Behavioral contingencies and self-mutilation in Lesch-Nyhan disease.

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is a rare, sex-linked, recessive disease that is accompanied by severe self-mutilation, especially finger biting. Evidence is presented suggesting that parental response patterns may contribute to the genesis of the self-injurious behavior (SIB). The therapeutic effectiveness of punishment, positive reinforcement of either SIB or non-SIB, and time-out learning paradigms were evaluated in 5 Ss aged 3–13 yrs. Electric skin shock failed to suppress the behavior. Positive reinforcement of non-self-injury and time-out from social reinforcement were consistently and rapidly effective, indicating a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the production of SIB. Elimination or major reductions in incidence of SIB was maintained during follow-up periods of 2 yrs. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Helping the noncompliant child: Family-based treatment for oppositional behavior (2nd ed.).

Reviews the book, Helping the noncompliant child: Family-based treatment for oppositional behavior (2nd ed.) by R. J. McMahon and R. L. Forehand (see record 2004-00004-000). Positive outcomes of parent training programs have been well documented in the literature (Lonigan, Elbert, & Johnson, 1998). These programs are often recommended for young children exhibiting disruptive behaviors (Kazdin, 1997). The efficacy of parent training programs for families who are able to complete treatment is documented for both short-term and long-term goals (Brestan & Eyberg, 1998; Lonigan et al., 1998). Helping the Noncompliant Child: Family-Based Treatment for Oppositional Behavior is the second edition of a successful parent training program that promises to deliver results similar to those of the earlier program. In their book, McMahon and Forehand present an intervention treatment program designed for children ages 3 to 8 years who present as "excessively noncompliant." The treatment program is based on the premise that "the child's noncompliant, inappropriate behavior is shaped and maintained through maladaptive patterns of family interaction, which reinforce coercive behaviors" (p. 28). McMahon and Forehand's HNC program provides parents with a specific and practical way to get out of the coercive cycle of negative interactions by using attention and rewards, ignoring negative behaviors, and giving clear instructions. The program falls short when it uses essentially the same time-out procedure for noncompliance for children between the ages of 3 and 8 and regardless of the function or reason for the noncompliance. To intervene effectively with a child, all of the issues at hand must be taken into consideration. In severe cases, the time-out procedure recommended could actually increase conflict between the parent and the child should the child not comply, resulting in family drop out or the need to modify the adjunctive individual therapies. Preparing parents for these exceptions and possible need for modifying the program by clarifying the populations who have been successful and unsuccessful in parent training programs would be a good addition to the book. This book can only be recommended for use with families for whom a thorough evaluation has determined that the child's noncompliant behaviors are a function of coercive family interactions consisting of unclear parenting messages. The child must evidence the ability to participate effectively in the time-out procedure. The child and family must clearly fit into the population shown to benefit from parent training programs. For these families, the HNC program may decrease noncompliant behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of reinforcement omission on rats with lesions in the amygdala.

Trained 12 male Wistar rats with bilateral lesions in the amygdala to barpress on an FI schedule of reinforcement. During test trials, when reinforcement was occasionally omitted, response rates of 12 controls increased in the subsequent interval, whereas lesioned Ss showed no significant change. In Exp II Ss received fixed-ratio reinforcement on 1 lever, which was followed by a time-out period and fixed-ratio reinforcement on a 2nd lever. Results indicate that after reinforcement was withheld Ss with damage in the amygdala did not increase responding in the subsequent time-out period, whereas controls showed significantly higher rates. Differential latencies to initiation of response after nonreinforcement were also found. The deficits following brain damage are attributed to a reduction in nonreinforcement-induced frustration. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Effects of Reinforcement Omission on Rats with Lesions in the Amygdala": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Effects of Reinforcement Omission on Rats with Lesions in the Amygdala" by Peter G. Henke (Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 1973[Jul], Vol 84[1], 187-193). On page 188, the sentence beginning on Line 20, Column 1 should read: "Prior to any behavioral training, six animals received bilateral RF lesions in the amygdaloid complex." (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1974-06538-001.) Trained 12 male Wistar rats with bilateral lesions in the amygdala to barpress on an FI schedule of reinforcement. During test trials, when reinforcement was occasionally omitted, response rates of 12 controls increased in the subsequent interval, whereas lesioned Ss showed no significant change. In Exp II Ss received fixed-ratio reinforcement on 1 lever, which was followed by a time-out period and fixed-ratio reinforcement on a 2nd lever. Results indicate that after reinforcement was withheld Ss with damage in the amygdala did not increase responding in the subsequent time-out period, whereas controls showed significantly higher rates. Differential latencies to initiation of response after nonreinforcement were also found. The deficits following brain damage are attributed to a reduction in nonreinforcement-induced frustration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is time-out from positive reinforcement an aversive event? A review of the experimental evidence.

