Repeated acquisition in the analysis of rule-governed behavior

Five children, ranging in age from 3½ years to 5½ years, were taught various four-response chains using conditioned reinforcement. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of presenting “instruction” stimuli—a sequence of lights over the correct response buttons—to assess their role in facilitating the acquisition of a chain of responses. Without the “instruction” stimuli, children made many errors before responses were brought under the control of the programmed contingencies. When confronted with the same contingencies later in the day, these subjects made fewer errors. In contrast, in the presence of the “instruction” stimuli, subjects made virtually no errors. However, when the “instruction” stimuli were discontinued in the subsequent session, all 5 subjects made errors. In Experiment 2, the subjects were taught to verbalize the contingencies during the phase without the “instruction” stimuli. This resulted in errorless performance during the subsequent exposure to the same procedure, but errors nevertheless occurred again during reexposure to the procedure with the “instruction” stimuli discontinued.     

Choice: A local analysis

Analyses of free-operant choice usually employ one of two general procedures: the simple concurrent procedure (i.e., a concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedule) or the concurrent-chains procedure (i.e., concurrently available initial links, each leading to an exclusively available terminal link). Theories about choice usually focus on only one of the two procedures. For example, maximization theories, which assert that behavior is distributed between two alternatives in such a way that overall rate of reinforcement is maximized, have been applied only to the simple concurrent procedure. In the present paper, a form of the pairing hypothesis (according to which pairings between one stimulus and another affect the value of the first, and pairings between responses and reinforcers affect the value of the former) is developed in a way that allows it to make qualitative predictions with regard to choice in a variety of simple concurrent and concurrent-chains procedures. The predictions include matching on concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedules, preference reversal in the self-control paradigm, and preference for tandem over chained terminal links.     

Reliability of a Measure of Temporal Discounting

The Psychological Record - Participants (N = 17) chose between smaller, immediate and larger, delayed hypothetical money amounts in two laboratory sessions separated by 1 week. The choice procedure...     

The construction and initial validation of the Work Volition Scale

This study constructed an instrument measuring work volition for adult populations, defined as the perceived capacity to make occupational choices despite constraints. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis produced a 3-factor structure containing subscales assessing general volition, financial constraints, and structural constraints. The full Work Volition Scale (WVS) and three subscales demonstrated adequate to strong internal consistency. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis replicated the factor structure from Study 1 with a new sample. The hypothesized factor structure of the WVS was a good fit to the data and was internally consistent. In Studies 2 and 3, work volition correlated in hypothesized directions with work locus of control, core self-evaluations, career barriers, career compromise, and adaptive personality traits, providing evidence of construct validity. Additionally, none of these correlations was large enough to indicate overlapping constructs. Finally, work volition added unique variance in the prediction of job satisfaction above and beyond the variance accounted for by work locus of control, core self-evaluations, and the big 5 personality traits, suggesting incremental validity of the construct. Research implications are discussed.     

The M5-PS-35: a five-factor personality questionnaire for preschool children

The Five-factor theory of personality (FFT) has pervaded personality research in recent years. Although many reliable and valid measurement instruments exist for use with adults, adolescents, and even elementary-age children, there is a lack of available 5-factor measurement tools for use with preschool children. This article expands on previous work developing the M5-PS, a rating form for preschool children designed to be completed by classroom teachers or caregivers. A total of 621 children were rated by their teachers on the 90-item working form of the M5-PS. Through a combination of empirical and rational scale refinement methods, the number of items has been reduced to 35, yielding a revised instrument, the M5-PS-35, with substantially improved construct validity and scale internal consistency. Potential changes in external validity were evaluated by comparative reanalysis of an existing data set.     

Doll Play Narratives About Starting School in Children of Socially Anxious Mothers, and Their Relation to Subsequent Child School-Based Anxiety

Child social anxiety is common, and predicts later emotional and academic impairment. Offspring of socially anxious mothers are at increased risk. It is important to establish whether individual vulnerability to disorder can be identified in young children. The responses of 4.5?year-old children of mothers with social phobia (N?=?62) and non-anxious mothers (N?=?60) were compared, two months before school entry, using a Doll Play (DP) procedure focused on the social challenge of starting school. DP responses were examined in relation to teacher reports of anxious-depressed symptoms and social worries at the end of the child’s first school term. The role of earlier child behavioral inhibition and attachment, assessed at 14?months, was also considered. Compared to children of non-anxious mothers, children of mothers with social phobia were significantly more likely to give anxiously negative responses in their school DP (OR?=?2.57). In turn, negative DP predicted teacher reported anxious-depressed and social worry problems. There were no effects of infant behavioral inhibition or attachment. Vulnerability in young children at risk of anxiety can be identified using Doll Play narratives.     

Post-concussive Signs and Symptoms in Preschool Children: A Systematic Review

Neuropsychology Review - Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common in children aged?<?5 years, however, less is known about their experience of post-concussive signs...     

Tracking the Emotional Cost of Immigration: Ethno-religious Differences and Women’s Mental Health

The challenges of the settlement process can at times give way to persistent feelings of sadness, loneliness, and despair for immigrant women. Based on analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, this article shows that immigrant women’s self-reported experiences of mental health vary at arrival and over the course of the settlement process because of the intersection of pre- and post-migration factors. The results show how ethnic origins and religious differences intersect with women’s main activities in Canada and influence multiple mental health trajectories. Immigrant women strategically pursue different post-migration pathways because some are more likely to find the social interactions of employment contexts emotionally distressing while for others shouldering responsibilities for full-time care work in the home leads to mental health problems. Still others who study to retrain or get a Canadian degree find the experience detrimental to their emotional health. However, these very same activities can be conducive to mental well-being for women with different ethno-religious backgrounds. The results illustrate that the intersection of ethnicity, religion, and gender in a stratified Canadian society is complex and produces a range of mental health outcomes. Concerns are raised about the high emotional toll of racialized Canadian workplaces and the stress that some employed Muslim women report. An awareness of influences on immigrant women’s mental health can assist employers and public service providers as well as members of cultural associations and religious groups in providing appropriate social support for them in the early months and years after arrival.