Relationship of TV viewing habits and aggressive behavior in children.

Information about TV habits, (a) length of time watched and (b) extent of violence in favorite programs, was obtained from 689 mothers and 522 fathers in individual interviews having to do with the psychosocial antecedents of aggressive behavior in their children. This information was related to ratings of aggressive behavior of 3rd-grade children made by their peers. It was found that there was a significant positive relationship between the violence ratings of favorite programs as reported by both mothers and fathers and aggressive behavior of boys as rated in school. Also there was a significant negative relation between total time watched by boys as reported by mothers and aggressive behavior. The results for fathers' reports in this latter case were in the same direction, although not significant. No consistent relationships were noted between girls' TV habits as reported by either mother or father and aggression as rated in school by the peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neonatal precursors of infant behavior.

Tested 92 clinically normal infants (48 male, 44 female) at 2 and 90 days of age. At 2 days, they were tested in the hospitals in which they were born. Five hours of autonomic recordings during undisturbed periods and 1 hr of behavioral testing yielded measures that when factor analyzed produced 3 stable dimensions: Reactivity-Irritability, Maturity, and Reflexive and Discriminative Sucking. These dimensions were related to observational data obtained from the infants at 90 days of age. At 90 days, 2 home visits totaling 12 hrs yielded behavioral observations and ratings that when factor analyzed yielded 3 dimensions for males (Tonic-Active, Social, and Clarity) and 4 for females (Active-Social, Tonic, Positive Vocalizations, and Clarity). Correlations between the newborn factors and those obtained at 90 days revealed 1 summarizing relation for males: Newborn Maturity was positively correlated with Tonic-Active behavior at 90 days. No relations were found for females. Results reflect the greater endogenous stability for males and support hypotheses that females may be more receptive to environmental influence during early infancy. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of behavior and traditional therapy publication activity.

Compared the volume of research articles in various areas of psychology based on their yearly publication frequencies in Psychological Abstracts Annual Index which began indexing literature in 1927. Data from the last decade show that growth rates in psychology as a whole and in psychoanalysis increased exponentially while a much more dramatic increase appeared in behavior therapy. Other areas discussed include group therapy, experiential group therapy, psychodrama, client centered therapy, and projective techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of two systems that code infant affective expression.

The Monadic Phases Coding System (MP) and the Maximally Discriminative Facial Movement Coding System (MAX) are both widely used to define and quantify categories of infant affective behavior. To evaluate the validity of extrapolating research findings from one system to another, we used both systems to code videotapes of 12 four-month-old infants engaged in mother–infant interaction. Interobserver agreement was higher with MP; interobserver reliability was equivalent. Point estimates for the percentages of negative and positive, but not interest, expressions were equivalent. MP and MAX generally agreed about the type of expression presented. Intersystem correlations supported the concurrent, but not discriminant, validity of MP and MAX categories. Interest expressions were not orthogonal to negative and positive affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of interview and observation measures of mother behavior.

"In order to compare the adequacy of interviews and observations as methods, 30 mothers were studied by means of individual interviews and controlled observation while interacting with their children. Neither method was found to be completely superior to the other by the measures used… In general, it was concluded that the interview was a preferable method only because it allows coverage of a wider range of behavior than does an observation. However, it was found that observation of behavior discriminated 'defensive' mothers better than did the interview." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social phobia: A comparison of behavior therapy and atenolol.

72 social phobics were randomly assigned to behavioral (flooding) or drug treatment with atenolol or placebo. Treatment was administered over a 3-mo period of time, and duration of treatment effects was determined at a 6-mo follow-up assessment. Multiple measures of outcome were used, including self-report, clinician ratings (including assessment by independent evaluators), behavioral assessment, and performance on composite indexes. The results indicated that flooding consistently was superior to placebo, whereas atenolol was not. Flooding also was superior to atenolol on behavioral measures and composite indexes. Those Ss who improved during treatment maintained gains at the 6-mo follow-up regardless of whether they received flooding or atenolol. The variability of outcome on different measures in social phobia research is discussed, and the need for broad-based treatment strategies to address the pervasive deficits associated with social phobia is noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infants at social risk: Relations among infant maltreatment, maternal behavior, and infant attachment behavior.

