Attachment and culture: Security in the United States and Japan.

Attachment theorists maintain that cultural differences are relatively minor, and they focus on universals. Here the authors highlight evidence of cultural variations and note ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning. Comparisons of the United States and Japan highlight the cultural relativity of 3 core hypotheses of attachment theory: that caregiver sensitivity leads to secure attachment, that secure attachment leads to later social competence, and that children who are securely attached use the primary caregiver as a secure base for exploring the external world. Attachment theorists use measures of sensitivity, competence, and secure base that are biased toward Western ways of thinking: The measures emphasize the child's autonomy, individuation, and exploration. In Japan, sensitivity, competence, and secure base are viewed very differently, calling into question the universality of fundamental tenets of attachment theory. The authors call for an indigenous approach to the psychology of attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis (114 studies, k?=?157, N?=?21,616) examined the relationship between self-efficacy and work-related performance. Results of the primary meta-analysis indicated a significant weighted average correlation between self-efficacy and work-related performance, G(r±)?=?.38, and a significant within-group heterogeneity of individual correlations. To account for this variation, the authors conducted a 2-level theory-driven moderator analysis by partitioning the k sample of correlations first according to the level of task complexity (low, medium, and high), and then into 2 classes according to the type of study setting (simulated-lab vs. actual-field). New directions for future theory development and research are suggested, and practical implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information Systems Curricula Evaluated by a Method Engineering Framework

Method engineering (ME) deals with the selection and assembly of situation-specific methods for information systems development. In this paper we use ME with a somewhat unusual perspective, that is, an educational one. We introduce a procedure for the evaluation of information systems curricula within an ME framework. Using this approach it is possible to quantitatively characterise and compare information systems curricula, showing their relative strengths and weaknesses. As an example we evaluate three model curricula (IS’90, IS’97 and ISCC’99) and analyse their differences and similarities.     

An evaluation of volcanic cloud detection techniques during recent significant eruptions in the western ‘Ring of Fire’

We examined recent volcanic cloud events in the Western Pacific and Indonesian area, to validate the performance of remote sensing techniques used to support the International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW). Five events were considered, during which eruptions from eight volcanoes injected ash into the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere. For one of the eruptions, at Miyakejima, Japan, at least five aircraft encountered volcanic ash clouds, and the cost to three operators alone exceeded US $12,000,000 in aircraft repairs, diversions, and lost operating time. We performed ‘reverse’ absorption and ‘pattern analysis’ using GMS-5/VISSR, MODIS and AVHRR data, and we examined TOMS SO₂ and Aerosol Index data, surface-based observations, pilot reports, and dispersion model output. Our results verify that the introduction of ‘reverse’ absorption using the geostationary GMS-5 platform significantly enhanced our capacity to monitor volcanic ash clouds in the region. In one case, we tracked an eruption cloud for approximately 80 h. The primary impediment to remote monitoring is the presence of overlying cloud, or substantial amounts of ice within the volcanic clouds. TOMS data showed success in identifying volcanic clouds during these conditions, but was limited by the infrequency of observations. More effective future operation of the IAVW relies on developing complementary methods of volcanic cloud remote sensing, and greatly increasing the amount and quality of available surface and air observations, including observations of precursor activity. An understanding of the likely future limitations of remote sensing techniques will aid in the refining of IAVW procedures.     

Ant-inspired sorting by robots: the importance of initial clustering.

For engineers the prospect of scalable collective robot systems is very appealing. Such systems typically adopt a decentralized approach in their control and coordination mechanism, which employs local sensing and action as well as limited communication. Under these constraints and informed by research on Temnothorax ants, two puck sorting algorithms were tested in a combination of simulation and with real robots. Both algorithms employed puck density as a cue. Only the overall local density, irrespective of puck type, was found to be required which offers the prospect for a more simple mechanism than had been previously considered. For one algorithm, this density cue was used both for picking up and dropping items and is, therefore, referred to as the 'double density' algorithm (DD). In the second algorithm, density was used as a cue only for picking up. Depositing an item was governed by the distance travelled which was specific to the type of item being carried. This was referred to as the 'single density' algorithm (SD). Unlike the DD it was found that, for the SD, the clustering of items is a necessary pre-condition for sorting. Results from ant experiments also showed that sorting is carried out in two phases: a primary clustering episode followed by a spacing phase. This strongly suggests that clustering may also be a precondition for spacing in ants.     

Validity of the 1994 Strong Interest Inventory with racial and ethnic groups in the United States.

During the revision of the 1994 Strong Interest Inventory (SII; Harmon, Hansen, Borgen & Hammer, 1994), information was obtained about the race–ethnicity and careers of over 55,000 employed adults in 50 different occupations. The national norm group, the general reference sample, contains 18,789 individuals who identified their race–ethnicity in the following manner: 378 African Americans; 363 Asian Americans; 17,365 Caucasian Americans; 349 Hispanic Americans/Latinos (Latinas); and 77 Native Americans/American Indians. Concurrent validity across racial–ethnic groups was examined by typing their 50 occupations into the appropriate Holland (1997) job family. Then the General Occupational Themes, the SII scales corresponding to Holland's (1997) 6 vocational personality types, were examined for their ability to predict Holland (1997) job family in similar ways for the different racial–ethnic groups. Results generally showed comparable validity and interpretive counseling implications in using the SII with these racial–ethnic groups. Some interesting trends and important limitations were also noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity and direction in psychoanalytic technique.

Review of book: Fred Pine. Diversity and Direction in Psychoanalytic Technique. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1998, viii + 234 pp. Reviewed by Joseph W. Slap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing network security: Security education in the information age

Computing operates in an almost universally networked environment, but the technical aspects of information protection have not kept up. As a result, the success of information security programs has increasingly become a function of our ability to make prudent management decisions about organizational activities. Managing Network Security takes a management view of protection and seeks to reconcile the need for security with the limitations of technology.     

Managing network security: Returning fire

Computing operates in an almost universally networked environment, but the technical aspects of information protection have not kept up. As a result, the success of information security programmes has increasingly become a function of our ability to make prudent management decisions about organizational activities. Managing Network Security takes a management view of protection and seeks to reconcile the need for security with the limitations of technology.