bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex Differences in Second-Language Ability
Authors: Lynn Richard , Wilson R. Graham
Published: March 2007

Approximately 1200 children aged 8-14 in Ireland were tested for general intelligence and for ability in Irish learned as a second language. There were minimal differences in intelligence but a large female superiority of 0.52 of a standard deviation in ability in Irish. Female superiority is present among 9-year-olds and does not increase over the age range tested.
The Political Lives of New York's School Psychologists
Authors: Peterson Steven A. , Brofcak Amy M.
Published: March 2007

One common view ofbureaucrats is that they carry out their tasks based on their own personal values and beliefs. A sample of New York state school psychologists is studied to see if their involvement in AIDS programming in the schools is driven by their sociopolitical attitudes. Data analysis is carried out, suggesting that school psychologists' beliefs are not as important as other factors in shaping involvement in actual AIDS programming. Results are discussed in light of expectations from theory regarding 'street level bureaucrats', those who actually deliver services.
School Social Work and School Effectiveness in the Gulf States
Authors: Badri Ayub
Published: March 2007

All schools in the United Arab Emirates employ full-time social workers whose tasks are similar in many respects to those of school psychologists in the West. UAE school social workers are well positioned in the school structure to promote school effectiveness, but, as elsewhere, they work within a bureaucratic framework. Definitions of their work remain imprecise, but one major strand continues to be that of handling disturbed youngsters and dealing with disruptive behaviour. Because of local conditions in the Gulf region social workers' relationships with students' parents and the home are of great importance. The severe shortage of qualified and skilled teachers in the Gulf where most are not local citizens emphasizes the importance of monitoring progress to avoid drop-out-an abiding problem. Rapid, unplanned and unrealistic social policies have created many social problems which adversely affect students' learning and behaviour. Many of these are common to developing and Western societies. Sharing experience could enrich and consolidate school effectiveness theory and emphasize the contribution of school psychologists and social workers.
Team Work in Japan: Revolution, Evolution or No Change at All?
Authors: Sey Anne
Published: March 2007

That 'in Japan, they work in teams' has become 'standard knowledge'. Because of this, 'team work in Japan' is a less fashionable topic today than it was a few years ago. Perhaps, the topic would have been totally marginalized if reports about changes in traditional Japanese management concepts had not caused so much excitement in the scientific community. In literature on the Japanese automobile industry, references are being made to an evolution in the way teams are being organized at the final assembly lines. The question this article poses is whether it is possible to conclude with certainty that an evolution in the degree of selfregulation of teams has actually taken place. The conclusion is that given the lack of theoretically founded, empirical evidence, it is as yet impossible to find a scientifically and analytically sound answer to that question.
Worker Participation and Teams: New Evidence from Analyzing Organizational Ethnographies
Authors: Hodson Randy
Published: March 2007

Most large organizations are today experimenting with heightened employee involvement, including self-monitoring teams, joint programs with unions and limited degrees of worker ownership such as those based on employee stock ownership programs. In spite of the widespread adoption of such programs, relatively little is known about their consequences for employee behavior and attitudes. In particular, little is known about the relative strengths and limitations of different programs. The current article evaluates a range of programs involving heightened employee involvement using data derived from content coding program characteristics, worker behaviors and worklife experiences from the existing set of book length organizational ethnographies (N = 122). The results suggest that all forms of worker participation offer improved worklife experiences and reduced workplace conflict relative to the absence of these programs. Self-monitoring teams, however, perform no better than joint union-management programs or than more traditional work teams along the dimensions of worker autonomy, pride, satisfaction and cooperation. The sole unique contribution of contemporary self-monitoring teams appears to be a lowering of strike probabilities.
New Technology in Mechanical Engineering Industry: How Can Workers Gain Control?
Authors: Ahlin Jan E. , Svensson Leif J. P.
Published: March 2007

Mechanical Engineering Industry is rapidly adopting more automation. This is the companies' response to a declining market. The consequences for the employees are generally negative. So far, unions have not been able to influence the introduction of new technology. This paper discusses how they can gain influence by applying planning theory and preparing local work-environment programs.

