Monitoring system for infant movement,vocalization, and nurse interaction

An instrument which monitors and records certain behaviors of the neonate is described. By means of an air-inflated mattress and pressure transducer, the instrument measures whole-body movement. By means of a crib-located microphone, the device measures vocalizations. In addition, the presence and activity of nurse or observer are also monitored and recorded as part of the complete record. Except for the mattress and transducers, the monitor is completely self-contained, even including in its 8½-in.-high x 19-in.-wide size a 10-channel event recorder.     

Dyadic peer interaction and task orientation in attention-deficit-disordered children

A sequential observational approach was used to compare peer interactions in 10 mixed dyads of ADD-H and non-Add-H boys and 10 dyads of non-ADD-H boys in laboratory cooperative and school classroom task analogue activities. Mixed dyads were found to have a greater frequency of aggression and less joint activity than control dyads in specific situations. No differences were found for measures of functional attention as measured by frequency, duration, and mean duration of task-oriented behavior. Lag sequential analyses revealed two major sequences that differentiated mixed from normal dyads. These were Verbal Reciprocity (a measure of reciprocal verbal interaction) and Retreat (a measure of social withdrawal following aggression).     

Sexual assault history and use of health and mental health services

A history of sexual assault may be associated with increased current use of mental health and medical services because of the psychologically and physically disruptive consequences of assault. To test this hypothesis, we estimated rates of mental health and medical services use among 2560 randomly selected community residents, 343 of whom had been sexually assaulted. Sexual assault was associated with seeking both forms of care. Controls for demographic variables, psychiatric diagnosis, health status, and insurance suggested that assault increases use indirectly, through poor mental and physical health. Uninsured, assaulted respondents were especially likely to consult medical providers. Respondents assaulted during childhood were particularly likely to seek mental health care. Assault was more common among mental health service users than nonusers, and among women using medical services compared to female nonpatients. The high prevalence of assault among service users underscores the need for providers to recognize and treat sexual assault-related problems.     

Sudden recovery from stuttering after an epileptic attack: A case report.

This case report concerns a boy 5.06 years of age, who began to stutter from about his fifth birthday. In the course of a six-month period, his disfluencies became more and more pronounced until a sudden and complete recovery took place following an epileptic attack. Some references are made to the literature on the relationship between stuttering and epilepsy. Some comparisons are made also with more-or-less-similar adult cases, as mentioned in the literature, but we have the strong feeling that these do not hold completely.     

Waveform moment analysis: An ASYST program for topographical analyses of nonnegative bounded waveforms

The moments of a nonnegative bounded waveform (e.g., bounded probability density functions or responses that can be expressed as bounded probability density functions) provide the basis for characterizing the waveform. Traditionally, only the lower-order moments (k ≤ 4) have been utilized in deriving topographical indices of these waveforms. Recent advances in waveform moment analysis, however, have made it possible to derive comprehensive and interpretable indices of complex nonnegative bounded waveforms by utilizing both lower-order and higher-order moments. Waveform moment analysis is reviewed briefly, and a flexible and efficient computer program is presented for conducting waveform moment analyses.     

The favored child: A variation on the Cinderella theme in psychotherapy

The favored child in the family is frequently the object of parental adoration and sibling envy. The process of favoritism and its negative influence on character development is described in this paper. The authors have noted the forces and counterforces which prevail dynamically for these patients, whose major conflict is related to being favored above their siblings by a dominating parent. Case studies are presented to highlight the dynamics of these patients and an overview of therapeutic principles is presented.     

Imagery ability and the acquisition and retention of movements

In this study, we examined the relationship between imagery ability, as measured by the Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ), and the acquisition, retention, and reacquisition of movements. Based on their MIQ scores, 10 subjects were selected for the following imagery groups: high visual/high kinesthetic (HH), high visual/low kinesthetic (HL), and low visual/low kinesthetic (LL). The subjects learned four movements to a criterion level. Before each trial, subjects kinesthetically imaged the movement about to be produced. Following each acquisition trial, subjects were provided visual feedback. The acquisition phase was followed by a 2-day retention interval, a retention test consisting of three trials on each movement (no feedback provided), and a reacquisition phase. The HH group acquired the movements in the least number of trials, the LL group required the greatest number of trials, and the HL group required an intermediate number of trials. The data for the reacquisition phase showed the same trend. There was only weak evidence for a relationship between imagery ability and the retention of the movements. These findings support the position that high imagery ability facilitates the acquisition, but probably not the short term retention, of movements.     

Instructions, illusory self-tilt and the rod-and-frame test

If an illusion of self-tilt is involved in rod-and-frame test performance, then instructions to adjust the rod to the body midline (egocentric instructions) should result in less rod adjustment error than the standard instructions for the rod-and-frame test to adjust the rod to the gravitational vertical. Two experiments were designed to examine this possibility. The results of the first experiment indicate that the tilted rod-and-frame display induces an illusion of self-tilt in the opposite direction. Significant differences between instructional conditions were found in the second experiment as expected. Other rod-and-frame studies are discussed in view of these findings.     

Unexpected consequences of deinstitutionalization of the mentally disabled elderly

An unexpected consequence of the rapid deinstitutionalization of state mental hospital patients has been a sharp rise in posttransfer mortality among the elderly. Considerable evidence suggests that outcome is mediated by two factors. Elderly patients with certain characteristics - especially physical frailty and severe cognitive impairement - comprise a high-risk subgroup for whom relocation is likely to be fatal. Among other elderly persons, environmental, personality and personality-environment congruence are associated with posttransfer prognosis. The studies reviewed indicate that the therapeutic value of deinstitutionalization for mentally disabled elderly persons is problematic.