bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dietary low-glucosinolate rapeseed meal affects thyroid status and nutrient utilization in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Burel Christine , Boujard Thierry , Escaffre Anne-Marie , Kaushik Sadasivam J. , Boeuf Gilles , Mol Koen A. , Van der Geyten Serge , Kühn Eduard R.
Published: October 2008

Two rapeseed (Brassica napus) meals, RM1 and RM2, with two levels of glucosinolates (GLS; 5 and 41 μmol/g DM respectively) were incorporated at the levels of 300 and 500 g/kg of the diets of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in replacement of fish meal, and compared with a fish-meal-based diet. A decrease in the digestibility of the DM, protein, gross energy and P was observed with high-rapeseed meal (RM) incorporation. In trout fed on RM-based diets, growth performance was reduced even after only 3 weeks of feeding. Feed efficiency was adversely affected by RM and GLS intake. Protein and energy retention coefficients were significantly lower in fish fed on the diet containing the higher level of GLS. P retention was significantly lower with all the RM-based diets than with the fish-meal diet. Irrespective of the degree of growth inhibition, fish fed on RM-based diets exhibited similar typical features of hypothyroid condition due to GLS intake, expressed by lower plasma levels of triiodothyronine and especially thyroxine and a hyperactivity of the thyroid follicles. This hypothyroidal condition led to a strong adjustment of the deiodinase activities in the liver, the kidney and the brain. A significant increase of the outer ring deiodinase activities (deiodinases type I and II respectively) and a decrease of the inner ring deiodinase activity (deiodinase type III) were observed. It is concluded that the observed growth depression could be attributed to the concomitant presence of GLS, depressing the thyroid function, and of other antinutritional factors affecting digestibility and the metabolic utilization of dietary nutrients and energy.
EXAMINING THE GEOGRAPHICAL HETEROGENEITY ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF MISTIMED AND UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN GHANA
Authors: AMOAKO JOHNSON FIIFI , MADISE NYOVANI J.
Published: October 2008

After a decade of fertility decline, Ghana’s fertility and the level of unmet need for contraception stalled in mid-transition in the late 1990s. Although the literature acknowledges this, the geographical patterns in unmet need have not been adequately documented. Spatial analysis of unmet need can reveal differences in usage and provision of contraceptive commodities, thereby pointing to geographical areas where contraceptive programmes should be strengthened. This study examines the geographical variation of the risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies between rural communities and also between urban communities of the three ecological zones of Ghana. The study also investigates if geographical differences in the risks of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies changed during the period when unmet need stalled at the national level. A multilevel regression model was applied to pooled data from the 1998 and 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys to examine the determinants of the risk of unintended pregnancies, while controlling for clustering of outcomes within communities. The results show that between the two surveys, there was no significant change in the levels of risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy. However, geographical heterogeneity in the risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy was observed, after controlling for relevant predictors. This showed concentration of mistimed pregnancies in some rural communities relative to others, and variation in the risk of unwanted pregnancies between urban communities. The results give a clear indication that bridging the inequality gap in contraceptive use requires programmes that are area-specific.
Population zoogeography of brown shrimp Crangon crangon along its distributional range based on morphometric characters
Authors: Campos Joana , Pedrosa Cindy , Rodrigues Joana , Santos Sílvia , Witte Johanses I.J. , Santos Paulo , Van der Veer Henk W.
Published: October 2008

Morphometry has been used in the investigation of the common shrimp Crangon crangon subpopulation structure at a local scale (100 km) around the UK. In the present study C. crangon populations were sampled over the whole distributional range from northern Norway to the Mediterranean and Black Sea to test whether the same method could be applied to describe subpopulation structure at a much larger scale (1000 km). Spatial variability in morphometric characters was determined by sampling 25 locations across the distributional range. In addition, the temporal variability in morphology was studied at 4 sites (Bodo, Norway; Wadden Sea, The Netherlands; Minho and Lima estuaries, Portugal). Contrary to expectations, temporal variability was observed in three of those sites resulting in an inability to distinguish between populations at the local scale. However, the large scale subdivision of shrimp populations from the Adriatic, Black Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic were clearly identified. It is concluded that, while there are clear morphological differences between major zoogeographical zones, at a local scale, subpopulations frequently cannot be identified because of individual variability.
Tullio Levi-Civita
Authors: Ruse H. S.
Published: October 2008

Tullio Levi-Civita, Honorary Member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, was born at Padua on March 29th, 1873, and died in Rome on December 29th, 1941.
A plane quartic curve with twelve undulations
Authors: Edge W. L.
Published: October 2008

The pencil of quartic curves

where x, y, z are homogeneous coordinates in a plane, was encountered by Ciani [Palermo Rendiconli, Vol. 13, 1899] in his search for plane quartic curves that were invariant under harmonic inversions. If x, y, z undergo any permutation the ternary quartic form on the left of (1) is not altered; nor is it altered if any, or all, of x, y, z be multiplied by −1. There thus arises an octahedral group G of ternary collineations for which every curve of the pencil is invariant.

