Although there has been an increase in research on sex offenders' modus operandi, geographic decision making, and hunting behavior, most studies still tend to emphasize criminal motivation while overlooking the role of situational and environmental factors. Studies of mixed samples of rapists and child molesters typically neglect to conduct…

Maladaptive behavior of 474 persons from a residential facility for mentally retarded individuals was investigated. Multiple regression analysis revealed that maladaptive behaviors were related to sex, social age, chronological age, resident's time spent on outside activities, number of residents per direct-care staff member, presence of sensory…

The study compared characteristics of 91 mentally retarded victims (ages 11-74) of abuse by residential caregivers with characteristics of nonabused subjects in the same facilities. A significant relationship was found between abuse status and such subject characteristics as level of functioning and frequency of maladaptive behaviors. (Author/DB)

Two large and five small institutions were rated on resident management practices, aid attitudes, and demographic variables. Institution and resident variables were used to predict responsiveness to social reinforcement, wariness, and outerdirectedness. Of the predictor variables, only mental age (MA) was related to all three. (Author/CL)

Behavioral changes among seven adolescents with severe handicaps after moving to more normalized environments, were compared with changes among matched Ss remaining in an institution. After six months, experimental Ss made significantly greater gains in group maintenance and in the nongoal-oriented behavior subcategory of sitting. Greater change…

Descriptive information is presented about the physical characteristics and health problems, behavioral characteristics and maladaptive behavior 2271 retarded individuals in 236 public and community residential facilities. Behavioral characteristics were assessed using a model that incorporated specific levels of independence. Residents of…

Ratings on Adaptive Behavior Scale factors obtained for 47 children and adolescents in eight trainable mentally retarded classrooms were compared with data from direct classroom observations sampled over a four-day period. Findings indicated significant relationships between Ss's adaptive behavior in a residential environment and acutal observed…

Examined drug use patterns among incarcerated African-American juvenile delinquents (n=248). Found that 90 percent of participants had used some illicit mood altering substance, between 30 percent and 46 percent reported daily use, and average age at initial use was approximately 12 years. Alcohol use tended to precede by about five months use of…

Nurses in long-term care facilities indicated that about 30 percent of residents presented noise-making behavior. From descriptions, typology of noise-making was identified: purposeless and perseverative noise-making, noise-making in response to environment, noise-making to elicit response from environment, "chatterbox" noise-making,…

The effect of level of stereotypy on learning a discrimination was examined using a factorial design with high and low levels of stereotypy and three levels of IQ with 30 institutionalized retarded persons. Results indicated the effects of stereotypy were different across the IQ levels. (Author/DB)

Comparison of developmental growth for 104 matched pairs from mentally retarded residents of a public institution and of community living arrangements (CLA) revealed that CLA Ss showed significant developmental progress in reduction of maladaptive behavior while institutionalized Ss showed no change over 2 years. (Author/CL)

Eighteen profoundly retarded men (mean age 41) were given repeated presentations of a two-choice visual discrimination using a modified Wisconsin General Test Apparatus and two probabilistic reinforcement schedules counterbalanced for order. (Author)

Twenty-seven severely mentally retarded patients, all of whom manifested body-rocking in their normal ward environments, were systematically observed. (SBH)

Evaluation of the cognitive, behavioral, and adaptive functioning of 12 retarded men with fragile X syndrome indicated that fragile X men were largely indistinguishable from comparison groups. They were, however, significantly more likely to have achieved levels of adaptive functioning commensurate with their intellectual abilities. (Author/DB)

Examined the games played by 561 juvenile offenders in coeducational correctional facilities. The types of games used against staff and peers varied considerably. The games were defined as therapeutic games, material games, psychological games, and physical games. Peer-oriented games included attention-seeking activities and a variety of dominance…