Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Relative Risk Of Hiv Infection Among Young Men And Women In A South African Township, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Brian G. Williams, Catherine Campbell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The prevalence of HIV infection in Africa is substantially higher among young women than it is among young men. Biological explanations of this difference have been presented but there has been little exploration of social factors. In this paper we use data from Carletonville, South Africa to explore various social explanations for greater female infection rates. This paper reports on data from a random sample of 507 people between 13 and 24 years old. Subjects were tested for HIV, as well as other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and answered a behavioural questionnaire. The age-prevalence of HIV infection differs between men …

Health Claims Policy, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The 2nd Omega Workshop, 30 September 2002, Adelaide, Australia.

Effect Of Global Perspective Jitter On Visually Induced Postural Sway, Stephen Palmisano, G Pinniger, Julie R. Steele

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 25th European Conference on Visual Perception, 25-29 August 2002, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Y4 Receptor Knockout Rescues Fertility In Ob/Ob Mice, Amanda Sainsbury, Christoph Schwarzer, Michelle Couzens, Arthur Jenkins, Samantha R. Oakes, Christopher J. Ormandy, Herbert Herzog

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been implicated in the regulation of energy balance and reproduction, and chronically elevated NPY levels in the hypothalamus are associated with obesity and reduced reproductive function. However, it is not known which one of the five cloned Y receptors mediates these effects. Here we show that crossing the Y4 receptor knockout mouse (Y4^−/−) onto the ob/ob background restores the reduced plasma testosterone levels of ob/ob mice as well as the reduced testis and seminal vesicle size and morphology to control values. Fertility in the sterile ob/ob mice was greatly improved by Y4 …

Pressure Points: School Executive And Educational Change, Stephen Dinham, Catherine Scott

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recent international research has demonstrated a relationship between physical health and occupational status/level of appointment: people who hold higher level positions enjoy better physical health on average than those in lower positions. Researchers have speculated that this may be in part due to the lower levels of control exercised over pace and timetabling of work by those occupying lower positions. Poorer physical health is thus mediated by lower levels of mental wellbeing.

Worldwide, many working in school education have experienced ‘control’ being taken away from them by rapid and constant educational change imposed from ‘the outside’. The pace and extent …

A Game Of Distinction: Football, The World Cup, And The Australian Urbane, Jason Wilson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The title of Johnny Warren's Shielas, Wogs and Poofters (Warren, Harper et al. 2002) encapsulates an Australian attitude towards soccer, its players and its constituency that while certainly problematic, may also be outdated. But for a brief period in the 1970s, when a team led by Warren contested the World Cup finals, Rugby League and Australian Football ruled the ball-sports roost (Rugby Union trailed a-ways behind): the sport that most of the rest of the world knows simply as football was, in all senses, marginal. More recently, and especially in the midst of a FIFA World Cup finals held in …

Performance, Anxiety: The Video Games Arcade And Urban Space, Jason Wilson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In a recent gaming anthology, Henry Jenkins cannot help contrasting his son's cramped, urban, media-saturated existence with his own idyllic, semi-rural childhood. After describing his own Huck Finn meanderings over "the spaces of my boyhood" including the imaginary kingdoms of Jungleoca and Freedonia, Jenkins relates his version of his son's experiences:

My son, Henry, now 16 has never had a backyard He has grown up in various apartment complexes, surrounded by asphalt parking lots with, perhaps, a small grass buffer from the street… Once or twice, when I became exasperated by my son's constant presence around the house I would …

The Intake Of Carotenoids In An Older Australian Population: The Blue Mountains Eye Study, Fiona Manzi, Victoria Flood, Karen Webb, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To describe the distribution of carotenoid intakes and important food sources of carotenoids in the diet of a representative population of older Australians.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Setting: Two post-code areas in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia.

Subjects: We studied 2012 (86%) of the 2334 participants aged 55 + years attending the 5-year follow-up of the cross-sectional Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES), who completed a detailed semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The intakes for five carotenoids were studied: α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin combined, and lycopene.