Since (1) may also be written

the four lines

are, as Ciani pointed out, bitangents, at their intersections with the conic C whose equation is x2 + y2 + z2 = 0, to every quartic of the pencil. The 16 base points of the pencil are thus all accounted for—they consist of these eight contacts counted twice—and this set of points must of course be invariant under G. Indeed the 4! collineations of G are precisely those which give rise to the different permutations of the four lines (2), a collineation in a plane being determined when any four non-concurrent lines and the four lines which are to correspond to them are given. The quadrilateral formed by the lines (2) will be called q.
A bilinear transformation
Authors: Watson G. N.
Published: October 2008

The problem which I enunciate and solve in this paper seems to have originated in the study of properties of polyhedral functions. It is a problem of elementary analytical geometry of three dimensions, and the solution which I give, though somewhat tedious, is both elementary and direct. There are several comments which I have to make about current solutions, but I reserve these until the end of the paper since they will be more easily appreciated when it is possible to compare the current solutions with my solution.
A criterion for differentiability
Authors: Macbeath A. M.
Published: October 2008

There are two alternative methods of defining the concept of “convergence” of a sequence, one involving explicit mention of the limit, the other (Cauchy's condition) giving a necessary and sufficient condition in terms of the elements of the sequence only. The two definitions are equivalent, because of the property of completeness of the real number system.
A generalisation of Dirichlet's multiple integral
Authors: Rao S. K. Lakshmana
Published: October 2008

The well-known multiple integral

where Rn is the region defined by x1 ≥ 0, x2 ≥ 0, …., xn ≥ 0, x1 + x2 + …. + xn ≤ 1, and where a0, a1, …, an are positive constants, can be evaluated either in the classical way using the Dirichlet transformation or by the use of the Laplace transform. I. J. Good has considered a more general integral and has proved the following result by induction:—

If f1(t), f2(t), …, fn(t) are Lebesgue measurable for 0 ≤ t ≤ 1, m1, m2, …., mn, mn+1 (= 0) are real numbers, Mr = m1 + m2 + … + mr, x1, x2, …, xn are non-negative variables and Xr = x1 + x2 + … + xr, then

It does not seem to be possible to establish this relation by employing the Laplace transform, but we show below that it can be obtained using the Mellin transform.
On Wallis' formula
Authors: Kazarinoff Donat K.
Published: October 2008

In the course of mathematical progress new truths are discovered while older ones are sometimes more precisely articulated and often generalised. Because of their elegance and simplicity, however, some classical statements have been left unchanged. As an example, I have in mind the celebrated formula of John Wallis,

which for more than a century has been quoted by writers of textbooks. Usually this formula is written as

In this note it is shown that ¼ < θ < ½. Unquestionably, inequalities similar to this one can be improved indefinitely but at a sacrifice of simplicity, which is why they have survived so long.
Ratio tests for the convergence of integrals
Authors: Ferrar W. L.
Published: October 2008

1. Ratio tests for the convergence or divergence of infinite series of positive terms are well known; they are used in and out of season. On the other hand, ratio tests for infinite integrals are never used. What is the reason for this disparity between series and integrals?
Some problems of non-associative combinations (I)
Authors: Etherington I. M. H.
Published: October 2008

The problems considered here are essentially algebraic; but it is convenient to begin with a picturesque formulation.
Note on an alternant suggested by statistical theory
Authors: Smith B. Babington
Published: October 2008

The determinant to be described made its appearance in the course of a search for the frequency distribution of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (2). This name is given to the form, , taken by the product moment correlation coefficient in the special case where the two variables are separate arrangements of the first n natural numbers.
Maxima and minima
Authors: Lawson G.
Published: October 2008

In my experience answers to questions about maxima and minima are as a rule hazy and unsatisfactory. I suggest that the principle “according as a function is increasing or decreasing, its derivative is positive or negative” might be applied more fully. All functions are here assumed continuous.
A necessary and sufficient condition for differentiability
Authors: Goodstein R. L.
Published: October 2008

The familiar Lemma introduced by Goursat in his proof of Cauchy's theorem suggests the following necessary and sufficient condition for differentiability of a complex function f(z).
A theoretical approach to the deficits in infantile autism
Authors: Rogers Sally J. , Pennington Bruce F.
Published: October 2008

