SSRC Chronicles: September 2011
Announcements
The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) has been expanding its laboratory capacity during the last year. The SSRC is proud to announce expanding facilities in: Media Collaboration Laboratory (MCL), Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Laboratory (SRL), Mississippi Tobacco Data Laboratory, Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP), and the J.W. Landrum Observational Survey Laboratory (OSL). An open house reception will be held on October 26, 2011, for the unveiling of the renovations.
The J.W. Landrum Observational Survey Laboratory (OSL) has a long history of conducting observational studies that focus on highway safety. It aspires to develop new observational approaches utilizing emerging techniques in gathering information on social and behavioral issues. Mr. David Parrish, Research Fellow and Senior Research Associate, is the Coordinator of the OSL.
Visitors
Dr. Donald Calsyn, Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Research Affiliate, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute for the University of Washington, was the lead investigator on the multi-site nationwide study that demonstrated the effectiveness of Real Men Are Safe (REMAS). Dr. Calsyn visited the SSRC September 21-22, 2011, to serve as a consultant to the Mississippi Drug Court project, led by Dr. Angela Robertson. During his visit, he assisted in adapting the REMAS intervention for delivery to participants in one of the Mississippi drug courts.
Ms. Jamie Holcomb, Director of Programs for the Women’s Fund of Mississippi toured the SSRC September 16, 2011, and met with Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale to discuss issues related to teen pregnancy and prevention in Mississippi. Ms. Holcomb and Ms. Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst for the Mississippi Economic Policy Center were interviewed on the Mississippi Edition of Mississippi Public Broadcasting September 13, 2011, to discuss the “high cost of teen pregnancy” in Mississippi; which ranks first in the United States in teen births. For more information about the Women’s Fund of Mississippi, visit the website at: http://www.womensfundms.org/. For more information about the Mississippi Economic Policy Center, visit the website at:http://www.mepconline.org/index.php. An audio of their interview with Karen Brown is available at: http://mpbonline.org/mississippiedition/me2011_09_13_teenpregnancy/. The Women’s Fund/MEPC full report is available at: http://womensfundms.org/documents/WomensFund_Issue_Brief_Embargoed_BW.pdf.
Publications & Reports
Chi, G., & Voss, P. R. (2011, September). Small-Area population forecasting: Borrowing strength across space and time. Population, Space and Place, 17(5): 505-520.
Hanna, H., Mathews, R., Southward, L. H., Cross, G. W., Kotch, J., Blanchard, T., & Cosby, A. G. (Forthcoming). Use of paid child care health care consultants in early care and education settings: Results of a national study comparing provision of health screening services among Head Start and non-Head Start centers. Journal of Pediatric Health Care.
Misra, K., & Chi, G. (Forthcoming). Measuring public school competition from private schools: A gravity-based index. Journal of Geographic Information System.
Ragsdale K., Porter J. R., Zamboanga, B. L., St Lawrence, J. S., Read-Wahidi, R., & White, A. (Forthcoming). High risk drinking among female college drinkers at two reporting intervals: Comparing spring break to the 30 days prior. Sexuality Research & Social Policy.
Sinclair, H. C., Ladny, R. T., & Lyndon, A. (Forthcoming). Adding insult to injury: Effects of self-regulation, rejection sensitivity, and rejection type on obsessive relational intrusion. Aggressive Behavior.
Strawderman, L., Salehi, A., Babski-Reves, K., Neaves, T. T., & Cosby, A. G. (Forthcoming). Effectiveness of Reverse 911 warning systems. Natural Hazards Review.
Presentations, Panels & Conferences
Buffington, A. (2011, September). An overview of Mississippi KIDS COUNT: How school districts and KIDS COUNT can work together to highlight success. Presented at the Mississippi School Public Relations Association (MSPRA) Fall Conference, Jackson, MS.