Experiments concerning the aversive properties of time-out (TO) from positive reinforcement are reviewed. A discussion of experimental designs employed and problems encountered in defining aversive stimuli precedes the review. The major topics covered are: avoidance of TO, escape from TO, escape from stimuli which previously signalled TO, punishment with TO, effects on ongoing behavior of pre-TO stimuli, escape from conditions of positive reinforcement into TO. In general, TO satisfied sufficient criteria to conclude that it belongs to the class of stimuli called "aversive." However, this conclusion is only tentative. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specious reward: A behavioral theory of impulsiveness and impulse control.

In a choice among assured, familiar outcomes of behavior, impulsiveness is the choice of less rewarding over more rewarding alternatives. Discussions of impulsiveness in the literature of economics, sociology, social psychology, dynamic psychology and psychiatry, behavioral psychology, and "behavior therapy" are reviewed. Impulsiveness seems to be best accounted for by the hyperbolic curves that have been found to describe the decline in effectiveness of rewards as the rewards are delayed from the time of choice. Such curves predict a reliable change of choice between some alternative rewards as a function of time. This change of choice provides a rationale for the known kinds of impulse control and relates them to several hitherto perplexing phenomena: behavioral rigidity, time-out from positive reinforcement, willpower, self-reward, compulsive traits, projection, boredom, and the capacity of punishing stimuli to attract attention. (31/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide to Parent Training.

Reviews the book, Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide to Parent Training by Rex L. Forehand and Robert J. McMahon (1981). Clinicians working with families will find Helping the noncompliant child an invaluable book. The six chapters and four appendices provide a comprehensive program for training parents to engage in behaviours that will improve parent-child relationships. The treatment program consists of two phases. In the first phase parents are taught to increase their child's appropriate behaviours through the use of differential attention and rewards. This phase has two main purposes: teaching appropriate behaviours and increasing the "quality" time between parents and their children. These effects should increase the positiveness of the parent-child relationship, and help prevent a return to a coercive relationship. The second phase teaches parents to reduce the frequency of inappropriate behaviours through the use of appropriate commands and the use of time-out. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental problem-solving skills, stress, and dietary compliance in phenylketonuria.

Parents of 30 children with phenylketonuria (PKU) who were classified as being in good dietary control (compliant, measured as within the medically acceptable range of blood phenylalanine levels of 2–20 mg) or poor dietary control (noncompliant, measured as either below or above medically acceptable 2–20 mg blood phenylalanine levels) engaged in verbal and written problem-solving situations under conditions of both high and low time-pressure induced stress. Overall, compliant parents gave higher quality verbal and written problem-solving solutions than noncompliant parents. Stress reduced the quality of problem solving in both compliant and noncompliant parents, but even under high stress, compliant parents demonstrated better problem-solving abilities than noncompliant parents. The potential importance of these findings for preventive intervention in PKU families is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time-out with children. Effects of an explanation and brief parent training on child and parent behaviors