Deficits specific to the syndrome of infantile autism appear in imitation, emotion sharing, theory of mind, pragmatics of communication, and symbolic play. Current competing theories of Hobson and of Baron-Cohen, Frith, and associates account for some, but not all, of these specific deficits. The present article suggests that early social capacities involving imitation, emotion sharing, and theory of mind are primarily and specifically deficient in autism. Further, these three capacities involve forming and coordinating social representations of self and other at increasingly complex levels via representational processes that extract patterns of similarity between self and other. Stern's theory of interpersonal development is offered as a continuous model for understanding the development and deficits of the autistic child and as a means for integrating competing theories about the primary deficits in autism. Finally, the article suggests a neuropsychological model of interpersonal coordination involving prefrontal cortex and executive function capacities that is consistent with the social deficits observed in autism.
Play and social behavior in maltreated preschoolers
Authors: Alessandri Steven M.
Published: October 2008

This study investigates play and nonplay behavior in maltreated and nonmaltreated preschool children. In addition, standardized tests of cognitive and language ability were administered, and teachers rated the children's classroom behavior. Thirty 4–5-year-old children participated in the study: 15 had a history of child abuse, and 15 nonabused children served as a matched control group. Across a 6-week period, children's social and play interactions were videotaped in the classroom. Videotape recordings were analyzed for the level of social participation and cognitive play. No differences were found between the two groups on the standardized measures. However, maltreated, relative to nonmaltreated, children engaged in less overall play and greater functional or sensorimotor play. Maltreated children also engaged in more transitional behavior and aggression, were less competent with peers, and were perceived by teachers as more emotionally disturbed. Results of this study suggest that the impact of maltreatment extends beyond the family into play and social relationships in preschool.
Patterns of relatedness in maltreated and nonmaltreated children: Connections among multiple representational models
Authors: Lynch Michael , Cicchetti Dante
Published: October 2008

This study examined children's reports of relatedness to multiple relationship figures in a population of low SES maltreated (N = 115) and nonmaltreated (N = 100) children, ranging in age from 7 to 13 years old. Relatedness scales were administered to children as part of individual interviews given in the context of a summer day camp. Consistent with prior normative research, it was found that the two dimensions of relatedness–emotional quality and psychological proximity-seeking–are negatively correlated with each other. Moreover, patterns of relatedness, based on the configuration of children's scores on both dimensions, reflect group differences, with maltreated children more likely to have confused patterns of relatedness and nonmaltreated children more likely to have optimal patterns. Connections were examined among children's self-reported feelings of relatedness for different relationship figures. Substantial concordance was found among the children's reports of relatedness with their mothers, their teachers, and their best friends. Evidence is presented to support the claim that children form both global and specific models of relationships. The findings are discussed in terms of attachment and self-system theory.
Quality of attachment in the preschool years
Authors: Crittenden Patricia M.
Published: October 2008

This is a theoretical paper about differences in quality of attachment in preschool-aged children with emphasis on the development of the goal-corrected partnership. Inferences are made about the processes underlying preschoolers' attachment behavior. Specifically, the notion of quality of attachment is expanded to explicitly include strategy, regulation of affect, negotiation, secure base behavior, and response to maternal behavior. The classificatory system is expanded by adding two additional defended patterns, that is, compulsive caregiving and compulsive compliance, to the infant avoidant pattern. Furthermore, at the preschool age, the infant ambivalent pattern is identified as having a coercive strategy. In addition, the disorganized infant category is reconceptualized in terms of complex organization, reorganization, and disorganization. Finally, the process of generating new theories and hypotheses through a “participant observer” methodology is considered from the perspective of developmental psychopathology.
Continuity and desistance in disruptive boys' early fighting at school
Authors: Loeber Rolf , Tremblay Richard E. , Gagnon Claude , Charlebois Pierre
Published: October 2008

Disruptive boys in kindergarten, selected from teacher ratings in a large study, were each followed up for four successive years. There was considerable continuity of the boys' fighting, despite a declining prevalence in fighting over the years. High oppositional behavior in one year did not consistently predict fighting in the next year. A history of fighting was associated with being held back in grade. Boys were assigned to fighting evolution status on the basis of their fighting scores over the four years: stable high fighters, desisting high fighters, and variable/initiating high fighters. Stable high fighters, unlike desisting high fighters, scored high on nonaggressive antisocial acts at the end of the four years. For some boys, cessation of fighting was associated with later nonaggressive antisocial behavior. Fighting evolution status was examined further in relationship to anxiety, hyperactivity/inattentiveness, and prosocial behaviors. At age 9, stable high fighters, and to a lesser extent variable/initiating high fighters, were more likely to come from single parent families than desisting high fighters. The results are discussed in the context of the development of conduct problems in children.
Behavioral/emotional profiles of preschool language-impaired children
Authors: Tallal Paula , Dukette Dianne , Curtiss Susan
Published: October 2008

