Perceptions of women, how those perceptions were formed, and ideas about how to improve the existing sexuality curriculum were studied with 17 young male college students. Findings indicate that continuing to teach sexuality in the context of male as predator and female as gatekeeper will only perpetuate the unhealthy egocentric behaviors many…

Three experiments were conducted with two participants with mental retardation that displayed property destruction and stereotypy. The experiments assessed the function of the responses, determined their relationship, and developed a treatment to reduce property destruction. Response blocking reduced property destruction (and attempts), prevented…

Examines how individuals in a dyad where at least one member was recruited from an introductory communication course react to expectancy-violating changes in affectionate behavior. Indicates that unexpected changes in affectionate involvement produce changes in recipients' cognitive assessments and behavior reactions. Suggests that violative…

Examined the link between delinquency and school behaviors separately for 267 African-American and 269 White males at risk for delinquency. Class absenteeism was related to higher incidence of minor and serious delinquency, and for African Americans, poor grades and dropping out were predictive of both types of delinquency. (SLD)

Retrospective analysis of videotape recordings taken at 9 to 12 months of 11 children with autism, 10 with developmental disabilities, and 11 typically developing children found that nine behavioral items, in combination, discriminated the three groups 94 percent of the time. Results support early identification of autism and that infant…

A survey of eight motor habits, including body-rocking, was administered to two large samples (N=861, N=766) of college students. A surprisingly high proportion of respondents (over 40% of males and over 50% of females) reported they engaged in body rocking when either bored or overstimulated The similar incidence in people with mental retardation…

Studied the relationship between gender differences in physical aggression and selected personality and social contextual factors through self-report measures completed by 89 adolescents. Findings suggest the strength and importance of sympathy as a mitigator of physically aggressive behaviors. Contains 58 references. (SLD)

Identity theory is used to organize data gathered from semistructured interviews with parole violators at large (N=25). A typology of absconders bridging clinical and actuarial prediction strategies is proposed. Situational constraints are explored; typical behavior patterns and experiences of parolees are described. Policy implications are…

Questions whether parental reports of post treatment substance use and other treatment outcomes-related behaviors reliably reflect self-reports of adolescents; and if initially reliable, if the parental reports continue to reliably reflect adolescents' self-reports over time. Indicates that parents can give reliable proxy information regarding…

This study compared 23 children with high-functioning autism with 12 children with Asperger syndrome using DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Findings indicated few group differences in current functioning but many early history differences. The Asperger syndrome group generally demonstrated less severe early symptoms, a milder developmental course, and…

Multiple sleep problems of a 2-year-old girl improved following treatment with a faded bedtime with response cost procedure. If she fell asleep within 15 minutes of the scheduled bedtime, her bedtime the following night was 30 minutes earlier; however, if she did not fall asleep it was 30 minutes later. (Author/CR)

A study of the sleep patterns of 28 people with severe or profound mental retardation and epilepsy found atypical sleep stages with significant depletion of REM sleep and a predominance of indiscriminate non-REM sleep. Sleep diaries completed by caregivers reveal lengthy sleep periods, especially among those with profound mental retardation.…

The sleep profiles of 13 children (ages 5-13) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were treated with a fixed dose of methylphenidate for at least one month were compared with those of 16 healthy siblings. Significantly more children with ADHD demonstrated sleep disturbances and higher rates of sleep disorders. (Author/CR)

Whereas prior conceptions treated cognitive development as a sequence of stages, current research points to recurring growth cycles between birth and age 30. Each recurrence produces a new capacity for thinking and learning grounded in an expanded, reorganized neural network. Cognitive spurts are evident only under optimal support conditions.…

This study investigated the duration, frequency, and trajectory of passive behavior in 14 children (developmental age 1-3) with Down syndrome and 14 controls over a 47-minute independent play session. Subjects exhibited more time in passive behavior and for some, passivity increased commensurate with time spent in the play session. (Contains…