We describe one company, the mechanical engineering firm of Lindqvists, where the usual drawbacks of new technology have been avoided. We describe experiments carried out using various means of expression, e.g. films, video cassettes and exhibitions, as part of workers' efforts for improved working conditions.
The Political Economy of Industrial Conflict: Britain and the United States
Authors: Edwards Paul K.
Published: March 2007

The 'political economy' tradition of writing on industrial conflict is outlined and criticized. The tradition has failed to develop a proper political economy because it does not ground its approach in an explicit theory of the labour process, lacks a view of the role of the state, and has an inadequate conceptualization of the power resources of employers and workers. Existing typologies of patterns of conflict are also unconvincing. Using Britain and America as examples, an alternative is sketched: an account of the state is developed and applied, trends in workplace relations are analysed, and a new way of examining comparative industrial relations is suggested. I am grateful to Tony Giles for his comments on an earlier version of this paper, and to Sam Bottone and Steve Jefferys for discussions of some of its themes.
Rethinking the Significance of Workers' Control in the Russian Revolution
Authors: Sirianni Carmen J.
Published: March 2007

Drawing upon recent Western and Soviet research, this paper reevaluates workers' control during and after the Russian Revolution. The old dichotomies of anarchic organization from below and authoritarian centralization from above are much too simplistic to capture the complex dynamic that characterized the movement and the tasks of institution-building. Workers' control, while hardly ideal, displayed many very positive characteristics of organization, co-ordination, discipline, maintaining production, as well as democratic control, representation, bargaining and dignity. In addition, although the conditions of revolution and civil war limited democratic possibilities, the potential of workers' control for medium-term development were considerably greater than recognized by Bolshevik ideology, and presented one element in a realistic nonStalinist industrialization strategy in the 1920s and beyond.
Japanese Industry Enters a New Stage -Increasingly Knowledge-Intensive Industrial Structure and Changes in Employment Structure
Authors: Shunzo Nifta
Published: March 2007

Japan was more successful than other advanced industrialized countries in coping with the structural changes in the international economy resulting from the oil shocks in the 1970s. There were two reasons: the companies' active approach to technological innovation and the industrial relations enabling this, and effective government measures in industrial restructuring. Yet this is having a great impact on the employment structure in Japan, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Working Time and Leisure Time Automation and Privacy
Authors: Haug Frigga
Published: March 2007

After a short discussion on management strategies which stress the private or domestic standpoint for the purpose of industrial production, the article focuses on breaks in the boundaries that separate work time and leisure time. Destabilized relations as an impact of automation are investigated. One of the effects is that the more competent the workers are in working life, the more incompetent in private life. In this opposition of private life and working life the arrangement of problems is blocked. Problems at work are perceived through the spectacles of the private. They are subordinated to the private and instead of being worked at and solved, are defined as less important.
Karl Marx: Founding Father of Workers' Self-Governance?
Authors: Elliott John E.
Published: March 2007

Using textual evidence, primarily from original sources, this article presents and evaluates the argument that workers' self-governance and self-management are central to Karl Marx's vision of the prospective post-capitalist society. Indeed, that Marx can reasonably be characterized as a founder of democratic workers' self-governance. Major rebuttal arguments which challenge Marx's credentials in democratic self-governance are also examined and assessed: these pertain to Marx's views on planning, market processes, association and broader arguments concerning the state, authority and freedom.
Employee and Owner - Convertibles
Authors: Skoldebrand Barbro
Published: March 2007

Since 1983, the issuing of 'convertibles' to employees has become a widespread practice among Swedish companies. By now, more than 200 companies and 200,000 employees are involved. Convertibles are a kind of debentures. They are debt-instruments or promissory notes issued against a loan from employee to employer, and can be converted into shares after a fixed period. This report is the first systematic study of the phenomenon. It forms the first part of a project initiated by the Swedish Center for Working Life in cooperation with LO (the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions) and SIF (the Swedish national trade union of industrial white collar workers). The purpose is to survey and describe the extent of convertible ownership, and to discuss the motives for, and the possible effects of, the present development. The survey concerns only issuings for which all employees are eligible. All kinds of privately owned limited companies are involved, quoted and unquoted.
Industrial Automation and the Transformation of Work Organization: Three Case Studies in West Malaysia
Authors: Yun Hing Ai
Published: March 2007

Based on qualitative discussions of three enterprises operating under different sets of imperatives in Malaysia, this article attempts to show how an integrative and developmental approach to the study of technology and its impact will provide a more meaningful understanding of the issues involved. While competitive pressures incessantly drive entrepreneurs towards acquiring increasingly sophisticated production systems, the impact of technological innovation is shaped by a larger variety of forces including state intervention, relative strength of the working class and the type of hardware available in the market.
On Ownership and Membership
Authors: Stryjan Yohanan
Published: March 2007

