The relationship between predictability and problem behavior for students with severe disabilities

Two single-case studies were conducted to examine the extent to which signaled (predictable) and unsignaled (unpredictable) events were associated with changes in the level of problem behavior during instruction. Two students with moderate-to-severe intellectual disabilities and autism participated in the study. Each student was nominated for the study based on a teacher's report that problem behaviors were much more likely when novel or unsignaled events occurred. Functional assessments were conducted with each student and the specific predictability features (signals) associated with low and high levels of problem behavior were identified. Multi-element and reversal designs were employed to examine the extent to which increased predictability was associated with reduced problem behavior. Results supported the use of functional assessment procedures to determine whether signals that provide information about the content, duration, timing, and/or consequences of future events could reduce problem behaviors.     

Applying Research Domain Criteria to the study of emotion dysregulation in infancy and early childhood

Emotion regulation is a principal task of early development. The failure to develop effective emotion regulation skills is associated with behavioural, academic, psychological and socioemotional difficulties. Although researchers have studied emotion regulation for decades, work on emotion dysregulation—defined as the inability to maintain emotional control, engage with the environment or recover from distress in a developmentally appropriate manner—is rare and there are discrepancies in its conceptualisation among very young samples. While some scientists refer to emotion dysregulation as if it were a discrete concept, it may be more accurately depicted as a multidimensional system of developmental processes. The National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) is a framework that allows researchers to track dysfunction across multiple areas of analysis and may be an ideal system for exploring the multidimensional nature of infant emotion dysregulation. In this paper, we draw on empirical studies to describe how the RDoC framework can be used to support studies of emotion dysregulation in infancy. This proposed model can also serve as a roadmap for future researchers to follow to generate the evidence base for a multidimensional conceptualisation of infant emotion dysregulation and its underlying mechanisms.     

Adapting Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up for infants and young children with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays in South Africa: Reflections and recommendations from local stakeholders

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) is an intervention targeted at enhancing the socioemotional and regulatory functioning of at-risk infants. However, to use the ABC for infants/toddlers with intellectual disabilities/developmental delays (ID/DD) and in novel cultural contexts, such as South Africa, adaptations may be required. This study aimed, therefore, to explore the opinions of clinical experts and perceptions of caregivers regarding the use of ABC for children with ID/DD in South Africa. It also sought to incorporate the experiences of families of children with ID/DD who received, and intervenors who delivered, ABC in its first implementation in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants. Thematic analysis explicated 12 main themes: Intervention Strengths, Points of Concern, and Recommendations (Experts); Focus on Caregiver-child Relationship, and Intervention Targets and Duration (Caregivers); Benefits of ABC, and Cultural Considerations (ABC Recipients); Focused and Targeted, Value of Feedback, Supportive Supervision, Working Alliance, and Challenges Experienced (ABC Intervenors). Practice and training recommendations include psychoeducation for parents and training for intervenors that is ID/DD-specific, expanding supervision capacity, building intervenors’ cultural/linguistic sensitivity and competence, accessing referral networks, including local Community Health Workers as intervenors, and greater flexibility in how the sessions are organized.     

实习初期教师职业认同的发展轨迹及其与主动性人格的关系:一项追踪研究

采用主动性人格量表、工作绩效量表、人际关系量表、教师职业认同量表对385名实习教师从其实习第一周起连续追踪测量五周,利用多层线性模型探讨实习初期教师职业认同的发展轨迹,以及主动性人格对教师职业认同的影响及其机制。结果表明：(1)实习初期教师职业认同呈先高后低再升高的U型非线性发展趋势;(2)工作绩效和人际关系在主动性人格与教师职业认同之间起部分中介作用,且工作绩效的中介效应显著大于人际关系的中介效应。研究结果不仅揭示了实习初期教师职业认同的动态发展轨迹,同时还揭示了主动性人格影响教师职业认同的中介机制,对提升教师培养质量具有重要的参考价值。     

