The Effects of Response Repetitions on Sight Word Acquisition for Students with Mild Disabilities

Single response learning trials, defined in terms of the three-term contingency model, were compared with repeated response learning trials. The purpose of Study 1 was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of single and repeated response learning trials on sight word remediation. In Study 1, one single response learning trial having one response opportunity per word was compared to one repeated response learning trial having five response opportunities. In Study 2, three single response trials were compared to three repeated response trials. In both studies, the training conditions were compared using an alternating treatments design. Measuring the cumulative number of sight words mastered showed the training conditions equally effective. However, measuring (a) the mean duration of training sessions, (b) the cumulative frequency of words mastered per session duration, (c) the mean number of training sessions per word required for mastery, and (d) the training time per mastered word showed that the single response condition was more efficient. Discussion focuses on the need to include training data when determining best practices for teaching.     

The Dimensionality of Type A Behavior within a Stressful Work Simulation

The present study was conducted to examine the dimensionality of overt Type A behaviors elicited in a simulated stressful work environment. University students played a managerial role while being subjected to time and work-load pressures, and completed the Survey of Work Styles (SWS; Jackson & Gray, 1989). Eighteen behaviors, coded by two raters based on audiovisual recordings, yielded relatively high interrater reliabilities. Principal components analysis revealed four primary factors: Hurriedness, Irritability, Tension of the Lower Extremities, and Restlessness. These factors contribute to an understanding of Type A behavior in that they are the first to be derived from a purely observational approach rather than a combination of observational and self-report methods. Consistent with previous research, differential correlations between the factors and the SWS subscales supported a multi-dimensional interpretation of the Type A behavior pattern. Present findings are compared to those of previous studies of Type A dimensionality.     

“Single white male looking for thin,very attractive...”

Sociocultural pressures on women to be thin and physically attractive assume many forms today. When these external pressures are combined with the excessive demands many women already place on themselves in these areas, chronic dieting, and ultimately binge eating, often result (Agras & Kirkley, 1986; Hsu, 1989). The present study investigated the extent to which single women currently were receiving the message that physical attractiveness in general, and weight in particular, were crucial factors in being selected as a dating partner. A total of 283 male and 231 female personal ads from a singles' magazine were examined. Twenty-eight categories were created to label the qualities designated as desirable in a partner. As predicted, physical attractiveness was the characteristic most frequently sought by males (56.9%). Significantly fewer females (26.4%) required this in a prospective partner. Furthermore, requests for a thin partner were made by significantly more males (33.6%) than females (2.2%). Sex differences also were detected for the quality sought most often by females: interpersonal understanding. The results demonstrated that males still attributed greater importance to physical attractiveness and thinness than did females when selecting a date. Possible explanations for these different emphases were offered, and features that distinguished the “physical attractiveness” seekers from others were explored. The link with today's high rate of eating disorders among women was reappraised.     

Attention to errors and learning: Across-task and across-domain analysis of the postfailure reflectivity measure

The ratio between the mean postfailure and postsuccess latencies on a self-paced task (Postfailure Reflectivity) has been proposed as a measure of attention to errors, affecting learning across domains. This study was devised to test the generality of Postfailure Reflectivity (PFR). In Experiment 1, performance on two nonverbal, inference, and induction/deduction tasks was examined. Reading disabled subjects showed significantly less PFR than normally achieving subjects, and PFR correlated positively with the score in two nonverbal tasks, and across two testing times. In Experiment 2, PFR was significantly correlated with performance on two nonverbal tasks and one arithmetic task, and with measures of deep planning during interviews following the learning of a nonverbal inference task, as well as following motor and cognitive learning tasks. PFR also correlated with intentional learning, as measured on the Implicit Theories Interview. Jointly considered, these findings support the view that attention to errors plays a central role in learning, and that PFR is a good measure of attention to errors. It appears that Postfailure Reflectivity is a metacognitive skill which possesses adaptive, generalized, and trans-domain characteristics.     

DECREASING BURNED CHILDREN'S PAIN BEHAVIOR: IMPACTING THE TRAUMA OF HYDROTHERAPY

We evaluated the effects of cartoon viewing with the use of a star feedback chart on two burned children's pain behavior during their physical therapy sessions. In addition, the degree to which the observational data corresponded with physical therapists' and mothers' ratings of the children's pain, fear, and cooperativeness was examined. Using a reversal single-subject design, the results showed that the children's pain behavior substantially decreased during experimental treatment sessions compared to their baseline levels. The rating scale data indicated that the physical therapist's and mother's rating of pain, anxiety, and cooperativeness were all correlated significantly with the observational data (p < .05). The contributions of respondent and operant conditioning to the occurrence and treatment of pain behavior in burned children are discussed.     

BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC FOOD REFUSAL IN HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

In this study, we examined the eating behavior of four handicapped children, none of whom exhibited self-feeding skills. All children had a history of food refusal and were nutritionally at risk; one child received all nourishment by way of a gastrostomy tube. Baseline data taken during mealtimes indicated that all children accepted very little food, expelled food frequently, and engaged in a number of disruptive behaviors. Treatments consisted of one or more of the following contingent events: social praise, access to preferred foods, brief periods of toy play, and forced feeding. Results of multiple-baseline and reversal designs showed marked behavioral improvement for each child and increases in the amount of food consumed. Further improvements were noted at follow-up, which ranged from 7 to 30 months posttreatment.     

Characteristics of women health professionals with vertical,lateral, and stationary career plans

Young female health professionals' (N=139) career plans were classified as vertical (V) if they aspired to advancement, lateral (L) or stationary (S) if they lacked advancement ambitions. Ls planned intensification by gaining further qualifications. Hypotheses concerning the (1) life contingencies, (2) work attitudes, and (3) personalities of the groups were tested. Most support was found for hypothesis 3. Ls and Vs had higher masculinity scores than Ss, and Ls were more androgynous. More Ls planned specialization and had already undertaken further studies. Ls and Vs attached more importance to freedom at work; groups did not differ on other work attitudes nor in their life contingencies (social roles and conflicts), although Ls and Vs specified role conflicts and more coping strategies. The results supported Lewin and Olesen's conceptualization of lateralness, but indicated that it is distinct from stationary patterns.