A Functional Analysis of Psychological Terms Redux

In his seminal paper, “An Operational Analysis of Psychological Terms,” Skinner (1945) offered the revolutionary suggestion that, rather than endlessly debating the meanings of psychological terms, psychologists should analyze the variables that control their occurrence as verbal behavior. Skinner''s suggestion reflected the essence of his 1957 book, Verbal Behavior, wherein he argued that the behaviors of which language is composed (i.e., speaking and listening) are controlled by variables found in the social environment (which he called the verbal community), and that analyzing those variables would lead to an understanding of the behaviors. Although Skinner formally introduced his radical approach to language in 1945, it has yet to be fully realized. The result is that psychologists, including behavior analysts, still debate the definitions of terms. In the present paper, I review Skinner''s functional approach to language and describe ways in which behavior analysts have already applied it to traditional psychological terms. I conclude by looking at other current terms in behavior analysis that engender some confusion and encourage behavior analysts to apply a functional analytic approach to their own verbal behavior.     

Book Reviews

Humanistic psychology as empirical science

Poarallio, H. R. Behavior and Existence: An Introduction to Empirical Humanisitc Psychology. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., 1982. 444 pp.

Experience revisited

Laing, R.D. The Voice of Experience. New York: Pantheon Books, 1982, 179 pp., $3.95 paperback.     

The Clicker Technique: Cultivating Efficient Teaching and Successful Learning

The clicker technique is a newly developed system that uses frequent testing in the classroom to enhance students' understanding and provide feedback to students and teachers. Using a laboratory model of the clicker technique, Experiment 1 explored the effects of the clicker technique, via its potential for compressing learning time and its partially individualized instruction, on the acquisition, retention, and generalization of knowledge at immediate and delayed tests. Results supported the clicker technique as a viable method for instructors to promote generalizable learning and to conserve teaching time. Experiment 2 examined the clicker technique in terms of its components, studying and testing, to determine which components are crucial to its effectiveness. Results indicated that the combination of studying and testing promotes superior performance only during acquisition, relative to either studying or testing alone, and neither study, test, nor the combination of study and test led to a retention advantage. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ecosystemic Structural Family Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Foundations

Ecosystemic structural family therapy (ESFT) is a systemic, strength-based, and trauma-informed family therapy model that has evolved from structural family therapy (SFT; Minuchin in Families and family therapy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1974). ESFT is an evidenced-based family therapy approach designed to intervene with families of children who are experiencing behavioral health problems and are at the risk of out-of-home placement. In this article we review the theoretical, applied, and empirical evolution of ESFT relative to extant SFT models. ESFT is based on the fundamental assumption that child, parental, and marital functioning are inextricably linked to their relational environment. Five interrelated constructs guide ESFT therapists in their understanding of clinical problems: family structure; family and individual emotional regulation; individual differences (e.g., historical, biological, cultural, developmental); affective proximity; and family development (Gehart 2010). ESFT has an extensive evaluation history dating back to the 1980s involving over 4,000 families in 39 different sites. While ESFT is considered evidence-based, it might be more consistent with “Practice-Based Evidence” given its long, extensive, and successful, history in the child mental health system in Pennsylvania.     

Detecting Misspecified Multilevel Structural Equation Models with Common Fit Indices: A Monte Carlo Study

This study investigated the sensitivity of common fit indices (i.e., RMSEA, CFI, TLI, SRMR-W, and SRMR-B) for detecting misspecified multilevel SEMs. The design factors for the Monte Carlo study were numbers of groups in between-group models (100, 150, and 300), group size (10, 20, 30, and 60), intra-class correlation (low, medium, and high), and the types of model misspecification (Simple and Complex). The simulation results showed that CFI, TLI, and RMSEA could only identify the misspecification in the within-group model. Additionally, CFI, TLI, and RMSEA were more sensitive to misspecification in pattern coefficients while SRMR-W was more sensitive to misspecification in factor covariance. Moreover, TLI outperformed both CFI and RMSEA in terms of the hit rates of detecting the within-group misspecification in factor covariance. On the other hand, SRMR-B was the only fit index sensitive to misspecification in the between-group model and more sensitive to misspecification in factor covariance than misspecification in pattern coefficients. Finally, we found that the influence of ICC on the performance of targeted fit indices was trivial.     

Kurt Gödel and the Foundations of Mathematics: Horizons of Truth

MEDIEVAL LOGICS

P. 0 . LEWRY (ed.), The rise of British logic. Acts of the sixth European Symposium on mediaeval logic and semantics, Balliol College, Oxford, 19-24 June 1983. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1985. xii+421 pp. $34.50.