Previous research has suggested that language-impaired (LI) children have a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and conversely, that children being treated for psychiatric disorders have a high incidence of language impairment. To investigate the relationship between developmental language and psychiatric disorders further, the behavioral and emotional status of a large, well-defined group of preschool-age LI and matched control children were evaluated using the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Based on parent report, data were analyzed for broad- as well as narrow-band syndromes. For the broad-band syndromes, results demonstrated significant between-group differences for boys, but not girls. However, for the narrow-band syndromes, unexpectedly few significant between-group differences were found for boys or girls. Only the Immaturity scale for boys and Social Withdrawal scale for girls proved significantly different between groups. Inspection of the items that comprised these two scales revealed a high prevalence of items which relate to attention, perception, and motor functions. As previous research with LI children has demonstrated that highly significant perceptual/motor disorders characterize this population, additional analyses were performed to determine the extent to which attention, perception, and motor items on the CBCL contributed to the significant group differences found. When items classified as assessing attention, perception, or motor functioning were excluded, few significant between-group differences remained. Subsequent analyses demonstrated a high correlation between the CBCL items classified as assessing attention, perception, or motor functions and the performance of LI and normal children on a battery of non-verbal attention, perception, and motor tasks. These results suggest that psychiatric disorders previously identified in LI children may be related primarily to specific neurodevelopmental delay in perceptual/motor functioning.
Hypothetical versus real-life moral reasoning among psychopathic and delinquent youth
Authors: Trevethan Shelley D. , Walker Lawrence J.
Published: October 2008

Differences in moral reasoning concerning hypothetical versus real-life conflicts were examined with a sample of 44 youths (aged 15–18 years) who were classified as psychopathic, delinquent, or normal. All subjects were individually interviewed and assessed on (a) Hare's Psychopathy Checklist, (b) two of Kohlberg's hypothetical moral dilemmas, and (c) a subject-generated real-life moral dilemma. The results revealed that the normal youths attained a higher level of moral reasoning than either the delinquents or psychopaths. All groups scored lower on the real-life than the hypothetical dilemmas, indicating that hypothetical dilemmas may best elicit a person's level of moral reasoning competence, whereas real-life dilemmas may entail factors that lower the level of reasoning used in a situation of moral conflict. These two dilemma types also were found to elicit differing moral orientations. Finally, psychopaths were found to orient more to egoistic concerns than did delinquents when discussing real-life dilemmas.
Neuropsychological assessment of executive functions in self-reported delinquents
Authors: Moffitt Terrie E. , Henry Bill
Published: October 2008

Deficits in “executive” neuropsychological functions have been proposed to underlie the development of antisocial behavior such as juvenile delinquency. Results of research into the executive functions of delinquents have been mixed, and studies have been hampered by reliance on small samples of adjudicated subjects and questionable validity of the tests administered. This research examined the performance of a large unselected birth cohort of adolescent boys and girls on five tests of executive function that have documented reliability and validity. It is the first such study to use self-reports of antisocial behavior. Executive deficits were shown only by a subgroup of delinquent subjects with childhood comorbidity of antisocial behavior and attention deficit disorder; that subgroup's behavior was also rated as more aggressive and impulsive than comparison groups'. Group differences on executive measures remained significant after the effects of overall IQ were statistically controlled. Also, delinquents who had been detected by police did not show poorer executive functions than subjects with equivalent self-reports of delinquent behavior who had evaded official detection, suggesting that executive deficits are related to the development of antisocial behavior itself, and not simply to risk of detection.
Joint-attention deficits in autism: Towards a cognitive analysis
Authors: Baron-Cohen Simon
Published: October 2008

Mundy and Sigman (1989) present a challenge to the metarepresentational theory of autism. Their argument holds if it is assumed that the capacity for metarepresentation only emerges at 12–24 months old in normal development, as manifested in pretend play. However, I present reasons for postulating that the capacity for metarepresentation may be present from as early as 7–9 months of age, manifested in joint-attention behaviors. If this account has any validity, then the metarepresentational theory of autism is unaffected by Mundy and Sigman's challenge. In addition, I highlight some problems in Mundy and Sigman's alternative model of autism. These criticisms aside, their article is without doubt important and opens up critical questions both for models of the origins of autism and of a theory of mind in normal development.
Perceived and actual competence among maltreated and comparison school children
Authors: Vondra Joan , Barnett Douglas , Cicchetti Dante
Published: October 2008

