This essay introduces a series of studies developing a statistical theory of elementary learning processes. An attempt is made to derive relations among commonly used measures of behavior and quantitative expressions describing simple learning phenomena. Laws of the theory state probability relations between momentary changes in behavioral and…

This commentary focuses on the application of D. Rogosa and G. Ghandour's work to observational research on classroom processes. Rogosa and Ghandour have shown that the short length of an observation is typically the dominant source of error. Investigators should conduct observations for as long as possible. (SLD)

This paper outlines challenges for community research endeavors such as avoiding exploitative relationships with research participants. It then outlines 10 values for community research and action, involving establishing collaborative relationships with research participants, determining research goals and methods, designing and disseminating…

General issues raised by Gersten in his commentary on DeVries' article are discussed. These include the role of error, academic content, and direct instruction in constructivist education. His criticisms of sociomoral research by DeVries and others are emphatically refuted. (LB)

A study of over 200 Belgian and U.S. labor grievances showed that persistence through several episodes was risky but positively related to satisfaction with outcomes. Focus on formulation of grievances and behavioral analysis provide a model for managing grievances that favorably influences worker beliefs about the organization. (SK)

This article challenges applied behavior analysts to use their knowledge of consumer behavior and effective educational strategies to provide consumers with useful information, thereby enabling them to make informed decisions. This will decrease the misconceptions that many consumers have about behavior analysis, thus improving the social validity…

Describes an instructional strategy to help students understand behavior variations and the factors related to that variation. Maintains that the technique helps students understand the difference between a statement of association and a hypothesis. Includes a recommended diagram to help implement the strategy. (CFR)

Reports preliminary findings from ongoing interviews with youth who had experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Suicide risk was associated with negative life events or extreme difficulty in school, overwhelming daily stresses, and absence of support. Teachers had a huge impact on the psychological functioning of troubled adolescents. (SV)

This study, with an 11-year-old male with severe mental retardation, investigated the effectiveness of selectively implementing punishment for only the most severe topographies of aggression and property destruction, whereas less extreme behaviors were ignored. Results indicated that severe behaviors were reduced to near-zero levels only when both…

Presents findings from a study of how knowledge workers use the Web to seek external information as part of their daily work. Participants were 34 users from seven companies. Findings suggest that a behavioral framework that relates motivation and moves may be helpful in analysing patterns of Web-based information seeking. (AEF)

In this article, a maximum likelihood approach is developed to analyze structural equation models with dichotomous variables that are common in behavioral, psychological and social research. To assess nonlinear causal effects among the latent variables, the structural equation in the model is defined by a nonlinear function. The basic idea of the…

Although it employs a relatively small array of behavioral concepts and processes, Relational Frame Theory provides an account of how some of the most complex verbal events can be understood behaviorally and may be established systematically. In the current paper, the findings from a research agenda that has clear and widespread implications for…

This study explored infants' ability to infer communicative intent as expressed in non-linguistic gestures. Sixty children aged 14, 18 and 24 months participated. In the context of a hiding game, an adult indicated for the child the location of a hidden toy by giving a communicative cue: either pointing or ostensive gazing toward the container…

The present study was aimed at simultaneously determining on the same subject, the effects of stress on retrieval of flexible (contextual or temporal) or stable (spatial) information. Three behavioral paradigms carried out in a four-hole board were designed as follows: (1) Simple Discrimination (SD), in which mice learned a single discrimination;…

It has been suggested that retrieval during a nonreinforced test induces reconsolidation instead of extinction of the mnemonic trace. Reconsolidation would preserve the original memory from the labilization induced by its nonreinforced recall through a hitherto uncharacterized mechanism requiring protein synthesis. Given the importance that such a…