Sequential analysis of chronic pain behaviors and spouse responses.

Social reinforcers such as spouse behaviors have been hypothesized to be important in maintaining chronic pain behavior. This study used direct observation to test whether solicitous and aggressive spouse behaviors systematically precede and follow patient pain behaviors. 50 chronic pain patients and spouses and 33 control couples were videotaped performing specified tasks. Spouse solicitous behaviors were significantly more likely to precede and follow nonverbal pain behaviors, and nonverbal pain behaviors were significantly less likely to follow spouse aggressive behaviors in pain than in control couples. Within couples, spouse solicitous behaviors preceded and followed verbal and nonverbal pain behaviors beyond chance levels more often in pain than in control couples. Results support an operant conceptualization of factors maintaining chronic pain behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent attributions for inattentive-overactive, oppositional-defiant, and prosocial behaviours in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Compared attributions for and reactions to inattentive-overactive (IO), oppositional-defiant (OD), and prosocial (PRO) child behaviors among parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 26 mothers and 14 fathers of 7.1–14-yr-olds completed a written analogue measure, and 16 mothers and 11 fathers recalled examples of their own child's behavior. On the analogue measure, parents assumed less responsibility for IO child behaviors compared to either OD or PRO behaviors and reacted more negatively to IO and OD behaviors than to PRO behaviors. Also on the analogue measure, parents responded less positively to PRO behaviors presented in the context of IO or OD behaviors compared to PRO behaviors presented in the context of other PRO behaviors, and IO behaviors were rated as less controllable by the child and less of the parent's responsibility when they were presented in the context of OD behaviors. On the recalled behavior measure, parents also reacted more negatively to IO and OD behaviors, and saw these behaviors as less controllable by the child than PRO behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee substance use and on-the-job behaviors.

Substance use and job behaviors were assessed in a sample of municipal employees from a large city in the southwestern United States. Job behaviors included psychological and physical withdrawal, positive work behaviors, and antagonistic work behaviors. Employees who reported substance use at or away from work were found to more frequently engage in withdrawal activities and antagonistic work behaviors than did nonusers, although users and nonusers did not differ on positive work behaviors. Hierarchical regression models were tested to determine whether substance use contributed unique variance to the prediction of job behaviors after controlling for variance associated with personal and job background domains. Substance use added unique variance to the prediction of psychological and physical withdrawal behaviors but not to positive or antagonistic work behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autonomic functioning moderates the relations between contextual factors and externalizing behaviors among inner-city children.

Although previous research has identified various child-specific and contextual risk factors associated with externalizing behaviors, there is a dearth of literature examining child × context interactions in the prospective prediction of externalizing behaviors. To address this gap, we examined autonomic functioning as a moderator of the relation between contextual factors (i.e., neighborhood cohesion and harsh parental behaviors) and externalizing behaviors. Participants were an ethnic minority, inner-city sample of first through fourth grade children (N = 57, 50% male) and their primary caregivers who participated in two assessments approximately 1 year apart. Results indicated that baseline sympathetic functioning moderated the relation between (a) neighborhood cohesion and externalizing behaviors and (b) harsh parental behaviors and externalizing behaviors. Post-hoc probing of these interactions revealed that higher levels of neighborhood cohesion prospectively predicted (a) higher levels of externalizing behaviors among children with heightened baseline sympathetic functioning, and (b) lower levels of externalizing behaviors among children with attenuated baseline sympathetic functioning. In addition, among children with heightened baseline sympathetic functioning, higher levels of harsh parental behaviors prospectively predicted higher levels of externalizing behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enduring effects of photoperiod on affective behaviors in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).

The effects of perinatal and postweaning photoperiods on subsequent affective behaviors were examined in adult Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Hamsters exposed perinatally to short days (8 hr light/day) exhibited mixed results for adult anxiety-like behaviors and increased some depressive-like behaviors compared with hamsters exposed to long days (16 hr light/day). Postweaning exposure to short days increased depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors compared with long days. Sex differences in affective behaviors were observed. These results suggest that anxiety-like behaviors are organized early in life and endure throughout adulthood, and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors are modified by postweaning photoperiod. The persistence of photoperiod-induced affective behaviors in rodents supports the hypothesis that symptoms of human affective disorders may reflect ancestral adaptations to seasonal environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Socialization of prosocial behavior in the preschool classroom.

