累积家庭风险与贫困儿童情绪问题的关系:有调节的中介模型

对468名贫困家庭儿童（平均年龄=13.76±2.88岁）进行问卷调查,探究累积家庭风险与贫困儿童情绪问题的关系以及学校联结的中介效应与自尊的调节效应。结果发现：（1）累积家庭风险能正向预测贫困儿童情绪问题;（2）学校联结在累积家庭风险和情绪问题之间起中介作用,即累积家庭风险可影响贫困儿童的学校联结,进而导致儿童情绪问题;（3）自尊在中介的前半路径“累积家庭风险→学校联结”路径上起调节作用。具体而言,自尊可以缓冲低累积家庭风险对学校联结的影响,但随着累积家庭风险水平的增高,自尊的缓冲作用也在逐渐减弱和丧失,符合“杯水车薪”调节模式。研究结果提示,累积家庭风险和学校联结均是贫困儿童情绪问题的重要预测因素。与此同时,对贫困儿童高自尊的保护作用可能不宜过分乐观。     

累积生态风险与初中生受欺凌的关系模式：心理弹性的调节效应

采用整群抽样法对重庆等7省市24所中学3879名初一、初二和初三年级学生进行问卷调查,以考察累积生态风险与初中生受欺凌的关系模式,并探讨心理弹性在其中的作用。结果表明:(1)累积生态风险显著正向预测初中生受欺凌水平,呈现“负加速模式”,即随着累积生态风险的增加,新增风险因素对受欺凌的影响越来越小;(2)心理弹性对受欺凌的保护作用随着累积生态风险的增加而削弱,呈现“保护-反应”的调节子模型。研究结果为开展针对性地干预受欺凌提供了实证依据。     

累积创伤对儿童复杂性创伤后应激障碍的影响：经验回避与消极认知情绪调节策略的中介作用

为探讨儿童的累积创伤与复杂性创伤后应激障碍(CPTSD)的关系机制,研究以方便取样法选取河南省7所小学的3478名4~5年级、有创伤经历的儿童为被试,采用创伤经历核查表、抑郁的行为激活问卷、认知情绪调节问卷和国际创伤问卷进行测试。结果发现:(1)累积创伤、经验回避、消极认知情绪调节策略和CPTSD之间具有显著相关性,且累积创伤能够显著正向预测CPTSD;(2)经验回避和消极认知情绪调节策略在累积创伤和CPTSD之间起显著的中介作用。具体为:一是经验回避的中介作用;二是灾难化的中介作用;三是经验回避-自责、经验回避-沉思、经验回避-灾难化的链式中介作用。因此,减少创伤事件的发生,激活儿童行为,调整消极认知情绪是改善和预防儿童CPTSD的重要途径。     

Relative preference for distinct reinforcers maintaining destructive behavior

The literature offers few recommendations for sequencing exposure to treatment conditions with individuals with multiply maintained destructive behavior. Identifying relative preference for the functional reinforcers maintaining destructive behavior may be one means of guiding that decision. The present study presents a preliminary attempt at developing a robust relative preference and reinforcer assessment for individuals with multiply maintained destructive behavior. Guided and free-choice trials were implemented in which participants chose between two multiple-schedule arrangements, each of which programmed signaled periods of isolated reinforcer availability and unavailability. Consistent participant choice and responding during free-choice trials was then used to thin the corresponding schedule of reinforcement. The results demonstrated a strong preference for one of the two functional reinforcers for all four participants, yet preferences differed across participants and were not well predicted by responding in prior analyses.     

Resurgence of temporal patterns of responding

The resurgence of temporal patterns of key pecking by pigeons was investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, positively accelerated and linear patterns of responding were established on one key under a discrete-trial multiple fixed-interval variable-interval schedule. Subsequently, only responses on a second key produced reinforcers according to a variable-interval schedule. When reinforcement on the second key was discontinued, positively accelerated and linear response patterns resurged on the first key, in the presence of the stimuli previously correlated with the fixed- and variable-interval schedules, respectively. In Experiment 2, resurgence was assessed after temporal patterns were directly reinforced. Initially, responding was reinforced if it approximated an algorithm-defined temporal pattern during trials. Subsequently, reinforcement depended on pausing during trials and, when it was discontinued, resurgence of previously reinforced patterns occurred for each pigeon and for 2 of 3 pigeons during a replication. The results of both experiments demonstrate the resurgence of temporally organized responding and replicate and extend previous findings on resurgence of discrete responses and spatial response sequences.     

A comparison of prompting tactics to establish intraverbals in children with autism

We compared the efficacy of tact-to-intraverbal (i.e., using picture prompts) and echoic-to-intraverbal transfer-of-stimulus-control procedures to establish intraverbal responding in 3 boys (4 years old) with autism. For all 3 participants, the picture prompts resulted in fewer trials to criterion, but both prompting tactics were eventually effective.     

The Effects of Using Response Cards on Student Participation, Academic Achievement, and On-Task Behavior During Whole-Class, Math Instruction

This study evaluated the effects of using response cards during whole-group math instruction in a fourth-grade classroom, using an ABA research design. During both A and B conditions the classroom teacher conducted her math lessons as planned. However during the A conditions, hand-raising (HR) was in effect. That is, when the teacher asked a question she instructed the students to raise their hands and after each question she called on one student whose hand was raised. During the B condition, response cards (RC) were in effect. Whenever she asked a question, the teacher instructed the entire class to write their answers on individual response cards. After each question, the teacher instructed the entire class to hold up their RC. Data were collected on five students who represented the class range in general level of participation, academic skills, and on-task behavior. Results indicated that student participation, specifically the number of student-initiated opportunities to respond and the number of student responses were higher when using RC than when HR was in effect. Students scored higher on the weekly math quiz after the RC condition than after the HR conditions. The percentage of intervals that students were on-task also was higher when RC were used.     

Careless Responding to Reverse-Worded Items: Implications for Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Many self-report measures include some items worded in the direction opposite to that of other items. These so-called reverse-worded (RW) items can reduce the reliability and validity of a scale, and frequently form a separate method factor that does not appear to be substantively meaningful. One possible explanation for factors defined by RW items is respondent carelessness. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether relatively few careless responders to RW items can influence confirmatory-factor-analysis model fit enough that researchers would likely reject a one-factor model for a unidimensional scale. Results based on simulations indicated that if at least about 10% of participants respond to RW items carelessly, researchers are likely to reject a one-factor model for a unidimensional scale.