Examination of ambiguous stimulus preferences with duration-based measures

Items that produced ambiguous results in an approach-based preference assessment were reassessed using a duration-based assessment. The reinforcing effects of three items on free-operant responding were subsequently tested. The results suggested that the duration-based assessment produced slightly more differentiated results and that predictions about reinforcer value, based on this assessment, were accurate.     

婴儿客体永久性发展机制的研究

客体永久性是婴儿早期发展中一项重要的心理能力,本研究以２０８名８－１１个月的婴儿为被试,采用实验法和访谈法探讨了婴儿客体永久性的发展机制及其发展趋势问题。结果表明：１）我国婴儿的爬行与其客体永久性的发展无直接关系,支持了爬行对婴儿客体永久性发展的作用可能来自爬行经验而不是爬行动作的假设：２）我国婴儿的客体永久性随年龄增长而持续发展,提示爬行并不是客体永久性发展的唯一途径,爬行不能发挥作用时,婴儿的客体永久性可以通过其它途径得到发展;３）在８－１１个月间,我国婴儿的客体永久性达到了阶段Ⅳ水平,８个月的婴儿已经具备了初步的客体永久性。从发展速度来看,婴儿的客体永久性在８、９个月间发展较为迅速,出现了显著的发展性变化,在９－１１个月间没有显著的差异。     

8─11个月婴儿迂回行为发展特点与学习能力的研究

采用程序标准化的婴儿迂回行为测验,探讨了２４４名８─１１个月婴儿的迂回行为发展特点及学习能力。结果表明：（１）８─１１个月婴儿的迂回行为水平表现出随婴儿月龄的增长而提高的趋势。（２）８─１１个月的婴儿具有从反复尝试中学会迂回行为的可能性,其中９、１０个月婴儿的学习可能性较大,而８个月婴儿的学习可能性较小。（３）８──１１个月婴儿的学习速度随月龄增大而提高     

儿童对图画兴趣和表征发展差异的跨文化研究

本实验是一项跨文化的比较研究 ,旨在探索儿童对图画兴趣的动态变化及表征的发展。被试年龄跨度为 4岁至成人 ,均未受过美术训练。通过他们各自根据线条画中所含的颜色或主题或情绪的特性匹配的特点 ,来发现内在的规律。实验发现年幼儿童以颜色为匹配标准 ,年长儿童和成人则以主题或情绪为主。中国儿童比英国儿童对图画中的语义联系 (表达的情绪 )更敏感。在主题 /情绪匹配中 ,中国 1 0岁儿童和成人都侧重情绪特征 ,而英国儿童随年龄发展由主题特性转向情绪特性这一兴趣的发展趋势并不明显。本文从美学的角度应用当代有关图画表征发展的理论对实验进行了分析 ,探讨了在中英不同文化背景下影响儿童兴趣变化及表征能力发展的因素。     

Boys' Experimentation and Persistence in Developmental Pathways Toward Serious Delinquency

We expand on earlier work documenting developmental pathways in disruptive child behavior towards serious forms of delinquency in boys. Three pathways we hypothesized in our previous work: (a) An Authority Conflict Pathway prior to the age of 12, that starts with stubborn behavior, and has defiance as a second stage, and authority avoidance as a third stage; (b) A Covert Pathway that starts with minor convert acts, has property damage as a second stage, and moderate to serious delinquency as a third stage; and (c) An Overt Pathway that starts with minor aggression, has physical fighting as a second stage, and violence as a third stage. We now refine this work by distinguishing between boys who experiment and those who persist in disruptive behavior. Data are presented showing that the fit for the three pathways is better for persisters than for experimenters. Also, the proportion of persisters that enter each pathway at the first stage (rather than at later stages) is higher than that for experimenters. Penetration in each pathway was more common among boys who received a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Boys' rate of offending increased with penetration into pathways and with persistence on more than one pathway. Boys' persistence and advancement in the Overt or the Covert Pathway was almost invariably accompanied by their advancement in the Authority Conflict Pathway. The classification of boys according to persistence and pathways accounted for the majority of high rate offenders, according to both self-report and court adjudicated offenses.     

