Theoretical Distinction Research Articles

Life after trafficking: reintegration experiences of human trafficking survivors in Nigeria

Purpose Reintegration programs have emerged as part of the regimes of care for survivors of human trafficking. However, empirical analysis of the reintegration outcomes for survivors remains limited in the African context. Hence, this paper aims to examine the challenges and opportunities of reintegration assistance programs for survivors of human trafficking in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with repatriated women who have accessed reintegration assistance in Nigeria, and data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings The findings suggest that while the reintegration programs might address the procedural aspect of reintegration, the achievement of substantive reintegration remains incomplete. This is because of the structural conditions of the context within which reintegration is supposed to occur. Practical implications There is a need to take seriously the distinction between the reintegration of survivors into a new community or a former community in the design of a regime of care for survivors of human trafficking in Africa. Crucially, the focus on procedural reintegration should not also divert attention away from the structural conditions and reforms needed to ensure survivors achieve substantive reintegration. Originality/value This paper contributes to the limited literature on life after trafficking and demonstrates the strengths and limitations of reintegration programs as a regime of care for survivors of human trafficking. In addition, this study empirically grounded the theoretical distinction between different aspects of the process of reintegration.

Relationship between cool and hot executive function in young children: A near-infrared spectroscopy study.

A theoretical distinction exists between the cool and hot aspects of executive function (EF). At the neural level, cool EF may be associated with activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas the orbitofrontal cortex may play a key role in hot EF. However, some recent studies have shown that young children show activity in the lateral prefrontal regions during hot EF tasks, suggesting that the distinction between hot and cool EF may not be as marked. Nevertheless, few neuroimaging studies have directly examined the relationship between cool and hot EF. In this study, preschool children (N=46, mean age=66.1 months) were given both cool (Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and Stroop-like tasks) and hot (delay of gratification) EF tasks, and neural activation during these tasks was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Correlational analyses and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to assess the relationship between cool and hot EF. At the behavioral level, a moderate correlation was found between DCCS and Stroop-like tasks, but no correlation emerged between cool and hot EF tasks. At the neural level, prefrontal activations during the cool EF tasks did not correlate with those during the hot EF task. Further, children showed stronger prefrontal activations during the DCCS tasks compared to the delay of gratification tasks. The results suggest that the neural basis of hot and cool EF may differ during early childhood.

The Distinction between Real Rights and Personal Rights in the Deeds Registration System of South Africa – Part One: Statutory and Theoretical Distinction between Real Rights and Personal Rights

Real rights in respect of land are registrable in the deeds registration system of South Africa, while personal rights may not be registered. The Deeds Registries Act 47 of 1937, which allows an open system of real rights, does not define real rights and personal rights properly, and does not draw a distinction between such rights. In this article in two parts the view is expressed that the nature of these rights is determined by distinguishing real rights from personal rights, especially in terms of the doctrine of subjective rights, and by distinguishing between ownership and limited real rights by application of the subtraction from the dominium test (as supplemented by the intention test). Both fundamental distinctions are founded in the South African common law and still form the basis for a modern theory of real rights.

Validation of the State Version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in a University Sample

Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Model makes a theoretical distinction between the contribution of dispositional anxiety and the transitory experience of anxiety to performance difficulties during testing situations. According to the State-Trait framework, state anxiety is viewed as the primary performance barrier for test-anxious students, and as such, educators and educational researchers have expressed interest in validated, state anxiety measurement tools. Currently, the most widely used measure of state anxiety is the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. However, evidence regarding the psychometric properties of this scale is relatively scarce. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine the structural validity, reliability, and concurrent/divergent validity of the instrument. Participants ( N = 294) completed the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale 2nd Edition, and an exam task. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we tested the viability of one-, two-, and bi-factor solutions for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated a two-factor solution consisting of State Anxiety and State Calmness dimensions provided superior fit to the observed data. Results of a reliability analysis indicated that the State Anxiety and State Calmness factors demonstrated excellent internal consistency when applied to university students. Our discussion concerns the utility of the State Anxiety factor as a tool for the identification of test-anxious students.

