Repetitive behaviors are observed in autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinically, obsessive-compulsive disorder obsessions are thought to drive repetitive or ritualistic behavior designed to neutralize subjective distress, while restricted and repetitive behaviors are theorized to be reward- or sensory-driven. Both…

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant single-gene disorder, in which the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has attracted considerable research interest recently with prevalence estimates of 21-40%. However, detailed characterization of the ASD behavioral phenotype in NF1 is still lacking. This study…

This study examined the similarities and differences between adolescents' interactions with romantic partners and those with friends and mothers. Thirty-two adolescents were observed interacting with a romantic partner, a close friend, and their mother. Adolescents and romantic partners engaged in more conflict than adolescents and friends.…

Social psychological investigations of hierarchy formation have been almost entirely confined to the case of task-oriented groups and hence have produced theories that turn on the existence of such a task. But other forms of vertical hierarchy may emerge in non-task groups. One form, orderings of dominance, has been studied among animals using…

Recorded adolescents (N=36) in spontaneous conversational settings and in formal interviews. Found analysis of recordings led to postulation of three basic categories: emotive, connotative, and socially coded language programing. (Author/ABL)

A survey of observed sexual behavior in an integrated unit of 30 severely retarded people aged 10 to 33 years showed that most behavior could be described as "appropriate." (Author)

This article describes the prevalence of different types of functional assessment and analysis procedures reported in articles in the "Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps" (JASH) involving individuals exhibiting problem behaviors. The most frequently reported functional assessment approach was the use of structured direct…

Fifth grade social behavioral profiles of 75 arrested and nonarrested adolescent boys were assessed to determine their ability to predict the later arrest status of the boys in grades 5-7. Using such measures as teacher ratings of social skills and observations of negative aggressive behavior, 75 percent of subsequently arrested subjects were…