Synopses & Reviews
Many of those who frequently interact with adolescents have resigned themselves to the fact that the period between childhood and adulthood is inevitably characterized by risky and unhealthy behavior and also a time when previously healthy children will experience the first signs of mental
disorder. Likewise, the popular media often present the adolescent brain as a work in progress, unprepared for the developmental changes that drive unhealthy behavior, and vulnerable to the genetic influences that seem to undermine mental health.
But in the last decade, scientists have come to grasp the plasticity of the adolescent brain. Although important findings from both animal and human research show the effects of early maltreatment on brain development and how these effects can be transmitted across generations, new advances in our
understanding also promise strategies for reversing these and other genetic predispositions. Research now suggests that mental health professionals and concerned parents may be able to take advantage of adolescent brain plasticity by fortifying strengths, avoiding maladaptive behaviors, and
counteracting genes that would otherwise promote mental disorder. At one time considered mutually exclusive, according to the argument diligently supported by Daniel Romer and Elaine Walker, nature and nurture actually work in concert, shaping the development of the mature individual.
The implications for our views of the treatability of mental disorder could be dramatic. A central question which this volume addresses is: With treatment and preventive interventions, can we enhance healthy functioning, prevent potential maladaptive behavior, and alter the developmental course of
psychological disorders? In June 2005, a diverse group of psychologists, neuroscientists, and researchers came together at University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center to discuss this question theoretically and practically from a variety of perspectives. The presentations from this
fruitful meeting have been synthesized into Adolescent Psychopathology and the Developing Brain: Integrating Brain and Prevention Science, a collection that offers prevention and neuroscience researchers the knowledge and background to embark on the study of developmental psychopathology, and the
rationale to chart a new course.
Synopsis
The 2000 presidential election was one of the closest and most dramatic elections in American history. Over the year 2000, the Annenberg Public Policy Center conducted the largest study ever undertaken of the American electorate--the National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES).
Capturing Campaign Dynamics: The National Annenberg Election Survey: Design, Method, and Data presents the results of this survey to the general public for the first time. The book includes a CD-ROM of the NAES codebooks and data, featuring more than 100,000 interviews with adults living in the United States, which were conducted nearly every day throughout the year 2000. The data contained on the NAES CD-ROM are in both SPSS format and tab-delimited format for use with other statistical software. In addition, it is the first book to focus on rolling cross-sectional analysis, a relatively new and exciting survey research methodology. The book walks researchers through different strategies for analyzing rolling cross-sectional data to understand campaign dynamics. It also provides an introduction to time series analysis and other methods for exploiting this rich database.
Capturing Campaign Dynamics: The National Annenberg Election Survey: Design, Method, and Data is ideal for courses in survey research methods in political science, communication studies, and analysis of public opinion. It will also be of great interest to scholars and professionals such as pollsters and political consultants.
Table of Contents
1. Why the National Annenberg Election Survey?, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Kate Kenski
2. Survey Procedures, Content, and Dataset Overview, Paul Waldman
3. Research Design Concepts for the Rolling Cross-Section Approach, Kate Kenski
4. The Rolling Cross-Section Design, Kate Kenski
5. Visualizing Data Across the Campaign, Kate Kenski
6. Linear and Logistic Regression Models for Cross-Sectional Analyses, Daniel Romer
7. Analysis of Panel Data, Kate Kenski and Daniel Romer
8. Time Series Model, Daniel Romer
Appendix of Technical Terms
CD-ROM Attachment with Datasets, Codebook, and Accompanying Files, Christopher Adasiewicz