This paper describes a two-year project designed to test the effectiveness of a family-based health behavior change intervention in 206 Anglo or Mexican-American families. Methodology and results to date are presented. (MT)

Evaluated the effect of monetary incentives on cigarette smoking in 120 college students. Results indicated that monetary incentive was generally effective in reducing smoking. Incentives offered to a group (sorority and fraternity) were more effective among females, while individual incentives were more effective with men. (JAC)

Offers three guidelines to aid teachers in selecting effective contingency management programs, based on degree of positiveness, effectiveness, and costs to teachers and parents. Describes how to use a simple home-based program, which resulted in successful reduction of mild classroom disruptive behavior. (JAC)

Two groups of seven autistic children (4-16 years old) wore auditory trainers for specified times. Videotapes were coded for three attentional states (normal, withdrawn, attacking), for verbalization and signing, and for appropriate and acceptable behaviors. Results demonstrated a decrease in time spent withdrawn and increases in signing and in…

Describes the Participant Action Planning Approach (PAPA) process that requires each trainee to prepare a list of concrete actions or changes he or she plans to make back on the job once the training program is over. Benefits of PAPA are discussed, including transfer of learning, verbalization, and commitment. (CT)

Cites research showing individual reactions to bright and dim light in the classroom. Shows individual susceptibility to extreme negativism in inappropriate lighting conditions and suggests that students' predispositions for illumination be identified. Notes that restless, fidgety youngsters should be placed into softly lit sections, with the…

Learning disabled students need assistance in mastering self-organizing behaviors that will allow them to focus more time and energy on the learning process. The "get-it-together" (GIT) curriculum is described as a practical approach to helping these students master routines, get started on assignments, and move from one activity to the next. (JW)

In the four studies reported, facial expressions of emotion are considered to be not merely responses indicative of internal states; they are also stimulus patterns that regulate the behavior of others. Results indicated that one-year-old infants seek out and use maternal facial expressions to monitor behavior. (Author/DST)

The concept of health promotion as an intervention modality is proposed in this article. Three levels of analysis for conceptualizing school health promotion programs involve the school environment, student personality characteristics, and student behavior. A final area for research is the relationship between the school and the extra-school…

This paper focuses on the structured learning approach to psychological skill training with aggressive adolescents, examining 30 evaluation-oriented studies of skills training with such youth. Emphasized are relevant experimental designs, prescriptive utilization of skills training, means for enhancing trainee motivation, transfer and maintenance,…

Investigated responses of counselor trainees (N=31) to easy versus difficult clients in terms of clinical judgments. Results indicated that clients with a difficult interpersonal style were not regarded as more psychologically disturbed, but were rated as having less potential for change and less ego strength. (LLL)

Presents a follow-up of 27 single-parent families, focusing on children's behavior and parents' satisfaction with their children. Results showed parental satisfaction had increased for mothers, while fathers' satisfaction remained high. Children's behavior had improved in mother-headed families, especially low-income mother-headed families, often…

Changes in self-concept as a function of behavioral treatment for test anxiety are investigated. Test-anxious subjects (N=72) were randomly assigned to systematic desensitization, relaxation-training only, or no-treatment control conditions. Results indicate that the desensitization and relaxation treatments were both effective in reducing test…

An academic peer interaction contingency was introduced into an ongoing token economy program in a class of five emotionally disturbed children with minimal interpersonal skills. Seven behavioral categories of academically relevant and irrelevant behaviors were recorded during multiple baseline, contingency, and follow-up observation periods.…

Kindergarten children (N=90) were given opportunities to report to their class during "sharing time" the cooperative or friendly behaviors of their peers which had occurred during the day. Cooperative behavior increased and aggressive acts decreased when peers reported prosocial behavior to the class. (Author)