Speaking for the baby: A therapeutic intervention with adolescent mothers and their infants

Adolescent mothers frequently experience problems in mother-infant interaction. However, intervention can be very difficult, particularly when complicated by unresolved conflicts involving relationships in the young woman's past. This article describes a therapeutic intervention, based on the work of Fraiberg, which allows the young mother to learn to interpret her infant's cues while also encouraging her to express her own emotions in the context of the mother-infant relationship. Two case studies are discussed to illustrate the use of the technique as part of a program of mother-infant intervention.     

Towards the Good Life: A Population Survey of Dimensions of Quality of Life

The aim of the analyses presented here was to explore subjective and objective components and predictors of self-rated quality of life (QoL). The vehicle for the study was a questionnaire module on perceptions of quality of life, which was commissioned by the authors for inclusion in the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Omnibus Survey in Great Britain. For the survey, 2033 randomly sampled adults aged 16 and over were interviewed in their own homes (77% response rate). Multiple regression analyses showed that relatively little of the variance in overall QoL ratings was explained by the objective, socio-demographic indicators (5%), and the addition of the health status indicator (reported longstanding illness) contributed nothing. The subjective ratings of life in self-nominated areas of importance explained the most, with those who did not prioritise the area at all as the referent (relationships, finances, own health, others' health, work and social life). These variables contributed over twice as much as the objective and health status variables, indicating the relative importance of self-nominated 'important areas of life' over theoretically important, objective variables and reported illness. However, the final model still only explained a modest amount of the variance in quality of life ratings (16%), confirming the amorphous nature of quality of life.     

INCREASING GENERALIZED SOCIAL INTERACTIONS IN PSYCHOTIC AND MENTALLY RETARDED RESIDENTS THROUGH PEER-MEDIATED THERAPY

This study investigated whether withdrawn adults living in a residential center for psychotic and mentally handicapped persons could serve as peer therapists to increase the social interaction of other withdrawn residents. Two pairs of residents served as participants. Treatments were introduced and evaluated within a multiple baseline with reversal design. After baseline, the peer therapist was instructed to increase the social interactions of a target peer through engagement in social interactions. The results demonstrated that the peer therapist increased the social interactions of target peers. However, these increases did not generalize to other residents until the introduction of a multiple peer therapist condition. The percentage of time the peer therapists interacted with other nontarget residents also increased throughout the study. These results were maintained during a 4-month follow-up condition.     

Maternal employment,anxiety, and sex differences in college students' self-descriptions

This study sought to determine if a relationship exists between maternal employment during childhood, anxiety, and gender in college students. A questionnaire incorporating the Adjective Generation Technique (AGT) was administered to undergraduate psychology students from intact, two-parent families. Subjects were grouped into four categories: males whose mothers worked during their childhood (n=33), males whose mothers remained home (n=49), females whose mothers worked (n=54), and females whose mothers remained home (n=49). Data were analyzed using a 2×2 analysis of variance. Results indicated no differences in anxiety for subjects of either sex in relationship to the employment status of the mothers. A pronounced sex difference was found, with females scoring significantly higher in anxiety than males.     

THE EFFECTS OF CONTINGENT AND NONCONTINGENT REWARDS ON THE I.Q. SCORES OF CHILDREN OF ABOVE-AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE1

This study investigated the effects of candy reinforcement on I.Q. test scores in first and second graders of above-average intelligence. Thirty-six subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups and either given candy contingent on correct responses, noncontingently, or not given candy. After measuring all subjects on Form L of the revised Stanford Binet, each subject in the contingent group was given an M & M immediately following each correct answer on Form M, while a yoked-comparison subject received the same number of M & M's before responding to a question and therefore without regard to correctness of answers. It was expected that both types of candy administration would produce higher I.Q. change scores than the no-candy control group, but there were no statistically significant differences among the three treatments. The differences between the first and second test scores were 4.17 (contingent), 4.67 (noncontingent), and 1.00 (no reinforcement). Reasons for this failure to replicate previous findings were discussed.     

The effects of adaptation to square-wave gratings as a function of grating orientation

An adaptation technique was used to measure the selectivity or tuning for grating orientation in the visual system for different orientations of the inspection stimulus. Duration thresholds for grating patterns of constant luminance were determined for 13 test gratings oriented from ±5 to 90 deg away from each of five adaptation gratings: 0, 22, 45, 67, and 90 deg. Threshold data obtained for test gratings without prior adaptation indicated higher sensitivity for gratings oriented along the horizontal and vertical axis than along the oblique axis. After adaptation, thresholds increased (sensitivity was reduced) for gratings having similar orientations as the test gratings. However, the functions relating sensitivity reduction to degree of angular disparity between test and adaptation grating did not vary across the five inpsection orientations, i.e., selectivity or tuning for grating orientation appeared to be independent of the orientation of the adapting stimulus.     

Working mothers,sex differences,and self-esteem in college students' self-descriptions

This study examined whether a relationship exists between maternal employment and self-esteem of offspring. A questionnaire incorporating the Adjective Generation Technique (AGT) was administered to undergraduate psychology students from intact two-parent families. Subjects were divided into four categories: males whose mothers worked during their childhood (n=33), males whose mothers remained home (n=49), females whose mothers worked (n=54), and females whose mothers remained home (n=49). Data were analyzed using a 2 × 2 analysis of variance. Results indicated no differences in self-esteem for subjects of either sex in conjunction with the employment of their mothers. Instead, the subject's sex was the critical component affecting self-esteem. Males reported themselves significantly more favorably than did females.     

Validity of Adler's active-constructive,active-destructive,passive-constructive,and passive-destructive typology

This research investigated the validity of Adler's typology: active-constructive, achievement-oriented; active-destructive, hostile; passive-constructive, attention-seeking; and passive-destructive, interpersonal detachment. Four possible measures of the constructive-destructive dimension and two possible measures of activity-passivity were used, with all eight possible combinations being used to establish the Adlerian types (active-constructive, etc.). A total of 192 male undergraduates served as subjects. The Full I-E Scale in combination with the CPS Activity-Lack-of-Energy Scale produced groups that demonstrated the Adlerian relationships, active-constructive, achievement-oriented, and so forth. There were strong secondary personality manifestations within the respective groups.