Brief experimental analysis of early reading interventions

The purpose of this study was to investigate how brief experimental analyses (BEAs) could be used to identify effective interventions for Kindergartners (2 girls and 2 boys, 5 years and 7-10 months old) with low performance and/or growth slope in letter sound fluency (LSF). Interventions were tested within a multielement design with brief mini-reversals until an intervention yielding at least 20% improvement on a specific subskill measure or a curriculum-based measure of LSF was identified. BEA-identified interventions were implemented one-on-one for 5 to 9 weeks. A multiple-baseline design across participants showed large intervention effects (average adjusted d = 2.4) on general outcome measures, supporting treatment validity of BEAs. Findings extend the BEA literature to younger participants, early reading interventions, and early reading measures.     

Verbal intelligence and self-regulatory competencies: Joint predictors of boys’ aggression

Two studies examined the interactive effect of receptive verbal intelligence measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and self-regulatory competencies measured in the delay of gratification paradigm on boys’ aggression. Study 1 participants (N = 98) were middle school, low-income boys primarily ethnic minority. Participants for Study 2 (N = 59) were drawn from a treatment camp for boys from low-income neighborhoods with behavioral adjustment problems. In both studies, the interaction between verbal intelligence and self-regulation was significant such that verbal intelligence was associated with lower aggression to a greater extent among boys who had effective self-regulatory skills than among those who had ineffective self-regulatory skills. The implications of these findings for interventions and for a theory of risk factors in aggression are discussed.     

Self-control in adult humans: variation in positive reinforcer amount and delay.

In five experiments, choice responding of female human adults was examined, as a function of variations in reinforcer amount and reinforcer delay. Experiment 1 used a discrete-trials procedure, and Experiments 2, 3, 4, and 5 used a concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedule. Reinforcer amount and reinforcer delay were varied both separately and together. In contrast to results previously reported with pigeons, the subjects in the present experiments usually chose the larger reinforcers even when those reinforcers were delayed. Together, the results from all the experiments suggest that the subjects followed a maximization strategy in choosing reinforcers. Such behavior makes it easy to observe self-control and difficult to observe impulsiveness in traditional laboratory experiments that use adult human subjects.     

Culturally competent outcome evaluation in systems of care for children's mental health

Conclusions The area of culturally competent outcome evaluation and cross-cultural mental health research in general needs to be greatly developed given the culturally diverse nation we live in and the different needs of culturally diverse children and their families. Such evaluation is crucial in supporting the need for and effectiveness of culturally competent programs and special programs with a focus on particular cultural populations. The imperatives for cost effectiveness and clinical effectiveness which have been promoted by the transition to managed systems of care may actually promote the development of higher levels of cultural competence in community-based systems of care. Culturally competent care may well be the most cost-effective and clinically effective care.     

Movement patterns of persons with HIV receiving treatment in public clinics in the Southern Health Region,Puerto Rico

A survey conducted among 187 HIV-infected patients from publicly supported HIV clinics in the Puerto Rican Southern Health Region (SHR) failed to substantiate health planners' concern that this group travels frequently to the US to receive medical services. Respondents were questioned about all places of residence and all sites of HIV treatment in the past 12 months. Movement was defined as being anywhere outside of the SHR for 2 weeks or longer. 7% of the sample had moved at least once in the past year; 4% had moved outside the SHR but within Puerto Rico, while 3% had been in the continental US. Compared to the heterosexual risk group, intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men were 7-8 times more likely to have moved. The attainment of at least a high school education was also significantly and independently associated with increased probability of movement. Medical care was not identified by any of these respondents as the primary reason for travel. 58% indicated they were in their current place of residence to be near family, friends, and relatives. Both the small sample size and the low socioeconomic status of respondents may have limited the ability of this study to identify the so-called "air bridge," however.     

