Showing papers by "Boston College published in 2006"
TL;DR: The meta-analysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup prejudice, and this result suggests that contact theory, devised originally for racial and ethnic encounters, can be extended to other groups.
Abstract: The present article presents a meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. With 713 independent samples from 515 studies, the meta-analysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup prejudice. Multiple tests indicate that this finding appears not to result from either participant selection or publication biases, and the more rigorous studies yield larger mean effects. These contact effects typically generalize to the entire outgroup, and they emerge across a broad range of outgroup targets and contact settings. Similar patterns also emerge for samples with racial or ethnic targets and samples with other targets. This result suggests that contact theory, devised originally for racial and ethnic encounters, can be extended to other groups. A global indicator of Allport's optimal contact conditions demonstrates that contact under these conditions typically leads to even greater reduction in prejudice. Closer examination demonstrates that these conditions are best conceptualized as an interrelated bundle rather than as independent factors. Further, the meta-analytic findings indicate that these conditions are not essential for prejudice reduction. Hence, future work should focus on negative factors that prevent intergroup contact from diminishing prejudice as well as the development of a more comprehensive theory of intergroup contact.
6,629 citations
TL;DR: This paper found evidence consistent with managers manipulating real activities to avoid reporting annual losses: price discounts to temporarily increase sales, overproduction to report lower cost of goods sold, and reduction of discretionary expenditures to improve reported margins among firms reporting small annual profits.
Abstract: I find evidence consistent with managers manipulating real activities to avoid reporting annual losses: price discounts to temporarily increase sales, overproduction to report lower cost of goods sold, and reduction of discretionary expenditures to improve reported margins among firms reporting small annual profits. Cross-sectional analysis reveals that these activities are less prevalent in the presence of sophisticated investors, suggesting that the activities do not contribute to long-run value. Other factors that influence the extent of real activities manipulation include industry membership, the stock of inventories and receivables, and finally, incentives to meet zero earnings, including the presence of debt and growth opportunities. There is also some, though less robust, evidence of real activities manipulation to meet annual analyst forecasts.
1,792 citations
TL;DR: This paper develops a unified framework for the measurement of centrality and shows centrality to be intimately connected with the cohesive subgroup structure of a network.
1,453 citations
TL;DR: An emotion paradox is introduced: People believe that they know an emotion when they see it, and as a consequence assume that emotions are discrete events that can be recognized with some degree of accuracy, but scientists have yet to produce a set of clear and consistent criteria for indicating when an emotion is present and when it is not.
Abstract: In this article, I introduce an emotion paradox: People believe that they know an emotion when they see it, and as a consequence assume that emotions are discrete events that can be recognized with some degree of accuracy, but scientists have yet to produce a set of clear and consistent criteria for indicating when an emotion is present and when it is not. I propose one solution to this paradox: People experience an emotion when they conceptualize an instance of affective feeling. In this view, the experience of emotion is an act of categorization, guided by embodied knowledge about emotion. The result is a model of emotion experience that has much in common with the social psychological literature on person perception and with literature on embodied conceptual knowledge as it has recently been applied to social psychology.
1,226 citations
TL;DR: The authors review the accumulating empirical evidence that is inconsistent with the view that there are kinds of emotion with boundaries that are carved in nature and then consider what moving beyond a natural-kind view might mean for the scientific understanding of emotion.
Abstract: Laypeople and scientists alike believe that they know anger, or sadness, or fear, when they see it. These emotions and a few others are presumed to have specific causal mechanisms in the brain and properties that are observable (on the face, in the voice, in the body, or in experience)-that is, they are assumed to be natural kinds. If a given emotion is a natural kind and can be identified objectively, then it is possible to make discoveries about that emotion. Indeed, the scientific study of emotion is founded on this assumption. In this article, I review the accumulating empirical evidence that is inconsistent with the view that there are kinds of emotion with boundaries that are carved in nature. I then consider what moving beyond a natural-kind view might mean for the scientific understanding of emotion. Language: en
1,186 citations
TL;DR: Evaluating the performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), which was used to screen for social isolation among community-dwelling older adult populations in three European countries, concludes that abbreviated scales such as the LSNS- 6 should be considered for inclusion in practice protocols of gerontological practitioners.