Cockrell, W. T., Sinclair, H. C., Walker, B. H., & Johnson, J. (2012, September). Attitude ambivalence, extremity, and valence and susceptibility to social influence. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Collier, K. E., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). Invested or invasive: Applying the investment model to understanding obsessive relational intrusion. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Cosby, A. G. (2011, September). What if we were equal? Exploring health disparities in the south. Presented at the annual Tennessee Public Health Association Meeting, Franklin, TN.
Ellithorpe, C., Colvin, L. W., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). Explaining away inter-racial relationships: The ultimate attribution error in inter-racial relationships. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Fitzpatrick, J., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). The role of family support and interference in homesickness among undergraduate students. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for the Study of Human Development conference, Providence, RI.
Fowler, L., & Cosby, A. G. (2011, September). Cultural punctuations and the evolution of U.S. energy policy. Paper presented at the Southeastern Conference on Public Administration, Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Hart, R., Jones, S., & McMillen, R. (2011, September). The impact of research on local policies: Engaging and informing communities and policy-makers on the benefits of Smoke Free Air. Poster presented at the 19th Annual Conference of the National Association of Local Boards of Health, Coeur d’Alene, ID.
Howell, A., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). Love on the margins: Whose opinion affects the state and fate of marginalized relationships. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Netadj, M., & Shahidan, M. (2011, September). Logistic impact on food price. Presented at the International Conference Quality and Service Sciences at the University of Alicante, Spain.
Neaves, T. T., & Cosby, A. G. (2011, September). Reverse 911®: An emergency manager tool for the 2007 San Diego county wildfires. Paper presented at the Southeastern Conference on Public Administration, New Orleans, LA.
Perko, L., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). Not all rejections are created equal: Examining the threats of rejection types. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Ragsdale, K., Robertson, A. A., Baird-Thomas, C., Read-Wahidi, R., Husain, J., Taite, K., Kasu B. (Forthcoming). Engaging ‘frontline’ substance abuse treatment center staff in integrating Rapid HIV Testing (RHT) into rural non-medical setting in the Mississippi Delta. Poster accepted for the American Public Health Association conference, Washington, DC.
Sinclair, H. C., Blaney, A., Felmlee, D., & Sprecher, S. (2012, September). Defying or disregarding disapproval?: Reactance and the Romeo and Juliet effect. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Sparks, C., & Sinclair, H. C. (2012, September). Passion or prejudice: Understanding prototypes of gender-bias crimes. Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Walker, B. H., Sinclair, H. C., Cockrell, W. T., & Hairfield, K. (2012, September). Could cognitive dissonance explain how publicly conforming to social norms leads to attitude change? Poster accepted for the 2012 Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference, San Diego, CA.
Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale, Research Fellow and Assistant Professor, Dr. Connie Baird-Thomas, Associate Director for the SSRC’s Mississippi Health Policy Research Center (MHPRC), Ms. Rahel Mathews, MPH and Research Associate III, and Mr. Bishal Kasu, PhD student in the Department of Sociology, attended a half-day meeting on September 14, 2011 at the Jackson Medical Mall Conference Center focused on developing strategies to strengthen collaborative partnerships between academic institutions and community-based organizations to address HIV/STI prevention needs in Mississippi.
Mr. Lee Weiskopf, Project Coordinator of the Public Safety Data Laboratory (PSDL) and Project Coordinator for Mississippi Electronic Citation Implementation (eCite) project, Dr. Ginger Cross, Assistant Research Professor, Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, Ms. Alicia Falls, Administrative Assistant I, Ms. Sara Gallman, Research Associate I, and members of the Mississippi eCite Project and PSDL conducted a training session for the cadets of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Academy, Class #60 on September 22, 2011. The full day session covered the daily activity and electronic citation systems, both of which are managed and created by the SSRC in a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Ms. Kathy Wooten, Contract and Grant Specialist, Ms. Linda Graves, Business Manager, and Ms. Lori Stubbs, Office Associate, from the SSRC attended a conference in Tupelo, MS on September 18-20, 2011. The Mississippi Banner Users Group (MBUG) held the conference and provided information about new upgrades and aspects of the banner software that will be implemented on the future upgrade.
Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Laboratory
The Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Laboratory (SRL) collected data for the Food Environment Survey by the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University (PRC). The purpose of the survey is to better understand the grocery shopping and eating habits of individuals living in Orleans Parrish, Louisiana. Additionally, the researchers from the PRC will use geospatial analysis to gauge Parrish residents’ access to fresh fruit and vegetables. The telephone-based survey included a representative sample of 3,000 individuals living in Orleans Parrish. Survey design and implementation by the SRL was overseen by Dr. John F. Edwards, MAFES Research Scientist and Coordinator of Laboratories at the Social Science Research Center. Plans are underway to repeat this survey in 2013.
The SRL collected data for a survey titled, Understanding Chronic Disease and Obesity in Mississippi, by the Prevention Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, MO (PRC-StL). The dual-frame (landline & cellphone) telephone-based survey was administered to 1,400 residents living in the five counties in Mississippi with the highest prevalence of obesity (Holmes, Humphreys, Jefferson, Tunica and Wilkinson) and 1,400 residents living in the five counties in Mississippi with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Harrison, Hancock, Rankin, Tishomingo and Prentiss). The survey data will be used to assess the population’s chronic disease risk factors, access to health care and perceptions of health-related policy. Dr. John F. Edwards oversaw the data collection process.
The SRL is conducting a survey, Implementation of sex education in Mississippi’s public schools: A statewide baseline survey of House Bill 999, for Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Linda Southward and Ms. Colleen McKee for the Family and Children Research Unit (FCRU) at the SSRC. This survey is collecting data from approximately 3,600 parents of public school students to determine their opinions, knowledge and attitudes of the H.B. 999. Results of the report will be available by late fall of 2011. The Center for Mississippi Health Policy is funding this project.
Research Projects
Dr. Arthur G. Cosby, William L. Giles Distinguish Professor and Director of the SSRC, will serve as Principal Investigator for the Public Safety Laboratory, Year 4 project. Year Four (Fiscal Year (FY) 2012) will focus on integration of the Daily Activity System with the MOVE/eCite Platform and maintain data and report publication to officials and the public website. With the addition of MOVE/eCite to Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) Enforcement, there are better ways to collect and analyze data by coordinating the two systems together. The Public Safety Data Laboratory (PSDL) also proposed to maintain, host and update the public website, adding additional data and reports as it becomes available, including work done within and outside of the PSDL. The PSDL also proposed to maintain the research function of the project. The Mississippi Office of Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are funding this project.
Dr. Ginger Cross, Assistant Research Professor, and Dr. Chiquita Briley, Assistant Professor for Mississippi State University’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, will serve as Principal Investigators on the project titled “Partnerships to Promote Healthy Lifestyles for Children and Communities.” This project will create partnerships between university researchers, a medical professional, and staff at an interactive health education center and use informal science education and media activities to promote healthy lifestyles for children, parents, teachers, and community members. The Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting this project.
Mr. Bill Henderson, Operations Coordinator for MASEP, will serve as Principal Investigator on the DUI Enforcement, Year 19 project. The SSRC will assist in the coordination of the Instructor training school, regional workshops for Standardized Field Sobriety Training, Complete Traffic Stop Training, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and the Drug Recognition Expert School, as well as two Sobriety Trained Officers Representing Mississippi Conferences. In assisting with the implementation of this project, the SSRC will provide logistical serves that include the following activities: arranging meetings accommodations, providing program supplies, providing training materials, processing expense reimbursements, participating in meetings, etc. The Public Safety Planning, Office of Highway Safety and the United States Department of Transportation are funding this project.
