This study examined the influence that residential dislocations have on child behavior problems, depression, peer competence, cognitive competence, and the quality of sibling relations in a sample of 70 Head Start children, aged 32 to 67 months, and their older brothers and sisters, aged 48 to 155 months. This was the first study to investigate the sibling relationship in the context of high residential mobility. Information on child characteristics was obtained from mothers and teachers. Sibling data (warmth/harmony and conflict) were obtained from coding videotaped interactions. Child emotionality was found to be an important moderator of the effects of residential mobility on young, poor children and their siblings; caregiver conflict was a less powerful moderator of these effects. Residential instability seemed to compromise the warmth/harmony of the sibling relationship. It was concluded that the effects of residential instability are complex and cannot be understood without considering child characteristics, such as temperament, and the family context in which the child lives.

This study investigated ways in which gender identity is enacted within written language. Participants first supplied a self-descriptive letter that might be filed with a dating service. Next, they responded to a fabricated personal ad posted by a potential dating partner. Contextual factors in this study were writing task (self-description or response to a personal ad) and the gender role "bid" (either instrumental or expressive) of the hypothetical personal ad writer. Individual difference variables were biological gender and measured gender role orientation. Texts were coded for frequency of seven gender-typed language features (e.g., hedges, first-person pronouns). Writers' own gender role schemata affected their language use, as did their biological sex. Contextual factors were more potent than the writers' gender in affecting these stylistic features. Overall, writers altered their styles to complement (rather than converge toward) the apparent gender role orientations of their interlocutors.

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95 hardcover, ISBN: 0761927344; $34.95 paper, ISBN: 0761927352.A wealth of research pointing toward a causal relationship between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior (see Sparks and Sparks, 2002, for a review) has spurred a growing concern about the effects of media violence on people. Are media producers merely submitting to the demands of the public for more violence or is the public completely tired of and bored with media violence? Is a reduction in the amount of media violence necessary or are the V-chip and the ratings system enough to provide the solution to media violence?The 11 Myths ofM.ed.ia Violence provides a thoughtful analysis of some existing beliefs about media violence. Potter has consciously co-opted the term myth to show how these existing beliefs are "accepted by most people in a culture, despite their flaws either in reasoning or in factual evidence" (p. x). The perspectives of four different cultures are questioned, challenged, and analyzed. These cultures are the producers who create and market violent messages, the public that consumes and complains about media violence, researchers who explore the effects of media violence, and policymakers who try to bridge the gap between producers and the public.This concise book is grounded in current census data, real examples, and tfieories of media effects. Potter raises interesting questions to challenge the faulty nature of the myths and analyzes each myth from different perspectives. For instance, chapter 6 on myth 5, "violence in the media reflects violence in the society" (p. 103), not only discusses the profile of the violent acts based on televised portrayals but also census figures of violence in the day-to-day world. Similarly, chapter 8 on myth 7, "violence is an essential element in all fiction" (p. 129), discusses the importance of conflict and not violence as being an essential element of a narrative. This book signifies a departure from traditional research-based media violence perspectives that examine desensitization, fear, disinhibition, and a variety of other negative effects. Such studies often point out that there is a problem with media violence but do not offer a solution. The major strength of this book is that it presents solutions, provides information about relevant resources like books and organizations, and offers suggestions for public action.Potter has given us a lot to think about. There seems to be a circle of blame where the public blames program producers for including excessive violence in programs and films. In turn, the producers blame the public for demanding more and more violence. Potter has tried to make all players aware of their own responsibilities regarding the problem of media violence. Although he provides producers, the public, and practitioners with ample suggestions for how to address the issue of media violence, Potter has not challenged media researchers enough. A slightly more extensive discussion of their role in addressing media violence would provide interested researchers with...

In this prologue, and after outlining the reasons for creating this double special issue in honor of W. Peter Robinson’s scholarship, the authors provide a brief biography of his academic career and achievements. The breadth of his work and important contributions to the understanding of language and communication, as well as the challenging intellectual questions and dilemmas he posed, are outlined. Particular attention is here afforded the processes of child communication and miscommunication, language and social class, and deceptive phenomena. Finally, the subsequent articles are overviewed in terms of their connection to Robinson’s concerns for the effects of context on cognition, language, and communication practices.