Author responds to comments (EC 232 033-037) on his paper (EC 232 032) concerning use of aversive therapy or punishment with mentally retarded persons. Paper notes ideological connotations often implied in the term "punishment" and the lack of response to the distinction made in his paper between this and the functional relations…

Taking an ecological perspective of individuals within their social and physical environments, a diagnostic framework is employed in reviewing the literature on factors associated with drinking and driving injuries and on interventions to prevent injuries due to drinking and driving. (JOW)

Treated obesity by very low calorie diet, behavior therapy, and combination. Mean weight loss for three conditions was 14.09, 14.26, and 19.25 kilograms, respectively. Three years later, and correcting for additional therapy in interim, mean weight losses for 45 of original 50 subjects declined to 2.20, 3.54, and 5.11 kilograms, respectively.…

The ways in which the mind creates new worlds, new contexts, and possible alternate realities are described. It is proposed that with this information, facility in devising new worlds and realities may be enhanced and imaginative reach expanded. (MSE)

A guest editorial comments on the acrimonious rhetoric and arguments exhibited in the debate over the use of aversives with individuals with mental retardation. The editorial urges members of the field to refocus their framing of the issues around respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. (JDD)

Evaluated exposure plus response-prevention treatment of bulimia nervosa among 47 women. Subjects were assigned to either exposure plus response-prevention in one setting, exposure plus response-prevention in multiple settings, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or waiting-list control conditions. Found three treatment groups improved significantly on…

Forty clients received eight psychodynamic treatment (exploratory) sessions and eight cognitive/behavioral treatment (prescriptive) sessions in crossover design. Counselors and external raters rated exploratory sessions as deeper and more powerful; counselors, external raters, and clients rated prescriptive sessions as smoother and easier.…

Examination of the effectiveness of a behavioral parent training package with three mothers of autistic children found that, although all parents increased their correct use of behavior modification skills following the introduction of intervention in two home settings, only one parent generalized these skills to a third home setting. (Author/DB)

Functional analyses were conducted with four individuals with profound mental retardation whose self-injurious behavior (SIB) had relapsed after successful treatment (also based on functional analysis). For three subjects, this second analysis revealed that SIB had acquired new or additional functions. Results suggest reasons other than program…

Craighead, Craighead, Kazdin, and Mahoney's (1994) text is considered as representative of strengths and weaknesses in behavior therapy. Although the field has great resources and impressive accomplishments, it has the weaknesses of disunified science. Exemplifies strengths and weaknesses together with possible means of remedying the latter. (JPS)

Randomly assigned 72 social phobics to behavioral (flooding) or drug treatment with atenolol or placebo. Found that flooding consistently was superior to placebo, whereas atenolol was not. Flooding also was superior to atenolol on behavioral measures and composite indexes. Subjects who improved during treatment maintained gains at six-month…

To identify the most potent reinforcers for 10 young children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the relative treatment utility of a verbal forced-choice questionnaire, child nomination, and direct observation was evaluated. Results demonstrated that all three methods were more likely to disagree than agree and that a forced-choice…

Treatment of behavioral problems of 3 girls (ages 31-37 months) with Rett's disorder is discussed. Behavioral treatment using operant conditioning principles did little to alter the course of the disorder for these individuals. The one consistent improvement for the girls was a decrease in tantrums. (SW)

This paper describes a dentist-implemented intervention in which brief escape from dental treatment (contingent on brief periods of cooperative behavior) was provided to manage disruptive child behavior during restorative dental treatment with four children, aged three to seven years. The procedure required no more time than traditional management…

This paper comments on the controversy surrounding the use of gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis. Strengths of gentle teaching are noted, such as its wide focus and emphasis on mutual change between client and caregiver. Behavioral interpretations are offered for behavior change reported in the use of gentle teaching procedures. (JDD)