A practicing white investigator reports on his experiences in conducting research in black communities; the adequacy of traditional academic training for the conduct of research in black communities is questioned. (Author/JM)

Today's white researchers are perhaps counterproductive in black communities not because they are white, but because they are poorly trained: equally if not more important are the values which the researcher acquires as a result of his professional training. (Author/JM)

Social researchers under the influence of social stereotypes sometimes make generalizations which are partly true and partly false, and tend to use deceptive research models which in turn increase the number and influence of stereotypes. (JM)

Unnecessary polarization between research traditions (basic vs. applied, experimental vs. correlational, and laboratory vs. field research) has resulted in extreme, nonproductive conflict between experimental rigor and policy relevance. The analogue model (described) grounds experimental studies in social problems without losing the unique…

Suspicion and hostility of the ghetto population is cited as the reason for low return on research surveys. It is argued that survey research should be more closely articulated in goals and methods with the population being studied--a strategy called intervention research." (DM)

Barriers to evaluation of prevention programs arise from (1) attitudes that people have about such programs; (2) conceptual difficulties (lack of theory, difficulty in choosing criteria of success, lack of control over implementation strategies); and (3) methodological difficulties (monitoring program integrity over time, measuring program…

A practicing investigator cognizant of the limitations of science claims that the white psychologist cannot help but maintain the current social system since he is rewarded quite well by it for his current activities. (Author/JM)

It is concluded, on the basis of this study, that respondents who are poor and/or of racial or ethnic minority backgrounds require unconventional rules of survey procedure. (Author/AM)

Three tentative conclusions emerge from this study: (1) interviewer effect operates only when questions treat opinions and attitudes, (2) black respondents are more likely to identify "racially sensitive" problems as areas of high concern when speaking to black interviewers, and (3) militant blacks appear uninfluenced by the white…

Field research in the gay world is shaped by two factors: the secrecy of many gay groups, and the stigmatization both of gays and of researchers who study them. Some relevant strategies and tactics of field research are discussed. (Author/AM)

It is possible to devise ingenious means for adapting basic methodological techniques to meet exigencies of the research situation while still meeting the requirements for the collection of valid data. (Author/AM)

To investigate the quality of response to the personal interview, a survey was undertaken among Mexican-American migrant parents and children. Results demonstrate that the personal interview does not gather complete response. (Author/AM)

After discussing the economic and social pressures which may impinge upon parental judgment in the experimental setting, the article reviews several divergent opinions on the ethics of child research. (Author)

Aspects of American society conducive to separation, sources of strain between partners, beliefs and norms about marital permanence, and evidence as to dissolution precipitating events are examined in the light of the papers in this issue, employing the four factor Kanter model. (Author/AM)

This paper describes the process by which a group of minority community representatives became involved in decision-making roles throughout five years of a multidisciplinary research project. Suggestions are made for the consideration of social scientists who anticipate conducting community-related research in the future. (Author)