The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to determine the effect of an explanation prior to or after time-out on child compliance and on child disruptive behavior during time-out and (b) to determine the effect of brief parent training in time-out on child and parent behaviors. Thirty-two mother-child pairs served as subjects and were assigned to one of the following four groups: control, time-out only, explanation prior to time-out, or explanation following time-out. Each mother-child pair was observed for one session under pretraining, training, and posttraining conditions. The results indicated that time-out significantly increased compliance but the addition of an explanation did not further alter the effectiveness of time-out. Training in the use of time-out decreased the incidence of maternal interruptions but did affect maternal responses that were not trained. Finally, following brief time-out training for noncompliance, the mothers used the procedure only 50% of the time following noncompliance.     

Effect of compliance for chronic asthmatic children.

Compliance to a theophylline regimen by 11 male and 11 female chronically asthmatic 7–12 yr olds was assessed by a riboflavin tracer method. Ss who took 80% or more of their prescribed medication were considered compliant; Ss who took less were considered noncompliant. Results indicate that noncompliant Ss experienced significantly more wheezing, greater variability in peak flow rates, and lower overall scores than compliant Ss. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenic discrimination learning as a function of aversive social and physical reinforcement.

60 schizophrenics comparable in important psychopathological variables (e.g., Inpatient Multidimensional Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Premorbid History-Phillips Prognostic Rating Scale) to Ss in other similar studies were compared on a discrimination learning task with noxious physical reinforcement (intense white noise at 91–94 db) under experimenter (E)-present conditions with motivational instructions and E-absent conditions with neutral instructions. Aversive reinforcement was delivered on a response contingent basis for avoidance and escape training under both social conditions. Long-term effects were evaluated 3 consecutive learning tasks: before, during, and following the 6 reinforcement conditions. Results provide strong confirmation that social factors in the E–S relationship determine the speed of learning throughout. Regardless of physical punishment or the reinforcement paradigm (avoidance or escape), Ss learned significantly faster in the E's presence with motivational instructions both during and after the reinforcement phase. The theoretical implications of what is called biological motivation were found to be insufficient grounds for ordering the data. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skill training in an integrated preschool program.

This study examined the effectiveness of a commercially available social skills training program plus classroom reinforcement for use with preschoolers with developmental delays. Two groups of 19 participants (mean age 49.73–52.9 mo old) each received either the combined treatment package or classroom reinforcement of target behaviors only. An additional 20 participants served as a control group. The combination of social skills training plus classroom reinforcement of target behaviors resulted in statistically significant increases in sharing behavior over those obtained by both control participants and participants receiving reinforcement of classroom behavior alone. Group behavior was increased over that shown by control participants through the use of either the social skills plus classroom reinforcement treatment package or classroom reinforcement alone. Social skills interventions were viewed favorably by both classroom teachers and preschool participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of vicarious reinforcement in normal and severely disturbed children.

In the 1st study, 40 5–7 yr old children (Stanford-Binet IQ 107–236) were engaged in pairs in a laboratory task during which the experimenter delivered social reinforcement to one child; the other child in the dyad received no direct reinforcement. In the 2nd study, 14 severely disturbed 5–7 yr old hospitalized children (Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or Bayley Scales of Infant Development MA 23–38 mo) were engaged in a naturalistic setting in which one was reinforced and the other was not. Results of both studies were similar. Although observation of another S being reinforced initially improved the performance of the nonreinforced Ss, their performance levels decreased over time and resembled those observed when extinction procedures are used. Findings are discussed in terms of modeling, discriminative cue, and extinction hypotheses as they relate to the effects of vicarious reinforcement. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive-behavioral and pharmacologic interventions for hyperactive boys: Comparative and combined effects.

