A follow up study of a behavioral program for young people with learning disabilities and challenging behavior

This paper describes a pilot follow-up study of a behavioral program for 20 young people with learning disabilities and challenging behavior. Eighteen participants made good overall improvement during the treatment period, and this was partially maintained at follow-up. Eight had continued to improve, eight had deteriorated slightly and four had deteriorated markedly. Adaptive skills were generally maintained. The reemergence of challenging behaviors explained the difference between the Good and Poor Outcome groups. Those participants in the Good Outcome group were younger on admission, scored lower on adaptive skills and higher on challenging behaviors. In addition they had remained on the treatment programme for 12–18 months and had been discharged from the Unit for longer. The overall level of independent living had increased from preadmission and the majority of participants were living in less restrictive placements. These results confirm and extend the findings of previous research. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for more detailed longitudinal follow-up studies in this area.     

Teaching the Rescorla-Wagner model using STELLA-II

Although the Rescorla-Wagner model is widely taught in learning courses, most textbooks present a simplified version that does not contain all of its parameters. On the basis of Rescorla and Wagner 1972) and the Turbo PASCAL program by Lachnit, Schneider, Lipp, and Kimme! (1988), we created a simulation using STELLA-II, an icon-based program by High Performance Systems, Inc. We argue that this simulation facilitates teaching the complete Rescorla-Wagner model. Using trans-switching (Kimmel & Ray, 1978; Lachnit, 1986; Murrin & Kimmel, 1986) as an example, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the STELLA-II version of the Rescorla-Wagner model as a heuristic tool.     

The Impact of Procedural Justice on Opinions of Public Policy: Solid Waste Management as an Example1

This study assessed the applicability of Tyler and Lind's (1992) relational model of authority to the context of local government policies on solid waste management. Tests of the hypothesized relations proposed by Tyler and Lind, accomplished through structural equation modeling, revealed that our data supported the relations between the various constructs of the model. Perceptions of both process control and relational process were found to be positively related to procedural fairness judgments, while procedural fairness judgments were weakly related to evaluations of government entities. Contrary to our expectations, a similar structural equation model test of an extension of the Tyler and Lind model showed that the model constructs were unrelated to respondents' opinions of public policies. The results also indicated that respondents living in communities with different infrastructures and political climates differed slightly in their perceptions of procedural justice and related constructs, but did not differ in their endorsement of the various solid waste management policies.     

The effects of multi-component,assessment-based curricular modifications on the classroom behavior of children with emotional and behavioral disorders

In this study, academic task assignments were modified in an effort to improve the conduct and task performance of three students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Functional assessments, including interviews and direct observations, were conducted to identify variables that affected the performance of each student during problematic assignments. The assessments implicated several variables for each student. These variables were then used as guides to modify the problematic tasks. The modifications resulted in reduced levels of problem behaviors and increased rates of task engagement, work productivity and accuracy for each of the students. The effects were demonstrated within ongoing academic activities and replicated through the use of reversal designs. The findings are discussed in relation to the practical process of functional assessment and the relevance of curricular and instructional arrangements to the occurrence of disruptive behavior.     

The φ-maze: A versatile automated T-maze for learning and memory experiments in the rat

The φ-maze is a novel implementation of the T-maze that can be used for various behavioral experiments. It consists of a start/goalbox from which a central alley leads to a choice point. Left and right arms return to the start/goalbox, where reinforcers are delivered. A holding chamber at the choice point can be used for delayed (non)matching-to-sample experiments. Lamps mounted under the translucent acrylic floor serve as visual stimuli. The design incorporates reliable and inexpensive automated guillotine doors and a modification of a commercially available pellet dispenser that allows the automated dispensing of Froot Loop reinforcers. The φ-maze has been used successfully in experiments involving spatial and visual alternation, visual discrimination, and delayed matching-to-sample.     

Social attitudes of schizophrenics

The Wilson-Patterson Conservatism Scale was given to 34 schizophrenic and 34 non-schizophrenic patients in a Dutch mental hospital. The absence of liberal-scoring schizophrenics was interpreted as consistent with the theory that the social withdrawal seen in chronic schizophrenia represents a strategy for coping with stimulus overload. Internal consistency analysis of C scale performance indicated that this test might be used to assess thought disorder in much the same way as the Bannister and Fransella Grid Test, but a great deal more economically. Furthermore, the questionnaire permits a more detailed examination of the source of inconsistency than does the repertory grid method.