Beyond the emergency problematique: how do security IOs respond to crises—a case study of NATO response to COVID-19

This article explores the discourses and strategies of security international organisations (IOs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, applying NATO as a case study. To build the argument, the article analyses speeches and public interventions by the SG and DSG coded in NVivo. First, the results of the empirical analysis suggest that during the crisis NATO discourse focussed on its ability to perform core functions, on constructing identity, generating “positive” legitimacy, or on increasing the relevance of military capital. Second, the findings show that the main elements of the organisation’s COVID-19 crisis management strategy were: proactiveness, continuous review and planning ahead, stepping-up activities and efficiency, lessons learned, adaptability, solidarity and civil-military cooperation. Third, a logic of IO exceptionalism and ‘emergency problematique’, underpinned by mission creep, could not be conclusively confirmed based on the analysed sample. The article adds a theoretical distinction to the literature on global governance in times of emergency. It demonstrates that security IOs might not always seek explicit authority leaps through lowering checks and balances (horizonal) or reducing the legal protection of subjects (vertical), due to risks of sanctioning.Keywords

Lying vs. misleading: The adverbial account

AbstractWe intuitively make a distinction betweenlyingandmisleading. As several philosophers have pointed out, on the account of this distinction favored here – theadverbialaccount, as I’ll call it – it provides evidence on the theoretical notion ofwhat is saidand the related theoretical distinction between semantics and pragmatics. For, on that account, the distinction tracks whether or not the content and the assertoric force with which it is presented are semantically conveyed. On an alternative (assertoric)commitmentaccount, the difference between lying and misleading is predicated instead on the strength of assertoric commitment. One lies when one presents with full assertoric commitment what one believes to be false; one merely misleads when one presents it with short-of-full assertoric commitment, by merely hinting or otherwise implying it. Here I’ll present the debate confronting the two accounts, and I’ll provide support for the adverbial account and its methodological application.

The effects of work and nonwork boundary fit on role satisfaction and subjective well‐being

Employees manage work and nonwork boundaries, or socially constructed lines of demarcation, in different ways due to their preferences and ability to do so. When an individual's integration-segmentation boundary enactment matches their boundary preference, they possess greater boundary fit. We examined the impact of work and nonwork boundary fit on subjective well-being, mediated by work and nonwork satisfaction. Results from a three-wave study confirmed positive direct effects for work/nonwork boundary fit on role satisfaction and role satisfaction on subjective well-being. We also found significant mediation effects for role satisfaction between work/nonwork boundary fit and subjective well-being. Overall, work boundary fit had stronger direct and indirect effects than nonwork boundary fit. This research helps clarify theoretical distinctions among work-nonwork fit constructs and extends the boundary fit literature through an atomistic fit perspective. Future research could consider examining boundary fit through cross-lagged panel designs and response surface modelling, as well as extending our model to examine nuanced aspects of boundary fit (e.g., physical, temporal, cognitive) and its relationship with additional outcomes (e.g., performance, burnout) and contextual factors (e.g., part-time vs. full-time employment, frontline vs. office-based employment).

Doing the right thing? An institutional perspective on responsible restructuring in UK local government

AbstractDrawing on institutional theory, this paper advances understanding of how restructuring practices are shaped by the organisational and institutional context and the concerns for legitimacy. Longitudinal case study findings from UK local government suggest a pattern of incremental deviance where repeated cutbacks are legitimised through a narrative of continuous improvement. This results in increased labour flexibility, work intensity and managerialism within services. We argue that the lack of resistance to change can be explained by the steady desensitisation of workers to repeated cutbacks as opposed to the inherent fairness of management actions. Through context‐specific research the theoretical and empirical distinctions between responsible and pure restructuring, and soft and hard Human Resource Management policies, are challenged.

