A BEHAVIORAL-EDUCATIONAL ALTERNATIVE TO DRUG CONTROL OF HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN

A behavioral procedure for controlling hyperactivity without inhibiting academic performance is described. Using a time-sample observational method, the hyperactivity displayed by three school children was recorded during math and reading classes. Concurrently, math and reading performances were measured. The study consisted of two baselines, one while the children were on medication and the second while they were off medication. A multiple-baseline design across the two academic subject matters was used to assess the behavioral intervention, which consisted of token reinforcement for correct academic responses in math and subsequently math and reading. Discontinuation of medication resulted in a gross increase in hyperactivity from 20% to about 80%, and a slight increase in math and reading performance. Introduction of a behavioral program for academic performance, during no medication, controlled the children's hyperactivity at a level comparable to that when they were on drugs (about 20%). At the same time, math and reading performance for the group jumped from about 12% during baseline to a level of over 85% correct. Each child performed behaviorally and academically in an optimal manner without medication. Contingency management techniques provided a feasible alternative to medication for controlling hyperactivity in the classroom while enabling the children to grow academically.     

The effects of overtraining and successive extinctions upon nictitating membrane conditioning in the rabbit

In Expt. I Group SAE (N = 16) received four successive acquisitions and extinctions of a classically conditioned nictitating membrane response while Group OTC (N = 8) received an equivalent amount of acquisition training followed by a single extinction session. Successive extinctions resulted in a decrease in resistance to extinction (Rn), but extended acquisition training had no significant effect. In Expt. II a total of 96 subjects participated in a factorial study of the effects of various amounts of overtraining at two different UCS intensities. When CR amplitude was asymptotic extended training had no significant effect upon Rn; when amplitude was below asymptote Rn was correspondingly reduced.     

Reinforcement contrast effects on the rewarding and aversive components of intracranial stimulation

Rats performing a free-operant locomotor response in a shuttlebox to initiate and then escape medial diencephalic stimulation were tested daily on a randomized sequence of three stimulation intensities. In spite of a 1-hr interval between stimulation intensity changes, substantial and graded reinforcement contrast effects were obtained. “Elation” effects were obtained both on the rewarding (latency to initiate) and the aversive (latency to escape) components of stimulation whereas “depression” effects were found only on the measure of reward.     

The effects of interpolated US alone (USa) presentations on classical nictitating membrane conditioning in rabbit(Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The nictitating membrane (NM) response of 36 rabbits was classically conditioned using a 1,000-Hz tone (CS) paired with circumorbital shock (US) at a 250-msec CS-US interval. Two experimental groups received additional presentations of the US given alone (USa), either 30 seconds (Group E30) or 60 seconds (Group E60) following each CS-US pairing, and their performance was compared to that of control Ss (Group C60) which never experienced USa. Presentations of USa resulted in significant and approximately equal performance decrements in both experimental groups relative to the C60 controls. However, no significant differences among the groups appeared during an extinction phase. The effects of USa presentations were discussed in terms of Papsdorf’s consolidation interpretation and Rescorla’s (1967) contingency theory of conditioning, and appeared to favor the latter view. Additional analyses led to the conclusions that (1) the increased amplitude of the NM UR on paired CS-US trials relative to USa trials can be attributed, at least in part, to the simple laws of the reflex, independent of the conditioning processper se, and (2) the partial reinforcement extinction effects previously reported by Leonard and Theios (1968) cannot be attributed solely to the presence of USa in their continuous reinforcement control Ss.     

Sex differences in attributions for the performance of women of a masculine task

Sex differences in the attributions of observers for the successful or unsuccessful behavior of a female actor performing a masculine task were studied. For the perceived causes of the outcome it was found that internal attributions were emphasized more for success than for failure. In addition, female observers attributed both types of outcome more to effort than did males. The nature of the outcome and the sex of the observer also affected the perceived personality traits of the actor. More positive traits were attributed to the successful than to the unsuccessful actor. The female observers attributed more instrumental traits to the actor than did the male observers. The results were discussed in terms of Jones and Davis's theory (1965) of correspondent inferences and the fact that competence was not viewed as being incompatible with femininity.     

Sex differences in same- and cross-sex supportive relationships

The current study focused on sex differences in same- and cross-sex supportive relationships. Subjects, 249 female and 103 male volunteers, completed a questionnaire designed to assess the nature and quality of supportive relationships. Four dimensions of relationships were examined: the relative frequency and patterning of interactions, closeness, diversity of interactions, and interpersonal perception. A 2×2 multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted with sex of subject as a randomized factor and sex of supporter as a repeated factor. Sixteen dependent variables measured the relationship dimensions. Results of the MANOVA suggested that there are differences between women and men in the qualities of their same- and cross-sex supportive relationships. In same-sex relationships, women have more contact when under stress; are closer; more satisfied with initiation, balance, and closeness; and perceive themselves as knowing the other and being known by the other more than do men. Women initiate more in cross-sex relationships, and want to give more than men do. Men describe cross-sex relationships as closer than women do. Both women and men want more frequent contact, closer relationships, and want to give more in cross-sex relationships than in same-sex ones. These and further results, and implications of the findings are discussed.Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., August 1986.     

An acoustical analysis of stutterer''s speech prior to and at the termination of speech therapy

The speech of nine adult stutterers was analyzed acoustically prior to and at the termination of a modified Van Riperian procedure to determine if therapy produced discernable changes in their post-therapy fluent speech. The findings indicate that stuttering frequency decreased significantly and reading rate decreased by a statistically insignificant amount during the course of therapy. Vowel duration and the occurrence of voicing during the stop consonant production increased significantly. These findings support the hypothesis that stuttering therapy can affect more than the fluency and rate characteristics of the stutterer's posttherapy speech.     

Criterion-related validity of sex-restrictive and unisex interest scales: A comparison

This report describes two studies comparing the criterion-related validity of sex-balanced (“unisex”) interest inventory scales, i.e., scales designed such that the distributions of scores are similar for males and females, and traditional, sex-restrictive scales. Approximately 1600 college-bound high school seniors (Study 1) and 2000 college seniors (Study 2) completed both the ACT Interest Inventory (ACT-IV) and the new Unisex Edition of the ACT-IV (UNIACT), which contains sex-balanced items. In both studies, each participant was placed in one of six criterion groups based on the correspondence of expressed occupational choice (Study 1) and actual college major (Study 2) to Holland types. Comparable levels of criterion-related validity were obtained with the unisex scales, sex-restrictive scales, and with sex-balanced scores obtained by the traditional procedure of using same-sex norms. Study results and the results of previous research indicate that (a) psychometrically sound interest inventories can be constructed with sex-balanced items, and (b) counselors may use inventories which provide sex-balanced score reports without sacrificing validity.