Abstract: PURPOSE: There is a need for valid and reliable short scales that can be used to assess social networks and social supports and to screen for social isolation in older persons. DESIGN AND METHODS: The present study is a cross-national and cross-cultural evaluation of the performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), which was used to screen for social isolation among community-dwelling older adult populations in three European countries. Based on the concept of lack of redundancy of social ties we defined clinical cut-points of the LSNS-6 for identifying persons deemed at risk for social isolation. RESULTS: Among all three samples, the LSNS-6 and two subscales (Family and Friends) demonstrated high levels of internal consistency, stable factor structures, and high correlations with criterion variables. The proposed clinical cut-points showed good convergent validity, and classified 20% of the respondents in Hamburg, 11% of those in Solothurn (Switzerland), and 15% of those in London as at risk for social isolation. IMPLICATIONS: We conclude that abbreviated scales such as the LSNS-6 should be considered for inclusion in practice protocols of gerontological practitioners. Screening older persons based on the LSNS-6 provides quantitative information on their family and friendship ties, and identifies persons at increased risk for social isolation who might benefit from in-depth assessment and targeted interventions.
1,178 citations
Erica Sodergren1, George M. Weinstock1, Eric H. Davidson2, R. Andrew Cameron2 +243 more•Institutions (51)
TL;DR: The sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is reported, a model for developmental and systems biology and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.
Abstract: We report the sequence and analysis of the 814-megabase genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a model for developmental and systems biology. The sequencing strategy combined whole-genome shotgun and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequences. This use of BAC clones, aided by a pooling strategy, overcame difficulties associated with high heterozygosity of the genome. The genome encodes about 23,300 genes, including many previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or known only outside the deuterostomes. This echinoderm genome provides an evolutionary outgroup for the chordates and yields insights into the evolution of deuterostomes.
1,059 citations
TL;DR: It is found that off-the-shelf centrality measures are not optimal for solving either generic problem, and therefore new measures are presented.
Abstract: A procedure is described for finding sets of key players in a social network. A key assumption is that the optimal selection of key players depends on what they are needed for. Accordingly, two generic goals are articulated, called KPP-POS and KPP-NEG. KPP-POS is defined as the identification of key players for the purpose of optimally diffusing something through the network by using the key players as seeds. KPP-NEG is defined as the identification of key players for the purpose of disrupting or fragmenting the network by removing the key nodes. It is found that off-the-shelf centrality measures are not optimal for solving either generic problem, and therefore new measures are presented.
1,050 citations
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: In this article, a method for extracting topographic indices of longitudinal profi le shape and character from digital topographic data is described, which can then be used to delineate breaks in scaling that may be associated with tectonic boundaries.
Abstract: Empirical observations from fl uvial systems across the globe reveal a consistent power-law scaling between channel slope and contributing drainage area. Theoretical arguments for both detachmentand transport-limited erosion regimes suggest that rock uplift rate should exert fi rst-order control on this scaling. Here we describe in detail a method for exploiting this relationship, in which topographic indices of longitudinal profi le shape and character are derived from digital topographic data. The stream profi le data can then be used to delineate breaks in scaling that may be associated with tectonic boundaries. The description of the method is followed by three case studies from varied tectonic settings. The case studies illustrate the power of stream profi le analysis in delineating spatial patterns of, and in some cases, temporal changes in, rock uplift rate. Owing to an incomplete understanding of river response to rock uplift, the method remains primarily a qualitative tool for neotectonic investigations; we conclude with a discussion of research needs that must be met before we can extract quantitative information about tectonics directly from topography.
967 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a multi-dimensional empirical model was proposed to study how financial contracts respond to the legal and institutional environment, showing that loans with strong creditor protection have concentrated ownership, long maturity and low interest rates.
Abstract: Legal and institutional differences shape the ownership and terms of bank loans across the world. With strong creditor protection, we show that loans have concentrated ownership, long maturity and low interest rates. The impact of creditor rights on loans also depends on borrower characteristics such as the size and tangibility of assets. Foreign banks appear especially sensitive to the legal and institutional environment. Their ownership declines relative to domestic banks as creditor protection falls. Our multi-dimensional empirical model paints a more complete picture of how financial contracts respond to the legal and institutional environment than existing studies.
898 citations
TL;DR: The WHO standards provide a better tool to monitor the rapid and changing rate of growth in early infancy and their adoption will have important implications for child health with respect to the assessment of lactation performance and the adequacy of infant feeding.