Mr. David Parrish, Research Fellow and Senior Research Associate, will serve as Principal Investigator for the Seat Belt/Motorcycle Helmet and Child Restraint Surveys, Year 19. The SSRC has conducted observational surveys for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for the past 18 years. These surveys focus on occupant protection behavior, or practice, in roadway vehicles. Specifically, the surveys are intended to gauge the practices of motorists in Mississippi with regard to safety belt usage, motorcycle helmet use and child restraint usage. Safety belt usage rates are determined for the state before the annual Click-It-or-Ticket campaign. Motorcycle helmet use is also gathered concurrently during these observational surveys. The baseline seat belt survey consists of 64 observation locations in 8 selected counties. The follow-up survey consists of 168 observation locations in 16 selected counties and provides the state with an official safety belt usage rate that is reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Child restraint surveys are conducted in approximately 40 Mississippi municipalities with populations over 10,000. These observational surveys provide the state with an estimated rate of child restraint usage. The Mississippi Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is funding this project.
Mr. Lee Weiskopf, Project Coordinator of the PSDL and Project Coordinator for Mississippi eCite project, will serve as Principal Investigator for the Mississippi Electronic Citation Implementation (eCite) project, Year 3. Year 3 will again partner the SSRC and the Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS), with the SSRC serving as the overall project manager, and will provide training and support functions, while CAPS continues with the technical development and support, as has been done in the first 18 months of the project. This proposal outlines the goals and ambitions for FY 2012, along with the responsibilities and timeline. Again, this is a project that, from the start, was predicted to need a five-year commitment in order to fully and adequately establish a product that is fully functional and meets the needs and desires of Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS). The five year window allows new technologies and features to be introduced on a regular schedule, allowing the SSRC and CAPS to work with the MHP and the MDPS to roll out new features in the system, as well as to other agencies interested in the system. The Mississippi Office of Highway Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are sponsoring this project.
Ms. Rahel Mathews, MPH and Research Associate III, will serve as Principal Investigator from the SSRC for the Evaluation for HIV/STI State Services project. Dr. Nicholas Mosca, STD/HIV Director for the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) will serve as lead Principal Investigator for the MSDH. The project is currently implementing two short statewide surveys regarding the abstinence plus/abstinence only curriculum, which every school district is required to adopt. One survey is gathering opinions from school nurses while the other is being conducted with school principals. The information gathered will be used for planning accessible STD testing services for adolescents across the state. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is funding the project.
On the Horizon
Dr. Don Dillman, Regent’s Professor and Deputy Director for Research and Development of the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC) and former President of the American Association of Public Opinion Research at Washington State University, will be visiting the SSRC October 18-19, 2011. Dr. Dillman has long been recognized as leading authority on survey research methodology. He will be giving a short course on “Emerging Issues in Survey Research” in the Loftin Conference Room of the SSRC from 2-5 p.m. on October 18. The SSRC and the American Academies of Pediatrics’ Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence invite faculty and research associates of the SSRC to attend.
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, and Ms. Ashley Loftin, Facilitator and Research Assistant, will attend the National Weather Association Conference in Birmingham, AL, October 16-20, 2011. The National Weather Association will be conducting a Town Hall forum to collect data on what people do in weather disasters. The goal is to determine how people made decisions to protect themselves from the April 2011 storms and what weather information directed them to make the best decisions. Dr. Myers is part of the research team guiding the Town Hall forum and will facilitate the forum. Ms. Loftin will assist the research team in conducting the forum. Dr. Myers will also present a paper at the conference on how people make decisions in disasters.
Ms. Ashley Loftin will attend the Southeastern Regional Facilitation conference at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA, October 27-30, 2011.
Ms. Rahel Mathews, MPH and Research Associate III, has been invited to be a keynote speaker at the general meeting for the Mississippi Oral Health Community Alliance in Clinton in October. She has been asked to present on the statistics and factors related to early childhood caries in preschool children in the Delta. The meeting is expected to have over 70 people in attendance, including Representative John Hines and will be sponsored by United Health Care.
The 2010 SSRC Annual Report will be recognized during the Lanterns Banquet at the Southern Public Relations Federation Annual Conference October 4, 2011. The report was designed and produced by the MCL. Accepting the award on behalf of the MCL will be Dr. Laura R. Walton, Coordinator of the MCL.
October 7, 2011SSRC 2012 Annual Report
Click here to download the PDF version. Click here for the interactive online version.
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