The issue of ownership occupies a central place in research on selfmanagement. This preoccupation has all but relegated other, no less central elements of self-management to a residual role. The actual contribution of ownership is examined in two groups of cases where worker ownership was grafted upon an existing organizational structure: a Swedish sample of worker-owned firms and American ESOP schemes. The findings, buttressed by a theoretical review of the mandator approach and of the managerial revolution thesis, suggest that the conventional model of the self-managed enterprise as a 'firm owned by workers', is theoretically inconsistent and yields, where followed in practice, highly unsatisfactory results. The issue is then reexamined in a theoretical consideration of the concept of ownership and of the way property rights approaches may be applied in the case of complex, indivisible assets, such as an industrial plant. Different ownership constructions are discussed, and the concept of ownership is contrasted with that of membership. It is argued that ownership constructions current among worker-owned enterprises do, in fact, represent attempts to convert ownership to membership.
Migrations and Development in Rural Latin America
Authors: Barraclough Solon
Published: March 2007

Migrations have played a key role in agricultural development in Latin America since the first nomads arrived from Asia. Following the European conquest, social structures excluded most indigenous people, as well as those brought as slaves from Africa or as indentured labourers from Asia, from effective participation in the exercise of political and economic power. Recent European immigrants, and a few from Japan, have had much greater opportunity to acquire land, access to markets and credit and to innovate than have migrants who were already peasant farmers or landless workers. The control of the state by relatively small oligarchies including the large landowners has implied that development strategies have been consistently biased against the interests of low income rural majorities. Many experiences show that when Latin American campesinos are given the opportunity, they can be as hard working, efficient and innovative migrant farmers as anyone else. However, there will have to be profound reforms in socioeconomic and political structures before there can be real agricultural development accompanied by greater opportunities, productivities and improved livelihoods for most of the region's rural people.
Organizations, Relationships, Markets and Labor Discipline in Craft Production -A Tiffany style Lamp Workshop in Tijuana, Mexico
Authors: Howard Leslie
Published: March 2007

Field observations from a workshop producing Tiffany-style stainedglass lamps on the USA-Mexican border provide the materials for an analysis of labor discipline within a modern-day craft 'putting out' system. It is only through locating the immediate activities of the workshop within the network of environing interpersonal relationships, organizations and international markets, however, that we are able to understand the operative processes of labor discipline reflected in 'what is happening' in the workshop. The analysis enables us to 'read' the produced lamp itself as a text commenting on the binational relations of production and consumption concretized within its commodity form.
Vouchers: A Revolution in Social Welfare?
Authors: von Offer Casten , Tengvald Kadn
Published: March 2007

The new government in Sweden is dedicated towards 'a free-choice revolution' in the social services. A specific proposal by a lobby group is being introduced in many municipal districts as a consumer choice plan for elderly care. The authors are highly critical of the market-style assumptions on which it is based, and argue that neither are the main problems of home-care recipients understood nor will an effective delivery system emerge.
Is Full Employment Still Desirable and Feasible?
Authors: Lee Eddy
Published: March 2007

Since the mid-1970s there has been a steady drift away from full employment in the industrialized countries as well as growing scepticism in academic and policy thinking over the usefulness of the concept of full employment. Based on a review of the empirical evidence, the article argues that there is little basis for the sceptical view that full employment is no longer desirable or feasible. On the contrary, full employment remains the key to solving the social ills of the industrialized countries and can still be attained with the right package of international and national policies.
Privatization in the European Union: A Critical Assessment of its Development, Rationale and Consequences
Authors: Parker David
Published: March 2007

There is a long history of state ownership of industry in Europe. Since the 1980s, however, privatization has been promoted by economists as the solution to difficulties experienced in managing state-owned enterprises. This study reviews privatization in each of the member states of the European Union. It identifies differences in the levels of privatization activity between countries. It also emphasizes four reasons for the level of interest in privatization within the EU at the present time, with expected economic efficiency gains being but one reason. The study then explains why privatization may not lead to efficiency gains because of the form privatization is taking and the nature of capital markets within the EU. Finally, the study distinguishes between economic efficiency gains and social welfare. Privatization implies a redistribution of income and wealth and therefore of economic power.
The Rise and Fall of Employee-Owned UK Bus Companies
Authors: Spear Roger
Published: March 2007

Privatization of the UK municipal bus services during the early 1990s led to a substantial part of the bus sector having high levels of employee owners. This provided interesting sites for exploring many features of financial and organizational participation in these companies. A subsequent cycle of economic concentration led to a wave of mergers and takeovers, and the demise of many of these employee-owned organizations as independent entities, though high levels of employee ownership persist in some of the four companies that now dominate the sector. Drawing mainly on secondary sources (especially the extensive study by Pendleton et al. at Bradford University), this article shows how the form of employee ownership developed by key actors at the formation stage succeeds in resolving many of the trade union and management concerns arising from previous examples of substantial employee ownership, and identified in previous research. However, the demise of most independent employee-owned companies has raised theoretical and strategic issues of their viability during periods of economic concentration.
Characteristics of Women in Jail and Treatment Orientations
Authors: Haywood Thomas W. , Kravitz Howard M. , Goldman Laurie B. , Freeman Anderson
Published: March 2007

