On the role of behaviorism in clinical psychology

This discussion presents the viewpoints of five well-known psychologists on the role of behaviorism in clinical psychology. The article is a condensed version of a symposium presented at the 1978 annual APA convention.     

The impact of borderline personality disorder and anxiety on neuropsychological performance in major depression

Previous studies of neuropsychological performance in borderline personality disorder (BPD) have exhibited mixed results. The high rate of co-occurring major depressive disorder (MDD) in BPD makes it difficult to specify whether neuropsychological deficits in BPD predominantly reflect co-occurring MDD or unique aspects of their psychopathology. To address this issue, 22 participants with borderline personality disorder and concurrent major depressive disorder (BPD-MDD) and 33 participants with MDD and no concurrent personality disorder were compared on a neuropsychological battery that assessed seven domains of performance: general intellectual functioning, motor skill, psychomotor speed, attention, memory, working memory, and executive function. Neuropsychological performance did not differ between BPD-MDD and MDD. However, BPD-MDD participants reported higher levels of anger, anxiety, and of overall emotional distress compared to MDD. When levels of anxiety were controlled, BPD-MDD participants exhibited superior general intellectual performance, psychomotor speed, and attention. Deficits found in previous BPD samples may reflect their susceptibility to co-occurring MDD. The impact of anxiety on neuropsychological performance in BPD, though, indicates a need for future experimental studies of the effects of mood on cognitive function to determine whether mood dysregulation, rather than core depressive symptoms, underlie cognition impairments in BPD.     

Promoting imitative play through generalized observational learning in autisticlike children

Three autisticlike boys with deficits in imitative and appropriate play behaviors were taught to play with an unfamiliar toy by observing a peer model demonstrate appropriate play with the toy. Generalization was assessed across toys and models, and temporal maintenance was assessed at 1 and 3 weeks following generalization. Following training each child demonstrated increases in imitative play concomitant with decreases in the frequency of nonmanipulated selfstimulatory behavior. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the amelioration of social isolation and self-stimulatory behavior.The authors wish to acknowledge the help and cooperation of the Henry Wiseman Kendall Center and the Highpoint Preschool Enrichment Program.     

Smoking behavior as a function of social cues and sex: A naturalistic study

The purpose of the study was to investigate the hypotheses that the smoking behavior of both females and males is affected by social cues and that the smoking behavior of females is more affected by social cues than is the smoking behavior of males. The smoking behaviors of 313 females and 487 males walking on public streets and of 154 females and 146 males waiting in public waiting rooms were recorded. Both sexes smoked more often in the waiting room situation than in the street situation; females' smoking was influenced to a greater degree by the same social context. The presence of a nearby smoker, particularly a male, increased the rate of smoking in female, but not male, subjects. The findings have implications for programs designed to modify the smoking behavior of women and men.The research was partially supported by the University Research Council of Fordham University. The authors wish to express their gratitude to Gerard Donohue for his assistance with data collection.     

Learning through observation: The effects of peer modeling on acquisition and generalization in autistic children

The purpose of this study was to systematically determine whether lowfunctioning autistic children [MA of approximately half of their CA or less] could learn through observation by the use of a peer modeling procedure. Since modeling is less structured than traditional one-on-one procedures, it was also thought that modeling might facilitate subsequent generalization of tasks learned through observation. Four autistic children were taught two receptive labeling tasks. One task was taught by a traditional trial and error procedure, while the other task was taught by a modeling procedure wherein the models were other autistic children. Results indicated that all four children learned through observation of their peer model. Additionally, generalization and maintenance of correct responding were superior when the children learned through observation rather than by trial and error. These results are discussed in terms of the modeling literature, generalization issues, and implications for designing teaching settings for autistic children.This research was supported by USPHS Research Grants MH 28231 and MH 29210 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors would like to acknowledge Paul Lizotte for his assistance.     

Effects of client and counselor sex on client attendance at counseling

The present study examined the relationship between sex of client, sex of counselor, client's presenting problem, and the length of time the counseling dyad stayed together. Dyads engaged in personal counseling had significantly more sessions than dyads engaged in vocational counseling or test feedback. Clients receiving personal counseling were more likely to terminate unilaterally than clients receiving vocational counseling or test feedback.A preliminary version of this article was presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Montreal, September 1980.     

Psychomotor retardation found in college students seeking counseling

Psychomotor retardation (PMR) has been documented for inpatient populations. Futterman and Tryon (1994) [Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 41–48] provided the first report of PMR in a female outpatient sample. Because 8 of their 11 depressed Ss were receiving medication, the possibility remains that Futterman and Tryon's findings were due to medication side effects. The present study documents PMR in a nonmedicated male and female college population. Two-week, 24-h per day, content-valid behavioral measurements were obtained using step-counters from 73 college students seeking counseling. The 20 males and 53 females completed the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Inventory, and a structured interview. Regression analysis revealed that depression was negatively related to daytime activity. Significant age and gender effects were statistically controlled.     

Domain sampling formulation of cluster and factor analysis

Domain sampling principles permit formulation of a general method of multidimensional analysis. Cluster and factor analysis methods are special cases stemming from decisions made at different stages of the general method, especially in defining an independent dimension. Key cluster analyses define a dimension as a selection ofs variables drawn from the fulln set. Centroid, principal axes, and maximum likelihood analyses define it by then variables (raw or residual, weighted or unweighted); bifactor and second-order analysis, by both types of selection; square root analysis, by one variable. Key cluster methods can be designed to test hypotheses.