Fifty-six 12-mo-old infants, including 10 maltreated infants, 18 nonmaltreated high-risk infants, and 28 matched low-income controls, were videotaped in naturalistic settings at home with their mothers for 40 min and were observed 2 weeks later in the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Maltreating mothers were rated higher than nonmaltreating mothers on covertly hostile and interfering behaviors toward their infants at home. Maltreated infants were more avoidant of their mothers in the Strange Situation than nonmaltreated infants. Correlations between maternal behaviors at home and infant behaviors in the Strange Situation revealed that mothers whose infants displayed resistant behavior on reunion were rated at home as less verbally communicative and mothers whose infants displayed avoidant behavior on reunion were rated at home as more covertly hostile. Infants showing mixed avoidance and resistance were more likely to have extremely uncommunicative mothers than were infants who showed avoidance alone. Use of the behavioral rating scales for avoidance and resistance produced clearer findings than use of the final attachment classifications. Reasons for the discrepancies between analyses of classifications and analyses of behavior ratings were identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consistency of mothers' behavior toward infant siblings.

Examined how similarly mothers behave toward infant siblings in 50 families in which mothers were videotaped while interacting with each of 2 siblings when each child was 12 mo old. The average age difference between siblings was 35 mo. Maternal behavior was assessed from the videotapes during feeding and free play. Factor analysis yielded 3 factors: Affection, Verbal Attention, and Control. Results indicate that the mothers behaved very similarly toward their 2 siblings at the same age in infancy: The consistency of maternal behavior toward the siblings approached the reliability of the measures. Although results might differ for older children, and for siblings of different ages, the data suggest that differential maternal treatment of children of the same age in infancy is unlikely to be a major source of the marked individual differences that have been observed within pairs of siblings. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of oscillating waterbeds and rhythmic sounds for premature infant stimulation.

22 healthy infants born at gestational ages of 28–32 wks were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups within the 1st 4 days following birth. Experimental Ss were placed in incubators equipped with oscillating waterbeds and rhythmic sounds; control Ss were placed in traditional incubators. Results indicate that general developmental progress was enhanced in the experimental group by the stimulation procedure. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Air-stepping in neonatal rats: A comparison of L-dopa injection and olfactory stimulation.

The kinematic parameters of air-stepping induced by 2 methods known to elicit locomotion (olfactory stimulation vs. L-dopa injection) were compared in 3-day-old rats. In the 1st stage, suspended pups were induced to step with an olfactory stimulus of soiled shavings from the nest. In the 2nd stage, they received a subcutaneous injection of L-dopa. Their movements were faster, with a larger amplitude and a phase delay in ipsilateral coupling. Third, the olfactory stimulus was presented in conjunction with L-dopa. The characteristics of locomotion returned to the same level as with the olfactory stimulus alone. These results suggest that olfactory stimulation involves higher nerve centers able to modulate the dopaminergic pathways. They are discussed in relation to the neural structure involved in locomotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of alprazolam and behavior therapy in treatment of panic disorder.

The results of a clinical outcome study (N?=?57) comparing behavior therapy directed at panic disorder (panic control treatment [PCT]) with alprazolam were reported. These conditions were compared with a medication placebo and a waiting-list control group. Patterns of results on measures of panic attacks, generalized anxiety, and global clinical ratings reveal that PCT was significantly more effective than placebo and waiting-list conditions on most measures. The alprazolam group differed significantly from neither PCT nor placebo. The percentage of clients completing the study who were free of panic attacks following PCT was 87%, compared with 50% for alprazolam, 36% for placebo, and 33% for the waiting-list group. Since alprazolam may work more quickly than PCT but may also interfere with the effects of behavioral treatment, these data suggest a series of studies on the feasibility of integrating these treatments and on the precise patterns and mechanisms of action of various successful treatment approaches to panic disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

B. F. Skinner's legacy in human infant behavior and development.

B. F. Skinner's legacy to human behavioral research for the study of environment–infant interactions, and indeed for the conception of development itself, is described and exemplified. The legacy is largely the practicality, the efficiency, and the comparative advantage (relative to diverse other behavioral and nonbehavioral approaches) of using the operant-learning paradigm to organize and explain many of the sequential changes in behavior patterns conventionally thought to constitute infant development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributional biases among clinicians: A comparison of psychoanalysts and behavior therapists.