Women who have been incarcerated are a high-risk group for criminal recidivism, and criminal justice statistics indicate that females are increasing in numbers more rapidly than the male detainee population. According to data from epidemiologic studies, incarcerated women are often young, single, mothers from ethnic minority backgrounds who have little education and poorwork histories. Mental illness, drug abuse, and risky behaviors relating to contracting HIV/AIDS are common problems among female detainees. In this report, research into characteristics of women in jail and literature relating to treatment programs for incarcerated women are reviewed. Implications relating to treatment needs, program development, and further research are, Hurbert, Sarmiento discussed. A case example and treatment intervention are presented based on this review.
Optimizing Staff Performance in an Institutional Behavior Change System
Authors: Andrasik Frank , McNamara John Regis
Published: March 2007

Program equipment changes (two levels), information feedback (three levels), and administrative policy changes (two levels) were serially introduced to reduce errors made by nonprofessional staff in a forensic psychiatry institution. Errors were reduced from an initial level of 62.2% to 6.2%. Due to the uncontrolled nature of the design, it was not possible to determine the independent contributions of the three variables. However, introduction of the program equipment changes resulted in the smallest error reductions. The introduction of information feedback produced the next largest error reductions. Errors were optimally reduced when the information feedback was presented to the line staff and first level supervisors but attenuated when presented to second level supervisors. The largest and most consistent error reductions occurred following the introduction of administrative policy changes.
In-Class Spelling Performance
Authors: Broden Marcia , Beasley Alva , Hall R. Vance
Published: March 2007

The effects of a parent tutoring her children in spelling were assessed. In two experiments, weekly spelling scores of two boys were recorded. Following a Baseline phase, the parent tutored her sons at home each week on their spelling words. In-school spelling scores increased for both boys. Reversal procedures and comparisons to the class means were used to show that the increases were due to the home tutoring procedures. In Experiment I, gradual decreases in the number of tutoring sessions for one boy resulted in the continuation of high spelling scores. Complete withdrawal of tutoring procedures for the second boy also resulted in the maintenance of the higher spelling scores.
Modifying Components of "Creative Behavior" in the Natural Environment
Authors: Campbell John A. , Willis Jerry
Published: March 2007

Thirty-two fifth graders were given a behaviorally based training program to improve aspects of creativity in their essay writing. The students' regular teacher scheduled a 20-minute writing period each morning during the study. During baseline the teacher described how they could write creatively and provided a topic. The essays were scored for three of Torrance's components of creativity: elaboration, flexibility, and fluency. After 10 days of baseline, a program of social and token reinforcement was instituted for elaboration. Part of the available reinforcers were contingent on the student's performance relative to other students in the class, while the remaining reinforcers were contingent on each child's performance relative to his or her performance on earlier essays. After elaboration improved, the reinforcement system was applied to flexibility and fluency. A multiple baseline analysis across these three behavior categories indicated that the system produced marked improvements in the three behaviors. All three types of behavior were also maintained when reinforcement was gradually withdrawn.
Enhancing Classroom Attentiveness by Preselection of Back-Up Reinforcers in a Token Economy
Authors: Kazdin Alan E. , Geesey Sally
Published: March 2007

The effects of different methods of selecting and exchanging back-up reinforcers are examined, with two mentally retarded children participating in a token economy in a special education class. In separate experiments each child received tokens contingent upon attentive behavior. The different methods of selecting and exchanging back-up reinforcers consisted of preselecting back-up events that were to be purchased in advance of earning the tokens versus selecting back-up events only after the requisite number of tokens had been earned. The two methods of selecting and exchanging back-up events were compared in separate simultaneous treatment designs for each child. The interventions were administered in the same phase, but balanced across the different time periods during which they were implemented. In each experiment preselecting back-up reinforcers prior to earning tokens led to higher levels of attentive behavior than did selecting back-up events after the tokens had been earned. Interpretations of the effects of preselecting back-up events that stressed the possible influence of making back-up events less remote in relation to the token-earning behaviors and the prompting function of the preselection procedure are discussed.
Theoretical Explanations for Reactivity in Self-Monitoring
Authors: Nelson Rosemery O. , Hayes Steven C.
Published: March 2007

