This study examines the effects of body shape (women's waist-to-hip ratio and men's waist-to-shoulder ratio) on desirability of a potential romantic partner. In judging desirability, we expected male participants to place more emphasis on female body shape, whereas females would focus more on personality characteristics. Further, we expected that relationship type would moderate the extent to which physical characteristics were valued over personality. Specifically, physical characteristics were expected to be most valued in short-term sexual encounters when compared with long-term relationships. Two hundred and thirty-nine participants (134 females, 105 males; 86% Caucasian) rated the desirability of an opposite-sex target for a date, a one-time sexual encounter, and a serious relationship. All key hypotheses were supported by the data.

Personal electronic devices (e.g., MP3 players) have the technological capacity to administer surveys to diverse cultural and low-literacy groups. To address concerns associated with survey research and low literacy, the authors developed a novel application of the iPod® to enable self-administration of surveys. The authors provide preliminary evidence demonstrating the utility of the application from a study on intimate partner violence. Further research is needed to assess the appropriateness, functionality, and usability of the iPod and its application to survey research.

While extensive research has been conducted on the causes of intimate partner violence in the community, very little is known about rates and predictors of domestic violence perpetrated by offenders who have recently been incarcerated. Some evidence suggests that formerly incarcerated individuals may be at an increased risk to perpetrate intimate partner violence during the transition from prison to the community (e.g., Hairston & Oliver 2006;Hilton, Harris, Popham, & Lang, 2010;Oliver & Hairston, 2008). The primary goal of this dissertation was to examine the extent to which former inmates engage in domestic violence during the transition from prison to the community. A second goal of this dissertation was to determine the independent and interactive effects of selected individual, situational, and social- iii Dedication My dissertation is dedicated to my dad, Stephen J. Freeland, PhD (Colorado State University, 1981). Da, I still have the "Round Tuit" that Pop gave to you while you were writing your dissertation. I am honored that you passed it down to me while I was writing mine. Your achievement of a PhD was the biggest motivator for me to follow in the same path (even if mine is not in a "real" science -ha ha). You have no idea how wonderful it has been to be able to share my struggles during this process with someone who knows them only too well. I never would have begun this journey without your support, and I never would have finished without your perpetual encouragement. I love you.iv Table 2 Demographic characteristics of the study sample and study population who were released from prison to Multnomah county and the population of offenders released to the entire state between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2009.................................................................................................................. 117 Table 6 Descriptive statistics for individual, situational, and social-structural level variables (n=1137)................................................................................................ 155 Table 7 Descriptive statistics for additional individual-level demographic characteristics (n=1137)........................................................................................ 156 ....................................................................................... 219 Incarceration rates in the United States (US) are exceptionally high. With more than 730 per 100,000 US residents housed in prisons and local jails, current incarceration rates have surpassed those of any other time in US history and those of all other Western European countries (Gottschalk, 2009;Raphael, 2009;Tonry, 1999). While the growth in US incarceration rates initially corresponded with increasing violent crime in the 1980s, an overall decrease in violent crime in the 1990s was not followed by a reciprocal decrease in incarceration (Tonry, 1999;Warren, Gelb, Horowitz, & Riordan, 2008). Violent crime-with the exception of gun violence-is no higher in the ...

No abstract

No abstract