Abstract: Objectives: To compare growth patterns and estimates of malnutrition based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards (‘the WHO standards’) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/WHO international growth reference (‘the NCHS reference’), and discuss implications for child health programmes. Design: Secondary analysis of longitudinal data to compare growth patterns (birth to 12 months) and data from two cross-sectional surveys to compare estimates of malnutrition among under-fives. Settings: Bangladesh, Dominican Republic and a pooled sample of infants from North America and Northern Europe. Subjects: Respectively 4787, 10 381 and 226 infants and children. Results: Healthy breast-fed infants tracked along the WHO standard’s weight-for-age mean Z-score while appearing to falter on the NCHS reference from 2 months onwards. Underweight rates increased during the first six months and thereafter decreased when based on the WHO standards. For all age groups stunting rates were higher according to the WHO standards. Wasting and severe wasting were substantially higher during the first half of infancy. Thereafter, the prevalence of severe wasting continued to be 1.5 to 2.5 times that of the NCHS reference. The increase in overweight rates based on the WHO standards varied by age group, with an overall relative increase of 34%. Conclusions: The WHO standards provide a better tool to monitor the rapid and changing rate of growth in early infancy. Their adoption will have important implications for child health with respect to the assessment of lactation performance and the adequacy of infant feeding. Population estimates of malnutrition will vary by age, growth indicator and the nutritional status of index populations.
TL;DR: In this paper, a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) was used on a NASA WB-57F high-altitude research aircraft in November 2004 from Houston, Texas.
Abstract: A single-particle soot photometer (SP2) was flown on a NASA WB-57F high-altitude research aircraft in November 2004 from Houston, Texas. The SP2 uses laser-induced incandescence to detect individual black carbon (BC) particles in an air sample in the mass range of $3-300 fg ($0.15-0.7 mm volume equivalent diameter). Scattered light is used to size the remaining non-BC aerosols in the range of $0.17-0.7 mm diameter. We present profiles of both aerosol types from the boundary layer to the lower stratosphere from two midlatitude flights. Results for total aerosol amounts in the size range detected by the SP2 are in good agreement with typical particle spectrometer measurements in the same region. All ambient incandescing particles were identified as BC because their incandescence properties matched those of laboratory-generated BC aerosol. Approximately 40% of these BC particles showed evidence of internal mixing (e.g., coating). Throughout profiles between 5 and 18.7 km, BC particles were less than a few percent of total aerosol number, and black carbon aerosol (BCA) mass mixing ratio showed a constant gradient with altitude above 5 km. SP2 data was compared to results from the ECHAM4/MADE and LmDzT-INCA global aerosol models. The comparison will help resolve the important systematic differences in model aerosol processes that determine BCA loadings. Further intercomparisons of models and measurements as presented here will improve the accuracy of the radiative forcing contribution from BCA.
TL;DR: Dense networks were the most robust in the face of all kinds of error except edge deletion, which suggests that, for random networks and random error, the authors shall be able to construct confidence intervals around centrality scores.
28 Mar 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the conceptual framework, methodological design, and key research findings from a Spencer Foundation-funded project of long-term educational change over time, concluding that most mainstream educational change theory and practice in the field of educational administration neglects the political, historical, and longitudinal aspects of change to their detriment.
Abstract: Purpose:This article presents the conceptual framework, methodological design, and key research findings from a Spencer Foundation-funded project of long-term educational change over time.Research Design:Based on more than 200 interviews, supplementary observations, and extensive archival data, it examines perceptions and experiences of educational change in eight high schools in the United States and Canada among teachers and administrators who worked in the schools in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.Findings:The article indicates that most mainstream educational change theory and practice in the field of educational administration neglects the political, historical, and longitudinal aspects of change to their detriment. Educational change, it finds, is shaped by the convergence of large-scale economic and demographic shifts that produce five change forces (waves of reform, changing student demographics, teacher generations, leadership succession, and school interrelations) that have defined three distinct p...
TL;DR: The authors showed that pairs trading profits from temporary mispricing of close substitutes typically exceed conservative transaction-cost estimates, and link the profitability to the presence of a common factor in the returns, different from conventional risk measures.
Abstract: We test a Wall Street investment strategy, ‘‘pairs trading,’’ with daily data over 1962–2002. Stocks are matched into pairs with minimum distance between normalized historical prices. A simple trading rule yields average annualized excess returns of up to 11% for self-financing portfolios of pairs. The profits typically exceed conservative transaction-cost estimates. Bootstrap results suggest that the ‘‘pairs’’ effect differs from previously documented reversal profits. Robustness of the excess returns indicates that pairs trading profits from temporary mispricing of close substitutes. We link the profitability to the presence of a common factor in the returns, different from conventional risk measures. Wall Street has long been interested in quantitative methods of speculation. One popular short-term speculation strategy is known as ‘‘pairs trading.’’ The strategy has at least a 20-year history on Wall Street and is among the proprietary ‘‘statistical arbitrage’’ tools currently used by hedge funds as well as investment banks. The concept of pairs trading is disarmingly simple. Find two stocks whose prices have moved together historically. When the spread between them widens, short the winner and buy the loser. If history repeats itself, prices will converge and the arbi
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the role of larger social and historical contexts in sensemaking has been overlooked and propose three specific mechanisms, namely priming, editing and triggering, to bring institutional context into processes of sensemaking.