Videotaped the naturally occurring classroom behaviors of 33 preschool children 51–63 mo old. Instances of prosocial, defensive, and social behaviors were coded, as well as peer and teacher reactions to prosocial behaviors. Although teachers responded positively to Ss' prosocial behaviors only a small percentage of the time, peers reacted positively a moderate proportion of the time. Ss who frequently responded to requests for prosocial behavior received fewer positive reactions from peers than Ss who complied with requests less often. In contrast, teachers were more likely to react positively to girls who exhibited high levels of "asked for" (compliant) prosocial behaviors. The type of reactions an S received for prosocial behaviors was related both to the type of reactions given to others' prosocial behaviors and to positive sociability. Frequent performance of spontaneous prosocial actions was related to a different pattern of behaviors than was frequency of prosocial behaviors in response to a request. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal values as a mediator between parent and peer expectations and adolescent behaviors.

The current study examined the mediating role of adolescents' personal values on the relation between maternal and peer expectations for prosocial behaviors and adolescents' self-reported prosocial and antisocial behaviors. One hundred thirty-four adolescents (mean age = 16.22 years, 54% girls) completed measures of their own values and behaviors, as well as their perceptions of the positive expectations that their mother and their best friend(s) had for their (the adolescents') prosocial behaviors. Stepwise regression analyses suggested that adolescents' personal prosocial values mediated the relation between adolescents' perceptions of both maternal and peer expectations and adolescents' prosocial behaviors. In addition, for boys, perceptions of positive peer expectations were directly and negatively related to antisocial behaviors. The current study has important implications for parents, educators, and practitioners who are concerned about promoting adolescents' positive behaviors and discouraging negative behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Minority students' self-control of procrastination.

Examined the effects of self-monitoring alone and self-monitoring plus self-reward on 3 academic and 3 related procrastinative behaviors of 6 academically disadvantaged minority undergraduates. It was hypothesized that self-monitoring plus self-reward would increase academic behaviors and decrease related procrastinating behaviors. It was also predicted that self-monitoring alone would not be as effective as with reward. A 3rd hypothesis was that Ss would be able to maintain multiple self-reward contracts simultaneously. Research assistants recorded academic, procrastinative, and percentage of initial contract maintenance behaviors. Results indicate that Ss self-monitored consistently and accurately and self-rewarded frequently the occurrences of their academic behaviors. Self-monitoring alone did not reduce academic or procrastinative behaviors. Self-monitoring plus self-reward was effective in producing substantial increases in academic behaviors and grades and in producing decreases in related procrastinative behaviors. Ss were able to initiate sequential multiple self-reward contracts and to continue these self-reward contracts simultaneously. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflict, social support and relationship quality: An observational study of heterosexual, gay male and lesbian couples' communication.

Data from 42 heterosexual, 46 gay male, and 33 lesbian couples were used to assess the contribution of conflict and support discussions to relationship quality. Couples completed questionnaires, and videotaped discussions were coded for levels of negative and positive behaviors. Correlations showed that behaviors were associated with relationship quality in the expected directions. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses assessed the unique contributions of individual and dyadic behaviors to the variability of relationship quality. The findings indicated that, beyond the contribution of individual negative behaviors in the conflict task, the variables of dyadic positive behaviors in the conflict task, individual positive behaviors in the support task, and perceived help accounted for unexplained variance in relationship quality. There were no differences between types of couples on levels of behaviors or on their contributions to relationship quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee self-enhancement motives and job performance behaviors: Investigating the moderating effects of employee role ambiguity and managerial perceptions of employee commitment.

This study examined the effects of employee self-enhancement motives on job performance behaviors (organizational citizenship behaviors and task performance) and the value of these behaviors to them. The authors propose that employees display job performance behaviors in part to enhance their self-image, especially when their role is not clearly defined. They further argue that the effects of these behaviors on managerial reward recommendation decisions should be stronger when managers believe the employees to be more committed. The results from a sample of 84 working students indicate that role ambiguity moderated the effects of self-enhancement motives on job performance behaviors and that managerial perceptions of an employee's commitment moderated the effects of those organizational citizenship behaviors that are aimed at other individuals on managers' reward allocation decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple determinants and effect size.

