Reports on two studies that assessed the relationship between mothers' and fathers' disciplinary practices with three-year-olds and outcome expectancies. Mothers who used corporal punishment at least once a week believed that it was more likely to result in positive outcomes than mothers who never or occasionally spanked. No significant…

Reports on a multi-component skills and behavior management program for children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder developed in the context of a sports-skills camp. The first component, which studied the efficacy of basketball skills, resulted in decreased dribbling errors. A second component, which implemented a token system…

This response to a paper (EC 624 771) on the early development of stereotyped and self-injurious behavior in infants and young children considers reasons why such behaviors are maintained in some individuals. The use of functional behavioral assessment suggests these behaviors are influenced by environmental factors including attention, escape, or…

Chronotherapy was used to treat severe sleep problems in a girl with mental retardation. Chronotherapy involved systematically delaying the child's bedtime each night while maintaining a regular schedule during waking hours until an age-appropriate bedtime was achieved (in 11 days). Immediate improvements in the child's sleep patterns were…

Experiments examined the effect of work requirements in combination with reinforcement schedules on the choice behavior of six adults with mental retardation and seven typical preschoolers. Results showed that participants' responding was largely controlled by the reinforcement received for responding to each level of work. (Author/CR)

The Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire, an assessment of attachment characteristics in adolescents, was developed and validated with a normative sample of 691 adolescents and 133 adolescents in psychiatric treatment. Internal reliability and agreement for the 91 sample members who completed the scale twice were adequate. (SLD)

Discusses the role of a study of atypical patterns of attachment behavior for the understanding of attachment theory, parenting, and child socioemotional development. Notes that research on atypical attachments suggest that the developmental integration of biological, psychological, and behavioral responses is more profoundly dependent on social-…

Assesses relations among moral reasoning, domain judgment and engagement in risky behaviors among high school students (N=190). Risky behaviors were perceived as personal decisions, rather than as ones of morality. Engagement and domain judgment of risky behavior interacted; with increasing substance involvement, students were more likely to view…

The incidence of three types of behaviors consistent with nonattending in completing surveys was studied with 1,240 elementary school students, 3,541 students in grades 5 through 12, and 2,688 teachers. While the proportion of missing items did not seem to be a problem, there is evidence of patterns that indicate nonattending behavior. (SLD)

The social development of a female rhesus monkey was followed from birth until death, age 32 months. The monkey had an extra autosome and was hydrocephalic. The monkey showed serious motor deficiencies, delayed social development, poorly established dominance relationships, and heavy dependence on mother and kin. The monkey was, however, well…

Comparison of 18 mothers and their late-talking male toddlers with 18 mothers and their typically developing male toddlers found no significant differences in degree of synchrony between mothers and children, mothers' use of social cues, play synchrony, compliance, or overall communicativeness, although the late talkers made significantly fewer…

Findings from a study of the relationships among autonomy deficits, low self-esteem, and eating disorders of 71 college women supported a mediational model in which lack of autonomy was related to decreased global self-esteem, which in turn was associated with bulimia and body dissatisfaction. (SLD)

Derives hypotheses concerning patterns of interaction that occur across time in truthful and deceptive conversations among undergraduate students. Examines the nature of adaptability and mutual influence in interaction, interpersonal deception theory and interaction adaptation theory. Finds that deceivers felt more anxious and were more concerned…

The Couple Behavior Report (CBR), a scale used to assess behaviors important to maintaining a couple's relationship, was tested with participants from a university Marriage and Family Therapy clinic and couples in the community. Report states that the CBR has several advantages over current instruments in that it is brief, focuses on positive…

This study describes the development of a self-report measure of functional humor in relationships. People were asked to report on their own and their partner's use of humor in the marriage. The Relational Humor Inventory proved to be a useful instrument for tapping important positive and negative relationship behaviors. (Contains 30 references, 4…