An experimental approach to the reduction of overactive behavior

An operant, differential reinforcement procedure (DRO) was employed in a playroom setting for the purpose of controlling overactivity. Six overactive, mentally retarded children, aged 8–13 yr were first observed individually for a period of 8 days in the playroom in order to obtain a baseline performance on a specially constructed check-list of hyperactive behavior. Following this, the conditioning phase began under a fixed schedule of reinforcement with tokens as the reinforcing agents (later to be exchanged for candy). A fading-out phase was instituted after the 30-day conditioning period in order to maintain resistance to extinction at a higher level. Post-conditioning observations were then made. It was conclusively shown that the disturbed, hyperactive behavior came under stimulus control with “grasshopper” play decreasing substantially during the latter part of conditioning and extinction periods.     

Chronic illness: not-so-passive injustice?

Why is our system, which is so biased toward the provision of acute care, underserving the chronically ill?...I think the main reason...has to do with the difficulty of providing for the needs of the chronically ill through a system of largely employment-based private insurance. People who are chronically ill are likely to drop out of employment: they are not a group that employment-based insurance is intended to serve or that employers have an interest in serving....I do not believe we can shift the focus of organization of services for the chronically ill to home or family, as Douard suggests, without reforming the insurance system....     

Methods of time sampling: A reappraisal of momentary time sampling and partial interval recording

We compared the accuracy of momentary time sampling (MTS) and partial interval recording (PIR) in estimating both absolute behavioral levels and relative change. A computer randomly generated runs of pseudobehavior varying in duration and rate and simulated MTS and PIR of each run. Results indicated that when estimating absolute behavioral levels, duration rather than rate should be used as the dependent measure, and MTS is more accurate than PIR. In contrast, PIR is the more sensitive method for detecting relative changes in behavioral levels, although, at high rates, PIR tends to underestimate the degree of change.     

Jo-Jo, Josephine, and Joanne: a study of multiple personality by means of the Rorschach Test.

A comparison of three Rorschach protocols of a multiple personality case was presented. Basic features of the personality structures were examined with respect to the psychogram profiles. The evolution of the original personality into the successive ones was assessed both in terms of inter- and intra-protocol variations and thematic analysis. The implications of the Rorschach test findings for the treatment and theory of multiple personality syndrome were discussed.     

Article for “Diversity Stories in Community Research and Action” Facing Resistance in Waking Up to Privilege

In 1994, out of a population of 45 million people an estimated 7.7 million people lived in informal settlements in South Africa (South African Institute of Race Relations, 1994). This article focuses on one community whose residents' desperation to own housing contributed to community disintegration, typified by infighting among women, and threats to human life. Issues of diversity became more prominent and destabilized community-building efforts. One effort to collaboratively break down barriers that deterred women from working together is presented to illustrate how these women created bonds based on "discovered similarities." The participatory and personal-experience approach described here contributed to their becoming active protagonists of their learning and encouraged tolerance and understanding among community women from differing ethnic, linguistic, and political backgrounds. The article concludes with a discussion of the critical importance of recognizing and working with and through differences within the current South African reality.     

Developing Effective Prevention Services for the Real World: A Prevention Service Development Model

A Prevention Service Development Model (PSDM) is presented as an approach to develop prevention programs that are both effective and that are readily adopted for implementation in community settings. The model is an integration of concepts and methods from two fields, prevention research and marketing research as applied to new service development. Questions that are posed at each stage of the PSDM are described. Studies from the development of two preventive interventions are presented to illustrate research at several of the stages of the model.     

Aetiology of spider phobia: classificatory differences between two origins instruments

The origins of fear of spiders was investigated in 33 spider phobic Ss entering a treatment study. All Ss completed Menzies and Clarke's (1993a) Origins Questionnaire (OQ) (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 355–365) and Öst and Hugdahl's (1981) Phobic Origins Questionnaire (POQ) (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 19, 439–447). The results for the individual questionnaires were similar to those reported in previous studies. However a comparison of assignments of origin category for the two questionnaires showed widely discrepant results. The POQ returned 17 positive responses for classical conditioning, the OQ only 2. By contrast the OQ returned 10 origins as ‘non-conditioning traumatic event’, 9 of which returned positive responses for classical conditioning on the POQ. A further 15 Ss on the OQ were categorised as ‘always been this way’, the preponderance of these being classified as vicarious or informational in origin on the POQ. The POQ does not have a specific question or category for non-associative acquisition of phobias. The results of the origins assignments are detailed and their relation to the structure and questions of the questionnaires is outlined. Past studies using the POQ have produced results supporting acquisition of a substantial proportion of phobias by classical conditioning. The findings of this study suggest that such results mainly reflect inherent bias in that instrument.     

Argument and alternative dispute resolution systems

Alternative dispute resolution occurs outside the litigation process. The alternative dispute resolution (ADR) movement in North America has emphasized viable alternatives to the litigation framework, such as arbitration, mediation, med-arb, multi-party facilitation, non-legal negotiation, mini-trials, administrative hearings, private judging (renta-judge), fact finding, and moderated settlement conferences. This essay addresses argument in the dominant alternatives: arbitration, mediation, and multi-party facilitation. Prior to comparing argument in these ADR systems, each will be briefly described.     

Adolescent separation-individuation and family transitions

This paper discusses the relationship between family structure and the achievement of the adolescent developmental task of separation-individuation. Adolescent separation-individuation is viewed as a continuum. At the right end of the continuum, adolescents reach successful therapeutic separation-individuation--a sense of self--while remaining connected to the family as a functional member. At the other end of the continuum is nontherapeutic dysfunctional separation-individuation. These adolescents are characterized by disruptive behaviors, rejection of societal and family norms, and potential suicide. Successful accomplishment of separation-individuation appears to be affected by a number of factors (e.g., conflict, parental relationship, accomplishment of previous developmental tasks). Adolescents from nontraditional families may have more barriers to overcome in order to therapeutically complete this task. Interventions to promote therapeutic separation-individuation need to incorporate all members of the family and support from the community. Through anticipatory guidance, dissemination of information, affiliating behaviors, and support groups, practitioners can help equip families with the skills needed for successful accomplishment of this task.