This research examined the impact of child maltreatment and grade level on perceptions of competence and explored relations between perceived competence and school functioning among a sample of 104 low-income school children, half of whom belonged to families in which child maltreatment had been officially documented. Data were collected on 76 first through third graders and 28 fourth through sixth graders, who were interviewed in a laboratory setting, and on a subset of 74 children, who were evaluated by their teachers on measures of school functioning. Results indicated that maltreated children perceive themselves and/or describe themselves differently than do their low-income peers. However, these differences took the expected negative direction only beginning around the middle of the elementary school years. In earlier grades, maltreated children demonstrated a tendency to describe themselves in exaggerated positive terms, over and above the self-enhancement bias documented here and in other research among younger nonmaltreated children. Differences between maltreated and comparison children also appeared in teachers' ratings of school functioning and in use of special educational services. These results are presented and discussed as suggestive evidence for a causal chain from parent-child relationships, to self-perceptions, to school functioning.
Optimal informants on childhood disruptive behaviors
Authors: Loeber Rolf , Green Stephanie M. , Lahey Benjamin B. , Stouthamer-Loeber Magda
Published: October 2008

The question of which informant on childhood behavior disorders is the most useful an'd valid for which disorders influences diagnostic accuracy and research findings. The present study focuses on 177 boys, most of whom had been referred to outpatient services because they were displaying disruptive behavior. The boys, their mothers, and their teachers responded to a psychiatric interview concerning the boys' behavior. Analyses of conditional agreements between informants show that children, as compared with mothers and teachers, were less adequate informants on their own hyperactivity and inattentiveness. The same applied to children's reports of their own oppositional behavior. In contrast, children's reports of their conduct problems tended to complement the reports by adults. Although informants agreed significantly on the presence of many disruptive child behaviors, there were several on which they did not agree, particularly in the realm of hyperactivity/inattentiveness. There were few age differences between older and younger boys in this sample of 7- to 12-year-olds. The implications of the findings for research and clinical practice are discussed.
On the origins of self and the case of autism
Authors: Hobson R. Peter
Published: October 2008

This article examines what it means to have a self. My focus is on the essential components of self-experience, the kind of psychological architecture required to construct a self, rather than on the configurations or qualities of individual “selves.” I adopt a developmental perspective and indicate how early childhood autism may afford unique insights into the role of perceptual-affective and interpersonal experience in determining the normal child's developing awareness of self.
Low self-worth and anger as components of the depressive experience in young adolescents
Authors: Renouf Andrew G. , Harter Susan
Published: October 2008

The present study sought to examine two issues related to the phenomenological experience of depression in a normative sample of young, middle-school adolescents. The first hypothesis was that self-reported depressed affect would be highly related to low global self-worth. The second hypothesis was that depression is experienced as a blend of sadness and anger, where anger can be directed toward either the self or others. The findings revealed a strong correlation (r = .81) between global self-worth and affect (along a continuum of cheerful to depressed). With regard to the second issue, depression is clearly experienced by adolescents as a blend of affects. Eighty percent reported that depression represents a mix of sadness and anger. In addition, the vast majority reported that the anger is directed toward others, either as the only target or in conjunction with anger toward the self. Findings also revealed that the primary causes of depression involve actions of others against the self, thereby making the anger component realistic. Discussion focused on the role of self-deprecatory ideation in depression and on the issue of the comorbidity of internalizing and externalizing symptoms manifest in depression.
Loss of parent in childhood and adult psychiatric disorder: A tentative overall model
Authors: Harris Tirril , Brown George W. , Bifulco Antonia
Published: October 2008

Two previous reports on a female population sample in Outer London, UK, had identified certain environmental experiences–such as lack of adequate replacement care after parental loss in childhood, premarital pregnancy, and low social class and poor emotional support in adulthood–as key factors intervening between childhood loss of parent and depression in adulthood. A third paper introduced a measure of the cognitive set of situational helplessness-mastery which was associated, on the one hand, with current depression and, on the other, with loss of mother in childhood. This article examines the relationship between these other factors and situational helplessness both in childhood and in adulthood. Most are highly associated with the cognitive set, but the relationship between childhood helplessness and loss of mother appears to be differentially mediated according to whether the loss was by death or separation. A series of multivariate statistical analyses aims to integrate all the findings so far reported on in this sample into a biographical model of the developmental pathways from childhood loss of mother to current depression.
Behavior problems at 3 and 6 years: Prevalence and continuity in full-terms and preterms
Authors: Rose Susan A. , Feldman Judith F. , Rose Susan L. , Wallace Ina F. , McCarton Cecelia
Published: October 2008