A support group for couples who have terminated a pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis: Recurrent themes and observations

Genetic Counselors are increasingly becoming involved in organizing and facilitating support groups for couples who have terminated a pregnancy because of an abnormal fetal diagnosis. This paper discusses recurrent themes which have emerged in the FATE (Feelings After the Termination Experience) support group which was founded in New Jersey in 1990. By becoming familiar with the issues we have observed in our support group, genetic counselors should be better able to understand and empathize with their patients who make the decision to terminate a much wanted pregnancy. They may also feel better prepared to become involved in organizing and facilitating such support groups.     

Psychophysiologic abnormalities in schizophrenia: some implications for therapy

On the basis of several studies, some psychophysiological activation abnormalities in schizophrenia are explained. These abnormalities give rise to at least three therapeutic aims: (1) As some psychophysiological systems may be under- and others overaroused in schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls, therapeutic interventions should approach the systems selectively. (2) The ability to modulate the psychophysiological activation, which is diminished in schizophrenic patients, should be improved. (3) Schizophrenic patients need a more differentiated perception of their own state of activation. These aims contrast somewhat with past therapeutic studies, which tried to change activation for the purpose of tension reduction. It seems advisable to link basic psychophysiological research more closely to the development of therapies.     

Cuing efficiency in a Stroop-like task with visual half-field presentation

Stroop-like stimuli were presented to either the left or the right visual half-field. Subjects responded to the identity of the words above and below (the target dimension), which appeared above or below a reference point (the cuing dimension). Automatic Stroop-like effects were assessed as the difference in reaction times between congruent trials (e.g., above the reference point) and incongruent trials (e.g., above below the reference point) when both trial types were equally frequent. In blocks in which most trials were of one type (e.g., 80% congruent trials), controlled Stroop-like effects could be assessed. Automatic Stroop-like effects remained unchanged under different task manipulations. In contrast, controlled Stroop-like effects were reduced by lowering cue-response compatibility and by increasing the response alternatives from two to four. Thus, similar to other cuing effects, controlled Stroop-like effects are susceptible to manipulations that affect the response-decision stage and appear to involve response-selection processes. The resources supporting these response-selection decisions were not hemisphere-specific, and were sufficiently nonspecific that interference from a memory-load task was found. When resources were scarce, a consistent bias to attend to stimuli presented or responded to on the right was evident.     

Cognitive person variables in the delay of gratification of older children at risk

The components of self-regulation were analyzed, extending the self-imposed delay of gratification paradigm to older children with social adjustment problems. Delay behavior was related to a network of conceptually relevant cognitive person variables, consisting of attention deployment strategies during delay, knowledge of delay rules, and intelligence. A positive relationship was demonstrated between concurrent indexes of intelligence, attention deployment, and actual delay time. Moreover, attention deployment, measured as an individual differences variable during the delay process, had a direct, positive effect on delay behavior. Specifically, as the duration of delay and the frustration of the situation increased, children who spent a higher proportion of the time distracting themselves from the tempting elements of the delay situation were able to delay longer. The effect of attention deployment on delay behavior was significant even when age, intelligence, and delay rule knowledge were controlled. Likewise, delay rule knowledge significantly predicted delay time, even when age, attention deployment, and intelligence were controlled.     

The Relationship of Drug Use to Suicide Ideation and Attempts Among African American,Hispanic, and White Non-Hispanic Male Adolescents

This study presents self-report cross-sectional and longitudinal data on associations between drug use, suicide ideation, and attempts in a multiethnic sample of seventh- and eighth-grade male adolescents attending school in the greater Miami, Florida, area. African Americans had the highest prevalence of 6-month ideation (20.5%), and Haitians had the highest attempts (11.4%). For the total sample, tranquilizers had the highest odds ratio for ideation (3.4), and PCP for attempts (6.2). Psychoactive drug-use was consistently related to attempts among Hispanics, white non-Hispanics, and African Americans. Acculturation strains interacted with cocaine and crack to predict suicide attempts among Hispanic respondents.