Despite the recent technical and theoretical advances in the investigation of children's social relations, the inherent complexity of these methods may prevent their easy integration into the classroom. A simple and effective tool can be valuable for teachers who wish to investigate students' social realities in the classroom. Therefore, the…

The current study evaluated the use of various behavioral measures of running away with regard to (a) the differential utility of interval- versus event-based measures, (b) the differential utility of rate versus duration measures, (c) the utility of correcting for occurrence opportunity, and (d) the influence of unit of analysis (i.e.,…

Deals with a questionnaire designed to explore factors that may result in attitude-behavior inconsistency. (MH)

A review of research on state behavior among students with profound disabilities is presented, and a model depicting interactions of state with endogenous and exogenous variables is offered. Applications of the model are illustrated through four case studies displaying different state patterns. Measurable attributes of state having implications…

Discusses the effects of deliberate vagueness on source credibility, agreement and perceived vagueness. See CS 703 560 for availability. (MH)

Seizures can be debilitating across a number of physical, social, occupational, and personal variables. Given the deficits in all of these areas frequently present in persons with mental retardation, effective assessment and subsequent treatment of seizures is a primary goal for individuals with both mental retardation and epilepsy. To thoroughly…

This article reviews a subsection of leisure research--studies on visitor characteristics, reactions, and behaviors in recreational settings. Four areas of visitor evaluation research are examined: (1) museums; (2) natural environments; (3) tourist sites, and (4) tourist facilities. The role of the psychologist in the development and improvement…

Needs assessment is one phase of preparing a proposal for a grant. Federal and State contracting officers examine closely the degree to which needs of a school system have been systematically appraised. Introduces principles and techniques of needs assessment. (Author/JN)

This paper summarizes brief functional assessments of 79 cases of people with developmental disabilities and self-injurious, aggressive, stereotypic, or other aberrant behavior. Outcomes were evaluated across three variables: (1) referring topography, (2) control over behavior, and (3) the identified maintaining conditions for aberrant behavior.…

This study examines the relationship between three variables in the problem-solving approaches of emotionally disturbed children. The variables of locus of control, persistence behavior, and reflection-impulsivity were related to each other and to problem-solving approach. The varying nature of these relationships is discussed. (SJL)

A functional analysis involving antecedent events was conducted with four students identified as having behavior problems. Off-task behavior was measured while task difficulty and level of adult attention was manipulated during analog sessions. Results revealed higher rates of off-task behavior during difficult tasks and improved behavior when…

A bank of psycometrically sound scaled behavioral incidents of college classroom teaching behavior was developed for use in devising performance evaluation scales, teacher training devices, and policy evaluation questionnaires. Using a combination of the critical incident and retranslation methodologies a set of 720 incident descriptions was…

The study presents the results of testing an original obersvation instrument designed to identify a power elite in multiple sessions of two eight-member adult discussion groups. Two questions guided the development of the study: (1) Can a power elite be identified in participation training groups? (2) Can an effective observation instrument with…