Bills, Rights and Housing Policy: The Evolution of Israel’s Seven-Decade Housing-Related Bills

How do bills contribute to the promotion of housing rights? Is there a relation between the content of proposed bills and a country’s dominant political economy? Are changes in the political-economic regime reflected in housing-related bills? What type of bill is most likely to be enacted: a provision or a protection? These are the challenge of this study. The analysis is based on the theoretical classic distinction between “provisions” (positive rights) and “protections” (negative rights) from the realm of human rights, producing an empirical cumulative-aggregative analysis, which examines the scope and content of housing-related bills in the Israeli parliament since its establishment in 1948, until today. The research findings are counterintuitive, challenging the understanding that welfare regimes encourage extensive provisions, as opposed to neoliberal regimes that promote extensive protections. Given the current global housing affordability crisis, the research findings are relevant to many countries, parliaments, and organizations that are currently seeking to promote various housing rights.

A Phenotypic Comparison of Loudness and Pain Hyperacusis: Symptoms, Comorbidity, and Associated Features in a Multinational Patient Registry.

Purpose Hyperacusis is a complex and poorly understood auditory disorder characterized by decreased tolerance to sound at levels that would not trouble most individuals. Recently, it has been suggested that individuals who experience otalgia in response to everyday sounds (termed pain hyperacusis) may differ clinically from those whose primary symptom is the perception of everyday sounds as excessively loud (termed loudness hyperacusis). Despite this theoretical distinction, there have been no empirical studies directly comparing these two populations of hyperacusis patients. Method Using data from a multinational patient registry (the Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford Registry), we examined self-reported demographics, symptoms, comorbidity, and response to treatment in a sample of 243 adults with hyperacusis, 152 of whom were classified as having pain hyperacusis based on reported symptoms. Bayesian statistical tests were used to investigate both the presence and absence of group differences between patients with loudness and pain hyperacusis. Results Individuals with pain hyperacusis presented with a more severe clinical phenotype, reporting a higher frequency of temporary symptom exacerbations (i.e., "setbacks"), less perceived symptom improvement over time, more severe comorbid headache disorders, and reduced benefit from sound therapy. However, the two hypothesized hyperacusis subtypes exhibited more similarities than differences, with the majority of symptoms and comorbidities being equally prevalent across groups. Multiple comorbidities were commonly observed, including tinnitus, primary headache disorders, psychiatric disorders, and functional somatic syndromes. Intolerance of sensory stimuli in other modalities was also frequently reported. Conclusion Although this study provides little evidence that loudness and pain hyperacusis are pathophysiologically distinct conditions, our findings indicate that a pain-predominant phenotype may be a meaningful prognostic marker in patients with hyperacusis.

Online sexual experiences and relationship functioning in long distance relationships

Over the past decade, research has sought to understand sexting behaviour among adolescents and young adults. Much of this work is atheoretical and harm-focused, and little research has investigated these behaviours in the context of committed adult romantic relationships. The current study seeks to understand sexting behaviours of adult long distance couples. The context of long distance relationships (LDRs) may be especially relevant for understanding the potential relational benefits of sexting because romantic partners usually have restricted opportunities to experience physical intimacy in this type of relationship. Adopting the intimacy process model as a guiding theoretical framework, we expected to find higher levels of perceived interpersonal closeness, sexual communication, and relationship and sexual satisfaction among long distance couples who practice sexting than those who do not. Results of the study, however, indicated no association between the frequency of sexting and interpersonal closeness among long distance couples. Consistent with our hypothesis, higher levels of sexual communication, relationship and sexual satisfaction were found to be correlated with more frequent sexting practices among these couples. The discussion concerns important theoretical distinctions between sexual communication and the frequency of sexting. Future research should carefully consider how sexual communication is expressed both within and outside of sexting encounters when investigating the role of sexting within LDRs.

The notion of sensation in Sellars' theory of perception

AbstractThis paper reconstructs Sellars' theory of “sensation” or “sense impression,” positioning it in relation to his theoretical distinction between the Manifest and Scientific Image. Though Sellars' account of “sensation” has been a widely neglected part of his thought, it is central not only to his theory of perception but also to understanding his confrontation with traditional accounts of sensing (from Descartes to C.I. Lewis and Husserl). In this article, I first show that Sellars' argument for introducing the notion of “sensation” into his theoretical system should be understood as distinctly explanatory, rather than transcendental or phenomenological. After outlining this argument and analyzing its significance, I explore Sellars' adverbialist construal of “sensation” and its implications in relation to contemporaneous and current forms of adverbialism. Finally, in the last part of the paper, I illuminate how Sellars situates his conceptual framework for “sensations” (correctly understood) in the Manifest Image theory of perception. Highlighting Sellars' understanding of the process by which the Manifest Image substitutes sensation in the Scientific Image, I clarify Sellars' obscure notion of “sensa,” then conclude with a comprehensive account of his stereoscopic view of the phenomenon of sensing.

