Teaching multiply controlled intraverbals to children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Reciprocal conversations, instructional activities, and other social interactions are replete with multiply controlled intraverbals, examples of which have been conceptualized in terms of conditional discriminations. Although the acquisition of conditional discriminations has been examined extensively in the behavior‐analytic literature, little research has evaluated procedures to establish multiply controlled intraverbals. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of procedures based on conditional discrimination training on the acquisition of multiply controlled intraverbals with 7 participants who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. We evaluated the effects of prompt delay with error correction, a differential observing response (DOR), and a DOR plus blocked trials on the acquisition of intraverbals using a multiple baseline design. Accuracy of intraverbal performance increased for at least 1 set of stimuli for all participants under prompt delay with error correction conditions; however, 4 participants required additional teaching (i.e., DOR, modified DOR, modified prompt delay with error correction). Based on these findings, when prompt delay with error correction is not sufficient to establish multiply controlled intraverbals, prompted DORs may be an effective alternative.     

Improved resiliency and well‐being among military personnel in a Swedish Naval Force after a counter‐piracy operation off the coast of Somalia

The aim of this study was to explore: (1) how the psychological health of the members of the first European Union Naval Force (ME01) was affected by international deployment off the coast of Somalia; and (2) if and how organizational and personal factors (e.g., type of personnel category, previous experiences, and resilience) affected their psychological health and well‐being post‐deployment. The study had an exploratory longitudinal design, where the participants were assessed both before and after deployment (i.e., T1 and T2). The participants (n = 129, 120 men, 9 women) were equally distributed between officers (n = 68; 64 men, 4 women) and sailors (n = 61; 56 men, 5 women). The members' average age was 31 years, ranging from 20 to 61. For the majority (78%) ME01 was their first international deployment and officers were, in general, more experienced than sailors. The overall results showed that the members' reported a positive experience with improved resilience and well‐being (e.g., sense of coherence). However, the result also showed that type of personnel category (i.e., officer or sailor) affected their psychological health. Why and how these differences among military personnel arise is discussed, but deserves further attention.     

The Expression of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Daily Life: A Review of Experience Sampling Methodology and Daily Diary Studies

This review examined the assessment of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in daily life using experience sampling methodology (ESM)/ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and daily diary studies in adult samples. Fifteen peer-reviewed studies were identified and categorized into areas of total PTSD/multiple PTSS (studies including three or more symptom clusters), intrusive memories, and mood and anxiety symptoms. Overall, ESM and the daily diary method proved feasible for assessing the real-world expression of PTSS, resulted in minimal reactivity, and offered a number of advantages over classical assessment. Even within the two measurement types of ESM and daily diary, there was great variability in study design and analysis. The benefits and limitations of the different approaches are discussed. Different themes in content emerged as well, such as coping strategies and affective instability throughout the course of a day. Gaps in our current understanding are highlighted and suggestions for methodology and future areas of research are proposed.     

Is reflective practice an essential component of becoming a professional teacher?

This paper explores the concept of reflective practice and its role in the professionalisation of student teachers. There is an examination of the requirements to become a qualified teacher and how these requirements have determined practice. After looking at the recent evolution of state requirements for initial teacher education, in England, it investigates the place of reflective practice within that process and to what extent reflective practice is still needed to become a teacher. It presents the different interpretations of reflective practice and the role of professionalism in the journey to qualified teaching status (QTS).     

Individual differences in white matter microstructure predict semantic control

In everyday conversation, we make many rapid choices between competing concepts and words in order to convey our intent. This process is termed semantic control, and it is thought to rely on information transmission between a distributed semantic store in the temporal lobes and a more discrete region, optimized for retrieval and selection, in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging in a group of neurologically normal young adults to investigate the relationship between semantic control and white matter tracts that have been implicated in semantic memory retrieval. Participants completed a verb generation task that taps semantic control (Snyder & Munakata, 2008; Snyder et al., 2010) and underwent a diffusion imaging scan. Deterministic tractography was performed to compute indices representing the microstructural properties of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), the uncinate fasciculus (UF), and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF). Microstructural measures of the UF failed to predict semantic control performance. However, there was a significant relationship between microstructure of the left IFOF and ILF and individual differences in semantic control. Our findings support the view put forth by Duffau (2013) that the IFOF is a key structural pathway in semantic retrieval.     

Time-out and writing in distressed couples: an experimental trial into the effects of a short treatment

The results of a controlled experimental trial into an ultra-short protocolled treatment for quarrelling couples are reported. Fifty-five couples were randomly allocated to two treatment conditions and one waiting list/control condition. The treatment conditions focused on self-control by time-out including writing. In the interactional treatment the partners wrote letters to each other when they felt angry. In the individual treatment the partners were instructed to evaluate their own role in the conflict without sharing the writing with their partner. In accordance with expectactations, the quality of the relationship of the treated couples improved significantly compared to the waiting list control group. No differences were found between the two experimental conditions.     

Overshadowing and stimulus duration

In 3 experiments, the authors investigated the effect of stimulus duration on overshadowing. Experiments 1 and 2 examined responding to a target conditioned stimulus (CS1) when it was conditioned in compound with a coterminating overshadowing stimulus (CS2) that was longer, shorter, or of the same duration (the long, short, and matched groups, respectively). Equal overshadowing of conditioning to CS1 was obtained in all 3 conditions relative to a control group conditioned to the light alone. There were, however, differences in responding to CS2 as a function of its absolute duration. Experiment 3 examined the contribution of the food-food interval/CS onset-food interval ratio to these findings. In Experiments 1 and 2, the ratio differed for the overshadowing CS but not for the target CS. In Experiment 3, this arrangement was reversed, but the pattern of results remained the same. The implications of these findings for trial-based and real-time models of conditioning are discussed.     

Occasion setting of timing behavior

Rats were trained on a temporal switching discrimination, with 2 features, A and B, signaling 2 target conditioned stimuli, x and y; feature offset and target onset were separated by a 5-s feature-target interval, and all target stimulus presentations terminated in a food pellet. The target conditioned stimuli were either short or long (6 or 30 s): Specifically, when signaled by A, x was 6 s and y 30 s, but when x and y were signaled by B, x was 30 s and y 6 s. Trials with 6-s and 30-s targets were termed short and long trials, respectively. Probe tests indicated that the animals correctly anticipated when food was to be delivered on these 2 types of trials. In further testing, the interval between feature offset and target onset was lengthened, to investigate the precise mechanism underlying this behavior. This manipulation did not have a substantial effect on discrimination performance. These results are discussed with reference to theories of occasion setting, timing, and configural learning.     

Let’s Talk About Sex: A Study on the Recall of Gossip About Potential Mates and Sexual Rivals

Although there is an abundance of gossip research, little is known about the impact of individuals’ characteristics and their ability to recall gossip’s content. We concentrated on gossip related to mating reputation, and investigated the effects of individuals’ sex and relationship status when they are the subjects and receivers of such gossip. We presented 84 students with gossip-like stories, manipulated for content, and then provided a surprise recall test. We found that cues of attractiveness were recalled more for female characters, whereas cues of wealth status were recalled more for male characters. Gender differences in participants’ recall occurred for gossip about same-sex people who may represent rivals, but not for gossip about other-sex people who may represent potential mates. The relationship status of the subjects and receivers did not affect the recall rates. We discuss these findings within the conceptual framework offered by evolutionary psychology.