L. M. ,DE RIJK, La philosophie au moyen cige. Translated from the Dutch by P.Swiggers, Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1985. xi + 244 pp. 50 Hfl.

RAIMUNDUS LULLUS, Die neue Logik. Logica nova. Textkritisch herausgegeben von Charles Lohr. Übersetzt von Vittorio Hösle und Walburga Büchel. Mit einer Einführung von Vittorio Hosle. (Lateinisch-deutsch.) Hamburg: Felix Meiner Verlag, 1985. xciv + 3 17s. 64DM.

PAULUS VENETUS, Logica parva. Translation of the 1472 edition, with introduction and notes by Alan R. Perreiah. Miinchen and Wein: Philosophia Verlag, 1984. 372 pp. DM 138.

E. J. ASHWORTH, Studies in post-medieval semantics. London: Variorum Reprints, 1985. x + 342 pp. £32.00.

D. GABBAY and F. GUENTHNER (eds.), Handbook of philosophical logic. Volume 2: Extensions of classical logic. Dordrecht, Boston and Lancaster: D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1984. xi + 779 pp. Dfl. 31 5/$12O.OO/£80.25.

THOMAS M. SEEBOHM, Philosophie der Logik. Freiburg: Alber, 1984. 364 pp. DM 74.

WERNER STELZNER, Epistemische Logik. Zur logischen Analyse von Akzeptationsformen.Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1984. 206 pp. No price stated.

JAMES BOGEN and JAMES E. MCGUIRE (eds.), How things are: studies in predication and the history and philosophy of science. (Philosophical studies series in philosophy, Volume 29.) Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1985. 345 pp. US $46.00.

GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT, Truth, knowledge, and modality. (Philosophical papers, Volume 3.) Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984. ix + 155 pp. 15.00.

JEAN VAN HEIJENOORT, Selected essays. Naples: Bibliopolis, 1985. 166 pp. No price stated.

H. WANG, Beyond analytic philosophy. Doing justice to what we know. Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London: The MIT Press, 1986. xii + 273pp. No price stated.

TEXTBOOKS

R. L.VAUGHT, Set theory: an introduction. Boston, Basel, Stuttgart: Birkhäuser, 1985. x+141 pp. SFr. 76.

W. H. NEWTON-SMITH, Logic: An introductory course. London, Melbourne and Henley: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985. x+ 230 pp. £5.95 (paper).

MISCELLANEOUS

PIERRE DUHEM, Medieval cosmology. Edited and translated by Roger Ariew.Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1985. xxxi+ 601 pp. £24.75.

DAVID A. WHITE, Logic and ontology in Heidegger. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1985. xiv + 245 pp. $22.50.

J. W. DEGEN, Systeme der kumulativen Logik. Miinchen und Wien: Philosophia Verlag (Reihe Analytica), 1983. 265pp. DM 128.

GABRIELE LOLLI, La ragioni jisiche e la dimonstrazioni matematiche. Bologna: I1 Mulino, 1985. 365 pp. 30,000 lire.     

Keyboard Gangsters: Analysis of Incidence and Correlates of Cyberbullying in a Large Urban Student Population

The prevalence and pervasive nature of technology has fundamentally changed how individuals interact. Social networking has significantly altered communication and interaction patterns and created a dynamic venue for perpetration and victimization of bullying. A large population of middle and high school students was surveyed on perceptions and engagement in drug and alcohol usage, school violence, social networking usage, and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Findings indicate that although cyberbullying has many similarities to traditional bullying, there are important differences. Participation in school violence and usage of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs predict both victimization and perpetration of cyberbullying.     

Differential Attention as a Mechanism of Change in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy: Support from Time-Series Analysis

Although many interventions address children’s externalizing behavior problems, negative treatment outcomes remain common. Reasons for success or failure are frequently unclear, due in part to a lack of research identifying treatment change mechanisms. The current study evaluated differential attention as a mechanism of change in Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a treatment for children with externalizing problems. Using sequential coding and time-series analysis, we examined parent–child interactions across treatment for three families. Contrary to hypotheses, child prosocial behaviors and parent skill use held steady or decreased across coaching periods, with the exception of one family, where the parent’s skill use increased during coaching. Partial support was found for the hypothesis that parent differential attention would predict child prosocial behavior in the next minute. These results provide support for differential attention as a mechanism of change, but also demonstrate that this factor is not the only such mechanism.