Among the 90 papers on topics relating to the consumer are "Academics and Advocates" (Brobeck); "Economic Profile of the Young and Elderly" (Ryscavage); "Estimation of Savings Needs To Adequately Fund Baby Boomers' Retirement" (Burns); "Saving and Dissaving in Retirement" (Hogarth); "Analysis of Effects of Children on Consumption and Savings…

An unusual case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy is reported. A mother with a psychiatric record of behavior disorders and family dysfunction perpetrated the ingestion of foreign bodies (for example, earrings, a screw, sewing needles) on a 10-month-old infant with a history of prematurity, repeated visits to emergency rooms, and nonjustified…

A classic, purportedly authentic, account of the origins of Lenape (Delaware) Indians was exposed as a scholarly hoax perpetrated by Constantine Rafinesque in the 1830s. Rafinesque sought to reconcile American Indian origins with Biblical teachings and promoted the "Bering Strait theory" of Indian origins. Describes involvement of a…

Children between three and five years of age engaged in a procedure in which a puppet competitor chose an object which the children preferred. Fewer than 30 percent of three year olds but more than 80 percent of five year olds knew how to conceal their preference from the competitor. (BC)

A former school principal describes a dozen situations involving parents' excuses for their children's bad behavior or complaints about school procedures and supervisory practices. Suitable administrator responses are given concerning homework completion, "unreasonable" school expectations, divergent interpretations of student attitudes and…

In one experiment, autistic children continued to fail a task that involved strategic deception when no opponent was present. In a second experiment that involved reaching for an object under direct and detour conditions, autistic children had greater difficulty with the task than did nonautistic, mentally handicapped children. Cites advantages…

To determine whether children younger than four have an authentic theory of mind, studies relying on deceptive hiding measures for indexing false belief were carried out. Children accurately anticipated the impact of deceptive strategies on the behavior and belief of opponents and used information management to help and hinder others' efforts. (BC)

Investigates the effect that timing of suspicion and outcome involvement has on biased message processing by undergraduate students. Indicates that timing of suspicion has little effect on biased processing, but perceived suspicion did influence biased processing. Notes that the timing of suspicion did influence the strength of the truth-bias but…

Extends the recent work on the veracity effect in deception detection. Explains the probabilistic nature of a receiver's accuracy in detecting deception and analyzes a receiver's detection of deception in terms of set theory and conditional probability. Finds that accuracy is shown to be a function of the relevant conditional probability and the…

The authors assessed factors that motivate individuals to report negative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody test results, although they had never been tested. In particular, they investigated sexual intimacy motives associated with the needs for affiliation, sex, and dominance as contributing factors for faulty disclosures. Participants…

This article describes an active learning demonstration to increase student interest in and involvement with the topic of research ethics and deception. Students received false, low feedback on an exam and then completed a faculty evaluation form. The class was then informed about the deception and the research issue (the impact of grades on…

The present study investigated the utility of employing computerized speech content analysis software to detect feigned depression in psychologically healthy adults. Twenty-two subjects between the ages of 19 and 54 years old, who scored lower than 10 on the Beck depression inventory (BDI, 1996), were asked to speak freely in response to a neutral…

Graduate degrees prostitute the educational process when they are sold to consumers by unaccredited degree/diploma mills as being equivalent to legitimate, bona-fide degrees awarded by accredited graduate schools. This article carefully analyzes the serious problems of bogus degrees and their association with the religious higher education…

This study investigates use of magic tricks to increase self-esteem and self-confidence of children with disabilities. Twenty-six children with various disabilities at both elementary and secondary levels volunteered for the study. Participants were taught various magic tricks and were given weeks of practice time to perfect their presentation…

Vietnam, with its cheap labor and lax copyright laws, is a counterfeiter's dream. Books are sold hot off the photocopier and Hollywood's latest blockbusters can be had on DVD's for about a dollar. But it is in art forgery that Vietnam excels. With a stable of neoclassically trained art students, who spend years learning to copy the masters, art…