This book makes clear to researchers what item-bias methods can (and cannot) do, how they work and how they should be interpreted. Advice is provided on the most useful methods for particular test situations. The authors explain the logic of each method - from item-response theory to nonparametric, categorical methods - in terms of how differential item functioning (DIF) is defined by the method and how well the method can be expected to work. A summary of findings on the behaviour of indices in empirical studies is included. The book concludes with a set of principles for deciding when DIF should be interpreted as evidence of bias.
In this exploration of the aesthetics of modernity, Christine Buck-Glucksmann argues that in periods of perceived crisis a new form of rationality emerges to replace reasoned ways of thinking. She examines a number of key themes for modern social theory: the critique of instrumental rationality, the political crisis of loss of community and of innocence with the development of industrialization, as well as the impact of relativism on realist theories of knowledge. After examining the condition of modernity - alienation, melancholy and nostalgia - the author goes on to explore the place of the feminine in discussions of modernity: how woman is used as one of the main sources of allegorical interpretations of modernity; and how the feminine comes to stand for and represent the miraculous, the utopian, the dangerous and the androgynous. In the final part, she identifies Nietzsche, Adorno, Musil, Baudelaire, Barthes and Lacan as constituting a baroque paradigm, and lays the foundation for a baroque reason. In her explanation of themes fundamental to our contemporary condition, she invites the reader beyond post-modernism to a realm of the Other.
During the 1980s, United States cities came of age as forces to be reckoned with in US foreign policy. This scholarly, yet readable, analysis carefully explores the roots and influence of municipal activism, surveying particular organizing issues and developing an `active city' profile by examining particular cases.
In this volume, Gudykunst applies his world-renowned approach to intercultural communication to the specifics of Japanese/North American communication. After laying out the basic theories of intercultural communication, the authors explain the similarities and differences in patterns of communication in Japan and the United States. They then demonstrate how an understanding of these contrasting patterns can help Japanese and North Americans communicate more effectively. By examining issues such as attitudes and stereotypes, ways to deepen the understanding of Japanese behaviour are suggested. Also discussed are the factors that influence motivation, knowledge and skills to increase communication effectiveness.
These stimulating companion volumes reflect an expansion of the coverage of Wrightsman's earlier book Personality Development in Adulthood. They encourage readers to look at the evolving nature of their own lives, and include case studies throughout to illustrate concepts in a thought-provoking, non-technical manner.
This lucidly argued volume covers the key philosophical revolutions that are shaping contemporary psychology. Harr[ac]e and Gillett herald a new paradigm in psychology, dissolving the Cartesian distinction between mind and body in favour of the discursive turn in psychological theory. The authors explore the discursive origins of the self, the problem of agency and social understanding of personality. In the process, they elevate the emotions to a significant place in our understanding of mind, action and being. The theoretical breadth of the book is matched by its treatment of a wide range of subjects, including: consciousness; the brain; perception; thought; personality; and the emotions.
This volume explores the correlation between drug abuse and crime. In examining the thinking and behavioural patterns common to both, it proposes a new explanatory model. Seeing involvement in drug abuse and crime as overlapping lifestyles, the author considers four primary factors: conditions, choices, cognitions and change. By comparing this new model with existing models, Walters provides new insight into drug abuse, crime and their overlap.
This collection makes an important contribution to contemporary feminist and psychological debates on identities and racisms. It addresses issues of commonalities, differences, subjectivities and the contradictory nature of positionings which are central concerns for feminist and anti-racist politics. Leading feminists examine: the ways in which psychology has reproduced racism; the complexity of issues of identities and racisms which are shown to be multiple, constantly variable and renegotiable; the need to problematize and unpack `whiteness'; and the problems of identity politics both in terms of explanatory power and political action.