Self-monitoring is the procedure by which individuals record the occurrences of their own target behaviors. In addition to providing a source of data, self-monitoring is also used as a therapeutic strategy because it often causes reactive behavior changes in response frequency. Three alternative viewpoints to account for this reactivity are presented. Kanfer's position (1970a, 1970b, 1975, 1977) is that the self-monitoring response leads to self-evaluation and self-administered consequences that alter response frequency. Rachlin (1974) holds that the self-monitoring response cues the ultimate environmental consequences that control behavior rate. In an extension of Rachlin's view, Hayes and Nelson (1977) propose that the entire self-monitoring process (therapist instructions, training, self-recording device, self-monitoring responses) prompts the external consequences that control behavior frequency. This extension provides theoretical parsimony in positing environmental antecedents as well as consequences for reactivity. The extension also best accounts for data in which reactivity is not linked to the occurrence of the self-monitoring responses (i.e., reactivity occurs despite inaccurate self-monitoring, low frequency behaviors, and unused self-monitoring devices). Similarly, this view accounts for the parallel effects produced when monitoring is done by external agents.
Programming Treatment Effects to the Natural Environment
Authors: Matson Johnny L. , Earnhart Teresa
Published: March 2007

Four adult females in the moderate to severe range of retardation were compared on two social learning oriented behavioral training packages. Treatment involved self-monitoring, information feedback, modeling, role-playing, and social reinforcement provided in daily training sessions on the ward or in a therapy room, with the degree and time information feedback was given varying across treatment conditions. An analysis of results showed that onward training was necessary for correct performance of target behaviors (e.g., talking too loudly, pestering staff) in the natural environment. Once target behaviors had been decelerated for several days, gains were found to maintain by prompting subjects on the ward, without the necessity of training sessions in the "therapy room."
Teaching Nonvocal Communications to Nonverbal Retarded Children
Authors: Deich Ruth F. , Hodges Patricia M.
Published: March 2007

Twenty-eight hearing, nonverbal, moderately to profoundly retarded children were successfully taught a nonvocal symbol system based on Premack's work in which plastic shapes represent words. Twenty-five profoundly retarded children learned an average of 10 symbols within six months. Slow learners (13 out of 25) generated one and two-word sentences. Three additional children with higher mental ages constructed more complex nine-symbol sentences, learning an average of 50 symbols. A matched control group was given equal time in one-to-one vocal interaction with analogous materials. Additional findings on pre-post testing were: (1) no significant differences in mental age, IQ, or vocalization between groups; (2) significant increase in attention span for the trained group and a significant decrease for controls; and (3) significant increase in receptive language and cooper- ation for slow learners, in contrast to controls. Conclusion: The symbol system is useful for nonvocal retardates where alternate communication models are not feasible.
Structured Learning Therapy
Authors: Magaro Peter A. , West Alan N.
Published: March 2007

Structured learning therapy developed by Goldstein et al. (1976) is examined withchronic psychiatric patients. The goal was not only to ascertain the amount of improvement, but also to designate the type and level of pathology modified with this approach. It was found that after six months of treatment most chronicpatients improved, but especially those who had symptom patterns of Paranoid Projection and Psychotic Disorganization. The results suggest a prescriptive role for this treatment within a hospital setting.
It May Not Be Worth the Effort!
Authors: Wallander Jan L. , Conger Anthony J. , Ward David G.
Published: March 2007

Within the social skills research area, the ratings of trained judges are presumed to be of better reliability compared to those of untrained peers, but possibly at a cost in social validity since the latter directly represents the criterion. To investigate these issues, videotapes were obtained of 12 males who interacted with a female confederate in a typical four-minute simulated heterosocial situation. These were exhibited to a group of judges who had been trained to rate social skills and anxiety, and to a group that had received no training in this task. Judge types did not differ in mean levels of social skills and anxiety ratings, suggesting that trained judges' impressions are socially valid. However, the trained judges' interrater reliability was only slightly better than that of the peer judges. The latter finding was used to argue that untrained peer judges possibly can be used just as well as trained assistants to provide criterion ratings in social skills research.
Cognitive Changes During In Vivo Exposure in an Agoraphobic
Authors: Last Cynthia G. , Barlow, David H. , O'brien Gerald T.
Published: March 2007