心理干预的优先获益者——来自发展可塑性的研究证据

近些年, 发展可塑性领域出现两个新模型--差别易感性模型和优势敏感性模型, 两个模型均表明个体从积极环境中的获益具有差异性。而心理干预作为一种特殊的积极环境被引入到该领域的研究中。已有的研究已经发现一些证据表明, 具备某些特征的当事人从心理干预中获益更多。这些特征包括人格和气质类、遗传类和生理类。本质上, 这些研究在处理“什么对谁最有效”的问题, 但现有研究仅能部分回答这个问题。因此, 心理干预的效果差异有多少可归于这些易感特征, 是有待继续回答的问题。     

模糊痕迹理论:对经典认知发展理论的挑战

近几十年来,推理和记忆的发展涌现出来的大量的实验结果对经典认知发展理论构成了挑战。对此,Reyna和Bminerd提出模糊痕迹理论试图解释以上研究成果。本文对该理论的核心内容和主要应用领域作了介绍。文末,对该理论作了简评。     

8～11岁儿童解决加法等值问题的策略发展特点

本研究选取142名8～11岁儿童进行了加法等值问题测试,采用口头报告的方法考察了儿童解决加法等值问题的策略发展特点。研究表明:(1)儿童在解决加法等值问题中,策略具有多样性;(2)儿童在策略使用的数量上没有显著的年级差异,但在不同学习成绩的被试之间存在明显的不同;(3)总体上看儿童对正确策略的使用基本上都是随着年级的增加在逐渐提高,而对错误策略的使用却相反。     

短时记忆及其策略一生发展的横断研究

采用横向研究方法探索短时记忆及策略的一生发展状况。测量120名6—70岁被试在三种材料上的记忆广度,并通过观察记录策略的运用。结果发现,记忆广度在16岁达到最高峰,以后下降。不同材料的记忆广度具有相同的发展趋势,近似于年龄对数的二次函数。策略成熟的时间与记忆广度的最高峰的年龄基本相同,在成年期一直保持在较高水平。45岁以后,策略应用的效率有所下降。论文还根据本研究的结果探讨了短时记忆一生发展的具体模式。     

Advances in functional brain imaging technology and developmental neuro‐psychology: their applications in the Jungian analytic domain

Analytical psychology shares with many other psychotherapies the important task of repairing the consequences of developmental trauma. The majority of analytic patients come from compromised early developmental backgrounds: they may have experienced neglect, abuse, or failures of empathic resonance from their carers. Functional brain imagery techniques including Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG), and functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery (fMRI), allow us to track mental processes in ways beyond verbal reportage and introspection. This independent perspective is useful for developing new psychodynamic hypotheses, testing current ones, providing diagnostic markers, and monitoring treatment progress. Jung, with the Word Association Test, grasped these principles 100 years ago. Brain imaging techniques have contributed to powerful recent advances in our understanding of neurodevelopmental processes in the first three years of life. If adequate nurturance is compromised, a range of difficulties may emerge. This has important implications for how we understand and treat our psychotherapy clients. The paper provides an overview of functional brain imaging and advances in developmental neuropsychology, and looks at applications of some of these findings (including neurofeedback) in the Jungian psychotherapy domain.     

Treatment of developmental stress disorder: mind,body and brain – analysis and pharmacology coupled

The schism between psychiatry, psychology and analysis, while long present, has widened even more in the past half‐century with the advances in psychopharmacology. With the advances in electronic brain imaging, particularly in developmental and post‐traumatic stress disorders, there has emerged both an understanding of brain changes resulting from severe, chronic stress and an ability to target brain chemistry in ways that can relieve clinical symptomatology. The use of alpha‐1 adrenergic brain receptor antagonists decreases many of the manifestations of PTSD. Additionally, this paper discusses the ways in which dreaming, thinking and the analytic process are facilitated with this concomitant treatment and hypervigilence and hyper‐arousal states are signficiantly decreased.