Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: There are a number of quantitative integrations on the effectiveness of sexual offender treatment. Firstly, this paper summarizes the findings of existing research integrations and gives an overview of the consistencies and inconsistencies in the different analyses. Although most of the reviews concluded that treatment on average is successful, the size of the effects differs considerably. In addition, moderator analyses do converge on certain variables, but differ in their conclusions for others. Secondly, this paper deals with the basic differences between integrations and relate them to the outcomes of individual research summaries (e.g., types of studies considered, method of quantitative integration, and the kind of moderator variables used for detailed analyses). The effects of differing meta-analytical decisions and strategies are demonstrated using a study pool that intended to merge and update those of existing integrations (Lösel & Schmucker, 2005). Furthermore, based on this study pool, a more detailed moderator analysis is presented to illustrate the importance of and the obstacles in the detailed appraisal of moderating factors.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper reports findings from a metaresearch of development communication research conducted between 1997 and 2005. In this study, 167 journal articles, book chapters, and books were examined for the ways the publications discussed features such as theoretical frameworks, conceptual and operational definitions, research methods, conclusions, and suggestions for future research. It compares the findings to previous metaresearches of development communication research conducted in the 1958-to-1986 and 1987-to-1996 time periods. The results indicate that (1) some features of development communication research have remained consistent over time (e.g., most researchers conclude that development communication has a positive effect on individuals and social structures); (2) some features of development communication research appear to be cyclical (e.g., Lerner’s model of media and modernization informed many development communication studies in 1958-1986 and 1997-2005, but none in 1987-1996); and (3) there were some important changes over time (e.g., gender issues have received increasing attention). The paper concludes with some observations about the theory of modernization and the reasons for its persistence as a basis for development communication.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper compares media relations in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. There are several significant findings. First, the media-public relations practitioner relationship is more informal and closer in Asia than it is in the U.S. Second, media ethics, such as gift giving and informal gatherings, are different in these Asian cultures and in the U.S. Finally, the U.S. journalists and public relations practitioners have more positive attitudes toward on-line types of source-reporter relations than Asian journalists and practitioners do. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the findings of this comparative analysis.

Publication Type: Individual Poster
Abstract: Background and Aims: The “switch” procedure has been used to test word-object associations in infants from 8-20 months (Werker et al., 1998). In this procedure, infants are habituated to one or more pairings between moving objects on a screen and words presented over a speaker. After habituation, infants see one “same” trial with a familiar pairing, and one “switch” trial with a novel pairing. If infants learn the original pairing, looking time during the “switch” trial will be longer than for the “same” trial, as the new pairing is unexpected.

Typically, researchers using this technique have made controlled comparisons across individual studies, manipulating one variable at a time. The current study used meta-analysis to aggregate data, and thus reveal larger patterns across multiple studies.

Methods: Data were collected from 31 published and unpublished “switch” studies spanning 9 years, eliminating bias from including only studies with statistically significant findings –avoiding the so-called “file-drawer problem.”

Results: Preliminary analysis reveals that this procedure is statistically powerful, with an average effect size greater than 0.8 (Cohen’s d: effect sizes > 0.8 are typically considered “large”; Cohen 1988).

A linear regression was done to predict task performance from experimentally manipulated variables. There was a significant effect of age (p=.004), word type (minimal pair vs. dissimilar words; p=.004), and a significant effect of the interaction between age and word type (p=.004). Familiarity of the visual stimuli also significantly contributed to task performance (p=.021). The type of language exposure (monolingual vs. bilingual; p=.631), and the number of word-object pairings in the task (1 vs. 2; p=.747) did not significantly contribute to the model. The model had a multiple R= .62; thus, the factors listed above accounted for 38.4% of the variance across studies.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides a model of task performance in paradigms that assess learning of associations between words and objects in infants. The model predicts task- and subject-related effects on word learning performance, confirming results from a variety of experimental studies. The model contributes to these previous findings by providing a unique, quantitative way of predicting performance in associative word learning tasks. Further, it provides a basis for comparison with other experimental methods, and is an advance towards providing a baseline for assessment of special populations using the “switch” task. Although the factors studied explained over a third of the variance across studies, more research will be needed to account for remaining variance.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A meta-analysis was performed to examine the impact of Interactive Media (IM) on health-related outcomes. 61 relevant effect sizes were obtained from published experimental, randomized studies. Outcomes were measures of knowledge, self-efficacy, behavior, and clinical outcomes. 4 potential moderators were also examined: nature of interactivity (video games vs. information programs), nature of comparison intervention (type of control group used), health condition type (type of behavior that the health condition required: prevention or management), and age of the participant. Health-related IM interventions were effective; effect sizes were significantly greater than 0 for all outcome measures. Fixed and mixed effects regression models were used for each meta-analysis (1 meta-analysis per outcome measure). Both models revealed that the Information Programs imparted significantly more knowledge than Video Games, that older participants gained significantly more self-efficacy than younger participants, and that health interventions advocating management behavior were significantly more efficacious than those advocating prevention behavior.