This case study assessed the relationship between cognitive changes and treatment outcome during in vivo exposure treatment of an agoraphobic, and at one year following the end of treatment. Results indicated that although the client was notably improved with respect to his phobic condition by the end of treatment (on all self-report, behavioral, and physiological measures), contrary to expectations, he had worsened on cognitive measures at this time. However, at one year following treatment, measures of fear and avoidance showed that relapse had occurred, while results from cognitive assessment revealed that the client's cognitions had improved. The relationship of cognitions and cognitive changes to short-term treatment outcome and the maintenance of phobic improvement over time is discussed.
Generalization and Maintenance of Language Responses
Authors: Haavik Sarah F. , Spradlin Joseph E. , Altman Karl I.
Published: March 2007

Manipulating the reinforcement contingencies in training and generalization settings facilitated school-to-home generalization of language responses. Four developmentally disabled preschool children were trained in a one-to-one school setting to point to two sets of pictures in multiple baseline fashion. Initial generalization in the presence of a second trainer in school and the mother at home was documented in both no-reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement probe conditions (in which correct responses to nonprobe items were reinforced on a VR-3 schedule). High levels of correct responding with the second trainer at school were maintained in both the no-reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement conditions, regardless of the sequence of conditions. The reversal design showed that for three of the four children, intermittent reinforcement was necessary to maintain high levels of correct responding at home. Deterioration, increased variability, and, in some instances, extinction occurred when the no-reinforcement condition was in effect in the home setting.
Peer Interventions
Authors: Sisson Lori A. , Van Hasselt Vincent B. , Hersen Michel , Strain Phillip S.
Published: March 2007

The efficacy of peer-mediated intervention for increasing social behaviors in blind, multihandicapped children was examined in a multiple-baseline analysis. Two nonhandicapped peers were trained to direct social initiations to four multihandicapped subjects during free play. An increase in play initiations by peers served to increase social behaviors in multihandicapped subjects. Moderate generalization of treatment effects was obtained under circumstances that differed from the intervention condition in that peers were present but not administering treatment. Maintenance of treatment gains was evidenced at a four-month follow-up. This study expands the literature on social skills training of the blind by targeting young, multihandicapped children with age-relevant skills, and on peer-mediated intervention by focusing on socially withdrawn children whose condition is complicated by severe physical disabilities.
Perception of Refusal Assertion
Authors: Wildman Beth G.
Published: March 2007

Research on the perception of assertive behavior has suggested that although assertion may result in compliance with one's requests, assertion alone may be negatively evaluated. Recent research has suggested that an opportunity to observe models in commendatory situations may mitigate the negative impact of assertion. This study evaluated whether an opportunity to observe models in conversational situations could also mitigate the negative impact of assertion. Findings suggested that the addition of conversational comments to an individual's repertoire of social skills mitigated the negative perceptions of assertion alone. When compared with commendatory comments, conversational comments resulted in similar evaluations for females and more favorable evaluations for males. Also, the findings of the present study suggest a cumulative impact of exposure to assertion, implying possible artifactual results in some previous perception of assertiveness research.
Gender, Age, and the Social Evaluation of Assertion
Authors: Crawford Mary
Published: March 2007

Lack of assertiveness has been characterized as a social skills deficit amenable to assertiveness training. Recent research suggests, however, that assertion may sometimes be negatively evaluated. This study examined the effects of gender and age on perceptions of assertion. Females and males in two age groups rated the behavior of a female or male model who exhibited one of three types of assertion. Judgments of the model's assertion were affected by the age and gender of the subject and by the interaction of model gender, subject gender, and age. These results are discussed in relation to studies using only college-student samples, and it is suggested that further attention to the interpersonal context of assertion is warranted in evaluating its effectiveness.
Effectiveness of a Peer-Helper Intervention to Increase Children's Social Interactions
Authors: Christopher Jeanette Smith , Hansen David J. , Macmillan Virginia M.
Published: March 2007

Peer-mediated interventions are being used increasingly with a variety of populations. This study examined the impact of a peer-helper intervention on the low rates of prosocial interactions of three elementary-school children. Two peers from each child's classroom were trained as helpers to increase the social interactions of the socially isolated children. A multiple-baseline across-subjects design was used to demonstrate the impact of the intervention, and a within-subject A-B-A withdrawal design was used to assess maintenance. Behavioral observations during recess periods indicated that positive interactions with peer helpers and other classmates increased during intervention and were maintained in withdrawal and follow-up phases. Increases in positive interactions generalized to a second recess setting in which the peer-helper intervention was not introduced. The positive social interactions of all subjects reached social-validation levels of comparison groups of peers in the observation settings. Classroom sociometric assessment and teacher and self-report measures provided variable support for the effectiveness of intervention.
The Acceptability of Behavioral Treatments for Marital Problems
Authors: Upton Linda R. , Jensen Bernard J.
Published: March 2007

