THE CLASS SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF COMPLIANCE TRAINING WITH “DO” AND “DON'T” REQUESTS: ANALOGUE ANALYSIS AND CLASSROOM APPLICATION

Two experiments are reported in which the relationship between compliance with “do” and “don't” requests was examined with developmentally disabled children. In Experiment 1, a multiple baseline design across subjects with counterbalanced treatment conditions was used to evaluate a compliance training program composed of four phases: (a) baseline, during which no consequences were delivered for compliance, (b) reinforcement for compliance with one targeted “do” request, (c) reinforcement for compliance with one targeted “don't” request, and (d) follow-up with reinforcement on a variable ratio schedule for compliance with any “do” or “don't” request. Results of probes conducted before and after training within each condition indicated that generalized compliance occurred only with requests of the same type as the target exemplar (“do” or “don't”). In Experiment 2, these results were replicated in a classroom setting. Following collection of baseline probe data on student compliance, a teacher training program was successfully implemented to increase reinforcement of compliance first with one “do” and subsequently with one “don't” request of a target student. Results of multiple baseline probes across “do” and “don't” requests indicated that the teacher generalized and maintained reinforcement of compliance with other requests of the same type and to other students, with a resulting increase in student compliance with the type of requests reinforced. The impact of treatment on both teacher and student behavior was socially validated via consumer ratings. Implications of these findings with respect to response class formation and compliance training programs are discussed.     

Journal Reviews

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C ahen , R. (Paris). 'Inquiétez-vous, c'est psychique'
C ahen , R. (Paris). Prefface to the 'nth' edition of L' Homme à la Decouverte de son Ame
G oldenberg , N. (Ottawa). 'A feminist critique of Jung'
M aduro , R. (San Francisco). 'working with Lations and the use of dream analysis'
M asse -R ouquette , J. (Le Mesnil-St Denis). 'Femme et surréalisme'
M c C ully ,R. (Charleston). 'Parapsychology and symbol formation'
P ignatelli , M. (Rome). 'Un incognita chiamata amore'
Pegnatelli, M. (Rome). 'Il fantasma del terzo'
P ignatielli , M. (Rome). 'Psiche e realta del fenomeno umano'
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Stimuli triggering violence in psychoses'.
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Geometric figure-rotation task and face representation in dyslexia: role fo spatial relations and orientation'.
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Face representation linked with literacy with literacy level in colonial American tombstone engravings and Third World pre-literates'
T aylor , C. (New York). 'Sexual intimacy between patient and analyst'.
Z iegler , A. (Zürich). 'Die schattern von olympia—über Veitstanz und Zitterkrankheiten'     

The development of young children's awareness of logical inconsistencies

Research by Markman (1979) suggests that children up to 12 years of age do not spontaneously detect logical inconsistencies. The present study was directed to factors which may limit children's ability to recognize their failures to understand. A task was devised which involved materials that were clearly based on children's experiences, and which involved premises and conclusions which were presented contiguously, rather than being interspersed among other sentences. Ninety-six 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old children were asked to judge the acceptability of eight three-sentence “stories” told by a puppet, and were asked to justify their responses. The stories differed in whether they were consistent or inconsistent, and in whether the principle upon which a story's consistency depended was implicitly or explicitly stated. The results showed developmental differences. By Age 7 years, most children were quite capable of evaluating sentences for their logical consistency. Five-year-olds, however, did not perform as well on the task, especially when the information upon which the logical cohesiveness of the stories rested was implicitly, rather than explicitly, stated. An examination of the justifications provided by these children revealed that they tended to question the empirical validity of individual sentences, rather than integrate the story as a whole and examine its overall logical structure.     

Quest: A Bayesian adaptive psychometric method

An adaptive psychometric procedure that places each trial at the current most probable Bayesian estimate of threshold is described. The procedure takes advantage of the common finding that the human psychometric function is invariant in form when expressed as a function of log intensity. The procedure is simple, fast, and efficient, and may be easily implemented on any computer.     

