extend the research of group-specific normative feedback interventions among salient campus groups with heightened risk. Although not a randomised controlled trial, this research used normative feedback that was obtained using wireless keypad technology during a live session, within sex-specific student athlete groups to extend the proof of concept of using this brief interactive intervention.

Design and Methods

Participants included 660 intercollegiate athletes from all varsity athletic teams at two private, mid-size universities. Intervention data were gathered in vivo …