Married female undergraduates were asked to provide ratings of the acceptability of two treatment components commonly used within the framework of behavioral marital therapy. The study compared subjects' evaluations of detailed taped descriptions of behavioral exchange/contracting procedures and communication/problem-solving skills training as they were applied to two hypothetical clinical marital cases. The study also evaluated the extent to which the severity of the marital problems influenced treatment acceptability evaluations. Communication/ problem-solving skills training was judged as more acceptable than behavioral exchange/contracting procedures and received a higher score on the Evaluative and Potency dimensions of the Semantic Differential. Judgments of treatment Potency were also found to be influenced by idiosyncratic features of the cases described in association with problem severity. Implications and directions for future research are briefly discussed.
Behavioral Assessment of the Effects of Psychotropic Medications on Demented Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Burgio Louis D. , Hawkins Andre M.
Published: March 2007

The effects of different psychotropic medications were examined for the control of behavior problems associated with dementia in three elderly nursing home residents. A reversal design was used in which the medications were introduced and withdrawn, and their effects were assessed on various resident behaviors using behavioral and motor performance assessments. All medications were effective in decreasing aberrant behaviors, but they also increased sedation in all three subjects. Performance on the motor assessments decreased for all subjects after the introduction of medication and improved after the medication was withdrawn. The results highlight the utility of behavioral assessment strategies for assessing the effects of psychotropic medication on elderly nursing home residents.
ADHD Children's Responses to Stimulant Medication and Two Intensities of a Behavioral Intervention
Authors: Abramowitz Ann J. , Eckstrand David , O'leary Susan G. , Dulcan Mina K.
Published: March 2007

Multimodal interventions involving pharmacotherapy and behavior therapy are increasingly viewed as the treatment of choice for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Virtually all investigations of combined treatments have involved powerful behaviortherapy packages including token economies. Such interventions are costly and labor intensive and not accessible to most youngsters with the disorder. This study examined the effects of a relatively simple behavioral intervention alone and in combination with stimulant medication. Subjects were three boys, ages 10 and 11, attending a summer day treatment program. Rates of off-task behavior in the classroom were examined in relation to all six possible conbinations of two doses of methylphenidate plus placebo and two "intensities" of teacher reprimands, immediate and delayed. Results suggest that for some children with ADHD, a simple behavioral intervention implemented in its most intense form can achieve results comparable to those achieved with medication. Additionally, for some children medication can obviate the need forthe most intense form of a behavioral intervention. A case-by-case assessment is necessary and feasible.
Development of the Feminine Gender Role Stress Scale
Authors: Gillespie Betty L. , Eisler Richard M.
Published: March 2007

The cognitive appraisal of threats and challenges to stereotypical feminine gender role coping behavior was defined as feminine gender role stress (FGRS). This article describes the development of a self-report measure of FGRS. Situations perceived as more stressful for women than for men were categorized by factor analysis, yielding the following constellation of maladaptive stress responses particularly salient for women: (a) fear of unemotional relationships, (b) fear of being unattractive, (c) fear of victimization, (d) fear of behaving assertively, and (e) fear of not being nurturant. Women demonstrated significantly higher FGRS appraisal scores than men, and scores among women showed good 2-week test-retest reliability. The tendency to appraise situations on the FGRS scale as stressful was associated with the tendency to consider daily hassles stressful but was not related to self-perceived femininity in women. It was predicted that women who tend to exhibit the FGRS appraisal style would have more difficulty in coping with stressors related to depression. Supporting this hypothesis, women with higher FGRS scores reported greater depression than those with lower scores. The assessment of FGRS appraisal and coping style in women provides useful information for devising treatment strategies to improve women's health through promotion of adaptive coping.
Efficacy of Methylphenidate and Behavioral Intervention on Classroom Behavior in Children with ADHD and Mental Retardation
Authors: Johnson Cynthia R. , Handen Benjamin L. , Lubetsky Martin J. , Sacco Kelley A.
Published: March 2007