Assessed the attributional style of 30 psychoanalysts, 32 behavior therapists, and 78 nontherapist undergraduates by using a mail survey. Ss listed causal explanations for 3 hypothetical problems experienced by either themselves, their friends, or their clients. Results indicate that (a) psychoanalysts gave more dispositional explanations than situational explanations, whereas the reverse was true for behavior therapists and nontherapists; (b) psychoanalysts gave psychological explanations for problems hypothetically experienced by their friends or clients, but then gave physical explanations for the same problems hypothetically experienced by themselves; and (c) psychoanalysts holding medical degrees gave fewer psychological attributions and more physical attributions than behavior therapists or psychoanalysts with doctorate degrees. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From exploration to play: A cross-sectional study of infant free play behavior.

40 infants, divided into 10 evenly spaced age groups between the ages of 7.5 and 21 mo, were observed playing with 2 sets of toys in their own homes for up to 30 min. Narrative records of Ss' behavior were coded in terms of a 12-step sequence of play development. Analysis of individual performance indicated that this level-of-play scale satisfied the requirements of a valid Guttman scale. Analyses of means revealed that frequency of mouthing and simple manipulation decreased linearly across the age period studied, whereas several types of pretense play increased linearly. Behavior that involved relating 2 or more materials and approximation of pretense behavior displayed curvilinear functions, which suggests that they are transitional forms of activity that link early exploration with more developmentally advanced pretense play. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caregiving and infant behavior in day care and in homes.

Social interaction and play behavior were compared in community-based day care and at home for 2 matched groups of 18-mo-olds (30 Ss). Adult–infant, infant–peer, and infant–toy interaction were time sampled. More adult–infant play, tactile contact, and reciprocal smiling were found in day care. More infant verbal responsiveness to maternal talking, more infant crying, and more maternal restrictiveness were found at home. Developmental level of play with toys was higher in day care, a difference associated with interaction with peers. The importance of the infant in shaping the environment emerged clearly from the data; day care/home differences in adult–infant interaction were often a function of differences in infant as well as adult behavior. No adverse effects of daily mother–infant separation were noted in the daily social and play behavior of the day-care group. The importance of peers as social objects for the toddler emerged from this study. Peers seemed to contribute to the high levels of play and to the positive affect noted in day care and also seemed to facilitate separation from adult caregivers. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the effects of training and secondary tasks on tracking behavior.

In attempting to estimate what kind of a mechanism would best replace the human operator in a man-machine system, 6 sailors operated radar sets while their performance was studied by electronic computers (analog). The effects of training and secondary scores were studied in terms of errors. The type of mechanism it would take to replace the man depended upon the level of training the man had received. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frightening maternal behavior linking unresolved loss and disorganized infant attachment.

Main and Hesse's (1990) model in which frightening (threatening, frightened, or dissociated) parental behavior explains why infants of parents with unresolved loss develop disorganized attachment relationships was tested. Unresolved loss using the Adult Attachment Interview in a nonclinical middle-class sample of 85 mothers who had experienced the loss of someone important was assessed. Disorganized attachment was examined in the Strange Situation. Parental behavior was recorded during 2 2-hr home visits. The model applied to mothers with currently insecure attachment representations. Secure mothers with unresolved loss displayed less frightening behavior than other mothers, and unresolved loss in secure mothers did not predict disorganized attachment of their infants. Frightening behavior predicted infant disorganized attachment irrespective of maternal security. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reinforcement is not enough: Learned expectancies and infant behavior.

Comments that J. L. Gewirtz and M. Peláez-Nogueras (see record 1993-12989-001) should be congratulated for reminding infant researchers of the methodological and conceptual debt owed to B. F. Skinner and for highlighting the contributions that behavior analysis offers for an understanding of infant behavior and development. It is contended that the concept of reinforcement, although a powerful process in infant behavior and development, is incapable of explaining many of the findings of infant researchers, including those who rely on operant conditioning as their paradigm of choice. The concept of expectancy is suggested as an adjunct to reinforcement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)