Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Much of our knowledge about police behavior “on the street” is based on in-person observation of the police. A large body of research utilizing police observational data has demonstrated that situational factors (or the immediate context of police-citizen encounters) are the strongest predictors of police behavior. However, there has been little research on how the observer can act as a key part of the immediate context of police behavior and influence police behavior. One theme in the field research literature is that observer effects (or observer behavior) can act as a source of bias in observational data. This paper utilizes descriptive and quantitative data on reactivity from a large scale observational study of police (Project on Policing Neighborhoods or POPN) to develop a model to predict this form of reactivity during encounters with suspects. In other words, which observers are more likely to help officers during encounters (net of a variety of controls for situational factors and officer characteristics)? Multivariate analyses indicate that observers with higher academic rank (e.g., advanced graduate students), those with comparatively lower overall grade point averages, and those with conservative attitudes toward criminality were significantly less likely to get involved in police work during encounters with suspects. The implications of these findings for recruiting and training social observers for police research are discussed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The interaction between opposition parties and international actors during the volatile democratization process has been seldom studied. This paper explores this relationship from 1990-2000 and finds that, controlling for the level of electoral competition, the presence of international observers increases the probability that an opposition party will choose to boycott the election. We argue that this interaction occurs because opposition parties recognize that, under specific circumstances, an election boycott can draw additional international attention to electoral fraud and serve to discredit an incumbent who is striving to be recognized as democratic.

Publication Type: Proceeding

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: If international observers are a signal that the election will be objectively evaluated according to international standards, and are associated with free and fair elections, why do opposition parties boycott the election even when they are present?

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Background

Given the lack of expertise, patients may be confused about what constitutes appropriate question-asking behavior. While much attention has been focused on pharmacist question-asking behavior, little attention has been paid to identifying patient perceptions of pharmacists’ question-asking behavior. As pharmacy practice becomes more patient-centered, the clarity of information exchange between patients and pharmacists is paramount.

Objective

To examine the discrepancy between patients’ perception of and independent observer’s observations of pharmacists’ question-asking behavior.

Method

Thirty community pharmacies across eight counties in Wisconsin were enrolled for the study. At each pharmacy, 12 patients were enrolled. Each patient’s interaction with the pharmacist was observed. Right after their encounter, patients completed a survey questionnaire containing items related to their interaction. Descriptive statistics were conducted to identify discrepancy.

Results

Seventy-five percent of patients reported that pharmacists asked them a question about medications. For the same encounters, the observer reported that more than ninety percent of patients were asked questions by their pharmacists. Eighty six percent of the discrepancy in patient and observer ratings were related to pharmacists’ use of “do you have any questions” or its variants.

Implications

A discrepancy exists between patients’ view of and observers’ report of whether the pharmacist asked a question. Given that patients were surveyed right after their interaction, this disconnect can be attributed to the use of neutral and closed ended questions such as “do you have any questions”. Pharmacists and pharmacy students need to understand the importance of asking open ended questions during their practice.