Results are reported for a 3-year prospective longitudinal study of behavior problems in a group of children born at very low birthweight (<1,500 g) and a full-term control. Behavior problems were assessed with the Behavior Screening Questionnaire (BSQ) at 3 years and with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the hyperactivity index from the Conners parent and teacher scales at 6 years. The findings indicate that the preterms manifested more behavior problems than full-terms at both ages and that the overall prevalence of clinically significant problems increased with age. Although cross-age continuity on parent rating scales was similar and modest for both groups (r= .24–.35), the persistence of significant problems was quite high (50%). Early BSQ scores predicted later externalizing problems, even after the effects of prematurity, socioeconomic status, and family stress were removed, but not later internalizing problems. The latter were more strongly influenced by low SES and family stress. Findings for the full-terms, who had received the CBCL as well as the BSQ at 3 years, suggest that these two instruments may tap somewhat different dimensions of behavior disturbance at age 3.
Mothers' and fathers' working models of childhood attachment relationships, parenting styles, and child behavior
Authors: Cohn Deborah A. , Cowan Philip A. , Cowan Carolyn P. , Pearson Jane
Published: October 2008

This study addresses the question of whether or not parents' working models of childhood attachments constitute a risk factor for difficulties in current parent-child relations. In a sample of 27 families and their preschool-aged children, mother-child and father-child dyads were observed in separate laboratory play sessions from which ratings of parents' and children's behavior were collected. Working models of attachment were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1984). Results showed that parents classified as insecure were less warm and provided less structure in interactions with their children than did parents classified as secure. Children of insecure parents were less warm toward their parents than were children of secure parents. Analyses of parents' joint attachment classification showed that insecure women married to insecure men were less warm and provided less structure with their children than did mothers in either the insecure-secure or secure-secure dyads. These findings suggest that, in two-parent families, an insecure working model may be a risk factor for less competent parenting but that the risk is more pronounced when both parents have insecure working models of attachment.
The neuropsychology of conduct disorder
Authors: Moffitt Terrie E.
Published: October 2008

This article reviews evidence from neuropsychological tests that brain dysfunction is a correlate of conduct disorder. Most studies report consistent findings of differential neuropsychological deficits for antisocial samples in verbal and “executive” functions. Neuropsychological measures are related to some of the best indicators of poor outcome for children with conduct symptoms, such as early onset, stability across time, hyperactive symptoms, and aggressiveness. Neuropsychological tests statistically predict variance in antisocial behavior independently of appropriate control variables. This article argues that neuropsychological variables warrant further study as possible causal factors for conduct disorder and presents one developmental perspective on how neuropsychological problems might contribute risk for conduct disorder.
The psychobiology of undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder: A theoretical perspective
Authors: Quay Herbert C.
Published: October 2008

Undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder is conceptualized within the framework for personality and motivation of Jeffrey Gray. The disorder is seen as reflecting a dominance of the reward system over the behavioral inhibition system. Evidence for this conceptualizing coming from behavioral, psychophysiological, biochemical, and pharmacological studies is reviewed. Relevant findings from these studies include perseverative responding for reward, indices of inefficient noradrenergic and serotonergic functioning, and electrodermal underresponding. Additional research to test the proposed hypothesis is suggested.
Is attachment theory ready to contribute to our understanding of disruptive behavior problems?
Authors: Waters Everett , Posada German , Crowell Judith , Lay Keng-Ling
Published: October 2008

Attachment theory and research have traditionally been subspecialties in infant social development. Recent work has extended the relevance of attachment theory and assessments well into childhood and has established firm ties to work with adults. Many of the same variables associated with the development of disruptive behavior problems also influence the development of attachment. In addition, recent data point to consistent relations between attachment status and disruptive behavior problems. This paper reviews attachment theory, summarizes mechanisms through which attachment might be related to disruptive behavior problems, and discusses the relevance of attachment theory to prevention and therapy. We emphasize the diversity of possible relations between attachment and disruptive behavior problems and the fact that incorporating attachment theory into research on disruptive behavior problems does not mean interpreting every disruptive behavior as attachment related or every attachment-related disruption as serving the same function.
Motivations for conduct disorder and delinquency
Authors: Farrington David P.
Published: October 2008

Motivational ideas in psychology and their relation to causes are reviewed. Key ideas include hedonism, arousal, rational decision-making, reinforcement, and impulsivity. Motivations proposed for different acts classified as conduct disorder or delinquency are discussed as well as motivational constructs in delinquency theories. It is concluded that theories should include energizing, directing, inhibiting, and decision-making stages at a minimum. Empirical studies of motivations for delinquency that involve asking youth to give reasons for their acts are also reviewed. The most common motivations reported are utilitarian (seeking money or material goods) and hedonistic (seeking excitement or pleasure). It is pointed out that the validity of motivational theories is a separate issue from the validity of verbal reports of motivations. People may be aware of immediate situational motivations but unaware of longer term biological, psychological, or social factors. A program of research on the energizing, directing, and inhibiting of antisocial behavior is recommended and on the relative effectiveness, in reducing conduct disorder and delinquency, of programs targeting these different stages.
The role of social context in the prevention of conduct disorder
Authors: Coie John D. , Jacobs Marlene R.
Published: October 2008

