Fifty-five mothers of young children with Down syndrome completed the Parenting Stress Index. Low internal reliability coefficient for the Adaptability/Plasticity Child Domain subscale was found. Factor analysis of the scale found that the Adaptability/Plasticity factor did not perform as a unidimensional structure, but provided information on…

Observations of an elementary teacher's behavior determined that her teaching behavior remained stable and did not vary in relation to the content of the lessons. The teacher's pre-instructional decision concerning the grouping of pupils appeared to influence her interaction processes. (JD)

Reports two studies of adolescent perceptions of playful and aggressive fighting. Results suggest that some bouts of playful fighting are used during adolescence to settle disputes about dominance and that aggression may be introduced into playful fighting to settle dominance disputes. (LB)

Reflects on the Lakota myth of the winds from a psychological-sociological point of view with the purpose of destroying several false myths relating to children and family dynamics. Recounts the myth and relates it to Alfred Adler's views of the family constellation and birth order as a basis for personality determination. (RAH)

A survey of 155 third- and fourth-year medical students at Wright State University (Ohio) found 71% of women and 29% of men had encountered some patient-initiated sexual behavior, frequently more than once. Because such behavior can be damaging to patient care, training in managing such behavior is recommended. (Author/MSE)

Costs and benefits that adolescents perceive for engaging or not engaging in potentially health-harming behaviors of alcohol use and nonmarital sexual intercourse were studied for over 2,400 seventh through twelfth graders. Perceptions of costs and benefits are related to gender, age, and the behaviors themselves. (SLD)

The influence of skill level, behavioral characteristics, and labeling upon the attitudes of 320 members of 12 private tennis clubs toward the participation of individuals with mental retardation was investigated. Attitudes and intentions toward people with mental retardation were positive regardless of label assigned and perceived skill level.…

A model of attrition based on theory of approach/avoidance behavior was developed and tested with 262 university students, mostly in their first and second years. The study demonstrated that certain approach/avoidance behaviors affected certain types of academic and social integration more than others, and that integration may be more complex than…

Examined whether spouses' attributions for partner behavior are related to their behavior by assessing their attributions and observing the problem-solving discussions of cohabitating couples (n=52) in which neither spouse was depressed or distressed, the wife was depressed and both spouses were distressed, and the wife was not depressed and both…

Risk factors for serious suicidal behavior among older adults were examined in a case control study of adults aged 55 and older who died by suicide or made suicide attempts and who were compared with randomly selected comparison subjects. Multivariate analyses suggested that mood disorders were the most significant risk factor for suicidal…

Despite the seminal studies of response differentiation by the method of successive approximation detailed in chapter 8 of "The Behavior of Organisms" (1938), B. F. Skinner never actually shaped an operant response by hand until a memorable incident of startling serendipity on the top floor of a flour mill in Minneapolis in 1943. That occasion…

The study identified distinct patterns of parental practices that differentially influence adolescent behavior using the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) database. Following Brenner and Fox's research model (1999), the cluster analysis was used to classify the four types of parental practices. The clusters of parenting practices…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of eye contact in reducing ADHD children's problems with compliance. Seventy-six parents of ADHD boys between ages 5 and 10 were randomized into two treatment groups and a control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that, as hypothesized, eye contact was effective in reducing ADHD children's problems with…

Twenty-nine years ago Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (MLSPC) was launched at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. It was one of the first prospective longitudinal studies of how parent-infant attachment develops, how it changes over time, and how the quality of attachment in infancy influences…

In answering general-information questions, a within-person confidence-accuracy (C-A) correlation is typically observed, suggesting that people can monitor the correctness of their knowledge. However, because the correct answer is generally the consensual answer--the one endorsed by most participants--confidence judgment may actually monitor the…