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Books in Social sciences and humanities

  • Sociological Dilemmas

    Toward a Dialectic Paradigm
    • 1st Edition
    • Piotr Sztompka
    • English
    Sociological Dilemmas: Toward a Dialectic Paradigm aims to build a new paradigm in sociological theory by using the method of dialectical critique, patterned on the approach utilized by Karl Marx. The book explores the sociological heritage, with the theoretical works of Karl Marx as the primary basis of exposition and analysis. Chapters are devoted to the discussion of the theoretical crisis of sociology; the division of sociology between two opposing methodologies; dissociation of sociology from the prescientific traditions of social thought; and the conclusion reached by the author after an extensive analysis of sociological theories presented in the book. The book will be of value to sociologists, teachers, and students of the social sciences.

  • Economic Policy Reform in Mexico

    A Case Study for Developing Countries
    • 1st Edition
    • Leopoldo Solís
    • English
    Economic Policy Reform in Mexico: A Case Study for Developing Countries is a five-chapter text about political economy that tries to assess the economic developments in Mexico, especially the attempt at economic reform in the early 1970s. The first chapter examines the period of Stabilizing Development to provide a framework necessary for judging the environment in which the attempts at economic reform were undertaken. This chapter is a piece of applied economics that tries to assess the too frequent attacks against that phase of economic policy. The following three chapters discuss the economic policy objectives of Echeverria's administration, the attempt at tax reform, and the change in the structure and practices of public spending. The final chapter evaluates the experience and draws some inferences about the nature of decision making in economic policy and the constraints faced by a government that wants to use economic policy as an instrument for the promotion of social welfare. This book will prove useful to economists, historians, and researchers.

  • Advances in the Study of Aggression

    Volume 2
    • 1st Edition
    • Robert J. Blanchard + 1 more
    • English
    Advances in the Study of Aggression, Volume 2 is a compendium of papers that discusses application of techniques and programs to human problems of aggression control. Papers evaluate interactive variables and phenomena in aggressive behavior: namely, the behavior of victims and perpetrators; the experience of the aggressive person before and after the aggressive event; pharmacological agents such as alcohol; and limitations on access to social opportunities for these same persons. A significant commonality of these papers is their recognition of the importance cognitive factors play in the control of aggression. One paper argues that a variety of emotional, physiological, situational, social, and cognitive antecedents regulate the expression of aggressive behavior. Another paper explains that in using punishment techniques, which can effectively control aggression, the inherent problems should be balanced against the benefits to victims, to the aggressor, and to society. One paper reviews studies that have examined the impact of television violence on children, as well as the attitude program designed by Huesmann et al. (1983) to mitigate these effects. The paper points out that though programs designed to mitigate the effects of sexual violence on young adults can be worthwhile, waiting until late adolescence or early adulthood is already waiting too long. The compendium can prove valuable for police administrators, criminologists, counselors, psychologists, lawyers, social workers, and parents of young and adolescent children.

  • Sensory Processes at the Neuronal and Behavioral Levels

    • 1st Edition
    • G. V. Gersuni
    • English
    Sensory Processes at the Neuronal and Behavioral Levels is a collection of papers dealing with problems of functional organization of the visual and auditory systems. One paper points out that neurophysiological and psychophysiological research in vision can be combined. The paper compares the cat's contrast stimulation by Hermann's grid that elicits neuronal responses of cells with concentric and simple fields as being similar to the subjective vision in man. Another paper addresses the sources of information in the perception of visual spatial relations. For example, eye movements as the source of information about visual spatial relations are refuted. The visual system already estimates accurately the spatial properties of an object before the onset of eye movements. Another paper discusses certain concepts about the mechanisms of the auditory system. One paper presents the results of an experiment involving some adult cats. They were lightly anesthetized and their responses were recorded when the inferior colliculus, or the left and right auditory cortex were stimulated electrically. Another paper analyzes the mechanism used by insect in recognizing species-specific songs. This book is suitable for neurophysiologists, neurochemists, and researchers dealing with physiological acoustics and the psychophysics of the visual system.

  • Lifestyle and Social Structure

    Concepts, Definitions, Analyses
    • 1st Edition
    • Michael E. Sobel
    • Peter H. Rossi
    • English
    Lifestyle and Social Structure: Concepts, Definitions, Analyses is devoted the relationship between lifestyle and social structure. The book begins by constructing a meaningful concept of lifestyle in order to understand and model this relationship. The general formulation of the concept hinges on the descriptive word style, defined as ""any distinctive, and therefore recognizable way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed and made."" After developing the implications of the definition, lifestyle is defined, by analogy, as ""any distinctive, and therefore recognizable mode of living."" The notion of social structure is then introduced, arguing that structural differentiation engenders lifestyle differentiation. The remainder of the work is concerned primarily with the modeling of this relationship using data from the 1972-1973 Survey of Consumer Expenditures, and with the concept of stylistic unity. Key topics discussed include the relationship between the theory of lifestyle differentiation and modern economic utility theory; psychographic notions of lifestyle; and the relationships between lifestyle and other key sociological concepts (stratification, alienation). The concept of lifestyle should be of interest to a broad range of applied and theoretical researchers.