Results: The mean intake per day for each carotenoid was: α-carotene, 2675 …

"Is The Story On My Face?": Intertextural Conflicts During Teacher-Class Interactions Around Texts In Early Grade Classrooms, Pauline Harris, Jillian Trezise, W N. Winser

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a three-year naturalistic inquiry into intertextuality in early grade classrooms. Specifically, the paper focuses on intertextual conflicts during teacher-class interactions where teachers are reading and modeling texts as well as guiding children to read and talk about text content, purposes, genres, and structures. These conflicts are identified and examined within a conceptual framework that accounts for intertextuality in terms of written texts, lived experiences, lessons, and processes in individuals. In exploring these conflicts, the study reveals that intertextuality in classrooms is not a systematic business. Rather, intertextuality can take on many guises in classroom interactions around …

Migration, Music And Social Relations On The Nsw Far North Coast, Christopher Gibson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article explores urban-rural migration on the NSW Far North Coast (the ‘Northern Rivers’ region) and the emergence of popular music as a niche cultural industry. The various images of the NSW Far North Coast as a ‘lifestyle’ region, ‘alternative’ region and coastal retreat have attracted a diverse mix of exurban professionals, unemployed persons, youth subcultures and retirees, yet despite population growth, the region continues to suffer unemployment rates among the highest in Australia. Against this backdrop, popular music has emerged as a niche industry with linkages to cultural production in Sydney, Melbourne and overseas, and also an area of …

Can The Q Link Ally R, A Form Of Sympathetic Resonance Technology (Srttm), Attenuate Acute Mobile Phone-Related Changes To Neural Function?, Rodney J. Croft, Jody Chandler, Adrian P. Burgess, Robert Barry, John D. Williams, Adam Clarke

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: Exposure to active mobile phones (MP) has been shown to affect human neural function as shown by the electroencephalogram (EEG). Although it has not been determined whether such effects are harmful, a number of devices have been developed that attempt to minimize these MP-related effects. One such device, the Q Link Ally^® (QL; Clarus Products, International, L.L.C., San Rafael, CA), is argued to affect the human organism in such a way as to attenuate the effect of MPs. The present pilot study was designed to determine whether there is any indication that QL does alter MP-related effects on …

Medical Tests: Women's Reported And Preferred Decision-Making Roles And Preferences For Information On Benefits, Side-Effects And False Results, Heather M. Davey, Alexandra Barratt, Elizabeth Davey, Phyllis N. Butow, Sally Redman, Nehmat Houssami, Glenn P. Salkeld

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective  To determine women's preferences for and reported experience with medical test decision-making. Design  Computer-assisted telephone survey. Setting and participants  Six hundred and fifty-two women resident in households randomly selected from the New South Wales electronic white pages. Main outcome measures  Reported and preferred test and treatment (for comparison) decision-making, satisfaction with and anxiety about information on false results and side-effects; and effect of anxiety on desire for such information. Results  Overall most women preferred to share test (94.6%) and treatment (91.2%) decision-making equally with their doctor, or to take a more active role, with only 5.4-8.9% reporting they wanted …

Pre-School Experience And Social/Behavioural Development At The Start Of Primary School, Edward Melhuish, Louise Quinn, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Gail Currie

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This longitudinal study assesses the attainment and development of children followed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Over 700 children were recruited to the study during 1998 and 1999 from 80 pre-school centres. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (including multilevel modelling) are used to explore the effects of pre-school experience on children's cognitive attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school and any continuing effects on such outcomes up to 7 years of age. In addition to the effects of preschool experience, the study investigates the contribution to children's development of individual and family characteristics such as gender, …

Maternity Care Needs Of Refugee And Asylum-Seeking Women: A Summary Of Research By Patricia Kennedy And Jo Murphy- Lawless, Patricia Kennedy, Jo Murphy-Lawless

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This extended study, with both quantitative and qualitative elements, was designed and carried out in 1999-2000 to collect baseline data on refugee women's experiences, expressed needs and perspectives of the existing care services in order to inform the development of relevant maternity care policies for this vulnerable group and to plan models of best practice for the future.

Environmental Factors Associated With Adults' Participation In Physical Activity: A Review, Nancy Humpel, Neville Owen, Eva Leslie

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Promoting physical activity is a public health priority, and changes in the environmental contexts of adults’ activity choices are believed to be crucial. However, of the factors associated with physical activity, environmental influences are among the least understood. Method: Using journal scans and computerized literature database searches, we identified 19 quantitative studies that assessed the relationships with physical activity behavior of perceived and objectively determined physical environment attributes. Findings were categorized into those examining five categories: accessibility of facilities, opportunities for activity, weather, safety, and aesthetic attributes. Results: Accessibility, opportunities, and aesthetic attributes had significant associations with physical activity. …

Knowledge About Typical Source Output Influences Perceived Auditory Distance, John W. Philbeck, Donald H. Mershon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Vocal effort is known to influence the judged distance of speechsound sources. The present research examined whether this influence is due to long-term experience gained prior to the experiment versus short-term experience gained from exposure to speech stimuli earlier in the same experiment. Speech recordings were presented to 192 blindfolded listeners at three levels of vocal output. Even upon the first presentation, shouting voices were reported as appearing farthest, whispered voices closest. This suggests that auditory distance perception can be affected by past experience in a way that does not require explicit comparisons between individual stimuli.

