Judgement Accuracy in Body Preferences Among African Americans

Perceptions of body size vary by gender and ethnicity. Women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than are men and Caucasian women are more dissatisfied with their bodies than are African American women. The purpose of this study was to examine if African American men and women accurately estimate the level of thinness preferred by the opposite gender. We predicted that African American women would correctly estimate the level of thinness found attractive by African American men, thereby providing support for the explanation that African American women are partially protected from experiencing similar levels of body dissatisfaction as Caucasian women do because they correctly estimate that African American men like larger women. Participants were 68 African American women and 34 African American men. The results supported our prediction, African American women accurately estimate the level of thinness preferred by African American men.     

Functional analysis of hair manipulation: a replication and extension

In a multi‐phase investigation, we assessed the problematic hair manipulation of a four‐year‐old male diagnosed with autism. In phase 1, a functional analysis of hair manipulation resulted in high levels of responding during a no‐interaction condition, while near‐zero levels were observed in other conditions. In phase 2, hair manipulation was reduced to near‐zero levels during a condition in which Billy wore gloves on his hands to attenuate digital‐tactile stimulation. In phase 3, a stimulus preference assessment indicated that object manipulation competed with hair manipulation, and that wearing gloves did not alter the amount of time that Billy manipulated preferred objects. The results are discussed in the context of interventions that achieve their effects via reinforcer substitutability or competition. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benefits of interhemispheric collaboration can be eliminated by mixing stimulus formats that involve different cortical access routes

Previous studies indicate that the benefits of dividing an information processing load across both cerebral hemispheres outweigh the costs of interhemispheric transfer as tasks become more difficult or cognitively complex. This is demonstrated as better performance when two stimuli to be compared are presented one to each visual field and hemisphere than when both stimuli are presented to the same single hemisphere (an across-hemisphere advantage). Two experiments indicate that this finding does not generalize to complex tasks that require matching numeric quantities represented by two very different visual formats whose processing involves somewhat different cortical areas: digits and dice-like dot patterns. In fact, mixing these stimulus formats consistently produces a within-hemisphere advantage. We propose that, when two simultaneously presented stimuli are presented in sufficiently different visual formats, identification of the two stimuli may take place in parallel, via different cortical access routes and with little or no interference, even when they are presented to the same cerebral hemisphere.     

Students' attitudes towards use of COMPUSTAT in teaching an introductory course in business finance

This paper describes the use of the COMPUSTAT database in teaching an introductory course in business finance at a large College of Business Administration. To understand students' attitudes towards this innovative method of instruction in business finance, a simple one-page questionnaire of 10 attitudinal statements was used. Responses of 148 students, analyzed by chi square, indicated students were unanimous in their opinion that the World Wide Web greatly paved the way in data retrieval from the COMPUSTAT database. They further reported that this interface facilitated analyses for the course. Also their understanding of finance was enhanced, and they were motivated to learn more. They seem to be highly in favor of using COMPUSTAT database in the introductory courses in business finance and expressed this view by suggesting that this financial database should be made an integral part of teaching other courses in finance.     

Use of a high‐probability instructional sequence to increase compliance to feeding demands in the absence of escape extinction

We evaluated the effects of a high‐probability (high‐p) instructional sequence on the feeding‐related compliance (food acceptance) of a young boy diagnosed with a feeding disorder. The high‐p sequence consisted of three presentations of an empty spoon; the low‐probability (low‐p) instruction was the presentation of a spoon with food. Results showed that acceptance of food increased in the presence and not the absence of the high‐p sequence. Data are discussed in terms of the role of high‐p instructional sequences in the treatment of feeding problems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘The trouble with Year 10’. 13 – 16 year old school students’ attitudes to higher education

This study looked at the impact of Widening Participation interventions on the attitudes of young people towards higher education. A total of 2731 adolescents aged 13–16 years completed a self-report measure of their attitudes to higher education, general and academic self concept and identification with school, family and peers. This was matched with data on the students’ academic attainment and social backgrounds. As expected, attainment scores were significantly positively correlated with take up of Widening Participation activities aimed at increasing participation in higher education, attitudes towards going to university and academic motivation. However, attainment was negatively correlated with perceptions of family attending university and identification with family. Regression analyses found that perceptions of family views about attending university were not a predictor of taking part in Widening Participation activities but were a predictor of attitudes towards higher education. Students in Year 10 aged 14–15 were significantly more negative on most factors than either older or younger students.     

Establishing stimulus control of vocal stereotypy displayed by young children with Autism

We examined the vocal stereotypy of three boys who were diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Results of functional analyses indicated that each participant's vocal stereotypy was maintained by non‐social consequences. For two participants, verbal reprimands were provided contingent on vocal stereotypy in the presence of a red card (RC). For the third participant, after verbal reprimands alone did not decrease vocal stereotypy, toys were withdrawn contingent on vocal stereotypy in the presence of the RC. For all three participants, vocal stereotypy was permitted without programmed consequences the presence of a green card (GC). The results showed that vocal stereotypy decreased in the presence of the RC for all three participants; however, vocal stereotypy came under inhibitory control of the RC for only one of the three participants. The potential utility of using punishment to develop stimulus control of automatically reinforced problem behavior in academic settings is briefly discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.