Biasing of hyperkinetic behavior ratings by diagnostic reports

Two preschool children, one hyperkinetic and one normal, were observed by 4 pairs of raters over a 10-day interval Raters who were given diagnostic reports suggesting hyperkinesis in the child they observed produced significantly higher ratings of hyperkinesis on a published, somewhat objective, rating scale than raters who were not provided with diagnostic reports. In addition, it was found that the level of perceived hyperkinesis decreased over successive ratings. The results of the study are discussed in terms of the potential impact of diagnoses on hyperkinetic children and the implications for intervention studies.The authors would like to extend their appreciation to the students who so ably served as raters in the present study and the staff of the Precision Positive Early Education Program, in which the research was conducted.     

Conduct Problems and Level of Social Competence in Head Start Children: Prevalence, Pervasiveness, and Associated Risk Factors

The purpose of the current project was to determine the prevalence of conduct problems, low social competence, and associated risk factors in a sample of 4-year-old low-income children (N = 426) from 64 Head Start classrooms in the Seattle area. Conduct problems and social competence were assessed based on a combination of teacher reports, parent reports, and independent observations of children interacting with peers in the classroom and with parents at home. We examined the relative contribution of a variety of risk factors, including maternal history and socioeconomic background, current levels of stress and social support, mothers' emotional state, and parenting competence in relation to pervasive (i.e., at home and school) and nonpervasive conduct problems and low social competence. Findings indicated similar risk factors for conduct problems and for low social competence, with an ordered increase in the number of risk factors from normal to nonpervasive to pervasive groups. Harshness of parenting style (i.e., slapping, hitting, yelling) significantly distinguished between the three groups for low social competence and conduct problems. Positive affect, praise, and physical warmth from mothers were positively related to social competence but unrelated to conduct problems.     

Child behavior,maternal depression,and social coercion as factors in the quality of child care

Observational and self-report data were obtained in the homes of 33 mother-child dyads. These volunteer, normal subjects were monitored with respect to their affectionate and aversive interactions, and the mothers were asked to provide three categories of self-report data. Mothers made observational judgments of their children, their own feelings of depression, and the valences of their interactions with adults. Multiple regression analyses were then employed to predict the mothers' child care behaviors, which were composed of observed mother responses and mother observational judgments. In addition, conditional probability analyses were conducted to examine the directionality of correlations between observed mother-child interchanges. Results showed child behavior to be the best single predictor of how the mothers responded to their children, followed by maternal depression and mother coercive interactions with adults. Child behavior was shown to be a significant antecedent cue for the maternal responses. However, the findings also showed that mother observational judgments about their children had little to do with how the children behaved. Rather, the maternal judgments were best predicted by mother depression, mother coercive interchanges with adults, and the mothers' observed aversive responses to their children. Results were interpreted within a systems framework in which maternal care is viewed as a response that is triangulated by adult-and child-produced stimuli.     

Recollections of Menarche: Communication Between Mothers and Daughters Regarding Menstruation

The nature of the communication between mothers and daughters at the time of menarche was examined in an attempt to determine the kinds of messages about menstruation that mothers tend to pass on to their daughters. The sample consisted of 138 women who ranged in age from 26 to 60 years (mean age = 43.2) at the time of the interviews. They were interviewed by 138 students enrolled in Psychology of Women classes taught by the first author. Participants were asked questions regarding their education about menstruation and their experience with menstruation. The content of the responses were analyzed for information about the quality and quantity of mother–daughter communication. The majority of daughters reported that communication with their mothers about menstruation was negative in tone. Eight types of negative messages were identified, including one labeled the grin-and-bear-it message. Two cases are presented to illustrate how the grin-and-bear-it message is related to the traditional feminine gender role and how it might negatively affect a woman's relationship with her mother and with other women.     

When Respect Means to Obey: Immigrant Mexican Mothers' Values for Their Children

We describe Mexican immigrant mothers' values for their children and their understanding of how children acquire those values. Fifteen mothers were given a Q-Sort task of parental values and interviewed at length using a semi-structured format. Analysis of the mothers' transcribed narratives revealed salient features of a cultural model of child development that constrasts sharply with current professional models. The emergent portrait of children was one of inactive learners whose ability to understand dictated social behavior, developed very slowly over the years, and was dependent on parental direction and instruction.     

