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Biomedical subjects

T L Whitman

Publications and source records attributed to T L Whitman.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

A self-instructional package for increasing attending behavior in educable mentally retarded children.

The purpose of this study was to develop a self-instructional package that would aid highly distractible children in increasing their attending behavior in a training and two generalization (a one-to-one and a classroom) situations. Three untrained subjects were monitored for general comparison and social validation purposes. One of these control subjects was distractible and the other two (criterion comparison) were evaluated as not having attentional problems. A multiple baseline design was employed in which training was sequentially introduced across subjects. During training, the experimental subjects were taught through self-instruction to focus their attention and to cope with two tasks, math and printing. After learning the self-instructions the subjects were systematically and sequentially exposed to photo-slides of distracting situations, to audio-distractors composed of noisy lunchroom verbal peer interactions, and to in vivo distractors provided by kindergarten children playing with wooden blocks in the training setting. The entire training procedure was handled in a game-like context to maintain subject interest and to facilitate generalization. The results suggested that the training package produced direct and generalized changes in self-instructional behavior. In addition, a decreae in off-task behavior occurred during math, printing, and also during a phonics program in the one-to-one and classroom situations. However, reliable changes in academic task performance were not observed. Finally, no systematic changes on any of the dependent measures occurred for the three untrained subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Response deprivation and reinforcement in applied settings: A preliminary analysis.

First-grade children engaged in seatwork behaviors under reinforcement schedules established according to the Premack Principle and the Response Deprivation Hypothesis. Across two experiments, schedules were presented to the children in a counter-balanced fashion which fulfilled the conditions of one, both, or neither of the hypotheses. Duration of on-task math and coloring in Experiment 1 and on-task math and reading in Experiment 2 were the dependent variables. A modified ABA-type withdrawal design, including a condition to control for the noncontingent effects of a schedule, indicated an increase of on-task instrumental responding only in those schedules where the condition of response deprivation was present but not where it was absent, regardless of the probability differential between the instrumental and contingent responses. These results were consistent with laboratory findings supporting the necessity of response deprivation for producing the reinforcement effect in single response, instrumental schedules. However, the results of the control procedure were equivocal so the contribution of the contingent relationship between the responses to the increases in instrumental behavior could not be determined. Nevertheless, these results provided tentative support for the Response Deprivation Hypothesis as a new approach to establishing reinforcement schedules while indicating the need for further research in this area. The possible advantages of this technique for applied use were identified and discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1971

Effects of reinforcement and guidance procedures on instruction-following behavior of severely retarded children.

Positive reinforcement, physical guidance, and fading procedures were used to teach two severely retarded children motor responses to a variety of verbal instructions. Subjects' responses to one set of instructions provided the focus for the training procedures. Their responses to a second set of instructions were used to assess the generalized effects of training. The frequency of responses to both sets of instructions was evaluated during Baseline 1, Training 1, Baseline 2, and Training 2 periods. During the training periods, this evaluation was made after the daily training sessions when no training procedures were in effect. Results indicated that the subjects showed pronounced increases in instruction-following behaviors (both trained and untrained) during training periods with decreases in such behavior occurring during the Baseline 2 period. The general findings demonstrate the applicability of the training procedures for producing and maintaining instruction-following behaviors in severely retarded children and for facilitating appropriate responding to instructions not directly involved in training.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1970

Development of social responses in two severely retarded children.

The effect of reinforcement dependent on the social responses of two severely retarded withdrawn children was investigated. During 30 training sessions (30 min each) food and praise were administered dependent upon the children's mutual participation in a ball-rolling and block-passing task. Both children showed a progressive increase in social interaction in a non-training situation during this reinforcement period. After the reinforcement procedures were removed, social behavior decreased markedly. Response generalization to children not involved in training occurred.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Brief report: birth status, medical complications, and social environment: individual differences in development of preterm, very low birth weight infants.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether medical complications mediate the relationship between birth status (i.e., birth weight and gestational age) and developmental outcome of preterm, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, as well as the role of the early social environment (maternal distress and social support) in infant development. METHOD: Birth status and medical complication information was collected during the child's NICU stay. Maternal distress was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index at 4 months corrected infant age. Social support was measured with the Dunst Scales at 4 months corrected age. Child development measures were collected at 4 and 13 months corrected age (Bayley MDI and PDI), and at 36 months chronological age (PPVT-R and Achenbach CBCL). RESULTS: Medical complications mediated the birth status-outcome relationship at 4 and 13 months, but not at 36 months. The 36-month outcomes were predicted by 4-month maternal distress and social support. CONCLUSIONS: Prematurity and VLBW are indirectly related to early developmental outcome through their association with medical complications. However, by 36 months, developmental outcomes are more closely related to aspects of the early social environment than to early physiological factors.

Adult↗