Prosecuting and defense attorneys across Indiana were surveyed concerning the acceptability of specific behaviors associated with child abuse. Among respondents (n=154) prosecutors had more severe judgments than defense attorneys on 32 of the 42 behaviors. Cognitive dissonance theory is proposed as an explanation for these findings. (Author/DB)

Ten vignettes depicting either major or minor hypothetical problem situations were presented to 25 young adults with intellectual disability and 14 university students. Participants with intellectual disability tended to make fewer vigilant responses and more defensive avoidance or hypervigilant responses, compared to the university students.…

Three experiments were conducted involving five people with profound multiple disabilities, to determine whether variations in alertness affected subsequent responsiveness to training programs. Findings suggest that existing levels of alertness do not indicate how individuals will respond during training and that alertness actually can be…

This editorial introduces two articles on Munchausen by Proxy syndrome (the induction of an appearance or state of physical ill health in a child, by the caretaker, and the child's subsequent presentation to health professionals for diagnosis and/or treatment). The severity of the caretaker's psychological disturbance and the serious effects on…

When 354 college students (approximately 70% European American) were asked to rate 19 ambiguous instructor immediacy behaviors for appropriateness, males rated 12 of the 19 to be significantly more appropriate than females and indicated significantly greater comfort with 14 of 19 behaviors. (SLD)

Argues that theory in educational administration is not theoretical but comprises descriptions of ideological perspectives. Ties this argument to patterns of thinking revealed in theory debate and in descriptive statements of theory. These thinking patterns possess an identifiable psychological mechanism called a personal construct. Suggests how…

Estimates schooling's effect on the odds that men and women smoke for five age cohorts, using 1989 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. Schooling reduces the odds that men (ages 25 to 54) and women (ages 25 to 44) smoke. Schooling does not affect whether men (ages 55 to 64) or women (ages 45 to 64) smoke. (MLH)

Relative prevalence of stereotyped behaviors was studied with 246 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Two staff members completed a 54-item checklist assessing stereotyped behaviors, abnormal focused affections, compulsions, rigidity, savant skills, and defensiveness. Factor analyses produced weak evidence for a general stereotypy…

An example application of latent growth methodology used to analyze developmental change in adolescent alcohol consumption is presented. Findings are discussed with reference to the utility of latent growth curve models for assessing developmental processes of both the inter- and intra-individual level across a variety of behavioral domains. (SLD)

Behavior state and environmental data were collected over a 5-hour period for approximately 66 students with profound disabilities from 21 educational settings. Results showed a strong relation between different state profiles and measures of development and consistency of state patterns across chronological age levels. Results are discussed in…

The participation of the hippocampus in classical conditioning is described in terms of a multilayer network portraying stimulus configuration. A model of hippocampal function is presented, and computer simulations are used to study neural activity in the various brain areas mapped according to the model. (SLD)

Analysis of staff perceptions of classes of reinforcers and aberrant behaviors of 480 people with predominantly severe or profound mental retardation suggested 8 classes of reinforcers (e.g., consumable, play) and 5 classes of maladaptive behaviors (irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity, and inappropriate speech). Each class of…

Asked students (n=139) seeking help at university counseling center what types of problems they experienced. Found few differences between help seekers with career concerns and those without career concerns. Compared to non-help-seeking students (n=331), significantly more help seekers with career concerns indicated worrying about emotional…

The predictive validity of several theoretical factors drawn from control, social learning, and differential association theories for explaining adolescent sexual behavior was studied with 1,478 adolescents. The single factor of differential association with peers accounted for most of the respective variances on frequency of sexual intercourse…

Identifies individuals' patterns of change in behavioral approach for a single conflict along three orthogonal dimensions: attention to own-view, attention to other-view, and relational disruptiveness. Identifies general patterns of changes in individuals' conflict behaviors. (SR)