Abstract: Karl Weick’s sensemaking perspective has proven to be a central influence on process theories of organizing. Yet, one persistent criticism levelled at his work has been a neglect of the role of larger social and historical contexts in sensemaking. We address this critique by showing how institutional context is a necessary part of sensemaking. We propose that there are salient but unexplored connections between the institutional and sensemaking perspectives. We explain how three specific mechanisms—priming, editing and triggering—bring institutional context into processes of sensemaking, beyond a more conventional notion of internalized cognitive constraint. Our contribution seeks to be forward-looking as much as reflective, addressing a critique of one of Karl Weick’s key theoretical contributions and offering amendments that extend its reach.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present empirical evidence on the effect of process and product innovations on productivity, as well as on the role played by R&D and fixed capital investment in enhancing the likelihood of introducing innovations at the firm level.
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that increased involvement between kindergarten and 5th grade is associated with increased literacy performance and that high levels of school involvement may have added reward for low-income children with the added risk of low parent education, supporting arguments that family involvement in school should be a central aim of practice and policy solutions to the achievement gap between lower and higher income children.
Abstract: Longitudinal data from kindergarten to 5th grade on both family involvement in school and children's literacy performance were examined for an ethnically diverse, low-income sample (N = 281). Within families, increased school involvement predicted improved child literacy. In addition, although there was an achievement gap in average literacy performance between children of more and less educated mothers if family involvement levels were low, this gap was nonexistent if family involvement levels were high. These results add to existing evidence on the value of family involvement in school by demonstrating that increased involvement between kindergarten and 5th grade is associated with increased literacy performance and that high levels of school involvement may have added reward for low-income children with the added risk of low parent education. As such, these results support arguments that family involvement in school should be a central aim of practice and policy solutions to the achievement gap between lower and higher income children.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the interpretations and experiences of change recipients, those who carry out organizational interventions initiated by others, and investigate change recipients' sensemaking about organizational change through their ascribed meanings, emotional responses, and perceptions of its impacts on them.
Abstract: This study focuses on the interpretations and experiences of change recipients, those who carry out organizational interventions initiated by others. Based on the ways nurses experienced a shared governance initiative implemented in their hospital, the authors investigated change recipients’ sensemaking about organizational change through their ascribed meanings, emotional responses, and perceptions of its impacts on them. Survey data demonstrated how nurses subjectively assessed their gains and losses from the change initiative. Participation in the initiative increased the experience of gains, as did membership in a unit where change was implemented more fully. Textual analysis of open-ended responses to the survey indicated that gains were linked with interpretations of the change initiative and pleasant feelings and that there was considerable emotional contagion within work units. Such effects are particularly likely in employee empowerment initiatives as experiences are linked to interpretation and ...
TL;DR: This article explored the impact of these influences on three innovative schools and their sustainability over time and concluded that the learning organization and professional learning community model may provide a more robust resistance to conventional processes of the attrition of change and of surrounding change forces.
Abstract: Background: Implicitly, innovative schools have historically contained some (but not usually all) of the properties of learning organizations and professional learning communities but have a weak record of sustaining success over time Can innovative schools that selfconsciously establish themselves as learning organizations and professional learning communities sustain their early promise of success in the face of the predictable cycle of the “attrition of change”; of pressure and envy in the surrounding district, profession, and community; and of the historically specific and recent pressure of standardized reform? Purpose: This article explores the impact of these influences on three innovative schools and their sustainability over time It concentrates in particular on the promise and viability of one of these schools, which has been consciously modeled as a learning organization and professional learning community Conclusions: Although further research is required, the article concludes that the learning organization and professional learning community model may provide a more robust resistance to conventional processes of the attrition of change and of surrounding change forces, but much like other innovative schools, it also shows signs of defaulting to conventional patterns of schooling in the face of standardized reform
TL;DR: The amount of teachers' math-related talk was significantly related to the growth of preschoolers' conventional mathematical knowledge over the school year but was unrelated to their math knowledge at the start of the schoolyear.
Abstract: This study examined the relation between the amount of mathematical input in the speech of preschool or day-care teachers and the growth of children's conventional mathematical knowledge over the school year. Three main findings emerged. First, there were marked individual differences in children's conventional mathematical knowledge by 4 years of age that were associated with socioeconomic status. Second, there were dramatic differences in the amount of math-related talk teachers provided. Third, and most important, the amount of teachers' math-related talk was significantly related to the growth of preschoolers' conventional mathematical knowledge over the school year but was unrelated to their math knowledge at the start of the school year.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a comprehensive and parsimonious measure of corporate financing activities and document a negative relation between this measure and both future stock returns and future profitability, and analyzed the association between their measure of external financing and sell-side analysts' forecasts.