Stigma and Ostracism Associated with HIV/AIDS: Children Carrying the Secret of Their Mothers' HIV+ Serostatus

Qualitative interviews were conducted with mothers (N = 47) who had disclosed their HIV status to their children. The majority of mothers explicitly told their child not to disclose to other people that she was HIV-positive because they feared repercussions in the way of stigma and ostracism for both themselves and their child. Approximately one-fourth of the mothers identified safe people, to whom their child could discuss her serostatus, such as family members, health care providers, or therapists. The majority of the children respected their mothers' wishes; only four children disclosed to someone after being explicitly told not to do so. A significant number of children expressed concerns about their friends finding out, fearing that they would be ostracized or that it would be assumed they were also infected. In addition, the children did not want others to find out because they wanted to protect their mothers. The burden of keeping the secret of their mothers' serostatus does seem to be a stressor for some of the children.     

Depression and the empty nest

The empty nest syndrome is a depressive reaction in middle-aged mothers attributed to role loss when all her children have grown up and left the nest. However, analyses of data from a large community mental health survey found that parents (both mothers and fathers) whose children were not living with them were significantly less depressed than other respondents of comparable age, income, occupational role, and marital status. This suggests that depression is not a typical reaction to an empty nest.     

A measure of semantic complexity among predications

A scale for assessing the complexity or density of utterances was developed using 10 categories ofsemantic relations (e.g., temporal ordering, causality). The categories are inferable from the particular meanings of the words (e.g., connectives, particular tense variations) used in an utterance. The scale was applied to three samples of subjects to assess its interjudge reliability and to compare the utterances of fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-grade children from middle- and working-class neighborhoods. It was also used to compare the complexity of utterances for different types of visual stimuli (used to elicit language samples). Interjudge reliabilities were more than acceptable for each of the samples, and significant differences in semantic density were found across grade, between children from working-class and middle-class neighborhoods, and for the stimuli used to elicit the utterances. When two of the three types of eliciting visual stimuli were equated for content and exposure conditions, the differences in verbal density between eliciting conditions were not replicated. The usefulness of the scale for assessing utterance density and by implication, comprehension difficulty of utterances and of texts, is discussed.This study was supported in part by a Grant from the National Institute of Education, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Complexity in Auditory and Graphics Communication, Project No. 4-470. Points of view or opinions stated here do not necessarily represent National Institute of Education position or policy.     

Grammatical morpheme acquisition: An approximately invariant order?

The order of acquisition for 14 grammatical morphemes was studied in three children between MLU stages II and IV/V. Spontaneous language samples were recorded bimonthly in the children's homes for a period of 9 months. These samples were analyzed for correct use of the 14 morphemes, and the order of acquisition was compared to that reported by Brown (1973) for his three normal subjects. The correlation between the acquisition orders from the present study and the order from Brown's study was low, suggesting that the order of acquisition for these morphemes may not be invariant.     

Individualistic formal approach to deontic logic

Some people approve of certain general rules of behavior, or some concrete cases. The others disapprove of or are indifferent to them. In this paper I suggest an axiom system which formalizes the use of these utterances. It may be considered as a special (individualistic) approach to deontic logic.     

Processing "d-linked" phrases

Linguists draw a distinction between two types of interrogatives: discourse linked (d-linked) phrases such as which man, which implies the existence of a set of contextually determined entities (men) from which the speaker is asking for a choice, and non–d-linked interrogatives such as who, which carry no such implication. Two questionnaires and an on-line reading study showed that readers prefer a d-linked phrase more than a non–d-linked phrase as the antecedent for a pronoun, suggesting that d-linked phrases are immediately instantiated in a discourse representation that is checked during the process of pronoun interpretation. Comparable difficulty is not observed for non–d-linked interrogatives. A questionnaire and an on-line listening study also showed that readers and listeners were more willing to accept a grammatical island violation containing a pronoun when the pronoun's antecendent was a d-linked interrogative than when the antecedent was non–d-linked, suggesting that they check a discourse representation for the pronoun antecedent. All results suggest that d-linked phrases are immediately interpreted in a discourse representation, not just in a syntactic representation.     