Review and replication three existing measurement scales of consumer cosmopolitanism: an empirical study in Vietnamese young segment

In the globalised market, the priority of companies pursuing international achievements is how to identify segments that are favourable foreign products. Consumer cosmopolitanism represents a promising group for implementing successfully cross-cultural strategies. Scholars also agree that the formation process of consumer cosmopolitanism varies from country to country. This study provides a review and replication of the reliability and validity of available measurement scales for consumer cosmopolitanism in Vietnam. The findings highlight a necessity for a new measurement scale of consumer cosmopolitanism applying in the Vietnamese young market and provide a theoretical distinction among related constructs: cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitan, and consumer cosmopolitanism. Theoretical contributions and future recommendations have been suggested in this study.

Review and replication three existing measurement scales of consumer cosmopolitanism: an empirical study in Vietnamese young segment

In the globalised market, the priority of companies pursuing international achievements is how to identify segments that are favourable foreign products. Consumer cosmopolitanism represents a promising group for implementing successfully cross-cultural strategies. Scholars also agree that the formation process of consumer cosmopolitanism varies from country to country. This study provides a review and replication of the reliability and validity of available measurement scales for consumer cosmopolitanism in Vietnam. The findings highlight a necessity for a new measurement scale of consumer cosmopolitanism applying in the Vietnamese young market and provide a theoretical distinction among related constructs: cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitan, and consumer cosmopolitanism. Theoretical contributions and future recommendations have been suggested in this study.

Interpretacija i konstrukcija - prilog razmatranju razlike između primjene prava i stvaranja prava

As part of their regular activities, courts attach meaning to legal texts to determine the normative situation of the parties to the dispute. The activity of attributing meaning to legal texts by the courts is commonly called authoritative interpretation of law. In many cases, the meaning attributed to the text by the court deviates significantly from what laymen and even lawyers would expect, and the deviations themselves are explained in different ways in legal theory. In the purpose of explanation, the terms creation and application of law, extensive and restrictive interpretation, secundum, praeter and contra legem adjudication are used. This paper introduces and explains the concepts of interpretation, construction and their relationship, as possible explanations of situations in which authoritative judicial interpretations deviate from the expectations of the professional and lay public. For this purpose, contemporary textualist and intentionalist (cognitivist) conceptions of interpretation and construction are presented and compared with contemporary skeptical (realist, antiformalist) conceptions. Despite the simplicity and intuitive acceptability of some cognitivist views, skepticism is shown to provide a better theoretical basis for considering the application and creation of rights by courts. The very distinction between interpretation and construction proves to be a useful theoretical tool for explaining the actions of courts, as well as for specifying existing theoretical distinctions.

The factor structure and subscale properties of the pain catastrophizing scale: are there differences in the distinctions?

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dimensionality of PCS responses in a sample of patients with chronic pain (N = 8370). Data were randomly halved, and results were cross-validated. Both traditional factor analysis and traditional factor analyses were conducted. Findings based on common factor analyses and on bifactor analyses supported the essential unidimensionality of PCS responses. In the bifactor analyses, the general factor accounted for 96% of the explained common variance in the modeling sample. After extracting the general factor, helplessness, magnification, and rumination subscales accounted for 7.0%, 0.0%, and 15%, respectively. The results do not necessarily disconfirm helplessness, magnification, and rumination as clinically meaningful theoretical distinctions. However, the PCS (at least as presently constructed) fails to discriminate these distinctions. Joint efforts in theory and measurement science could illuminate the role that posited "kinds" of pain catastrophizing play in individuals' pain experiences.

