This case study applied functional assessment methods to problem behavior of an adult male with severe mental retardation within the natural home setting. The problem behaviors did not occur when the subject was able to participate in a more preferred activity regardless of whether he chose the day activity program or it was chosen for him. (DB)

This article discusses clinical application of functional analysis in developmental disabilities, reviewing issues related to treatment logic and development. The article then approaches functional analysis as a research method, reviewing three areas of research: analysis of diverse response topographies, analysis of basic behavioral processes,…

Investigated interactions between stress level of syllables and articulatory difficulty as influences on children's early words. Subjects were 32 two-year olds asked to imitate nonsense words and syllables that varied in articulatory difficulty. Found that both factors had significant effects on aspects of children's imitations. (MOK)

Examined three- to five-year-old children's understanding of pretense and deception in folktales in which a villain deceived his victim by pretending to be someone else. Found that the three-year-olds were able to follow the pretense but were not able to grasp the false belief integral to the deception. (MOK)

Confirmatory factor analysis evaluated three a priori latent variable models of responses to the Need for Uniqueness Scale completed by 552 undergraduates. An oblique three-factor model best accounted for item commonality. Additional analysis suggests a model with loadings on four modestly correlated factors to explain the scale's latent…

In a study of operative thought in children, 104 children, aged 4 to 9, were tested 5 times with the same 25 Piagetian tasks. There were manifest indicators of synergy in the development of the various behaviors, but it was not possible to validate specific problems of behavior organization. (SLD)

A study was conducted of the construction of meaning related to new roles and relationships initiated by the Supportive Supervision Model, an approach to teacher supervision and evaluation. Results with 22 educators piloting this approach reveal that organizational members construct paradox differently, and the construction of paradox guides…

Describes a teacher's approach to classroom management through positive discipline, using positive reinforcements to teach children positive behaviors. Students who feel affirmed can begin to believe in themselves and begin to take responsibility and build successful relationships. Five steps to positive discipline are outlined. (SLD)

To assess the current state of practices and expectations regarding information seeking and collaboration in the newly merged research labs of Hewlett Packard and Compaq Computer, a survey research project was conducted over the Summer of 2002. This paper presents partial findings from this larger study, focusing on the information seeking…

Attempted to cross validate a model of relationships among social--contextual factors, individual differences, and intrinsic motivation in 219 adolescent students in required courses and elective courses. Results indicate data are best represented by a model that separates social-contextual factors, individual factors, intrinsic motivation, and…

Conducted a national survey of deans, faculty, and department chairs to isolate what each group perceived as important skills for a department chair to have. Responses of 30 deans, 198 faculty and 56 chairs show some consistency among ratings, with some gender differences and statistically significant differences in seven of eight administration…

A study of 288 students with moderate to severe mental retardation investigated the relationship between curricular activities and problem behaviors. Findings indicated a positive correlation between ratings of curricular activities (based on activities being socially functional, peer referenced, and behaviorally functional) and students'…

Observed infants' responses in a food-requested procedure to explore their understanding of other people's desires. Found that only the 18-month-olds were able to engage in some form of desire reasoning. Children not only inferred that another person held a desire, but also recognized how desires were related to emotions and understood something…

A study of 571 Australian children (ages 4-18) with mental retardation investigated potential behavioral risk factors for injury. Results found the prevalence of potential injury risk behaviors to be higher than for typical children and that the behavioral injury risk patterns reflected those seen in younger aged typical children. (Author/CR)

Two studies involving 98 prisoners and 92 undergraduates examined whether increased attention to interpersonal behaviors would improve assessments of the personality core underlying psychopathology. Twenty-one items were developed as the Interpersonal Measure of Psychopathology. Measurement of interpersonal behavior appears to improve prediction…