Evaluative communications between affectively Ill and well mothers and their children

Earlier research suggests that the natural verbal discourse of mothers with their children can be important in clarifying, verifying, and evaluating the behavior in which a child is engaged, in attributing qualities to the child, and in influencing the child's self-perceptions. We investigated the potential influences of parental affective illness (bipolar affective disorder and unipolar depression in contrast to no history of psychiatric illness) on such labeling behavior in a sample of 61 mothers and their older (school-age) and younger (preschool-age) children. It was hypothesized that the dispositions characterizing affective illness (specifically, negativity and disengagement) would be reflected in the labeling statements of mothers with a diagnosis as they interacted with their children. Based on videotaped interactions during a visit to a home-like laboratory apartment, labeling statements were identified in terms of speaker and person being labeled (addressee) and coded (positive, negative, mixed, or neutral) for judgmental and affective quality of the statement and reaction of the addressee. Data were analyzed (a) by family unit and (b) my mother to child statements. The general pattern of findings indicated, in relative terms, an excess of negativity on the part of family members in the bipolar group and a dearth of negative affect for mothers in the unipolar group. Negativity in the bipolar group appeared to be especially likely when the setting involved mothers and two male children. Additionally, findings are discussed in terms of sex differences in vulnerability to depression.This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, and by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transition from Infancy to Early Childhood. Appreciation is extended to Nancy Lemos and Marcella Maguire for coding the data. National Institute of Mental Health, Building 15K, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.     

Distinctions between subgroups of asthmatic children: Parental reactions to experimental separation

Parental reactions to experimental separation were analyzed for two groups of asthmatic children, those for whom behavioral factors were judged highly relevant to asthma and those for whom such factors appeared unimportant. The former group of 13 (predicted positives) had shown a highly significant improvement in asthma during separation from their families; the latter group of 12 (predicted negatives) had not. Coding of standardized interviews conducted around the time of separation disclosed that parents (mothers, especially) of predicted positives scored significantly higher than parents of predicted negatives on such scales as fussing over the child at the time of leave taking, missing child, experiencing pain and discomfort during the separation, being anxious over child's welfare, etc. Psychological test data did not discriminate between the parents' or childrens' groups as clearly as the more focused separation interviews but the test results were consistent with interview differences. The separation elicited very strong emotional reactions from several mothers.This study was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant No. HD01060 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Kirk Brady, John Means, loan Muser, and Claire Purcell contributed to data collection and/or data analysis.     

Amazing grace: The near-death experience as a compensatory gift

This paper illustrates the apparently providential timing and the healing character of near-death experiences (NDEs) and NDE-like episodes, through four case histories of persons whose lives, prior to their experiences, were marked by deep anguish and a sense of hopelessness. Spiritually, such case histories suggest the intervention of a guiding intelligence that confers a form of amazing grace on the recipient. Methodologically, these reports point to the importance of taking into account the person's life history as a context for understanding the full significance of NDEs and similar awakening experiences. The article ends with a retrospective account of a childhood NDE in which the big secret of these experiences is disclosed.We who are about to die demand a miracle. W. H. Auden (cited in Grosso, 1985)     

The development of pretend language: Toward an understanding of the child's theory of mind

Is has been suggested that there exists a linkage between the mental representation of pretense, the acquisition of the cognitive internal state lexicon, and the development of theory of mind. Using an empirically derived taxonomy of pretend language, predictions derivable from such a relationship were tested. In three related studies, the pretend lexicons of 4 1/2- to 5-year-old children and the adults who interacted with them in home and school situations were examined for evidence of sophisticated pretend language use, for parallels in child and adult pretend language, and for connections between pretend and other mental state words. Results did not support the hypothesis that pretense and the language associated with it were linked to mental state language acquisition. However, the findings that are reported provide converging evidence for the claim that pretense in young children is a form of acting-as-if behaivor rather than a form of mental represetnational activity.     

On regular modal logics with axiom □ ⊤ → □□ ⊤

This paper is devoted to showing certain connections between normal modal logics and those strictly regular modal logics which have as a theorem. We extend some results of E. J. Lemmon (cf. [66]). In particular we prove that the lattice of the strictly regular modal logics with the axiom is isomorphic to the lattice of the normal modal logics.The results in this paper were reported at Logic Colloquium '87 in Granada.     

Untersuchungen über Zusammenhänge zwischen drei Leistungsfaktoren und Antworten auf Fragebogenitems

