Research has shown that different maladaptive behavior categories may be maintained by different contingencies. We examined whether behavior categories or behavior topographies determine functional properties. The "Questions about Behavioral Function" with its five subscales ("Attention", "Escape", "Nonsocial", "Physical", and "Tangible") was…

Background: The prevalence, phenomenology aetiology and correlates of four forms of challenging behaviour in 32 children and adults with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) were investigated. Methods: Cognitive assessments, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data on intellectual disability, verbal and physical aggression,…

Preference for mand topography was evaluated for 2 individuals with developmental disabilities who exhibited problem behavior. The results of a functional analysis showed that each participant's problem behavior was maintained by social reinforcement. Participants were taught two novel mand topographies for the same functional reinforcer, and each…

Nine mentally handicapped adults were studied in order to assess the differential susceptibility of mentally handicapped individuals to sensory and social reinforcers. (Author/BD)

The study evaluated the training progress of 38 institutionalized severely or profoundly retarded adults who received either paired social praise and edible reinforcement or social praise only. Results stressed the need for reinforcer sampling before initiating skill training. (DB)

Five adult males with profound retardation were assessed on a motor task during baseline, satiation, and deprivation conditions, with three classes of consequences: small food items, music, and social praise. Each stimulus class functioned as reinforcement, with different degrees of effectiveness during satiation versus deprivation conditions.…

Age-related differences in imitation and recall were studied in children ranging from preschool to college age. Results indicated that children were more sensitive to vicarious consequences than adults. (ST)

Training involved instruction, performance feedback, role-playing, and social and monetary reinforcers. Among the findings were that training resulted in improvement in all 12 types of target behavior, and that treatment effects were rapid and were generally sustained after treatment had been discontinued for four weeks. (Author/DLS)

Available from: Sage Publications, Inc., 275 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90212. The effect of a differential reinforcement procedure alone was compared with the use of verbal prompts plus differential reinforcement in reducing deviant social behavior of an institutionalized retarded male (28 years old). (IM)

Two experiments, involving a total of 12 subjects, demonstrated the role of adults as releasers of infant vocal sounds, indicating that both rate and percent of bursts of vocal sounds are increased by adult stimulation. Both response-dependent and response-independent social stimulation were effective when infants could see the adult's eyes. (GO)

Kindergarten and second grade children participated in a replication and extension of Hartup's earlier study concerning the effects of continuous nurturance and nurturance withdrawal on children's behavior. The author suggests that future research be focused on less complex contrasts between adult interaction patterns. (CW)

Three interrelated aspects of fertility were investigated: existence of childbearing norms; strength of reinforcing social sanctions; and influence of social structural factors on incorporation of norms. Findings based on questionnaire data from 84 parent and nonparent couples were examined to evaluate utility of normative versus structural…

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of social reinforcement as a function of familiarity with the adult agent administering reinforcers. (GO)

Developmental changes in conditions engendering pride and embarrassment were explored. Among other results, developmental change was found in the standards used to evaluate emotional experiences; references to social comparison increased with age and references to mastery decreased. (PCB)

A one-week period of talk-show broadcasts from a Salt Lake City radio station was recorded and transcribed, in order to characterize the patterns of interaction which emerged from the talk between the six radio hosts and their callers. The coding system used focused on content and relationship aspects of communication. Results indicated that when…