Law,professional practice,and university preparation: Where do we go from here?

In this time of legal decisions which call much professional practice into question, it is well to ask ourselves questions as to why we are the object of court concern and how our preparation is related to our difficulties. It is suggested that current psychological practice is basically Aristotelian in nature and that our specialty suffers as a consequence. Several suggestions are presented for adjustments in university preparation. Intelligence testing and ability grouping are referred to throughout, for they have been primary targets of the courts. Examples pertaining to personality and other often measured psychological variables could have as appropriately been offered.     

What procedural due process means to a school psychologist: A dialogue

Courts and the Congress have recently extended to school children safeguards encompassed by procedural due process in cases involving disciplinary suspensions and special education placements. The meaning of due process and its implications for psychologists are illustrated in a hypothetical dialogue between a constitutional lawyer and a school psychologist.     

Adult discipline as a factor in childhood imitation

The present study examined changes in two children's imitative behavior as a function of the model's use of timeout and differential attention. Subjects were two children, one classified by her parents, the other classified by his teacher, as highly oppositional to adult requests or commands. The former child was treated by the parents in the home setting; the latter child was treated by the teacher in a preschool setting. Results showed that the children's oppositional behavior varied predictably with the presence and absence of adult use of time-out and differential attention. As expected, imitative behavior of both children was greater during treatment periods than during baseline periods.This research was funded in part by a Faculty Research Grant from the Graduate School, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We would like to extend our appreciation to Nancy Williams, Andrea Warming, Ursula Botbyl, Diane Childress, Tom Hunter, and Edward Fowler who served as observers, and to Ronda Warner who worked with Ernest in the University Nursery School.     

Psychoactive drug effects in a hyperactive child: A case study analysis of behavior change and teacher attention

The effects of methylphenidate on the behavior and teacher interactions of a 9-year-old hyperactive female were analyzed. Observations of the subject's task-related and disruptive behaviors and of interactions between the subject and her classroom teacher were made when the subject received the active drug and an inert placebo. Teacher's ratings of the subject's classroom behavior and measures of her academic performance were also obtained. Results showed that when the subject was receiving methylphenidate she engaged in task-related activities a greater percent of the time, had a higher percent of teacher interactions that were instructional in quality, and received lower behavior ratings by the teacher than when she was receiving a placebo. The results suggest that the use of medication may enable the hyperactive child to profit both behaviorally and academically.