Used a Monte Carlo study to investigate the magnitude of various relations among behaviors and traits in the context of a multiple-determinant framework (MDF). It was found that when only 3 traits determined each of 2 behaviors and the 2 behaviors were influenced by only 1 common trait, there was an upper bound correlation of about .30 between the 2 behaviors; there was also an upper bound correlation of about .50 between measures of the common trait and the behaviors. When only 4 traits determined each of the 2 behaviors with both behaviors being influenced by 1 common trait, there was an upper bound correlation of about .25 between the 2 behaviors and an upper bound correlation of about .45 between measures of the common trait and the behaviors. It is argued that researchers should abandon the implicit assumption of a one-to-one relation between traits and behavioral consequences and instead adopt an MDF in the study of behavior, focusing not only on the additive effects of multiple determinants but also on the interactions between these determinants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental implications of excessive selenium: a review

Reports of autistic behaviors were examined for 30 school-age girls with fragile X (fraX) and 31 age- and IQ-matched controls through a structured interview administered to each girl's parent(s). IQ scores were obtained for each participant; anxiety, neuroanatomical, and molecular-genetic data were derived for girls with fraX. Girls with fraX had significantly more autistic behaviors than controls. These behaviors were qualitatively similar to those reported for boys with fraX, but were not correlated with IQ. Anxiety in girls with fraX was positively correlated with abnormal social and communication behaviors; posterior cerebellar vermis area was negatively correlated with measures of communication and stereotypic/restricted behaviors. Severity of stereotypic/restricted behaviors was negatively correlated with the prevalence of active non-fraX chromosomes. Thus anxiety and posterior cerebellar area measures had distinct associations with subsets of autistic behaviors; these associations may have important implications for understanding the neurobiology of autism.     

Communal behaviors and psychological adjustment of family caregivers and persons with spinal cord injury.

Objective: Examined the influence of mutual communal behaviors on the adjustment reported by persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their family caregivers. Previous research has found that persons who have a history of mutually communal behaviors in relationships may react differently to relationship changes after an acquired physical disability than dyads with few communal behaviors. Method: Family caregivers and persons with SCI were administered measures of mutual communal behaviors, depression, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relations among caregivers' communal behaviors and care recipients' communal behaviors, depression, and life satisfaction. Results: Caregiver and care recipient reports of communal behaviors were not significantly correlated. Significant paths indicated that care recipients' communal behavior scores were positively associated with their life satisfaction, and care recipients' depression was inversely associated with their life satisfaction. Caregivers' communal behavior scores were unrelated to their self-reported adjustment. Conclusions: Caregiver-care recipient dyads may differ in their perceptions of communal behaviors in their relationships. Although care recipient reports of communal behavior may be related to their life satisfaction, communal behaviors may not serve a similar function among caregivers of persons with SCI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Misanthropic person memory.

Three experiments examined memory for behaviors associated with attributional information. A baseline established in Experiment 1, using behaviors unaccompanied by attributions, indicated that expectancy-inconsistent behaviors were better recalled than consistent ones. Experiment 2 linked these same behaviors to dispositional or situational attributions. After reconceptualizing the results, it was shown that negative dispositionally attributed behaviors and positive situationally attributed behaviors were best recalled, suggesting that there is a negativity bias in person memory for behaviors that are accompanied by attributions. Experiment 3, using a different procedure, served as a replication of this misanthropic memory effect and demonstrated that the effect was only slightly altered by reducing the processing time allocated for this task. The findings were discussed in terms of their implications for expectancy-driven information processing and also with regard to the types of impressions people may form from attributed behavioral information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The ring of punishment: A theoretical and experimental analogue of repression-suppression.

This paper considers how some punished behaviors become less accessible than other equally punished behaviors. A theory viewing repression and suppression as lying on a continuum with respect to the accessibility of punished behavior is developed around the construct of a "ring of punishment." This ring consists of continuing and related punishments for a series of behaviors; punished behaviors preceded and followed ("ringed") by other punished behaviors are comparatively inaccessible (repressed) while punished behaviors not so ringed are less inaccessible (suppressed). Experimental data supported the theory for associative learning that fell within the ring of punishment, but some discrepant results appeared for learning falling just outside the ring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal changes in behavioral problems in old age: a study in an adult day care population

BACKGROUND: Four types of agitation have been identified: physically aggressive behaviors, physically nonaggressive behaviors, verbally aggressive behaviors, and verbally nonaggressive behaviors. These pose a major challenge to caregivers and are sometimes indicators of the emotional state of the older person. Longitudinal changes in these four subtypes of agitated behaviors were examined. METHODS: One hundred and four community-dwelling participants of five senior day care centers (mean age = 79) were followed up for 2 years. Their agitation was assessed, as was their cognitive functioning, affect, and medical functioning. RESULTS: Although physically nonaggressive, physically aggressive, and verbally aggressive behaviors increased significantly over 2 years, verbally nonaggressive behaviors did not show significant changes over time. These patterns can be partially explained by the relationship between the different types of agitation and cognitive functioning. Increases in physically nonaggressive behaviors from start to end of the 2 years were predicted by greater cognitive impairment at baseline and by receiving a smaller number of medications at baseline. Increases in verbally aggressive behaviors and in physically aggressive behaviors during the study period correlated significantly with a greater decline in cognitive functioning and increased depression at baseline. In addition, increases in physical aggression were correlated with greater cognitive impairment at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The course of change for each type of agitation was unique. The relationships between inappropriate behaviors, cognitive functioning, physical health, and depression over time are complex and vary by type of agitation.     

