Organization development consultants (N=75) asked to list the 10 "most important" diagnostic questions they would want answered before accepting the contract. These were seen as a function of the change agent's organizational model and predictive of the interventions these consultants would plan. (Author)

The 54 sources of information on mental retardation that are provided cover historical aspects, causes of mental retardation, delivery of services, education for the mentally retarded, new approaches to the problem, rights of the mentally retarded, research and prevention, resources for parents of the mentally retarded, and library resources. (EJS)

Presents multivaried strategies for intervention which integrate major behavioral and family systems treatment techniques. A discussion of the development of family rules from a behavioral point of view is presented as an example of conceptual integration. (Author)

Reviews laboratory research on behavioral momentum conducted with pigeons and summarizes its findings and their generality to people, including those with mental retardation. Discusses the high-probability procedure used to establish compliance in clinical settings and based in part on an extension of the momentum metaphor. (CR)

This commentary discusses John Nevin's article on establishing compliance via behavioral momentum involving high-probability procedures, and questions whether applications of behavioral momentum can be derived from the theory, whether applications could have been developed if the theory not been formulated, and whether the theory will add…

Discussion of behavioral interventions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) notes new understanding, including that memory is not a unitary phenomenon, that certain types of memory are relatively spared in AD, and that conceptual knowledge is largely intact. Intervention techniques that capitalize on spared memory systems and take advantage of principles…

Incorporating statistical process control (SPC) methods into applied behavior analysis is discussed. It is claimed that SPC methods would likely reduce applied behavior analysts' intimate contacts with problems and would likely yield poor treatment and research decisions. Cases and data presented by Pfadt and Wheeler (1995) are cited as examples.…

This paper explores the controversy surrounding gentle teaching, with particular reference to the relationship between gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed, and it is suggested that gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis need not be regarded as mutually exclusive…

This study analyzed specific stimuli reinforcing destructive behavior in two 11-year-olds males with mental retardation and severe destructive behavior problems maintained by attention. The use of concurrent schedules of reinforcement identified alternatives to the reinforcing verbal reprimands and led to development of effective treatments to…

Within the study of human sexuality, researchers have undergone a cognitive shift toward the use of self-report measures to identify motivations for sexual behaviors. This article creates an argument for a re-orientation to including implicit or "drive" motivations within the field in order to better understand the forces that likely determine…

Teaching social skills to students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) has become an accepted practice. Literally hundreds of social skills training (SST) efficacy studies for students with EBD appear in the literature. As a result, many authors have published both narrative and meta-analytic reviews of the literature. Reviews have…

Identifies an epistemological bias in current psychological research in family planning and population change that contributes to its lack of relevance in providing solutions to problems: population psychologists simply must get on with the business of effecting changes in problem behaviors. (Author/JM)

The contribution of a structured procedure designed to facilitate the generalization of assertive behavior was examined. Subjects solicited from the community (N=48) were assigned to an assertion training plus generalization instructions (AT Plus), an assertion training only (AT Only), or an attention-placebo control condition. Both behavioral…

In the past, psychotherapy process research has operated in a vacuum, cut off from clinical practice. It has been dominated by short-sighted, simplistic methodological short-cuts which have hampered its usefulness. Over the next decade new research approaches may substantially close the gap between psychotherapy process research and the practice…

This model examines the theory, clinical process, and intervention techniques of behavioral consultation in educational and medical settings. Behavioral consultation requires empirical validation of intervention. It also holds the counselee accountable for consultations. The consultant has many techniques, but must be sensitive to interaction…