The escalating numbers of people identified with autism and other pervasive developmental disorders has resulted in a corresponding increase in the demand for behavior specialists who can direct and conduct applied behavior analytic interventions. There are, however, severe shortages in professionals who can deliver quality services. In this…

The purpose of the present investigation was to extend the research related to the possible negative side effects of extrinsic reinforcement on children's compliant behavior, particularly the overjustification effect. Specifically, this study examined the effects of a token reinforcement procedure in a naturalistic environment (third grade…

The paper uses both the author's experience of research training, and the empirical studies of autism in which he participated over the last 40-plus years, to derive research lessons and to consider the needs and prospects for future research. Attention is drawn to: the importance of mentors; the need to use technologies in a hypothesis-testing…

This paper reviews a body of prominent theories of automaticity in developmental dyslexia. The first part of the review considers the relationship between dyslexia and rapid automatic naming and fluency. Additional theoretical and empirical advances are suggested to this already strong research base. In particular, there is a need is for…

MAXCOV-HITMAX was invented by Paul Meehl as a tool for the detection of latent taxonic structures (i.e., structures in which the latent variable, u, is not continuously, but rather Bernoulli, distributed). It involves the examination of the shape of a certain conditional covariance function and is based on Meehl's claims that (R1) Taxonic…

One would expect psychology--the science of mental life and behavior--to place great emphasis on the means by which mental life is behaviorally expressed. Surprisingly, however, the study of how decisions are enacted--the focus of motor control research--has received little attention in psychology. This article documents the neglect and considers…

The Major Contribution aims to provide interrelated articles that examine how counseling psychology's past and the complex world we live and work in bear on our professional understanding of human strengths and positive life outcomes. In this article, the authors examine the historical underpinnings of the positive in psychology, analyze the focus…

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is one of the most commonly utilized research treatments for young children with externalizing behaviors. Most BPT research, however, has been conducted with mothers. Thus, insufficient data exist as to the benefits of father participation in BPT. This paper provides rationales for why fathers should be included in…

Twin research has a long history and plays a central role in the ongoing exploration of the influence of genes and the environment on human development. Recent advances in molecular biology and the ability to identify the role of specific genes in human development raise new questions about how genes and the environment influence behavior. At the…

The strengths and weaknesses of behavioral couple therapy (BCT) are well documented and disseminated, and this couple therapy approach continues to evolve. Newer behaviorally based approaches share an openness to integration and can enhance the ability of BCT to address three key process-related variables: the therapeutic alliance, hope, and…

Through the application of life course theory to the study of sexual orientation, this paper specifies a new paradigm for research on human sexual orientation that seeks to reconcile divisions among biological, social science, and humanistic paradigms. Recognizing the historical, social, and cultural relativity of human development, this paradigm…

This article presents the argument by the authors regarding the article of Uttal (2004), which lays forth several, rightly justified, caveats in the pursuit of elucidating the neural basis of higher cognitive functions using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Adding to the onslaught of criticism from cellular physiologists, Uttal's…

It is customary in behavior analysis to distinguish between positive and negative reinforcement in terms of whether the reinforcing event involves onset or offset of a stimulus. In a previous article (Baron & Galizio, 2005), we concluded that a distinction of these terms is not only ambiguous but has little if any functional significance. Here, we…

Response rates under random-interval schedules are lower when a brief (500 ms) signal accompanies reinforcement than when there is no signal. The present study examined this signaled-reinforcement effect and its relation to resistance to change. In Experiment 1, rats responded on a multiple random-interval 60-s random-interval 60-s schedule, with…

Confidence intervals are beginning to play an increasing role in the reporting of research findings within the social and behavioral sciences and, consequently, are becoming more prevalent in beginning classes in statistics and research methods. Confidence intervals are an attractive means of conveying experimental results, as they contain a…