Describes Boys Town model which, grounded in research on development and dynamics of aggression, targets seven critical skills for creating safe, positive treatment environments that empower aggressive youth to change. Discusses these skills: relationship building components; praise and differential reinforcement; behavioral specificity;…

Discusses the use of transdermal nicotine (TN) in smoking cessation and its value as an effective procedure. The article reveals that, compared to a placebo, TN has double the quit rate percentages, and less than 5% of smokers quit TN due to side effects. (GLR)

Provides an overview of the Start SMART smoking cessation program which combines nicotine withdrawal therapy with behavior modification. The Start SMART program provides seven, intensive one-hour group sessions that are shown to be a most effective intervention with a specific population--motivated, yet highly dependent smokers. (GLR)

Explains the use of videotape recordings to provide examples of self-modeling for the purpose of student behavior change. Reviews research on the efficacy of videotaped self-modeling (VSM), technological requirements, editing, arranging the videotaping, using self-modeling as a positive behavior support, and precautions and challenges. (DB)

Provides a set of best practices for working with high-risk young people derived from the approaches and strategies that have been used successfully by "turnaround teachers" for generations. States that believing in students' resilience requires foremost that teachers believe in their own innate capacity to transform and change. (Author/MKA)

Provides information on the time-out research in hopes of enabling school psychologists to use, and train others to use, time-out more effectively when indicated by the data from a behavioral or functional assessment. The guide may also serve as a heuristic for those wishing to conduct research on the use of time-out in the classroom. (Author/MKA)

Investigates perceptions of self and others among young drivers. Conveys that the participants rated undesirable actions more probable under low verifiability and controllability and considered others more likely to engage in undesirable actions. Concludes that young drivers must be aware of their feelings of superiority in order to change their…

A study compared the effectiveness of two extinction interventions, extinction by omission and noncontingent delivery of reinforcement, to treat aggressive behavior with a 10-year-old boy. Analysis revealed that aggression was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of attention. Noncontingent reinforcement of attention produced a more…

Fifty-six children with either autism or pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified received one injection of secretin, a gastrointestinal hormone. Re-evaluation 3-6 weeks later found minimal but potentially significant improvements, including changes in gastrointestinal symptoms, expressive and/or receptive language function, and…

Examines the cessation of corporal punishment by parents who start out spanking their children and then make a concerted effort to stop. Draws on semi-structured interviews with 22 parents and identifies five contexts in which those efforts arose: experiential, ideological, regulatory, relational, and biographical. Data suggests cultural…

Introduces protected areas as opportunities for outdoor education and considers the possibility that outdoor education may contribute to the ecological degradation of these areas through overuse or poor outdoor practices. Provides a new approach to minimal impact education through the promotion of individual change. (Contains 24 references.)…

Investigates and presents a measure of acculturation that retains value orientations and measures the conventional behavioral aspects of acculturation. Although based on a sample from the Vietnamese community of Melbourne, Australia, the aim was to develop a questionnaire that excluded culture-specific items so that the questionnaire could be…

Two studies examined the effects of musical manipulation on the challenging behaviors of two children and one adult with severe/profound mental retardation. First, high-rate challenging behaviors were identified and then fast- or slow-beat music was added. Challenging behavior was more frequent when slow-beat music was played. Affect also varied…

Considers how various theories of nonverbal adaptation feature behavioral valence and degree of behavioral change as critical elements affecting whether changes in nonverbal intimacy are met with reciprocity or compensation among 100 undergraduate student romantic dyads. Makes comparisons across five conditions: very low intimacy, low intimacy,…

Competency-based training tends to a control model of curriculum organization. However, although practitioners may use formal processes (standards, modules), they maintain their own professional knowledge and embedded skill. The question remains whose knowledge, standards, and skills are empowered in a competency-based approach to vocational…