The regulation of negative reactivity in infancy: Function and development.

This study examined the function and effectiveness of certain behaviors in regulating negative arousal in 5- and 10-month-old infants. Infants participated in an arm restraint procedure at 5 months (N?=?87) and a toy removal task at 10 months (N?=?82). Negative reactivity and regulatory behaviors—avoidance, orienting, self-comforting, and communicative behaviors (10-month only)—were coded and sectioned into 10-s epochs. Results showed that self-comforting behaviors were preferred at both 5 and 10 months of age. A comparison of changes in negative reactivity across every 2 consecutive 10-s epochs (decreasers vs. increasers vs. no change) revealed self-comforting behaviors to be exhibited most often during periods of decreasing negative arousal. Orienting behaviors also appeared to serve a regulatory function but in a more limited way. Finally, under these circumstances, avoidance and communicative behaviors were exhibited most often during increasing distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral effects of estrogen receptor gene disruption in male mice

Gonadal steroid hormones regulate sexually dimorphic development of brain functions and behaviors. Their nuclear receptors offer the opportunity to relate molecular events in neurons to simple instinctive mammalian behaviors. We have determined the role of estrogen receptor (ER) activation by endogenous estrogen in the development of male-typical behaviors by the use of transgenic estrogen-receptor-deficient (ERKO) mice. Surprisingly, in spite of the fact that they are infertile, ERKO mice showed normal motivation to mount females but they achieved less intromissions and virtually no ejaculations. Aggressive behaviors were dramatically reduced and male-typical offensive attacks were rarely displayed by ERKO males. Moreover, ER gene disruption demasculinized open-field behaviors. In the brain, despite the evident loss of functional ER protein, the androgen-dependent system appears to be normally present in ERKO mice. Together, these findings indicate that ER gene expression during development plays a major role in the organization of male-typical aggressive and emotional behaviors in addition to simple sexual behaviors.     

Social values and egocentric bias: Two tests of the might over morality hypothesis.

Recent research indicates that people with different social values perceive the cooperative–competitive distinction differently. Cooperators see it as an evaluative, good–bad dimension, whereas noncooperators see it as a dynamic, strong–weak dimension. We found behavioral support for this principle in that cooperators and competitors displayed different egocentric biases. In Study 1 we expected cooperators to display an egocentric bias by associating themselves with good (cooperative) behaviors and by associating others with bad (competitive) behaviors. Noncooperators, not perceiving cooperation–competition as evaluative, should not display this association as strongly. We had Ss write lists of cooperative and competitive behaviors that either they or others did. Cooperators showed an egocentric bias; competitors did not. In Study 2 a different group of Ss rated a subset of behaviors produced in Study 1. When using an evaluative scale, the behaviors written by cooperators were rated more extremely than the behaviors written by competitors; when using a potency dimension, behaviors written by competitors were not rated more extremely than the behaviors written by cooperators. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroleptic use and behavioral disturbance in nursing homes: a 1-year study

This article discusses a longitudinal study of change in disruptive behaviors among nursing home residents treated with neuroleptics compared with those not treated with neuroleptics. Observations were made of 201 participants on admission to and after 1 year in eight skilled nursing facilities. Nine disruptive behaviors were measured using the Psychogeriatric Dependency Rating Scale with nursing assistants. Neuroleptic use was documented from medication records. Odds ratios are reported for the association of behavior at baseline and use of neuroleptics on nine problem behaviors. For those who received neuroleptics during the year, there was greater change in both developing and resolving disruptive behaviors than for those not receiving neuroleptics. For both groups, restless or pacing behavior and belligerent behavior manifested by refusing instructions changed the most, both in developing and in apparently resolving. Our results show that change in disruptive behaviors occurs among nursing home residents regardless of neuroleptic use, but it occurs more frequently among those who receive neuroleptic medication. Knowledge of which disruptive behaviors are most likely to resolve or develop is important in training nursing home staff to cope with the behaviors as well as in planning interventions that may modify such behaviors.