Aphasia following a right thalamic hemorrhage

A left-handed patient with a right thalamic hemorrhage and disordered speech is described. Sequential examinations and aphasia testing were done during a 1-year follow-up period and the results are reported. This case supports those authors who have described characteristics they feel are helpful in diagnosing disordered speech associated with thalamic lesions. Paucity of speech, reduced voice volume, anomia, some paraphasia, and severe dysgraphia were present, but comprehension and repetition were relatively preserved. She showed modest improvement with time. This case also confirms that thalamic involvement in speech is a dominant, rather than a specifically left hemispheric function.     

The application of the standard of care doctrine to psychological testing

Malpractice issues surrounding clinical psychologists' misuse of diagnostic testing are examined. Common forms of misuse are contrasted with appropriate standards of use for six frequently administered tests: The WAIS-R, WISC-R, Rorschach, TAT, Bender Gestalt, and MMPI. It is argued that not only negligent and unethical conduct but also intentional malfeasance may be construed when a qualified specialist applies unstandardized procedures which lack scientific authenticity. Suggestions are provided to both psychologists and attorneys to reduce the misuse of psychological tests in clinical and forensic evaluations.     

The relationship of mathematics self-efficacy expectations to the selection of science-based college majors

The major purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship of mathematics self-efficacy expectations to the selection of science-based majors in college males and females. Based on results obtained from a pilot sample of college students, an instrument assessing mathematics self-efficacy expectations was developed. The items used in the mathematics self-efficacy scale included everyday math tasks, math problems, and math-based college courses. Subjects, 153 female and 109 male undergraduates, completed the mathematics self-efficacy scale, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, an adapted version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales, and a questionnaire concerning their college major choices. Results indicated that mathematics self-efficacy expectations were significantly related to the extent to which students selected science-based college majors, thus supporting the postulated role of cognitive mediational factors in educational and career choice behavior. In addition, the math-related self-efficacy expectations of college males were significantly stronger than were those of college females. Implications of the findings for the process of educational and career decision-making are discussed.     

Distinguishing characteristics of the life roles of worker,student, and homemaker for young adults

The purpose of this study was to determine if three adult life roles could be distinguished by career and achievement motivation and antecedents to such motivation. Subjects were a sample of 212 young adults who had graduated 3 years prior to data collection from two high schools in the state of Illinois and were classified according to the three life roles of worker, student, and homemaker. Four indicators of career motivation, one indicator of achievement motivation, and a broad range of antecedent factors, including background characteristics, self-concept factors, and context factors, were used to distinguish among the life roles. Results from discriminant analyses on the three role groups indicate that in general students are distinguished from homemakers and workers on functions characterized by higher education and career aspirations, greater perceived support from parents for their achievement, and lower attributions of cooperation for achievements; homemakers are distinguished from students and workers on functions characterized by endorsing higher social approval values for their successes, lower career commitment, and lower perceived teacher support for achievement. Workers are distinguished from students on some factors and distinguished from homemakers on others. Implications for future research and practice indicate the usefulness of life roles when investigating the career and achievement patterns of young adults and designing interventions for the enhancement of life role choices.     

Mood and the self-reference bias in recall

Hypotheses linking a negative recall bias (or negative self-schema) with vulnerability to depression were tested using an experimental mood-induction task. Extent of bias in student subjects was found to be unstable over a 4-month period, but different measures of memory bias within one session were highly correlated. Marginally significant correlations in the expected direction were found between estimates of recall bias and mood state, whether measured at the same or at different times. Change in mood following induction did not relate to change in bias, suggesting that the observed differences in recall are not a simple function of transient mood state alone. Equally, the initial recall bias did not predict the extent of mood shift following induction, as would be expected if a negative self-schema determined ease of mood shift in a negative direction. However, significant correlations were found between negative recall bias and self-reported frequency and severity of depression, lending equivocal support to the negative self-schema model.