Changes in self-stimulatory behaviors with treatment

For four of six autistic children who underwent intensive behavioral treatment, the nature of their self-stimulatory behavior changed from initial lowlevel motor behaviors (such as rocking, spinning, twirling) to differing kinds of higher-level behaviors (such as lining of objects, echolalic speech, and preoccupation with spelling and numerical values). The children who changed to the highest levels of self-stimulatory behavior also showed the largest gains in treatment (as determined by IQ scores, school placement, etc.). The changes in self-stimulatory behaviors were attributed to the intense teaching of appropriate social behaviors and the explicit therapeutic suppression of low-level, self-stimulatory behaviors. The long-term therapeutic effects of changing from lower-to higher-level forms of self-stimulatory behavior were discussed.This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (grant MH 11440). We want to express our thanks to the parents who allowed us to study their children. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Maria Audero with the design of the weighted measure, and Tracee Parker with the collection of the data.     

Rational-emotive therapy and the religious client

The religious client presents a particular challenge to the RET therapist in that the irrational beliefs responsible for the client's problems are often created or supported by distortions in the religious belief system. This paper will discuss the connections between religious distortions and the irrational ideas, ways to deal with them, and then present the most common religiously based irrational beliefs along with biblical disputations.Constance Lawrence, M.S., is Director of the Christian Counseling Center in Norwalk, CT, and also has a private practice in Weston, CT.     

Accident reduction through stress management

The deleterious effects of occupational stress on worker health and well-being have been described in numerous reports for a wide range of work groups. Work overload (and underload), deadline pressures, role Stressors, underutilization of abilities, and physical discomfort have been identified as work factors associated with increased stress symptom reporting. The relationship between work stress and accident/injury occurrences is less clearly documented, although scattered reports in the literature suggest a contributory role for stress in the accident process. In this article, data linking stress to unsafe work behavior are reviewed and a model is proposed wherein accidents can arise from impaired worker capabilities (e.g., slower reaction time) brought about by stress symptom activity (e.g., anxiety). The potential usefulness of stress management training (SMT) for shortcircuiting the stress/accidents cycle by alleviating stress symptoms is discussed in light of recent empirical research.Portions of this article were presented at the Third Annual Scientist/Practitioner Conference in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Virginia Beach, Virginia, October, 1982.     

Development of Children's perceptions of internal locus of control: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis

Elementary school children between the ages of eight and thirteen were administered the Children's Nowicki/Strickland Locus of Control Scale annually for three years. As predicted, children's mean locus of control scores were found to be significantly different from one age group to the next (cross-sectional analysis) as well as from one year to the next (longitudinal analysis). Older children had significantly more internal scores than did younger children, and the same 97 children demonstrated significant increases in internal perceptions over each succeeding year. No significant sex differences were observed in this generally linear developmental trend. The study supports the hypothesis that increases in internal perceptions are associated with growing older. The data are explained using a confluent theoretical perspective drawing upon cognitive as well as behavioral theory.     

Auditory evoked brain responses: Intensity functions from bipolar human scalp recordings

Average evoked brain responses were computed from four simultaneous recordings during binaural tone stimulation at 10 intensity levels. Amplitudes and latencies were measured for the prominent components, and linear regression coefficients were computed. The results indicate that the sensitivity of the evoked response to stimulus intensity is dependent upon the selection of the appropriate measure. Linear amplitude functions were demonstrated. Additional research relating these responses to psychophysical measures is suggested.     

A pseudorandom noise generator for use in auditory research

A noise generator that is capable of delivering long-duration samples of reproducible noise is described. The noise is generated as a pseudorandom telegraph waveform but may be filtered so that its amplitude distribution is approximately Gaussian. The design and construction of the generator are detailed and a few possible applications are given.     

The role of response processes in the formation of cross-modality assimilation effects

A unimanual, two-digit choice-reaction-time task was used in conjunction with visual signals presented in the extreme peripheral field. The position of the signal on the retina, the eye stimulated, the hand used in responding, and the operating digits were all controlled for their effects. Stimulus-response compatibility was maintained throughout. It was found that RT to ipsilateral S-R pathways was consistently faster than when the pathways involved transcommissural connections. Subsidiary findings related to differences between the operating digits and the side of signal occurrence. These effects are discussed in connection with known interhemispheric phenomena and other CRT findings.     

SOME EFFECTS OF CULTURAL TRAINING ON LEADERSHIP IN HETEROCULTURAL TASK GROUPS1

Diriger des groupes de travail d'une autre culture : effets de I'initiation préalable à cette culture. — Etude exploratoire portant sur l'utilité de programmes d'enseignement culturel pour accroître l'efficacité de ceux qui sont amenés à diriger des groupes de travail appartenant à une autre culture que la leur. La recherche a porté sur vingt-quatre sujets américains (cadets ROTC, engagés volontaires dans une compagnie des Forces Spéciales de l'armée américaine) et a également requis la participation de douze étudiants arabes, inscrits à I'Université de l'Illinois. Les vingt-quatre sujets américains ont été divisés en deux groupes égaux d'après la note qu'ils ont obtenue au LPC (Least Preferred Coworker : partenaire le moins aimé) qui permet d'apprécier les attitudes manifestées dans l'exercice du commandement. Ces groupes sont de nouveau dichotomisés selon deux types de formation : douze sujets reçoivent pendant trois heures un enseignement programmé sur la culture arabe, les douze autres reçoivent un enseignement de même durée et de même forme, sur un sujet sans rapport avec la culture arabe, à savoir la géographie du Moyen-Orient. Après la phase d'enseignement, on demande à chaque S. américain de diriger un groupe composé de deux arabes et de lui-même. Chaque équipe de deux arabes est utilisée une fois dans chacune des quatre conditions expérimentales (deux types de chefs, deux types de formation), l'ordre étant contrebalancé. Chaque groupe travaille sur trois tâches différentes (une tâche coopérative non structurée, une tâche coopérative structurée, une tâche de négotiation). On obtient généralement un plus haut niveau de performance, mesurée à la fois par la productivité et par la qualité des relations dirigeant-dirigé, avec les moniteurs qui ont reçu un enseignement sur la culture arabe. On trouve également des différences entre les moniteurs libéraux, soucieux de bonnes relations inter-personnelles et les moniteurs autoritaires et répressifs. l'interaction entre I'initiation à la culture et le style de commandement montre que les moniteurs qui ont des styles différents bénéficient de manière spécifique du programme d'initiation culturelle. On constate que I'initiation à la culture et I'interaction face à face avec des gens d'une autre culture entraînent des changements positifs dans les attitudes.     

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