Do children use similar processes to read and spell words?

The use of spelling-sound information in both reading and spelling was evaluated by having children read and spell nonwords and five types of words that differed in terms of their regularity for reading and spelling. The subjects were grade 3 children who had been psychometrically defined as good readers and good spellers (“good”), good readers and poor spellers (“mixed”), or poor readers and poor spellers (“poor”). Results indicated that all children attempted to use spelling-sound correspondences in both reading and spelling, although children in both the mixed and the poor groups had weaker knowledge of these correspondences and were less systematic in their use of them. Furthermore, even though the children in the mixed group had been matched with children in the good group on reading comprehension, the number and type of errors made by the mixed subjects on both the reading and spelling tasks were more similar to those of the poor subjects than to those of the good subjects.     

Developmental changes in the attribution of dispositional features

It was hypothesized (1) that with age children would rely increasingly upon information about intention, rather than overt behavior, when attributing dispositional features to others; and (2) that, developmentally, “restricted” dispositional attributions (i.e., those that assume the operation of highly specific situation-response relationships) would precede “generalized” dispositional attributions (which assume the operation of a dispositional concept between broad classes of situations and responses). An experiment is reported that provides support for the first, though not the second, of these hypotheses.     

Adaptation and vulnerability in high-risk adolescents: An examination of environmental mediators

The relationship of characteristics of the social environment to the adaptation of adolescents from high-risk predisposing environments was examined. Specifically, the degree to which adolescents' perceptions of various dimensions of their family and school environment as well as sources of social support related to differential levels of personal well-being and academic adjustment was explored. Multiple regression analyses revealed differences in the salience of the dimensions of the social environment as a function of the particular sphere of functioning under consideration. Implications of the findings for developing a model for understanding the relative vulnerability of individuals at risk as well as of the design of preventive interventions are discussed.     

Selective association in conditioned stress-induced analgesia: functional differences in interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory pathways

Rats were used to determine whether stress-induced analgesia (SIA) can be produced by conditioning with interoceptive stimuli (LiCl) as with exteroceptive stimuli (footshock). SIA was measured using a tail-flick test. As expected, unavoidable footshock as well as conditioning with footshock produced SIA. In contrast, conditioning with LiCl failed to cause SIA. The findings support the notion of functional differences in neural substrates for conditioning by exteroceptive and interoceptive cue.     

Psychobiological Factors Predicting the Course of Breast Cancer

Drawing on a carefully controlled sample of 52 women with a history of breast carcinoma and 34 healthy controls, this prospective study examined empirical associations between psychological factors and the progression of neoplastic disorders over a follow-up period averaging 624 days. Psychological variables were psychometrically assessed by self-report measures. A multiple regression analysis which controlled for disease stage at original diagnosis, age, total length of disease course, hematological factors, and blood chemistries measured at study onset showed neoplastic spread to be associated with a repressive personality style, reduced expression of negative affect, helplessness-hopelessness, chronic stress, and comforting daydreaming. The identified model of medical and psychological variables accounted for 56% of the observed variance. A psychobiological model of brain-body disregulation provided the best account of the observed associations between psychological functioning and the progression of disease. Future research is necessary to examine the role which psychological functioning may exert upon health-relevant behaviors that might blunt the benefits of professional health care.     

Correlates of Children's Usage of Videogames and Computers1

Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students responded to a questionnaire concerning their experiences with electronic videogames and computers. Teacher ratings of academic achievement, personality characteristics, and behavior patterns were also obtained for each student. These data were used to examine a number of hypotheses concerning potential harmful or beneficial effects of electronic videogames on school-age children, and to provide preliminary evidence concerning the correlates of computer usage by school-age children. Videogame usage showed significant positive correlations with teacher ratings of impulsivity, significant negative correlations with ratings of academic achievement, and little relationship to rated sociability. Videogame use also proved positively related to other social activities and to microcomputer use.     

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON “SELF-STIMULATORY” BEHAVIOR: ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT APPLICATION

We tested the hypothesis that the “self-stimulatory” behaviors exhibited by some individuals may be socially mediated. Four developmentally disabled children who exhibited hand flapping and body rocking participated in a series of three experiments conducted to assess the influence of social variables on stereotyped behavior and to develop a treatment based on the assessment. Experiment 1 used an assessment procedure to determine the relative influences of social attention and task demands on stereotyped behavior. For all four children, hand flapping and body rocking increased when difficult academic tasks were introduced. Experiment 2 involved the use of a procedural time-out and demonstrated that removing task demands contingent on stereotyped behavior resulted in increased rates of hand flapping and body rocking. In Experiment 3, these results were used to develop a communication treatment that consisted of teaching the children to request assistance on the difficult tasks. This treatment resulted in significant reductions in self-stimulatory behavior. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that some forms of repetitive stereotyped behavior may come to serve social functions (e.g., escape from aversive situations). Teaching a functionally equivalent communicative alternative to escape-motivated stereotyped behavior can be an effective form of intervention for this problem.     

A NEUROBIOLOGICAL ALTERNATIVE TO THE PERCEPTUAL REINFORCEMENT HYPOTHESIS OF STEREOTYPED BEHAVIOR: A COMMENTARY ON “SELF-STIMULATORY BEHAVIOR AND PERCEPTUAL REINFORCEMENT”

A perceptual reinforcement theory of stereotyped movements is advanced by Lovaas, Newsom, and Hickman (1987) in an effort to integrate a number of diverse observations about the origins and maintenance of this behavior. We, in turn, argue that the theory, as presented, is logically flawed and fails to take into account important biological findings and theory concerning pathological stereotyped acts. An alternative theory, derived primarily from neurological concepts, is briefly described.     

Interpretation Versus Experimentation in the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior

The Psychological Record -