The aim of this study was to develop a direct observational system in order to assess competitive behaviours in preschool children. Participants were 176 children (90 boys, 86 girls; M[subscript age]?=?5.2 years) from 10 kindergarten classes of one town of Central Greece. A new observational system (Observational System Assessing Competition in…

We examined articles in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" in which results of functional analyses indicated that problem behavior was maintained by multiple sources of reinforcement. Data for 88 (16.9%) of 521 subjects reported in 168 studies met the criteria for multiple control. Data for 11 subjects (2.1%) involved a single response…

Although curiosity is an undeniably important aspect of children's cognitive development, a universally accepted operational definition of children's curiosity does not exist. Almost all of the research on measuring curiosity has focused on adults, and has used predominately questionnaire-type measures that are not appropriate for young children.…

The quality of measurement systems used in almost all natural sciences other than behavior analysis is usually evaluated through calibration study rather than relying on interobserver agreement. We demonstrated some of the basic features of calibration using observer-measured rates of free-operant responding from 10 scripted 10-min calibration…

Unobtrusive measures in psychological experiments are discussed. Six levels of unobtrusiveness are (1) Complete Unobtrusiveness, (2) Hidden Mechanical Intervention, (3) Hidden Observer, (4) Impinging Mechanical Intervention Not Recognized as Experimental, (5) Impinging Observer, and (6) Unobtrusive Measures within an Experimental Setting. Each of…

This article describes the development of a measure of adult sleep quality: the Adult Sleep-Wake Scale (ADSWS). The ADSWS is a self-report pencil-and-paper measure of sleep quality consisting of five behavioral dimensions (Going to Bed, Falling Asleep, Maintaining Sleep, Reinitiating Sleep, and Returning to Wakefulness). Data were collected from…

Recent research on the behavioral assessment and treatment of social anxiety and inhibition is reviewed. Subjects for the studies were college men and women selected on the basis of heterosexual anxiety and inhibition. The first part of the paper is concerned with assessment. The behavioral assessment procedures developed include: (1) direct…

Combining psycholinguistic technologies and systems analysis created advances in motivational profiling and numerous new behavioral engineering applications. These advances leapfrog many mainstream statistical research methods, producing superior research results via cause-effect language mechanisms. Entire industries explore motives ranging from…

Selecting a statistical framework for a behavioral study has profoundly different results than does a linguistically framed research strategy. The linguistic strategy overcomes many limitations inherent in statistical strategies and offers more meaningful results. Inferential statistical studies often discuss how the findings "explain" the results…

Written and spoken language contains inherent mechanisms driving motivation. Accessing and modifying psycholinguistic mechanisms, links language frames to changes in behavior within the context of motivational profiling. For example, holding an object like an imported apple feels safe until one is informed it was grown in a toxic waste dump.…

It is asserted that Steven's viewpoint on measurement--that scales are nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio--has a limited usefulness for behavioral scientists and researchers, and that it is necessary to develop an alternative. Some limitations of Steven's theory are discussed: (1) its assumptions about the nature and purpose of measurement; (2)…

THIS PAPER PRESENTS INDEFINITIVE APPROACHES FOR THE BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. IT REVIEWS THE STATE OF THE ART OF BEHAVIOR MEASUREMENT OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AND SUGGESTS SOME NEW OR MODIFIED MEASURES. AN INTRODUCTORY OVERVIEW DISCUSSES REASONS FOR BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT AND FACTORS WHICH AFFECT ANY BEHAVIORAL APPROACH. SOME…