GENERALITY AND SIDE EFFECTS OF OVERCORRECTION1

The effects and side effects of overcorrection for self-stimulatory behaviors of two children in a specialized day-care program were evaluated. For one child, a “hand” overcorrection procedure involving arm and hand exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements and later contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. After “hand” overcorrection was withdrawn for inappropriate foot movements, a “foot” overcorrection procedure involving foot and leg exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. For a second child, the “hand” overcorrection procedure was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements during a free-play period, and later contingent upon inappropriate vocalizations at naptime. “Hand” overcorrection was withdrawn and then re-introduced sequentially for both behaviors. Several concurrent behaviors were measured to assess multiple effects of treatment. Results for both children indicated the “hand” overcorrection procedure suppressed inappropriate hand movements and inappropriate behaviors that were topographically dissimilar. In addition, inverse relationships were observed between the second child's inappropriate hand movements and appropriate toy usage during free play and between his inappropriate vocalizations and inappropriate foot movements during naptime. Results suggest that overcorrection procedures that are effective for one behavior can be used to reduce the frequency of topographically different behaviors. This finding is discussed in terms of its practical implications for therapists.     

Authoritarianism and job preference

The hypothesis tested was that authoritarian personalities prefer the natural sciences (specifically biology and chemistry) and nonauthoritarian personalities choose the social sciences and humanities (specifically, psychology and philosophy). The results strongly supported the hypothesis. Since the study was conducted on freshmen students in Israel who select their department at the time they apply for admission to the university, the results were interpreted as indicating that authoritarians choose professions different from nonauthoritarians.     

The role of nonlinguistic stimuli and semantic relations in children's acquisition of grammatical utterances

Eighteen children, randomly assigned to one of six conditions, were trained in the use of two-word subject-verb (e.g. “mommy go”) utterances. The groups differed in (1) the number of different semantic relations theoretically underlying the subject-verb utterances on which the children were trained, and (2) the extent to which these semantic relations were associated with nonlinguistic events. The results indicated that the children acquired the subject-verb utterance forms more readily when they were also exposed to the events to which the utterances actually referred. Provided that the subject-verb utterances were related to ongoing events, the number of relations “underlying” these utterances did not appear critical. These results suggest that the child's acquisition of novel and grammatical utterances describing nonlinguistic stimuli highly similar to those in his natural environment are amenable to experimental control.     

Effect on College Choice Satisfaction of Matching Students and Colleges

The purpose of this study was to test the currently held theory of homogeneous matching of a student to a college and its effect on college choice satisfaction. Measures of scholastic potential, personality, and interest, and subcultural orientation on 7,257 freshmen enrolled in 28 colleges were related to their expressions of satisfaction with their choice of college. The contention that students most similar or dissimilar to students at their chosen school would be most satisfied or dissatisfied was not supported. The relationship between satisfaction and matching is minimal and quite complex and casts serious doubt on this form of placing students in college.     

Biographical Items and Factors That Differentiate Rehabilitation Counselor Performance

This article presents the results of an investigation of the relationship of biographical information to the performance of counselors in state rehabilitation (DVR) agencies. The specific purposes of this study were to examine (1) what biographical data items differentiate more successful DVR counselors from less successful DVR counselors, and (2) if factors across biographical items could be found that relate to more successful performance. A series of statistical steps were involved in the analyses including chi-square, reciprocal average weighting technique, factor analysis, and a multiple regression model. No significant relationship to the criterion of supervisor ratings on overall effectiveness was found using either of two weighting procedures, nor were the responses to items composing the factors associated with the criterion variable. Some implications and limitations of the study were discussed.     

A computer-controlled system for training and testing primates

The hardware and software for a computer-controlled training and testing system for primates are described. The computer (DDP-116 in the Computer-Controlled Psychology Laboratory at Carnegie-Mellon University) controls all stimulus presentation, reinforcement, and records data in a form ready for analysis on a larger computer.