Software Reviews : SHOWCASE: STANDARD CROSS-CULTURAL SAMPLE,Version 1.0 Reviewed by Richard A. Wagner,Human Relations Area Files,Inc. (HRAF) Publisher: Cognitive Development,Inc.,Suite 141,12345 Lake City Way NE,Seattle,wA 98125 (telephone: [phone]) Year of Publication: 1988 Materials: Program and utilities disks (not copy protected) Instructor's Book of Demonstrations (by Rodney Stark,University of Washington),User's Guide,and codebook (totalling 90 pages) Price: $195 Machine Specificity: IBM PC,XT,AT,compatibles System Requirements: One 360K drive,256K RAM,color graphics Effectiveness: Fair User-Friendliness: Good Documentation: Fair to Poor

Abstract

This is one of a number of SHOWCASES designed for social science instruction. The STANDARD CROSS-CULTURAL SAMPLE SHOWCASE includes 202 coded variables for the 186 societies in the popular sample designed by Murdock and White. In brief, the software allows users to map the worldwide distribution of traits, compare both groups and cases, generate cross-tabulations, and provides correlation and regression capability. The package is very easy to run, simple to understand, and hard to get lost in.