Results of the present investigation indicate that when there is no actual change in behavior, knowledge by observers of predicted results is unlikely to alter behavioral recordings. (Author)

Study results indicate that overly powerful extrinsic rewards can reduce intrinsic motivation and suggest that there is a need to control unnecessarily powerful reward systems. (Author/DW)

In this article multiple baseline techniques are offered as applied research strategies for counselors who wish to evaluate the effects of the techniques they are using. (Author)

Despite concern over the co-occurrence of substance use and unplanned pregnancy among adolescents, little information is available about drug use before and during pregnancy in adolescence. The present study examined substance use among a sample of premaritally pregnant adolescents (n=241) who were interviewed as part of an ongoing longitudinal…

The use of play therapy with mentally retarded children and adults is examined. The lack of research on the topic is noted, and information on psychoanalytically oriented play therapy approaches are reviewed. Application of play therapy to mentally retarded clients is explored in terms of two questions: (1) at what level do mentally retarded…

This report describes a preventively oriented intervention program with 13 inner city toddlers identified as slow in early social and verbal development. Program components featured a committed human relationship, enrichment, modeling and shaping, and also a behavior modification sub-program unit. Program children evidenced significant…

Counseling strategies employed by practitioners have, by necessity, often been the result of subjective observation and intuition. This article discusses a "common sense" technique--the use of lay psychology books--and proposes guidelines for use of the procedure as a viable counseling strategy. (Author)

The primary purpose of the present study was to compare the relative efficacy of external-control and self-control procedures on both the production and maintenance of weight loss. (Author)

In an earlier article an accountability system in which effectiveness was defined in terms of changes in specific target behaviors was outlined. This article is a description of subsequent modifications in that system to include functional information and results obtained when applied to the entire population of children who received psychological…

Confrontation counseling and Reality Therapy have been promising in providing positive alternatives to drug abuse and methadone maintenance. (Author)

This experimental program patterned after the Outward Bound program revealed no significant changes in self-esteem although some anecdotal notes are reported. Measurement of changes in self-esteem may not lend itself to pre- and post-testing with standardized tests in the brief interval and a "sleeper effect" may exist. (Author)

Self-recording of behavior in behavior modification appears to be reactive, with the phenomenon having two components: actual changes in behavior as a function of self-recording and possible unreliability of self-observers. The present study was undertaken to differentially examine the reactivity and reliability of self-observations. (Author)

Low-risk, easily administered behavioral intervention can alter complicated physiologic activity. A case study in the treatment of epileptic seizures and a discussion of behavioral therapy is offered by a Boston University professor of psychology. (Editor/RK)