Innovative Behavior in Public Sector Services Public Service Motivation and Private Sector Experience

The demand for innovation in public organizations is increasing. In this study, I explore factors that contribute to the innovative behavior of civil servants at the individual level. The theoretical distinction between public and private organizations has long been a subject of debate, and certain characteristics of innovation in public organizations mimic innovation in the private sector, even though the purpose of innovation in public organizations is to secure public goods. In order to examine the innovative behavior of public employees who face such contradictory circumstances, I parameterized the characteristics of each sector, using whether or not the employee had worked in the private sector prior to entering the public service as the characteristic for the private sector and the effect of public service motivation on innovative behavior as the characteristic for the public sector and found that at the individual level, the two are not mutually exclusive.

Strategic responses of MNCs in emerging markets: addressing institutional voids associated with informal institutions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the question how multinational corporations (MNCs) can respond to different domains of formal voids associated with informal institutions in emergent markets.Design/methodology/approachThe author advances the institution-based view of international business strategy by developing a framework and six propositions. The theoretical distinction of informal institutions as an additional aspect when disrupting formal institutional voids are instrumental in developing a refined understanding of how MNCs can respond to institutional voids.FindingsBy emphasizing the notion of informal institutions that are associated with formal institutional voids, the author moves away from a unidimensional toward a multidimensional view of substituting formal voids. The presented response variety includes a variety of substitutes.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research can apply qualitative research to further examine where, when and why social innovations can be used efficiently to address institutional weaknesses or absences. The author suggests further research opportunities in the implication section.Social implicationsConstituting substitutive formal institutions with complementary informal institutions can help strategic managers navigate business activities in emerging markets. Institutional weaknesses can be used as opportunities to create legitimacy and serve social needs. To help facilitate such impacts public policies need to be developed accordingly.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new and critical perspective on how MNCs can use institutional voids as opportunities. The author’s key contribution is to highlight specific substitutive actions from MNCs to institutional voids when different cultural-cognitive and normative circumstances apply in emerging markets.

Quantifying grammatical impairments in primary progressive aphasia: Structured language tests and narrative language production

PurposeThis study examined grammatical production impairments in primary progressive aphasia (PPA), as measured by structured tests and narrative samples. We aimed to quantify the strength of the relationship between grammatical measures across tasks, and identify factors that condition it. Three grammatical domains were investigated: overall sentence production, verb morphology, and verb-argument structure. Methods77 participants with PPA (34 PPA-G, 16 PPA-L, 15 PPA-S and 12 other) completed a battery of grammatical tests and a narrative language sample was obtained. Accuracy scores were computed for the language tests and the narrative samples were analyzed for both accuracy of selected narrative variables as well as grammatical diversity across the three grammatical domains. Principal components analysis (PCA) and multiple regression were used to examine cross-task relationships for all measures. ResultsAs expected on the basis of classification criteria, accuracy scores were lower for the PPA-G group as compared to the PPA-L and PPA-S participants for overall sentence production and verb morphology, but not argument structure. Grammatical accuracy in narratives strongly predicted overall language test performance in PPA-G, whereas grammatical diversity in narratives did so in PPA-L, and no significant correspondence between narrative and language test performance was found for PPA-S. For individuals with severe grammatical impairments only, error distribution for both morphology and argument structure was strongly associated in structured tasks and narratives. ConclusionsGrammatical production in narrative language predicts accuracy elicited with structured language tests in PPA. However, unique narrative production patterns distinguish PPA by subtype: accuracy for PPA-G, and grammatical diversity for PPA-L. The impairment in PPA-G is likely to reflect a core impairment in grammar whereas that of PPA-L may be closely tied to the word retrieval and verbal working memory deficits that characterize this variant. This underscores the theoretical distinction between PPA-L and PPA-G, as well as the importance of including grammatical diversity measures in analyses of language production, especially for patients who do not display frank agrammatism. Further, the results suggest that measures of domain-specific language deficits (i.e., verb morphology vs. argument structure) are robust across tasks only in individuals with severe grammatical impairments.

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work

The Phenomenon of Conscience in Social Work