The Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP): Evaluation of current program effectiveness

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Primary Mental Project (PMHP), a program for early detection and prevention of school adjustment problems. Pre- and postprogram assessments were done with 215 primary-grade children seen in PMHP, usig teacher ratings of problem behaviors and competencies, and child-aide ratings of problems. School mental health professionals judged educational and behavioral changes in project children during the year. Significant across-the board improvements were found on all criterion measures. Modest intercorrelations among criterion change estimates suggested that the observed changes were due to program, rather than halo, effects. PMHP children also improved significantly more than matched, retrospective controls.     

A machine-level software program for the generation of aversive conditioning schedules using the KIM-1 microprocessor

A microprocessor system can be used both to control aversive conditioning (classical, signaled and Sidman avoidance, and conflict) experiments and to acquire behavioral data in multiple subjects at a fraction of the cost of solid state systems. The software described in this paper can be used to program tones and shocks and count responses, independently, in up to 12 animals simultaneously.     

Sequential search processes in long-term memory

In an experiment employing the symbol-element recognition task (Mohs, Wescourt, & Atkinson, 1975), subjects first learned six lists consisting of four words (elements) each. Each list was associated with a unique consonant (symbol). Subsequently, on each of a series of test trials, subjects were presented with one, two, or four symbol-element pairs. A positive response was required if all test words were correctly paired with their associated consonants and a negative response if any one test word was incorrectly paired with a consonant. Of primary concern was the way reaction time (RT) varied with number of pairs presented, the type of response required, and, on negative trials, the position of the mismatched pair in the test display. RT increased with the number of pairs presented on a trial and the increase was greater for positive than for negative trials. For negative pair trials, RT increased with the distance of the mismatched pair from the top of the test display. On negative trials in which the top pair in the test display was the mismatched pair, RT increased with the total number of pairs presented on the trial. A serial, probabilistic order of processing model is proposed to account for these results, and applications of the model to other paradigms are discussed.     

Balancing the ledger: An application of Nagy's theories to the study of continuity and change among generations

This study uses an interpretive interview method to examine the micro-processes of generational continuity and change among a group of social activists. Boszormenyi-Nagy's theory of responsibility between generations, alternative models outside the family, and choice are used to explain the instances of change. Implications for research and practice are addressed.