John's $12 Tonic: Press Coverage Of The Government's Selling Of A Private Health Insurance Rebate, Stacy M. Carter, Simon Chapman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To document representations of the 1998 introduction of a 30% rebate on private health insurance in the three most-read daily Sydney newspapers. Methods: Thematic frame analysis of 131 newspaper articles. Results: The rebate was opposed through two frames: that it was ineffective and unfair, and that it was politically motivated. Four supportive frames were more complex: the rebate was justified by claims that public health care was collapsing, that responsible citizens should pay for their own health care, and that individuals would benefit financially. There was also a focus on the political battle in the Senate. The newspaper with …

Worshipping At The Alpine Altar: Promoting Tobacco In A World Without Advertising, Stacy M. Carter

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

"Glisten. The party to go with your glamourpuss dress." "Glisten. Music to go with your rock star hair." "Glisten. Cocktails to go with your spanking ring." ("Minimum age 18. Photo ID required. Tobacco & alcohol products for sale.") Three highly stylised advertisements, one for each by-line, and each featuring a young woman on the dancefloor flaunting dress, hair and ring respectively, had been splashed in expensive full colour across the street music press and on the Wavesnet website (www.wavesnet.net) for weeks. On the night of Thursday 6 September at least some glamourpusses believed the hype at the high profile nightclub …

What Makes A Problem An Ethical Problem? An Empirical Perspective On The Nature Of Ethical Problems In General Practice, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Whilst there has been considerable debate about the fit between moral theory and moral reasoning in everyday life, the way in which moral problems are defined has rarely been questioned. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 15 general practitioners (GPs) in South Australia to argue that the way in which the bioethics literature defines an ethical dilemma captures only some of the range of lay views about the nature of ethical problems. The bioethics literature has defined ethical dilemmas in terms of conflict and choice between values, beliefs and options for action. While some of the …

Kidsmart: The Phase 1 Uk Evaluation 2000-2001, John Siraj-Blatchford, Iram Siraj-Blatchford

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As the first phase of their Kidsmart programme in the UK, IBM donated a total of 27 of their Young Explorer Early Learning Centres, complete with Edmark educational software to 14 nurseries in 1999. These Early Learning Centres were initially developed by Little Tykes to serve the needs of 3 to 7 year olds and the Kidsmart aim has been to support early childhood educators in their efforts to apply this new technology to stimulate the development of children's social and cognitive skills. The UK initiative has also involved the British Association for Early Childhood Education (Early Education), who have …

Cognitive And Social/Behavioural Development At 3-4 Years In Relation To Family Background, Edward Melhuish, Louise Quinn, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Kathleen Mcsherry, Mark Mccrory

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This longitudinal study assesses the attainment and development of children followed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Over 700 children were recruited to the study during 1998 and 1999 from 80 pre-school centres. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (including multilevel modelling) are used to explore the effects of pre-school experience on children's cognitive attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school and any continuing effects on such outcomes up to 7 years of age. In addition to the effects of preschool experience, the study investigates the contribution to children's development of individual and family characteristics such as gender, …

Generic Versus Content-Driven Assessment, Jim S. Tognolini

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In my Masters class I pose the question "How would you respond to the statement : Schools should teach students skills rather than content"? In replying to the question I expect students to make the point that while skills are important, they have to be applied to something, that something is content. I firmly believe that the dichotomy set up between content and skills is a false one. The relationship is one of emphasis and relativity. This paper considers how some of the states and territories have addressed or are currently addressing the relationship between skills and content in a …

Lessons From The Front: Ngos And The Fight Against Hiv/Aids In South Africa, Brian G. Williams, Eleanor Gouws, Janet Frohlich, Catherine Campbell, Catherine L. Mac Phail

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

More than a decade after HIV became established in South Africa's general population, the unity of purpose and commitment needed to limit and reverse the spread of infection is still lacking. Social leaders and "celebrities" are, with some notable exceptions such as Judge Edwin Cameron, unwilling to admit they are infected with HIV. The government argues for the importance of taking a broad view of the social contexts of the epidemic by embracing poverty, inequality and the legacy of Apartheid. Some large corporations are considering the consequences of the epidemic, but their attitude to it remains ambivalent. Echoing the history …

