AN EVALUATION OF THE NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS OF TARGET SOUNDS DURING STIMULUS—STIMULUS PAIRING TRIALS

We evaluated the differential effects of 2 variations of a stimulus–stimulus pairing procedure on the vocalizations of 2 children with autism. For both participants, presenting 1 sound per pairing trial resulted in a higher rate of vocalizations than 3 sounds per pairing trial.     

A TRANSLATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE INTERPOLATED REINFORCEMENT PROCEDURE WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

The interpolated reinforcement procedure (IRP) involves the deliberate continuous reinforcement of a previously intermittently reinforced behavior prior to implementing extinction. Basic research on the IRP has produced equivocal findings, and applied research has suffered from methodological limitations. The present study was an evaluation of the IRP with typically developing young children and a nonclinical target behavior. The IRP was demonstrated in only two of five participants. The results are discussed in the context of the IRP's clinical utility given the unreliability of the finding. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experiences Delivering a Marital Intervention for Couples With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Previous researchers have indicated that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are vulnerable to relationship stress, lower marital satisfaction, and potential relationship dissolution. We describe the experiences of three couples who participated in a 10-week, in-home couples therapy intervention using Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Each couple and their progress through the intervention are described using therapist and supervisor reflections, and qualitative evaluation interviews with the participants after termination. Based on the experiences of the couples, we conclude that couples would benefit from an in-home couples therapy intervention aimed to strengthen their relationships.     

Changing likes and dislikes through the back door: The US-revaluation effect

US-revaluation refers to the observation that subsequent changes in the valence of an unconditioned stimulus (US) after pairing it with a neutral, conditioned stimulus (CS) also changes the valence of the associated CS. Experiment 1 found evidence for the US-revaluation effect using an unobtrusive measure of evaluation. However, US-revaluation effects were more pronounced for positive-to-negative compared to negative-to-positive revaluations. Experiment 2 replicated this finding for self-reported evaluations, further showing that US-revaluation effects are stable over time and independent of explicit memory for the revaluating information. Using a modified paradigm, Experiment 3 ruled out method-related explanations for these findings and showed that changes in CS evaluations are correlated with parallel changes in US evaluations. These findings encourage the view of evaluative conditioning as an instance of stimulus–stimulus (S–S) rather than stimulus-response (S–R) learning. Implications for basic and applied research are discussed.     

“Do You Trust Him?” Children’s Trust Beliefs and Developmental Trajectories of Aggressive Behavior in an Ethnically Diverse Sample

This study investigated the role of trust beliefs (i.e., trustworthiness, trustfulness) on aggression trajectories in a four-wave longitudinal study using an ethnically diverse sample of 8- to 11-year-old children (N?=?1,028), as well as the risk profiles of low trust beliefs and low socioeconomic status on aggression trajectories. At Time 1 to Time 4, teachers provided ratings of overt aggressive behavior. At Time 1, children’s trust beliefs were assessed by a sociometric peer nomination instrument and derived using social relations analysis. Latent growth curve analysis revealed five trajectories of aggressive behavior: high-stable, medium-stable, low-stable, increasing, and decreasing. As hypothesized, children in the high-stable trajectory were perceived as less trustworthy than children in the low-stable, medium-stable, and increasing trajectories. Children in the high-stable trajectory were less trustful than children in the low-stable trajectory and had a significantly higher risk profile (i.e., low trust beliefs and low SES) compared to children in the low-stable trajectory. Our findings indicate that the developmental course of aggression during middle childhood is predicted by children’s trustworthiness and trustfulness. A risk profile of low trust and low socioeconomic status contributes to high-stable aggression trajectories.     

Postmodern Masculinities and the Eunuch

This research examines the recent rise of the eunuch within several sociological contexts. The contention of this article is that present images of masculine sexuality have inadvertently made the effigy of the eunuch more permissible, albeit, unstated. In addition, as a form of sexual deviance, this practice relies on both individual pathologies and communities for membership. Recent technological advances in the computer industry have simplified access to like-minded individuals fostering fellowship. Using both primary and secondary sources of data, individual motivations to becoming a eunuch are examined.     

Self-Determination Skills of Adolescents Enrolled in Special Education: An Analysis of Four Cases

This study provides information about four adolescent students participating in an occupation-based self-determination program drawn from the Model of Self-Determination and the Model of Human Occupation. Students were selected from a Career Lab based on their ability to participate. The analysis of the cases demonstrate that psycho-educational strategies incorporated into a special education curriculum can instill in the students the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for personal goal setting and attainment.     

Leveraging Fourth and Sixth Graders’ Experiences to Reveal Understanding of the Forms and Features of Distributed Causality

Research has focused on students’ difficulties understanding phenomena in which agency is distributed across actors whose individual-level behaviors converge to result in collective outcomes. Building on Levy and Wilensky (2008 Levy, S. T., &; Wilensky, U. (2008). Inventing a "mid-level" to make ends meet: Reasoning through the levels of complexity. Cognition &; Instruction, 26(1), 1–47. [Google Scholar]), this study identified features of distributed causality students understand and that may offer affordances for instruction. Students displayed more distributed reasoning than anticipated, used hybrid and flexible reasoning, and reasoned about additive effects of collections of agents and their interactions, even when intent was unaligned.