Assessed the effects of 2 interventions—reinforcement and reinforced self-evaluation—on the positive social behavior of 24 8–13 yr old hyperactive males to test the hypothesis that reinforced self-evaluation would produce greater positive social behavior in Ss. Comparisons between Ss receiving methylphenidate (5–40 mg/day) and Ss receiving placebo were also conducted to clarify the effects of stimulant medication on Ss' social behavior. The primary outcome measures were direct observations of appropriate and negative social interactions. Results indicate that both methylphenidate and reinforced self-evaluation were superior to the contrast treatments. When the effects of the 4 treatment combinations were rank ordered, medication plus cognitive-behavioral self-evaluation proved optimal; placebo plus reinforcement alone was significantly worse than all other conditions. Medication enhanced the accuracy of Ss' self-evaluation. Findings are discussed in the context of the need for intervention with the social and interpersonal difficulties of hyperactive children. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a more rigorous definition of social reinforcement: Some interpersonal clarifications.

Some researchers define social reinforcers procedurally (i.e., a priori), thereby ignoring Skinner's (1953) admonition to define reinforcers emprirically. The present study compared "popular" and "interpersonal" concepts of reinforcement under conditions in which the 2 concepts imply different reinforcers. Confederates responded to hostile-dominant statements by 20 8–14 yr old boys with either friendly-submissive (popular) or hostile-submissive (complementary) statements. Results suggest that behavioral complementarity may be applied to predict both social reinforcers and "antidotes" and support the existence of coplementary behavioral relationships. Simply equating social reinforcement with friendly behavioral consequences is inadequate to explain the spectrum of behaviors found to be reinforcing. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The time-out grid: A guide to effective discipline.

Describes the Time-out Grid, a heuristic tool for analyzing and solving problems associated with implementing time-out in the classroom. Its conceptual foundation is based on research that has demonstrated the importance of relative reinforcing stimulus change in determining the effectiveness of time-out. The Grid illustrates behavioral outcomes associated with differing amounts of reinforcing stimulus change between the time-in and time-out environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral contrast and behavioral momentum.

In Exp 1, 5 pigeons were trained to peck a key on multiple schedules of food reinforcement. The reinforcer rate was constant in 1 component and varied between conditions in the alternated component. In the constant component, steady-state response rate and its resistance to both prefeeding and extinction were inversely related to the reinforcer rate in the alternated component. Thus, resistance to both prefeeding and to extinction, like response rate, exhibits behavioral contrast. In Exp 2, a time-out period between schedule components eliminated contrast effects on steady-state response rate but not on resistance to extinction. The resistance-to-change results contradict expectations derived from current quantitative accounts of steady-state operant behavior and suggest instead that resistance to change depends on the contingency between component stimuli and reinforcers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The secondary circular reaction and response elicitation in the operant learning of 6-month-old infants.

In the experimental study of learning in human infants, the problem of stimulus control vs learning has been recognized for some time, especially in the conditioning of social responses using social reinforcers. Piaget's observations of the secondary circular reaction suggest that the same problem exists in nonsocial learning. An experiment with 65 6-mo-old infants was conducted to replicate Piaget's observation of the structure of the secondary circular reaction and to determine whether response-independent auditory–visual reinforcement might maintain a motor response as effectively as response-dependent auditory–visual reinforcement. Results suggest that such a stimulus can have, or can acquire by virtue of its role as a reinforcer, the capacity to elicit the learned response, and that action-consequence learning in infants may consist of a combination of elicitation and conditioning factors. Some implications for the study of action-consequence learning are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in social reinstatement motivation of the domestic chick (Gallus gallus) revealed by runway tests with social and nonsocial reinforcement.

Male and female chicks (Gallus gallus) were trained at 4 days old to run along a corridor to reach a goal box that contained either cagemates (social reinforcement) or food (nonsocial reinforcement). Females ran faster when social reinforcement was used, whereas males ran faster with nonsocial reinforcement. When social reinforcement was used with a V-shaped runway, in which chicks had to proceed toward the goal object in an indirect fashion, sex differences were reversed. The results may be due to stronger social reinstatement tendencies in females than in males: Higher levels of social motivation facilitate behavioral performance when the task is easy (straight runway) and inhibit it when the task is difficult (V-shaped runway). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)