Using data collected through telephone interviews with a national sample of adults, this study searched for evidence as to whether interviewers have stronger effects on the responses given to a wide range of questions by older people than on the responses of younger people. Responses to 30 items for which significant interviewer effects had…

The potential benefits of satellite communications development have been recognized since the notion of a geostationary "space platform" was proposed by Arthur C. Clarke in 1945. Although there have been examples of developmental applications of satellite technology, the promise has been slow in being fulfilled. The history of the…

Although field studies in human geography have some advantages over restricted classroom and laboratory studies, special methodological and ethical concerns arise. For example, field studies are able to take into account the complexity of events in natural settings as opposed to the controlled setting of a laboratory, particularly when subjects…

A discussion of constructing research designs that avoid the conflict between securing internal validity at the expense of external validity. Several such designs and examples of their application are offered. (HB)

A case for adopting participatory research methods in adult education, based on the research activities of the author while in Africa, is presented. Four shortcomings regarding survey research methodology and seven principles for developing participatory research methods are discussed. (LH)

A crucial question in any study is how representative the sample is of the population being studied at the time of the interview. This is of particular concern when the study is based on a follow-up of a sample of respondents initially interviewed for other purposes. This study evaluated the representativeness of a sample of elderly female…

Numerous misuses of statistics are described and illustrated, and ways of recognizing and avoiding such misuse are discussed. The following five categories of statistical misuse are identified: a lack of knowledge of the subject matter, the quality of the basic data, the preparation of the study and the report, the statistical methodology, and a…

A decision-making approach to the study of adolescents' risky behaviors is described in detail. In contrast to other approaches, the decision-making approach assumes only that risk taking involves choosing among alternative courses of action, and that the chosen alternative, by definition, entails some chance of loss. A short definition of risky…

To examine methodological issues of managerial gender communication, a study conducted a meta-analysis of the primary research of managerial gender communication. The study addressed the following four issues: (1) the inconsistent findings in managerial gender communication research; (2) the potential influence of male and female stereotypes on…

This presentation by a practicing marital therapist describes how exercise behavior can be used as a preventive measure against spouse abuse. This crisis intervention approach is intended to help couples develop stopgap techniques to prevent physical violence; it is one segment of a more comprehensive approach which might include contingency…

Questionnaire and interview methods are described as reactive because when these methods are used, the participant's reactions to the research process may influene his or her responses. Nonreactive methodology refers to unobtrusive methods of collecting data in which participant reaction to the process of data collection does not interfere with…

A central problem in the area of research on the family is that of the relative inability of researchers to empirically test current theoretical models. Any theory regarding the influence of family characteristics and interaction patterns on developmental processes ought to provide for the confirmability of constructs and the replicability of…

This report reviews current literature on feedback and suggests practical implications of feedback research for educators. A definition of feedback is offered, and past definitions in prior research are noted. An analysis of the current state of knowledge of feedback discusses the historical development of feedback theory and suggests that…

With or without the support of research, clinicians must make judgments concerning relations between different areas of psychological functioning. Recently, studies have been made of possible relations between different areas of mental activity, including logical and emotional conception and social, emotional, and perceptual functioning. Nannis…