Using a combination of an alternating treatment and double-blind placebo-controlled drug design, the independent and combined effects of two behavioral interventions and two doses of methylphenidate (MPH) in 3 children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mental retardation (MR) were assessed. In this single subject design, 2 of the 3 subjects responded positively to medication as measured by increased on-task behavior. The first behavioral intervention, a token economy for on-task behavior, was ineffective for increasing either on-task behavior or work accuracy when combined with placebo. However, improvement in work accuracy was realized with implementation of a second behavioral intervention that specifically targeted accuracy independent of drug conditions. The current findings highlight both the positive effects and limitations of the two commonly used treatment modalities for ADHD. Future studies should continue to extend this area of investigative efforts to produce more data-based knowledge as to the appropriate doses of treatment, both pharmacological and behavioral, with children with both ADHD and mental retardation.
Promoting Academic Performance in Inattentive Children
Authors: Kelley Mary Lou , McCain Alyson P.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the effectiveness of two different school-home notes for increasing academic productivity and appropriate classroom behavior in five inattentive children. Using an alternating treatments design, students received a school-home note with or without response cost. Both notes required teachers to evaluate students and required parents to provide consequences on a daily basis. The notes differed as to whether reprimands and response cost were included. The results indicated that on-task behavior and academic work completion improved in all five elementary school-age children. The majority of subjects achieved greater improvements in on-task behavior with the response-cost component added to the school-home note.
Acquisition and Functional Use of Voice Output Communication by Persons with Profound Multiple Disabilities
Authors: Schepis Maureen M. , Reid Dennis H. , Behrman Michael M.
Published: March 2007

The acquisition and subsequent functional use of communication skills by persons with profound mental and physical impairment using a voice output communication aid (VOCA) was evaluated. Initially, a graduated guidance and time delay procedure was used to teach three individuals to use a VOCA in response to a trainer's specific request. Results indicated that all participants increased their correct VOCA activations in response to specific requests following training. Probes also indicated that participants effectively used the VOCA after training to request preferred items in a variety of settings. The functional utility of VOCA skills was supported by a survey of individuals unfamiliar with the participants. This survey indicated that those surveyed could better understand the participants when they used a VOCA. Results are discussed as to potential advantages of VOCAs relative to other augmentative communication options for persons with multiple disabilities. Future research directions are discussed, focusing on strategies for promoting a broader set of communicative interactions using VOCAs.
The Effects of Child Behavior Problems on the Maintenance of Intervention Fidelity
Authors: Mcconnachie Gene , Carr Edward G.
Published: March 2007

Maintenance of behavior change has been considered a crucial, though largely unrealized, goal of behavioral interventions. One often overlooked factor is that before interventions can be successful and durable, the intervention protocol must be implemented as planned. This study investigated the effects of child behavior problems on the maintenance of intervention fidelity by teachers across two intervention protocols: escape extinction and functional communication training. A high rate of behavior problems during escape extinction appeared to punish teachers' efforts, and fidelity deteriorated. In contrast, there was a low rate of behavior problems during functional communication training. Teachers maintained high protocol fidelity and those sessions were less stressful and more productive. We propose that intervention protocols can be differentiated by the costs associated with implementing them faithfully. Protocols designed to be user friendly will be more likely to produce high fidelity, and therefore, durable intervention gains.
The Respondent Conditioning of Male Sexual Arousal
Authors: Plaud Joseph J. , Martini James R.
Published: March 2007

The respondent (classical) conditioning of male sexual arousal was investigated, employing penile plethysmography and 2 control procedures. Nine participants participated in three sessions, for three consecutive weeks. Each session consisted of fifteen stimulus periods and fifteen detumescence periods. Three participants participated in each of three different experimental conditioning procedures. Sexually explicit visual stimuli preselected by each participant were utilized as the unconditioned stimuli (US), and a neutral slide of a penny jarwas employed as the conditioned stimulus (CS). In the first procedure, short delay conditioning, the CS was presented for 15 seconds, followed immediately by the US for 30 seconds. The second procedure was a backward conditioning procedure. In the third procedure, a random control condition, the presentation of CS and US was determined randomly. Results indicated that participants showed systematic maximum increases in penile tumescence from baseline in the short delay conditioning procedure, but not in the other two control procedures. Implications of these results to behavior therapy strategies which are based upon the conditioning of human sexual arousal are examined and discussed.
Minority Influence on Focal and Related Attitudes: Change in Size, Attributions, and Information Processing
Authors: Gordijn Ernestine H. , de Vries Nanne K. , de Dreu Carsten K. W.
Published: March 2007

Three experiments examined how change in minority size influenced information processing and attitude change. Experiment 1 showed that when strong rather than weak arguments were presented, a message attributed to an expanding rather than shrinking minority elicited more issue-relevant thoughts and more related attitude change in the argued direction. Experiment 2 showed more related attitude change in the argued direction when it was unlikely that expanding size was due to the shifting majority members’ self-interest. Experiment 3 replicated these findings. In addition, results indicated that change in size interacted differently with the majority than with minority status of the source: related issues remained largely unaffected in the case of majority support, whereas expanding minorities elicited more related attitude change in the argued direction.