Stay a Little Longer: Sustaining Empathy,Vulnerability, and Intimacy in Couple Therapy

In this paper, my main intent is to heighten therapists' awareness of the difficulties and opportunities inherent in “vulnerable moments” (Livingston, 2001) and the importance of enabling couples to prolong such moments of openness. Sustained empathic attention to patients' subjective and affective experience during these moments deepens the analytic process and facilitates a transformation of the relationship itself—which is the focus of couple treatment.     

The effect of response interruption and redirection with and without a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior component on stereotypy and appropriate responses

Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often engage in repetitive and stereotypic behaviors (American Psychological Association, 2013). Therefore, interventions that reduce stereotypy and potentially increase appropriate responses are of interest in the field of applied behavior analysis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the isolated and additive effects of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) on both stereotypy and appropriate responses to determine whether either of these interventions alone or in combination is more effective and more efficient in increasing appropriate responses and decreasing stereotypy. Results showed that both RIRD and RIRD + DRA were effective interventions in decreasing stereotypy, but no procedure resulted in a sustained increase in appropriate responses.     

Factor structure of the Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Battery for Children

The Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Battery (RINB) was administered to a sample of children referred for educational and behavioral problems (N = 130). Subtest scores were standardized by age at 1-year intervals (6, 7, and 8 years). A principal components analysis (PCA) with promax rotation of 18 subtest scores produced a five-factor solution. Factor 1 emphasizes tactile/spatial functions, Factor 2 emphasizes concept formation and visual/spatial abilities, Factor 3 reflects motor strength, Factor 4 emphasizes sensory perception, and Factor 5 reflects motor speed. Principal factor analysis (PFA) of these data was performed to permit comparison with the PCA solutions. The PFA and PCA solutions were similar and major conclusions about factor structure were consistent.     

Effects of video self-modeling on the preference and reinforcer value of toys for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

A primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorder includes restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Because having few preferred items and activities can lead to social, communicative, and educational barriers, it is important to increase the number of preferred stimuli in the individual's environment. One way to do this is through conditioned reinforcement via observation. Such procedures involve the acquisition of a skill or change in behavior as a result of indirect contact (i.e., observation) with contingencies received by others. While conditioning through observation has been shown to be effective, one novel approach is video self-modeling. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of video self-modeling on the preference and reinforcer value of toys for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.     

Self-recording and student teacher supervision: variables within a token economy structure

A token system was used to attempt to increase the accuracy with which special education students answered questions about reading assignments. In the token system, students recorded their own data, received toy money for accurately completing assignments, and were allowed to spend their toy money at the end of the week for educational activities. The accuracy with which students answered questions was higher when the token system was in effect than when it was not. When student teachers were used to manage the token system and when the self-recording feature of the system was removed, only slight changes in the accuracy of the student performance were obtained.     

Stimulus novelty and intraseries primacy in GSR adaptation

GSR records were obtained for four groups of 20 Ss. Group I was presented with a series of four different lights (amber, blue, green, and white) appearing 20 times each, in apparent random order. The procedure was similar for the other three groups except that in group 2, a novel stimulus (a red light) appeared instead of the sixth amber light; in group 3, it appeared instead of the 11th amber light; and, in group 4, it appeared instead of the 16th amber light. Typical GSR adaptation phenomena were observed in all groups. The introduction of the novel stimulus appeared to have no effect on the course of GSR adaptation.     

Construct validity of Wechsler factor scores.

The construct validity of the Verbal Comprehension. Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility factor scores was examined in a sample of school-aged referred children. Examination of correlations between factor scores and neuropsychological and achievement tests generally supported the construct validity of the factors. The Verbal Comprehension factor was associated with verbal, quantitative, and concept-formation abilities. The Perceptual Organization factor was related to nonverbal concept formation, tactual performance, and visual attention. The Freedom from Distractibility factor demonstrated a complex pattern of correlations and appeared to reflect a range of abilities including quantitative, language, attentional, and concept formation.