  • Life-Span Developmental Psychology

    Methodological Issues
    • 1st Edition
    • John R. Nesselroade + 1 more
    • English
    Life-Span Developmental Psychology: Methodological Issues is based on a conference, held at West Virginia University in 1971, that focused on the general topic of Life-Span Developmental Psychology. The conference provided a forum for the discussion of a variety of methodological issues related to the study of developmental processes over the life-span. The principal objectives of the Life-Span Conference have been not only to explicate, by successive approximation, the range of empirical phenomena with which a life-span developmental psychology should be concerned, but also to explore issues about theory, measurement, design, and data analysis which bear upon it. The book opens with a chapter on ethical issues in developmental psychology. This is followed by separate chapters on topics such as cross-cultural research in developmental psychology; the implications of the two models that have had the greatest impact on developmental psychology—the mechanistic (reactive organism) model and the organismic (active organism) model; and research strategies and measurement methods for investigating human development

  • Attention, Arousal and the Orientation Reaction

    International Series of Monographs in Experimental Psychology
    • 1st Edition
    • R. Lynn
    • H. J. Eysenck
    • English
    Attention, Arousal and the Orientation Reaction aims to present in a volume the works of Pavlov, an eminent Russian physiologist known for his contributions, specifically the classical conditioning. This book contains the interpretations and theories in physiological terms, and elaborates on the neurological models of significant interest. The “orientation reaction” is described, and the Sokolov's model, which is claimed to be the most comprehensive model for the orientation reaction, is then illustrated. This text also explains the phenomenon of habituation, wherein facts involved are summarized in a chapter. A discussion on the numerous neurological models of the habituation process is then given. This text notes that the models are divided into ""one-stage models"" and ""two-stage models."" Other topics presented are the effects of transforming a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus; the orientation reaction in ontogenetic and phylogenetic development; and the orientation reaction in the measurement of individual differences. This book will be beneficial to those fascinated with the works of Pavlov, especially the psychology students and practitioners.

  • Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning for IT Professionals

    • 2nd Edition
    • Susan Snedaker
    • English
    Powerful Earthquake Triggers Tsunami in Pacific. Hurricane Isaac Makes Landfall in the Gulf Coast. Wildfires Burn Hundreds of Houses and Businesses in Colorado. Tornado Touches Down in Missouri. These headlines not only have caught the attention of people around the world, they have had a significant effect on IT professionals as well. The new 2nd Edition of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals gives you the most up-to-date planning and risk management techniques for business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR). With distributed networks, increasing demands for confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, and the widespread risks to the security of personal, confidential and sensitive data, no organization can afford to ignore the need for disaster planning. Author Susan Snedaker shares her expertise with you, including the most current options for disaster recovery and communication, BCDR for mobile devices, and the latest infrastructure considerations including cloud, virtualization, clustering, and more. Snedaker also provides you with new case studies in several business areas, along with a review of high availability and information security in healthcare IT. Don’t be caught off guard—Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery for IT Professionals, 2nd Edition , is required reading for anyone in the IT field charged with keeping information secure and systems up and running.

  • Forensic Testimony

    Science, Law and Expert Evidence
    • 1st Edition
    • C. Michael Bowers
    • English
    Forensic Testimony: Science, Law and Expert Evidence—favored with an Honorable Mention in Law & Legal Studies at the Association of American Publishers' 2015 PROSE Awards—provides a clear and intuitive discussion of the legal presentation of expert testimony. The book delves into the effects, processes, and battles that occur in the presentation of opinion and scientific evidence by court-accepted forensic experts. It provides a timely review of the United States Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) regarding expert testimony, and includes a multi-disciplinary look at the strengths and weaknesses in forensic science courtroom testimony. The statutes and the effects of judicial uses (or non-use) of the FRE, Daubert, Kumho, and the 2009 NAS Report on Forensic Science are also included. The presentation expands to study case law, legal opinions, and studies on the reliability and pitfalls of forensic expertise in the US court system. This book is an essential reference for anyone preparing to give expert testimony of forensic evidence.

  • Social History and Social Policy

    • 1st Edition
    • David J. Rothman + 1 more
    • English
    Social History and Social Policy is a collection of papers that explores the correlation of social history and social policy. Each article in the book are prepared by social historians, preoccupied in the study of the origins and structure of health systems, urban planning, schools, and pension programs, who seek to change the process of social policy formation. The book is divided into three sections. Part I serves as an introduction and provides the history of social institutions. The second part deals with the history of social problems, discussing public employee pension problems; policies on health care; and a few aspects of the history of criminal justice in the United States. The last part provides the uses of history in the making of social policy. The text will be a valuable source of insight for public administrators, politicians, policy makers, political leaders, and analysts.

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