Alimentary epigenetics: A developmental psychobiological systems view of the perception of hunger, thirst and satiety

Hunger, thirst and satiety have an enormous influence on cognition, behavior and development, yet we often take for granted that they are simply inborn or innate. Converging data and theory from both comparative and human domains, however, supports the conclusion that the phenomena hunger, thirst and satiety are not innate but rather emerge probabilistically as a function of experience during individual development. The metatheoretical perspective provided by developmental psychobiological systems theory provides a useful framework for organizing and synthesizing findings related to the development of the perception of hunger, thirst and satiety, or alimentary interoception. It is argued that neither developmental psychology nor the psychology of eating and drinking have adequately dealt with the ontogeny of alimentary interoception and that a more serious consideration of the species-typical developmental system of food and fluid intake and the many modifications that have been made therein is likely necessary for a full understanding of both alimentary and emotional development.     

Using a System of Least Prompts Procedure to Teach Telephone Skills to Elementary Students with Cognitive Disabilities

Using the telephone to contact others can be an important skill in maintaining friendships with peers. This investigation used a system of least prompts (SLP) procedures to teach two telephone skills to 3 elementary students with cognitive disabilities: (a) placing phone calls and (b) leaving recorded voicemail messages. The SLP procedure was effective in teaching both skills to all 3 students. Results for maintenance and generalization, however, were mixed. This investigation was completed to partially satisfy the thesis requirement for a Master’s degree at the University of Kentucky.     

A component analysis of behavioral skills training with volunteers teaching motor skills to individuals with developmental disabilities

This study included a component analysis of behavioral skills training (BST) for teaching volunteers how to use this training method to support individuals with developmental disabilities in a physical education program. In an alternating treatment design embedded within a multiple baseline design across five participants, the number of BST steps that volunteers completed correctly while teaching four motor skills was measured. In the initial training phase, each motor skill was taught to volunteers using a specific component of BST (i.e., instructions, modeling, rehearsal, or feedback). In subsequent training phases, BST components were combined to teach the volunteers the motor skills for which they did not reach a predetermined mastery criterion (a score of four correct responses across two consecutive trials). Maintenance was assessed. Results indicated that individual components of BST alone were sufficient for volunteers to meet the mastery criterion; however, the full BST framework was necessary for skill maintenance. Strengths, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

A review of error correction procedures during instruction for children with developmental disabilities

Error correction procedures are remedial strategies presented following an incorrect response that increases the probability that a correct response will occur in the future. Error correction is commonly used during skill acquisition programs for children with developmental disabilities; however, the specific strategy used may differ considerably. Recent comparative studies have examined the effect of numerous error correction procedures on the efficiency of acquisition for children with developmental disabilities. Despite considerable merit, minor procedural differences and unique terms for similar procedures likely affect comparisons across studies. Here, we clarify the procedures and findings of these studies and suggest areas of future research.     

A comparison of blocked and mixed‐trial methods for teaching auditory–visual discriminations

Behavior analysts typically teach conditional discriminations in a mixed‐trial format but may switch to a blocked‐trial format for learners displaying limited acquisition. No known research has shown that mixed‐trial methods are more effective or efficient than blocked‐trial methods for teaching discriminations, so it is not clear why this format has been adopted as the “first‐line” intervention. We compared blocked and mixed‐trial formats for teaching novel auditory–visual discriminations to three adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Results show blocked‐trial methods resulted in faster skill acquisition in all cases, suggesting this format may be a preferable starting point for instruction.     

Evaluating different values of effort and reinforcement parameters under concurrent‐ and single‐operant arrangements

If particular parameters (e.g., reinforcer quality) are found to be preferred in a concurrent‐operant arrangement, then these should be incorporated into interventions for maintaining skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, because results from a concurrent‐operant arrangement may not predict those of a single‐operant assessment, interventions with less preferred parameters may also be effective. The purpose of this study was to determine if preference for a particular parameter, determined via concurrent‐operant arrangements, predicted responding when two values of highly and less preferred parameters were manipulated in a single‐operant arrangement. Participants allocated responding to one parameter over another during concurrent‐operant assessments, indicating that certain parameters were highly preferred. However, contingent presentation of two values of less preferred parameters increased compliance to similar levels achieved with two highly preferred parameters in a single‐operant arrangement. These findings suggest that clinicians may have multiple options when selecting parameters for use during intervention.     

Does gender affect Bayley-III scores and test-taking behavior?

The developmental test Bayley-III is widely used in clinical and research settings, but there are no published gender-specific norms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate gender differences in Bayley-III scores in a sample of 55 typically developing children assessed repeatedly at ages 4, 7, 10, 13, 24 and 36 months, and to investigate gender differences in the test-taking behavior of the children as measured with the BRS at 36 months. The results of the study demonstrated gender differences at 24 and 36 months for the Cognitive Scale, at 10, 13, 24 and 36 months for the Language Scale and at 36 months for the Motor Scale. On a subtest level, gender differences were found for the Receptive Communication subtest at 13, 24 and 36 months and for the Fine Motor subtest at 7 and 36 months. In all cases where significant gender differences were found, girls achieved higher mean scores than boys. No gender differences were found in the children’s test-taking behavior at 36 months on any of the BRS scales, but independently of gender, higher Bayley-III Cognitive and Motor Scale scores were associated with more compliant test-taking behavior.     

残疾人领悟社会支持对其生活满意度的影响——自尊的中介作用及沟通的调节作用

采用问卷法调查了600名残疾人,考察了自尊在残疾人领悟社会支持与其生活满意度之间关系的中介作用以及该过程是否受到沟通的调节。结果发现：（1）自尊在残疾人领悟社会支持与其生活满意度之间起着完全中介作用;（2）自尊的中介作用受沟通的调节,沟通调节了领悟社会支持——自尊——生活满意度这一中介过程的后半路径。因此,残疾人领悟社会支持对其生活满意度的影响是有调节的中介效应。研究对提高残疾人生活满意度并指导相关理论研究具有参考价值。     

Evaluation of a Video Prompting and Fading Procedure for Teaching Dish Washing Skills to Adults with Developmental Disabilities

We evaluated a video prompting and fading procedure for teaching three adults with developmental disabilities to wash dishes. Video prompting involved showing video clips depicting each step of the task. All three adults reached 90–100% correct when video prompting was implemented. Following acquisition, video prompting was withdrawn, but performance deteriorated. Subsequently, a 3-step fading procedure was implemented in which the separate video clips were merged to form larger, multi-step segments of video. Performance reached 80–100% correct as the video prompts were re-applied and then faded. Performance decreased at the 3-month follow-up when prompting was removed, but stabilized at 80–90% correct when the third step in the fading sequence was reinstated. These data suggest a promising approach for fading video prompts.