Two major transitions – initial school entry and transition to middle school – are emphasized as the points in development most amenable to preventing conduct disorder. As a complement to Reid's analysis of the child and family foci for prevention efforts, this paper discusses the importance of considering social context factors in prevention. In the early school years, peers inadvertently reinforce aggressive and coercive behavior and, thus, contribute to the coercive cycle Patterson describes in families. Middle schools in inner-city contexts have peer social network characteristics that also support delinquent and violent behavior more directly, in contrast to the general suppositions of social control theories of delinquency. The impact of neighborhoods and the larger societal tolerance of violence reflected in the media are also discussed. Prevention strategies for addressing these contextual factors at both developmental periods are outlined in the paper.
Treatment of conduct disorder: Progress and directions in psychotherapy research
Authors: Kazdin Alan E.
Published: October 2008

The present paper charts the course for future research on the treatment of conduct disorder. The course builds on current advances both in understanding conduct disorder and its treatment and in the clinical care provided to youth and their families. The paper highlights substantive and methodological advances in contemporary research on both treatment and developmental psychopathology more generally. In light of the current status of treatment research, several priorities are identified, which include expanding the criteria used to evaluate outcome, expanding the range of research questions asked about treatment, testing a broader range of treatments and treatment combinations, evaluating long-term treatment effects, and expanding the models to develop and to evaluate treatment. A plan is presented to guide the progression of research to identify and to develop effective interventions. The special opportunities that a developmental perspective provides for designing treatments for youth of different ages and stages of development are also discussed.
The future of research on the treatment of conduct disorder
Authors: Dodge Kenneth A.
Published: October 2008

The thesis of this paper is that a reciprocal relation must develop between basic research on the developmental psychopathology of conduct disorder and applied treatment studies. Basic research can guide treatment design, and treatment outcomes can test developmental theories. The nature of conduct disorder seems to be one of multivariate components that act in self-perpetuating ways across development. These components include family, child-cognitive, peer group, and ecocommunity systems. Interventions that are directed toward just one component may be successful in producing proximal changes in the targeted domain, but they are not likely to be successful in long-term prevention of serious conduct disorder because other forces counteract these changes. The goal of treatment research needs to be long-term conduct disorder prevention. Two kinds of treatment studies are needed, one kind that is directed toward developing a technology of successful change procedures for individual processes and a second kind that uses these multiple change procedures in a comprehensive effort to prevent serious conduct disorder.
Developmental considerations in the investigation of conduct disorder
Authors: Cicchetti Dante , Richters John E.
Published: October 2008

The papers in this special issue attest to the theoretical and empirical advances that have been made in understanding the epidemiology, subtypes, etiology, neuropsychology, psychobiology, course, consequences, prevention, and treatment of conduct disorder (CD) (see also Kazdin, 1987; Loeber, 1990; Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1986; Moffitt, 1990; Patterson, 1982; Robins, 1991; White, Moffitt, Earls, Robins, & Silva, 1990). A number of theoretical conceptualizations have been forwarded in an attempt to comprehend this complex form of disorder in children. Such divergence in thinking indicates that the topic of CD has evolved into an active and significant domain of inquiry. To date, however, there has been no unifying theoretical framework for bringing conceptual clarity to the diverse perspectives represented in the study of conduct disorder. Although existing work within particular disciplines and subdisciplines has provided substantial contributions to our understanding of CD, these accounts typically have not considered the broader matrix of complex and evolving biological, cognitive, socioemotional, representational, and social-cognitive capacities of the developing child. As a consequence, disparate theoretical formulations are often too narrow in focus to address the range of processes and mechanisms that will be necessary to explain adequately how and why manifestations of CD emerge, change overtime and are influenced by children's developmental levels.
Psychosocial risk, attachment, and behavior problems among school-aged children
Authors: Easterbrooks M. Ann , Davidson Cherilyn E. , Chazan Rachel
Published: October 2008