Functional analysis and treatment of elopement.

Elopement is a dangerous behavior because children who run away may encounter life-threatening situations (e.g., traffic). We conducted functional analyses of the elopement of 3 children who had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities. The results identified a maintaining reinforcer for the elopement of 1 child, but the data were difficult to interpret for 2 of the children. Subsequent reinforcer assessments were used to help to clarify the reinforcers for elopement for these 2 children. Results of the functional analyses and reinforcer assessments then were used to develop successful treatments to reduce elopement. The findings are discussed in terms of (a) the application of functional analysis methodology to elopement, (b) the use of reinforcer assessments to identify potential reinforcers when standard functional analyses are undifferentiated, and (c) the utility of assessment-based treatments for elopement.     

Effects of idiosyncratic stimulus variables on functional analysis outcomes.

As the methods for the functional analysis of problem behavior have continued to develop, there has been a greater focus on the specificity of controlling variables, both antecedents and consequences. Accelerating research interest in the role of antecedents reveals that a large array of stimulus variables can influence the rate of problem behavior. Indeed, the variety of these stimuli is so great that it is sometimes possible to overlook specific stimulus variables during initial assessment. The present study shows that a failure to identify these very specific (idiosyncratic) stimulus variables is serious because their presence can systematically alter the outcomes of functional analyses that are designed to assess the motivation of problem behavior. Guidelines are therefore discussed concerning when to suspect that idiosyncratic stimuli might be acting to influence assessment data, thereby promoting a search for additional stimulus variables whose identification can aid in improving the design of functional analysis conditions.     

AN ANALOGUE EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT: THE ROLE OF STIMULUS PREFERENCE

To evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on stereotypic self-injurious behavior (SIB), we conducted an assessment of preference for manipulating alternative stimuli rather than engaging in SIB. First, for each of 3 participants, a functional analysis of SIB was conducted in Phase 1. Participants were selected for Phase 2 if the functional analysis showed that SIB persisted in the absence of social consequences. In Phase 2, a preference assessment was conducted in which participants were observed manipulating preferred stimuli in a free-operant format. A measure was taken of time spent manipulating each stimulus and time spent engaging in SIB. In Phase 3, environmental enrichment was evaluated using stimuli that were preferred over the target response, and alternative treatments were evaluated in the event of environmental enrichment failure. Results suggested that the free-operant preference assessment (a) predicted the efficacy or inefficacy of an environmental enrichment procedure and (b) suggested possible treatment alternatives when environmental enrichment was ineffective. Collectively, the results may provide a basis for interpreting the idiosyncratic effects of environmental enrichment and a rationale for treatment selection when behavioral function is unknown.     

Applications of combinatorial programming to data analysis: The traveling salesman and related problems

The Traveling Salesman and similar combinatorial programming tasks encountered in operations research are discussed as possible data analysis models in psychology, for example, in developmental scaling, Guttman scaling, profile smoothing, and data array clustering. In addition, a short overview of the various computational approaches from this area of combinatorial optimization is included.The research of the first author was supported by a research grant SOC-75-07860 from the National Science Foundation.     

发展性阅读障碍与知觉加工

近年来许多行为实验和神经生理学实验都发现 ,发展性阅读障碍与基本知觉障碍有关。在视觉领域研究者提出了巨细胞障碍假设 ,这种假设认为阅读障碍者视觉神经系统中的巨细胞障碍导致他们对某种类型的视觉刺激加工存在困难 ,进而影响阅读。在听觉领域研究发现阅读障碍者加工快速、系列、短暂呈现的声音刺激存在障碍。研究者认为阅读障碍者加工快速刺激输入障碍反映了普遍的时间知觉障碍。这方面的研究发展非常迅速 ,理论观点非常明确 ,并且直接与内在的神经机制相联系 ,形成了与传统的“语言障碍”理论迥然不同的“知觉障碍”理论。“知觉障碍”理论综合了行为、认知和神经等多个层次的研究 ,反映了神经科学发展所带来的巨大影响和认知加工模块化理论的渐渐衰退。