The epidemiology and characteristics of diabetes mellitus in children are discussed. Empirical studies focusing on personality and family variables, stress, behavior management, problems related to newly diagnosed cases, and cognitive functioning are reviewed. The role of school psychologists is highlighted, and guidelines are offered for…

Two studies involving college students examined mechanisms responsible for observed self-reinforcement effects. Results seemed to support the view that self-reinforcement procedures work by setting a socially available standard against which performance can be evaluated. (CL)

Describes a seminar designed to teach job-finding skills to senior agriculture students through the use of a behaviorally based textbook, practice in job-seeking skills, and corrective performance feedback. Comparisons of student competencies in job-finding skills showed that posttraining performance levels were higher than pretraining levels.…

A peer extinction procedure in which students refrained from laughing at or attending to a targeted student's inappropriate behavior decreased the adolescent learning disabled student's obscene language. (CL)

Treatment involving verbal reprimands, physical restraint, response interruption, and positive practice overcorrection resulted in rapid and dramatic decreases in the levels of pica and self-stimulation of a 4-year-old profoundly retarded girl. (CL)

The purpose of this article is to facilitate a clearer understanding of both the concept of self-efficacy and its relevance for health education research and practice. Self-efficacy is first defined and distinguished from other related concepts. Next, studies of the self-efficacy concept as it relates to health practices are examined. (Author/CT)

The study examined the efficacy of reinforcement and response cost in the elimination of an institutionalized severely mentally retarded individual's food stealing and scavenging behavior during mealtimes. Through the use of discriminative stimuli and positive reinforcement, food stealing was virtually eliminated. (Author/CL)

The authors review research on techniques to change social behavior, ranging from relatively simple manipulations of antecedent and consequent conditions to complex instructional "packages" involving didactic, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback procedures and examine issues involved in generalization of social skills training as well as ethical…

A series of three experiments was conducted with three severely retarded children to investigate the vocalization-producing potential of two antecedent conditions: adult talk (commonly cited antecedent) and adult silence. (Author/CL)

Investigated teachers' ratings of acceptability (i.e., whether psychological treatment is appropriate for a given problem), for positive and reductive behavioral interventions. Established that acceptability ratings varied with severity of target behavior, less time-consuming interventions were rated as more acceptable, and mean acceptability…

Describes self-instruction training, a cognitive-behavioral approach to self-control in which children are taught to use covert speech to modify their own behavior. Discusses its effectiveness as an intervention technique for use by school psychologists. Presents research results addressing how and when to use this strategy. (BH)

Describes the ability to exercise influence as a fundamental skill in social work practice. General principles related to the use of inducement in attempts to influence others are identified. Circumstances under which rewards may serve to undermine intrinsic motivation are considered, and the symbolic function of rewards is discussed. (Author/NRB)

Demonstrated a set of research techniques that combine multidimensional scaling, a quantitative cognitive procedure, and a cost-outcome analysis to study subgroup behavior of obsessive-compulsives (N=12). Results indicated that obsessive-compulsives are underinclusive in their evaluation of stimuli during judgment task. (LLL)

A combination of an avrsive taste, a standard command, and a novel cueing signal was found to be the most effective and efficient method of reducing maladaptive mouthing behavior in three four- to seven-year-old deaf/blind school children. (Author/MC)

A mobile interdisciplinary consultation and training team trained residential staff in behavior modification and program development. Involvement of top and middle administration as well as of direct care staff was critical to program success. Training emphasized active and direct methods, emphasized maintenance, and confronted political/social…