The role of environmental risk and protective factors (attachment, verbal intelligence) in school-aged children's adaptation was examined. Subjects were 45 7-year-old children from low socioeconomic status environments. Security of attachment to mother was assessed by reunion behavior in the laboratory following an hour-long separation. Mothers and teachers reported on behavior problems using the Child Behavior Checklist. Results revealed a higher proportion of insecure attachments and behavior problems than in low-risk populations. Greater risk and less security were associated with poorer behavioral adaptation. Multiple regressions tested a model of protective processes; results demonstrated main effects of attachment security, even after controlling for extent of environmental risk.
Separable/integral classification by hyperactive and normal children
Authors: Amin Kiran , Douglas Virginia I. , Mendelson Morton J. , Dufresne Joan
Published: October 2008

This research tested the hypothesis that information-processing deficits associated with hyperactivity implicate a self-regulatory dysfunction. Hyperactive and control children were compared on nonspeeded classification tasks. In Studies 1 and 2, children classified sets of either three (triads) or four (tetrads) stimuli. The stimuli varied simultaneously on size and brightness or on length and density. They could be classified analytically (separably) on the basis of identical values for one dimension and holistically (integrally) on the basis of overall similarity. Control children made an equal number of dimensional classifications for triads and for tetrads. As predicted, however, hyperactive children made fewer dimensional classifications for tetrads, suggesting that they apparently resorted to less effortful holistic responding under the increased processing load. In an unexpected finding in Study 1, older hyperactive children appeared to behave like younger controls, making more dimensional classifications when size, rather than brightness, was the shared dimension. Study 3 explored the possibility that hyperactive children lagged behind the controls in their responding to the shared dimensions. Three age groups of normal children (mean ages: 5, 8, and 11 years) and adults were asked to classify stimuli that varied on size and brightness. Consistent with the lag hypothesis, normal preschoolers behaved like the young hyperactive children in Study 1, classifying equally on the basis of size and brightness. The discussion focuses on the contribution of processing load and stimulus salience to the cognitive deficits of hyperactive children.
Developmental variables in relation to depressive symptoms in adolescent girls
Authors: Rierdan Jill , Koff Elissa
Published: October 2008

This study investigated the relationship of menarcheal timing and ego development to level of depressive symptoms in early adolescent girls. Girls who were postmenarcheal at the beginning of the sixth grade were classified as very early maturers; their premenarcheal peers were regarded as on time. Girls were further classified with the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test as relatively low or high in ego development. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, short form. Results indicated a significant interaction of menarcheal timing and ego development: Very early maturing was associated with moderate levels of depressive symptoms for girls who were relatively low in ego development; very early maturing girls who were relatively advanced in ego development had the same minimal level of depressive symptoms as on time girls at either relatively low or advanced levels of ego development. The results support a proposed integration of psychoanalytic and empirically based biopsychosocial approaches to adolescent depression.
Attachment security in children with autism
Authors: Capps Lisa , Sigman Marian , Mundy Peter
Published: October 2008

Nineteen autistic children were examined in a modified version of Ainsworth's Strange Situation. The attachment security of 15 children could be classified. Each of these children displayed disorganized attachment patterns, but almost half (40%) of them were subclassified as securely attached. To assess the validity of the attachment classifications, children and their mothers were observed in a separate interaction. Mothers of children who were subclassified as securely attached displayed greater sensitivity than mothers of children who were subclassified as insecurely attached. Children who were subclassified as securely attached more frequently initiated social interaction with their mothers than did children who were subclassified as insecurely attached. Children with secure and insecure subclassifications were compared to investigate correlations between attachment organization and representational ability and social-emotional understanding. Although children with underlying secure attachments were no more likely to initiate joint attention, they were more responsive to bids for joint attention, made requests more frequently, and demonstrated greater receptive language ability than children subclassified as insecurely attached. Discussion focuses on dynamics that may contribute to individual differences in the attachment organization of autistic children and on the reciprocal relationship between advances in our understanding of normal and pathological development.
The development of problem behavior syndromes in at-risk adolescents
Authors: Allen Joseph P. , Leadbeater Bonnie J. , Aber J. Lawrence
Published: October 2008

This study examined multiple paths that can explain the co-occurrence of behaviors comprising a problem behavior syndrome in adolescence. Two hundred sixteen 15–18-year-olds in service programs for at-risk adolescents were assessed twice over a 6–12-month period to examine predictors of changes in levels of their delinquency, unprotected sexual intercourse, and use of soft and of hard drugs. This study considered (a) potential common predictors of multiple behaviors, (b) predictive links among behaviors over time, and (c) whether or not important unique aspects of individual behaviors remain in spite of their co-occurrence. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that the co-occurrence of problem behaviors results from multiple pathways of influence. The future occurrence of several problem behaviors was predicted by adolescents' initial negative expectations in social interactions. In addition, alcohol and marijuana use predicted increases in several other problem behaviors over time. Finally, individual problem behaviors retained important unique characteristics, suggesting the need for further research examining both their syndromal and unique aspects.