'I Think Condoms Are Good But, Aai, I Hate Those Things': Condom Use Among Adolescents And Young People In A Southern African Township, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Catherine Campbell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Levels of heterosexually transmitted HIV infection are high amongst South African youth, with one recent survey reporting levels of 18.9% amongst 17-20 year olds and 43.1% amongst 21-25 year olds. In these groups levels of knowledge about HIV are high, but perceived vulnerability and reported condom use are low. Much existing research into youth HIV in developing countries relies on survey measures which use individual knowledge, attitudes and reported behaviour as variables in seeking to explain HIV transmission amongst this group. This paper reports on a focus group study that seeks to complement existing individual-level quantitative findings with qualitative findings …

International Patterns Of Teacher Discontent, Catherine Scott, Barbara Stone, Stephen Dinham

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article reports the results of research into the career motivation and satisfaction of a sample of over 3,000 teachers and school administrators in four countries: Australia, New Zealand, England, and the USA. Using the participants' own words, we explore the effects on educators of recent international educational change, understood here as a subcategory of more general social trends. Bourdieu's concepts of the Right and Left Hands of the state are used to interpret the experience of teaching in a climate where, while more is expected and demanded of schools, and schools and teachers are scrutinised as never before, educational …

Offender Risk And Needs Assessment: Some Current Issues And Suggestions, Mitchell K. Byrne, Stuart Byrne, Katherine Hillman, Emma Stanley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Crime impacts upon the community at multiple levels, causing distress and loss for the victims, and feelings of insecurity for the public, as well as adding to the drain on financial resources for governments. This makes the accurate identification of risk of reoffending and the determination of efficacious rehabilitation strategies imperative. Key principles in cognitive and behavioural psychology can contribute to this task. This paper will review the issue of risk assessment and describe the applicability of functional analysis to forensic psychology. Two studies by the authors will be used to illustrate concepts raised in this review. The paper will …

Perceptual Grouping In Two Visually Reliant Species: Humans (Homo Sapiens) And Australian Sea Lions (Neophoca Cinerea), Darren Burke, Paul Everingham, Tracey Rogers, Melinda Hinton, Sophie Hall-Aspland

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Kurylo, van Nest, and Knepper (1997 Journal of Comparative Psychology 111 126 - 134) have recently shown that hooded rats are able to judge the global orientation of an array of elements if orientation is signalled by the perceptual-grouping principle of proximity, but not if it is signalled by element alignment. Using a procedure designed to overcome some potential problems with the experiment of Kurylo et al, we found the same distinction in the perceptual processing of Australian sea lions. The sea lions were able to judge the orientation of arrays containing strong proximity and similarity information, but performed at …

Screening For Prostate Cancer: A Consideration Of Screening Factors In Comparison To Screening For Breast Cancer, S Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cancer is a leading cause of death in developed countries; 27 per cent of all Australian deaths are due to cancer, with 35,000 people dying annually. Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer amongst men in most Western countries. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women aged over 30 years, and causes the highest proportion of cancer deaths in women. At present in Australia there is a debate about the public health value of screening for prostate cancer. This paper examines the issues that must be weighed up in reaching a conclusion to this debate, by …

A Test Of The Renewable Resources Model Of Multiple Gains And Multiple Losses, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Eight choice scenarios were used to test Linville and Fischer's (1991) Renewable Resources Model, which predicts that people will prefer to separate multiple gains over time and also to separate multiple losses over time, the latter prediction being contrary to Kahneman and Tversky's (1979) Prospect Theory. The Renewable Resources Model was tested under conditions that, theoretically, should enhance the dual separation outcomes. However, in seven of the eight choice scenarios, complete reversals of these outcomes were observed B that is, the participants in the experiments preferred to combine multiple gains and to combine multiple losses. Explanations of these unexpected results …

The Natural History Of Hiv/Aids In A Major Goldmining Centre In South Africa: Results Of A Biomedical And Social Survey, D Gilgen, Brian G. Williams, Catherine L. Mac Phail, C J. Van Dam, Catherine Campbell, R C. Ballard, D Taljaard

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents the results of a cross-sectional biomedical and social survey, conducted in a major goldmining centre with a high prevalence of HIV infection. It also provides the baseline data for a comprehensive intervention programme. Our sample comprised a stratified random group of migrant mineworkers and of the resident adult population living in the community close to the mines and a small convenience sample of sex workers. In total, 2231 people between 13 and 59 years of age were interviewed using a structured questionnaire covering a wide range of psychological, behavioural and social issues. Blood and urine samples were …