Abstract: We develop a comprehensive and parsimonious measure of corporate financing activities and document a negative relation between this measure and both future stock returns and future profitability. The economic and statistical significance of the results using our comprehensive measure of external financing is stronger than in previous research focusing on individual categories of corporate financing activities. To discriminate between risk versus misvaluation as explanations for this relation, we analyze the association between our measure of external financing and sell-side analysts' forecasts. Consistent with the misvaluation explanation, we find that our measure of external financing is positively related to overoptimism in sell-side analysts' forecasts.
TL;DR: A conceptual model of the mentoring process along with a delineation of some of the current research on what makes for more effective mentoring relationships is presented in this article, where a set of recommendations for future research is offered.
Abstract: Anecdotal reports of the protective qualities of mentoring relationships for youth are corroborated by a growing body of research. What is missing, however, is research on the processes by which mentors influence developmental outcomes. In this article, we present a conceptual model of the mentoring process along with a delineation of some of the current research on what makes for more effective mentoring relationships. A set of recommendations for future research is offered. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TL;DR: In this paper, the impact of last-sale trade reporting on the liquidity of BBB corporate bonds has been investigated and it is shown that increased transparency has either a neutral or positive effect on market liquidity depending on trade size.
Abstract: This paper reports the results of a unique experiment designed to assess the impact of last-sale trade reporting on the liquidity of BBB corporate bonds. We find that increased transparency has either a neutral or positive effect on market liquidity depending on trade size. Measures of trading activity such as daily trading volume and number of transactions per day suggest that increased transparency does not lead to greater trading interest. Except for very large trades, spreads on bonds whose prices become more transparent decline relative to bonds that experience no transparency change. However, we find no effects of transparency for very infrequently traded bonds. The observed decrease in transactions costs is consistent with investors' ability to negotiate better terms of trade with dealers once the investors have access to broader bond pricing data.
TL;DR: Valence effects were most apparent when the individuals processed pictures, and the results revealed a lateral/medial distinction within the PFC: the lateral PFC responded differentially to negative items, whereas the medial PFC was more engaged during the processing of positive pictures.
Abstract: There is considerable debate regarding the extent to which limbic regions respond differentially to items with different valences (positive or negative) or to different stimulus types (pictures or words). In the present event-related fMRI study, 21 participants viewed words and pictures that were neutral, negative, or positive. Negative and positive items were equated on arousal. The participants rated each item for whether it depicted or described something animate or inanimate or something common or uncommon. For both pictures and words, the amygdala, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), and ventromedial PFC responded equally to all high-arousal items, regardless of valence. Laterality effects in the amygdala were based on the stimulus type (word 5 left, picture 5 bilateral). Valence effects were most apparent when the individuals processed pictures, and the results revealed a lateral/medial distinction within the PFC: The lateral PFC responded differentially to negative items, whereas the medial PFC was more engaged during the processing of positive pictures.
TL;DR: In a well-known paper, “That’s Interesting!” Murray Davis argued that what most makes scholarly work interesting is that it... as mentioned in this paper discusses management research and what makes it interesting.
Abstract: This article discusses management research and what makes it interesting. In a well-known paper, “That’s Interesting!” Murray Davis argued that what most makes scholarly work interesting is that it...
TL;DR: This article showed that idiosyncratic risk is the single largest cost faced by arbitrageurs and argued that arbitrage costs prevent rational traders from fully eliminating inefficiencies, and that the relationship between mispricing and holding costs is misunderstood.
Book•
15 Feb 2006
TL;DR: The Future of the Psychology of Working as mentioned in this paper explores race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, Heterosexism, and classism at work and the implications of an inclusive psychology of working for Research and Theory.
Abstract: Contents: Preface. Psychology and the Experience of Working: A Blurred Focus That Is Sharpening. The Changing Nature of Work in the 21st Century. Working as a Means of Survival and Power. Working as a Means of Social Connection. Working as a Means of Self-Determination. Social Barriers and Working: Exploring Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Disability Status, Heterosexism, and Classism at Work. Implications of an Inclusive Psychology of Working for Research and Theory. Implications of an Inclusive Psychology of Working for Practice: Counseling and Psychotherapy. Toward an Inclusive Psychological Practice. Conclusion--The Future of the Psychology of Working.