Effects of foreign mand training on the emergence of foreign tact and listener responses for Chinese-speaking children with autism spectrum disorder

In China, there is an increasing demand for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enrolled in general education to learn English vocabulary. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of foreign mand training in English on the acquisition of mand responses, and the emergence of tact and listener responses for three Chinese-speaking preschool children (boys; 4–5 years of age) with ASD. Echoic-to-mand training was implemented to teach mands in English. The study employed a concurrent multiple-probe design across behaviors. The results of the study indicated that the training was effective in the acquisition of mand responses. Moreover, untaught tacts and listener responses for the same vocabulary emerged without explicit training. Implications for small-group mand training in foreign language acquisition were discussed.     

Computer simulation of some of the motor circuits underlying Parkinson’s disease

Many researchers have published functional models of brain structures involved in Parkinson’s disease. These models include the primary structures of the basal ganglia and related cortical areas, and have hypothesized normal and dysfunctional states. Simple computer simulation of the hypothesized excitatory and inhibitory interactions among brain structures can be used to evaluate these models. A computer simulation can be programmed to simulate normal function, disease function, and treatment effects described in published models.     

Continuities in maternal reports and child behaviors over time in hyperactive and comparison groups

Maternal reports, observations of nursery and elementary school behavior, and teacher ratings of problems were available for hyperactive and control children who had participated in a longitudinal study. This paper examines consistencies in maternal reports and child behaviors over time, and their relationship to teacher ratings in elementary school. Maternal reports of infant sleep difficulties were related to maternal ratings of hyperactivity at 41/2 and 61/2 years. Maternal ratings of activity at 41/2 were predictive of 61/2-year ratings of hyperactivity and conduct problems. In addition, behavior in a research nursery at 41/2 predicted teacher ratings of problems and classroom behavior in grade two. Hyperactive preschoolers who left the table most during structured activities were more often out-of-seat and off-task in school. Controls who were more aggressive in the nursery were more disruptive in the classroom. These data indicate continuities in both maternal reports and child behaviors.Collection of follow-up data were supported by Grant No. MA-4505 from the Medical Research Council of Canada to Dr. Campbell and were collected when she was at McGill University and the Montreal Children's Hospital. Portions of these data were presented at the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1976.     

Self-motion sensation influenced by visual fixation

Subjects were exposed to angular decelerations of between 1 and 50 deg/sec’ (1) in total darkness, (2) in view of a dim subject-stationary fixation light, or (3) inside an illuminated subject-stationary striped cylinder (conflict stimulation). Vestibularly induced eye movements led to the oculogyral illusion of object motion. This phenomenon can be distinguished from that of the sensation of self-rotation. At the end of deceleration, the initial velocity of self-rotation sensation is similar during all three stimulus conditions, but is reduced in duration with the conflict stimulus. Differences of interpretation in the literature concerning these phenomena can be explained on the basis of the failure to distinguish between the oculogyral illusion and sensation of self-motion and the inability to fully suppress vestibular eye movements.     

Moderating Effects of Processing Objective,Question Order and Delay on Memory and Judgement

The performance appraisal process makes many demands on a manager's cognitive abilities as there are a number of competing requirements. For instance, recalling performance information after a long period of time, determining training needs, ascertaining future objectives, etc. The processing objective present at the time of observation may also influence whether evaluations are made ‘on-line’ or are ‘memory-based’. Some research has found that the rating instrument may moderate memory and judgement by making certain information salient (Ilgen, Barnes-Farrell, and McKellin 1993; Lichtenstein and Srull 1987; Woehr and Feldman 1993). While some studies have investigated both rating and recall order and processing objective, none have investigated both of these factors in relationship to time delay and the influence of impressions that were not directly related to performance. It has been suggested that the tendency to recall impressions of others rather than specific behaviour that lead to these impressions increase over time (DeNisi, Cafferty and Meglino 1984; Kozlowski and Ford 1991; Murphy and Balzer 1986). This study sets out to examine the influence of three variables, information processing objective, order of recall and rating and time delay on the relationship between memory and judgement and the various models important to these processes (DeNisi, Cafferty and Meglino 1984; Woehr and Feldman 1993; Hastie, Park and Weber 1984; Williams, Cafferty and DeNisi 1990). The experiment was a 2 × 2 × 2 between subjects factorial design with three independent variables with 187 students from various disciplines. Support was found for the model of performance appraisal by DeNisi et al. (1984) in that overall evaluations influenced dimensional ratings when a time delay was introduced. However, the hypothesized effect of recall/rating order was in the opposite direction to that expected, indicating that there were additional factors that influenced the relationship between memory and judgement.     

Parent and Primary Care Provider Priorities for Wellness in Early Childhood: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Guidelines recommend that primary care clinicians address a broad range of wellness topics, but time constraints limit clinicians’ ability to address...     

Determinants of cognitive outcomes of perinatal and childhood stroke: A review

Our understanding of cognitive and behavioral outcomes of perinatal and childhood stroke is rapidly evolving. A current understanding of cognitive outcomes following pediatric stroke can inform prognosis and direct interventions and our understanding of plasticity in the developing brain. However, our understanding of these outcomes has been hampered by the notable heterogeneity that exists amongst the pediatric stroke population, as the influences of various demographic, cognitive, neurological, etiological, and psychosocial variables preclude broad generalizations about outcomes in any one cognitive domain. We therefore aimed to conduct a detailed overview of the published literature regarding the effects of age at stroke, time since stroke, sex, etiology, lesion characteristics (i.e., location, laterality, volume), neurologic impairment, and seizures on cognitive outcomes following pediatric stroke. A key theme arising from this review is the importance of interactive effects among variables on cognitive outcomes following pediatric stroke. Interactions particularly of note include the following: (a) age at Stroke x Lesion Location; (b) Lesion Characteristics (i.e., volume, location) x Neurologic Impairment; (c) Lesion Volume x Time Since Stroke; (d) Sex x Lesion Laterality; and (e) Seizures x Time Since Stroke. Further, it appears that these relationships do not always apply uniformly across cognitive domains but, rather, are contingent upon the cognitive ability in question. Implications for future research directions are discussed.     

Asymmetries between victims' and transgressors' perspectives following interpersonal transgressions

When interpersonal transgressions occur, the involved parties try to understand what occurred and how justice should be restored. However, research has documented that victims and transgressors often diverge in their accounts of what transpired. In this paper, I review and summarize empirical research on victims' and transgressors' asymmetric perceptions of interpersonal transgressions and the different justice‐restoring responses each party subsequently desires. By conceptualizing transgressions in terms of the social roles of victim and transgressor, I contend that justice responses can be thought of as attempts to correct inequitable distributions of material and symbolic resources. This social exchange perspective enables us to understand each party's motives and how various justice responses might satisfy them. I argue that because of these asymmetric perspectives, reconciliation is difficult, and conflict is liable to be perpetuated rather than resolved.     

Serial homicide: an investigation of behavioural consistency

To examine if serial homicide offenders are consistent across their crimes, a model was developed empirically that could be used to distinguish between crimes that were instrumental and those that were expressive. The first known three offences in each series of 69 US serial homicides committed by 23 offenders, were examined and the instrumental and expressive themes determined. Three models were then explored that test for consistency across these themes. The most liberal model was found to classify all of the offences effectively and to reveal complete consistency across the three crimes for all offenders. The implications of these results for offender profiling and further study of serial homicide are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.