Zusammenfassung 90 Oberschüler beantworteten 214 Fragebogenitems und bearbeiteten 41 Leistungsaufgaben, die zusammen drei in einer faktorenanalytischen Untersuchung von Jäger gefundene Faktoren repräsentieren. Die Zusammenhänge zwischen Fragen- und Aufgabengruppen wurden korrelations- und faktorenanalytisch untersucht. Die Leistungen in den den Faktor Anschauungsgebundenes Denken repräsentierenden Aufgaben korrelierten positiv mit durch Fragebogenitems definierten Verhaltensdimensionen Hinwendung zum Konkreten und Wohlbefinden-Emotionale Stabilität-Leistungszuversicht. Die Leistungen in Einfallsreichtum und Produktivität korrelierten positiv mit Überlegenheitsgefühl-Leistungszuversicht-Emotionale Stabilität-Wohlbefinden, sowie mit Spontaneität, Selbständigkeit und Flexibilität. Die Leistungen in einem dritten Faktor, der Tempo-Motivation bei einfach strukturierten Aufgaben benannt werden könnte, korrelierten positiv mit Soziale Zuwendung-Extraversion und scheint darüberhinaus mit einem Merkmal kompensatorischer Leistungsehrgeiz in Beziehung zu stehen. Die Ergebnisse werden diskutiert und Hypothesen zur Überprüfung und Ausweitung der Befunde formuliert.

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Summary 90 subjects answered 214 questionnaire and 41 ability test items, tbe latter representing three factors found by Jäger in an extensive factor analytic investigation. The relations between all the variables were analyzed by correlational and factor analytic methods. It was found that the ability called vision-related thinking is positively correlated with questionnaire-defined behavioral dimensions called reality orientation and well-being-emotional stability-achievement confidence. The ability fluency and productivity is positively correlated with superiority feeling-achievement confidence-emotional stability-well-being, with spontaneity, independence, and flexibility. Speed-motivation in simple tasks is positively correlated with social participation-extraversion and seems to be related to a trait called compensatory achievement orientation. The findings are discussed and hypotheses for subsequent test and extension formulated.

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Wir danken Herrn Dr. A. O. Jäger für die freundliche Erlaubnis, Aufgaben und Ergebnisse aus seiner Forschungsarbeit vor deren Veröffentlichung zu verwerten. Herrn Dipl.-Math. P. Schnell vom Deutschen Rechenzentrum in Darmstadt für die Durchführung der Berechnungen, unseren Kollegen, den Dipl.-Psychologen K. Althoff, Ch. Balzert, K. D. Stoll und P. Wolff für freundliche Mithilfe, nicht zuletzt unseren Vpn für ihren Einsatz und den Herrn Oberstudiendirektoren Jung, Hadamar, Dr. Keller, Montabaur, und Sauer, Limburg, für die Erlaubnis zur Durchführung der Untersuchungen an ihren Schulen.     

The dream in group therapy: A reappraisal of unconscious processes in groups

Addressing the issue of the existence of a group unconscious, this paper views dreams as providing potential evidence on the question. Dream material presented by various members in each of three psychotherapy groups is considered. In each group, convergences were found in the material presented by separate individual dreamers. By integrating a conceptual model of neurological information processing during REM dream sleep with a variety of behavioral research, a conceptual model is offered for the development of a group disposition, which represents an overlap of both individual and shared group psychic content. Group phenomena of cohesion and dependency are derived from this conceptual model.     

Before refraining: Concepts for agency

A structure is described that can serve as a foundation for a semantics for a modal agentive construction such as sees to it that Q ([ stit: Q]). The primitives are Tree,,Instant, Agent, choice. Eleven simple postulates governing this structure are set forth and motivated. Tree and encode a picture of branching time consisting of moments gathered into maximal chains called histories. Instant imposes a time-like ordering. Agent consists of agents, and choice assigns to each agent and each moment in Tree a set of possible choices, where each possible choice is a set of histories. All of these ingredients are referred to in the semantics suggested for [ stit: Q]. The most complex part of the discussion is the motivation for the definition of what it means for a typically non-terminating chain of moments jointly to witness the truth of [ stit: Q] at a moment.The paper begins with an informal account of the Refref conjecture, which says that the only way to refrain from refraining from seeing to something is to see to it. The paper ends with a consideration of an argument of Prior's that in a certain sense contemplation and action are inconsistent.     

Solo pioneers: Single-minded rationality

There is an increasing number of single women in the United States. These women are having to confront new emotional problems as well as previously unknown opportunities for personal growth and development. The current article identifies two polarities of female singlehood, i.e., the desperate, dependent woman and the solo pioneer woman. The cognitive and behavioral characteristics of the two polar types are delineated.Desperate, dependent women endorse irrational beliefs which involve their self-worth being contingent upon the love and approval of men. Solo pioneers are autonomous in their personal identity and are able to construct meaningful lives for themselves outside of the context of marriage. Single mothers by choice are presented as being a prototype of solo pioneers.Laura Primakoff, Ph.D. has developed a cognitive-behavioral treatment program for individuals living alone (Primakoff, 1983).