U.S.-Thailand Cooperative Research on Crowding, Family Relations, and Health.

这项提案要求提供资金，以允许弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学社会学系的Theodore D.Fuller博士和John N.Edwards博士与泰国Mahidol大学人口与社会研究所的Santo Sermsri博士和Sairudee Vorakitphokatorn博士进行为期12个月的关于拥挤、家庭关系、和健康。该项目的主要目标是确定在泰国情况下，高水平的家庭拥挤是否对家庭关系和健康造成有害后果，如果是的话，调查是否存在一个“临界点”或阈值，超过这个临界点，拥挤效应会变得非常明显。对哺乳动物的研究，如各种类型的老鼠和鹿，已经表明拥挤与过度拥挤的动物的各种有害后果有关。在社会学理论中，拥挤被认为与不利的社会后果有关。泰国曼谷是进行这项研究的非常合适的地点，因为在一些泰国社区中发现了极端的拥挤速度。本项目将加强国家自然科学基金资助项目下的合作研究。SES 8618157通过资助两位泰国合作伙伴访问美国，与美国同行在其研究的分析阶段进行合作。该项目与发展中国家科学计划的目标相关，该计划旨在通过交流科学信息、思想、技能和技术，以及通过在互利问题上的合作，提高美国科学家和工程师与发展中国家同行之间的合作水平。

This proposal requests funds to permit Drs. Theodore D. Fuller and John N. Edwards, Department of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, to pursue with Dr. Santhat Sermsri, Department of Social Sciences, and Dr. Sairudee Vorakitphokatorn, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Thailand, for a period of 12 months, a program of cooperative research on crowding, family relations, and health. The primary objective of the project is to determine whether, in the Thai context, high levels of household crowding have detrimental consequences for family relations and health and, if so, to investigate whether there is a "tipping point," or threshold beyond which crowding effects become greatly pronounced. Research on mammals, such as various types of rats and deer, has shown crowding to be associated with a variety of deleterious consequences for the overcrowded animals. In sociological theory, crowding has been thought to be associated with adverse social consequences. Bangkok, Thailand, is a highly appropriate site in which to conduct this research because of the extreme rates of crowding found in some Thai communities. The present project will enhance cooperative research under NSF Grant No. SES 8618157 by providing funds for the two Thai Co-PI's to visit the USA to collaborate with their US counterparts on the analysis phase of their research. This project is relevant to the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries Program which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in developing countries through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit.