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PubMed1994

AIDS-related risk behavior and behavior change in a sexually active, heterosexual sample: a test of three models of prevention.

Because a cure and a vaccine for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are not expected for at least several years, prevention of AIDS is the only means of reducing the spread of the disease. While education, information, and persuasion may be changing the HIV-related attitudes and even behaviors of some individuals, without a theoretical framework, the reasons why some individuals have changed and why other individuals have not changed are elusive. Three social-psychological models that have been applied to health-related behavior--the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Ajzen-Fishbein attitude-behavior model (AFM), and Leventhal et al.'s Self-Regulatory Model (SRM)--are tested in this study. The extent to which each model's variables are related to self-reported behavior change related to HIV and current HIV-related behavior are compared. Results indicate that the SRM and AFM contributed significantly to predicting risk behavior change, and that the HBM and AFM contributed significantly to predicting current risk behavior, after controlling for risk behavior change. Significant predictors of risk behavior change included timeline, identity, and self-efficacy from the SRM; sexual impulse (a barrier) from the HBM; and attitudes about the behaviors from the AFM. Significant predictors of current risk behavior included several barriers from the HBM and negative attitude about risk-reducing behaviors from the AFM.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Role of behavior theory in behavioral medicine.

Behavioral medicine is a multidisciplinary field that combines research methods and findings from behavioral and biomedical sciences. Many investigators in the field have tended to emphasize the contribution of the biomedical more than the behavioral sciences. This is evident in the emphasis on biological rather than behavioral outcomes and on the reductionist approach within the field to reduce mechanisms responsible for behavioral effects and disease to biological influences. There has been a similar shift in psychology toward mechanistic, bottom-up approaches to understanding mechanisms responsible for integrated and dynamic behavior. These shifts in emphasis have stimulated investigators to examine the use of biomedical methods and findings as causes and explanations for behavior, rather than to utilize newer findings in behavioral sciences. New advances in basic research on learning are used to illustrate that findings from behavioral science have implications for the field of contemporary behavioral medicine. Finally, the importance of developing new technologies for measuring behavior is presented.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1993

A behavioral prescription for promoting applied behavior analysis within pediatrics.

In recent decades, pediatric medicine has undergone a shift in focus from infectious diseases to the effects of behavior on the health and development of children. At the same time, behavior analysts have increasingly evaluated the direct application of their technology to the development and maintenance of child health behavior. Unfortunately, applied behavior analysts have developed their technology parallel to, rather than collaboratively with, pediatricians and, as a result, are not recognized as experts in the treatment of child health behavior. In addition, behavioral technology is not widely recognized as the treatment of choice by pediatricians. This paper provides a behavioral prescription for behavior analysts who wish to enter pediatrics as expert scientists and technicians. Specific recommendations are provided for stimulating collaborative rather than parallel development between applied behavior analysis and pediatrics in the promotion and maintenance of child health behavior. Strategies for maintaining this collaborative relationship and for strengthening the social relevance of behavior analysis are discussed.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1991

Adolescent health behavior and conventionality-unconventionality: an extension of problem-behavior theory.

Examined the relation of psychosocial and behavioral conventionality-unconventionality to health-related behavior in cross-sectional data from 1,588 male and female 7th to 12th graders. Conventionality-unconventionality was represented by personality, perceived social environment, and behavior variables selected from the social-psychological framework of problem-behavior theory (R. Jessor & S. L. Jessor, 1977). Greater psychosocial conventionality correlates with more regular involvement in health-related behavior (regular physical activity, adequate sleep, safety belt use, attention to healthy diet). Greater behavioral conventionality (less involvement in problem behaviors such as marijuana use, problem drinking, delinquent-type behavior, and greater involvement in conventional behaviors such as church attendance) was also associated with greater involvement in health-maintaining behavior. The overall findings provide support for the extension of problem-behavior theory to the domain of adolescent health behavior and for the relevance of the dimension of conventionality-unconventionality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Is adjunctive behavior a third class of behavior?

Research during the past 20 years has revealed that intermittent food presentation to a variety of organisms results in an inordinately excessive consumption of water as well as other behaviors including attack, pica, escape, and alcohol consumption. Such behavior has not been thought to be either respondent or operant behavior, but instead has been regarded as a new behavioral category termed "adjunctive behavior." This paper reexamines the rejection of adjunctive behavior as either operant or respondent behavior and concludes that the rejection was premature. This paper also reexamines the argument that there is a unique class of adjunctive behavior and concludes that there is not. It is recommended that given the growing difficulties in maintaining an operant-respondent dichotomy, rather than admitting adjunctive behavior into either of these categories, research efforts should de-emphasize preconceived and outdated notions about categories of behavior and how such behaviors should behave and instead focus on mapping functional relationships between behavior and various procedures for presenting non-contingent stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Lead and behavioral development: parental compensation for behaviorally impaired chicks.

Lead is ubiquitous in nature, and can affect behavioral, physiological, and intellectual development in humans and other animals. We used lead-induced behavioral deficits to examine the behavior of parents and young herring gulls in the Captree, NY, gull colony. Our objectives were to determine: a) If there were differences in the behavior, weight, and survival of chicks as a function of treatment; b) if parental behavior varied as a function of treatment; and 3) if there were differences in sibling competition and parent-young conflict between experimental nests (with lead-impaired chicks and control chicks) and control nests. We injected one chick in each of 22 nests (1-2 days of age) with lead acetate (100 mg/kg in sterile water) and injected its sibling with sterile saline, and compared behavior of parents and young (from 1-21 days postinjection). We also observed behavior of parents and chicks in 12 control nests in which chicks were handled similarly but were not injected. There were significant lead-induced differences in righting response, locomotion, thermoregulation, begging, and feeding behavior in the chicks; corroborating observations from the laboratory. Lead-injected chicks were less able to compete for food with their siblings, with a resultant significant difference by weight at 16 days of age. For experimental nests in which the weight difference was great, parents engaged in divided feeding of the brood. After one parent initiated feeding, the other parent walked a short distance away and began to call to and then feed the second, smaller chick. The extra parental care resulted in increased survival for the lead-injected chicks, and in their catching up to their siblings in weight by fledging. The results of this experiment indicate that lead induces behavioral deficits and growth retardation in gulls in nature, decreases survival at young ages, and that parents compensate for these behavioral and growth deficits by brood division for feeding chicks such that by fledging the chicks are no longer at a weight and size disadvantage. Parents are, thus, able to perceive a difference in body size and/or vigor of their offspring, and to behaviorally compensate partially for the lead-induced deficits.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Social and behavioral factors associated with high-risk sexual behavior among adolescents.

Relationships among risky sexual behaviors, other problem behaviors, and the family and peer context were examined for two samples of adolescents. Many adolescents reported behaviors (e.g., promiscuity or nonuse of condoms) which risked HIV or other sexually transmitted disease infection. Such risky behaviors were significantly intercorrelated. Consistent condom use was rare among those whose behavior otherwise entailed the greatest risk of infection. In both samples, an index of high-risk sexual behavior was significantly related to antisocial behavior, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug or alcohol use. Social context variables, including family structure, parenting practices, and friends' engagement in problem behaviors, were associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Finally, for sexually active adolescents, problem behaviors and social context variables were predictive of nonuse of condoms. Results were consistent across the two studies and regression weights held up well under cross-validation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Anxiety behavior, exploratory behavior, and activity in NZB x NZW F1 hybrid mice: role of genotype and autoimmune disease progression.

Behavioral changes often accompany the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in humans and animals. In a mouse model of SLE, the NZB x NZW F1 (B/W) hybrid, 12-week-old mice display more anxiety behavior, less activity, and less exploratory behavior than non-autoimmune female NZW mice. To determine whether these behaviors result from the autoimmune disease or genetic differences between B/W and NZW mice, they were assessed prior to and during disease emergence (6 and 12 weeks of age, respectively). B/W mice were less active at both ages, suggesting a genetic component to this behavioral difference. Anxiety behavior and exploratory behavior did not differ between B/W and NZW mice at 6 weeks; however, at 12 weeks B/W mice displayed more anxiety behavior and less exploratory behavior, indicating that these behaviors were related with the development of autoimmune disease. Prior experience with these tasks increased anxiety behavior in B/W but not NZW mice, suggesting that B/W mice may be more sensitive to anxiogenic experiences.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cognitive-behavioral mediators of changing multiple behaviors: smoking and a sedentary lifestyle.

BACKGROUND: A significant percentage of the U.S. population has multiple poor health behaviors. Understanding the relationship among these behavioral risk factors is important for designing effective multiple risk factor interventions. While there is some evidence suggesting that participation in physical exercise may have a positive impact on smoking cessation, there is much to be learned about the relationships between cognitive-behavioral (self-efficacy, decisional-balance) and motivational mechanisms (stage of change) which have been shown to mediate changes in both exercise and smoking behavior. METHODS: The sample comprised 332 smokers employed at two workplaces-a government agency and a medical center-recruited as part of a larger worksite health promotion project and who completed questionnaires on their smoking and exercise behaviors. RESULTS: The results revealed significant relationships between smoking variables and exercise variables. Smokers who rated as important the positive benefits of smoking also rated as important the costs associated with increased physical activity. Similarly, the negative consequences of smoking were significantly associated with the positive benefits of physical activity. Self-efficacy for one behavior was significantly associated with self-efficacy for the other. Significant differences by exercise and smoking stage of change were found on the cross-behavior sets of variables (self-efficacy, pros, cons). Smokers who were contemplating a more active lifestyle reported the negative consequences of smoking to be significantly more important to them than smokers who were not considering adoption of a more active lifestyle. Smokers who were exercising regularly reported significantly more confidence in their ability to refrain from smoking than smokers not exercising regularly. Finally, smokers preparing for quitting reported less confidence in their ability to exercise than smokers who had already taken action to change their smoking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive mechanisms associated with changes in smoking behavior are related to the cognitive variables which have been shown to predict changes in exercise behavior. Significant relationships in mediating mechanisms including decisional balance and self-efficacy between smoking and exercise provide preliminary information on how change in one risk behavior may relate to change in another. These associations have implications for future intervention research and for methods research on multiple risk factors interactions.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effect of first-grade classroom environment on shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems.

Investigates the effect of the first-grade classroom environment on the shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems of 609 children in 19 East Baltimore public schools. First-grade classroom environment was assessed in terms of dominant pattern of classroom achievement and behavior. Structured teacher ratings assessed child shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems at the end of first grade. Children in low-achieving classroom environments had significantly higher teacher ratings of shy behavior and aggressive behavior than children in mixed-achieving or high-achieving environments, even after controlling for potentially confounding child characteristics and classroom behavior environment effects. Analyses controlling for child characteristics and classroom achievement environment effects indicated that children in poor-behaving classroom environments also had significantly higher teacher ratings of shy behavior than children who were not in poor-behaving environments. Subgroup analyses indicated that repeaters in mixed-achieving environments had significantly higher levels of shy behavior compared with nonrepeaters, and repeaters in poor-behaving environments had significantly higher levels of aggressive behavior compared with nonrepeaters. Implications for prevention research are discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed1997

Central lactogenic regulation of maternal behavior in rats: steroid dependence, hormone specificity, and behavioral potencies of rat prolactin and rat placental lactogen I.

Adult virgin female rats display maternal behavior when continuously exposed to foster young for 5-6 days. Central infusions of PRL or placental lactogens (PLs) together with systemic treatment of progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) stimulate maternal behavior in 1-2 days. In the present set of studies, it was asked whether the actions of lactogenic hormones are dependent upon both E2 and P and specific to lactogenic molecules. Moreover, we wanted to know whether central infusions of rat (r) PRL and PLs were equally effective in inducing maternal behavior. In the first study, adult virgin rats were ovariectomized (ovx) and stereotaxically fitted with bilateral cannulas directed at the medial preoptic area (MPOA). Rats were then assigned to one of four groups: P plus E2, blank (B) plus E2, P plus B, and B plus B. P-filled or B capsules were implanted sc on treatment day 1 and removed on day 11, whereas E2 or B capsules were implanted on day 11. All groups were infused with rPRL (40 ng/side) five times from days 11-13 and injected with bromocriptine (CB-154) sc (days 11-17) to suppress endogenous PRL release. Behavioral testing was conducted daily from days 12-17. It was found that exposure to both P and E2 was necessary to induce a fast onset of maternal behavior in PRL-infused females; priming with P or E2 alone in PRL-treated rats failed to stimulate a fast onset of behavior relative to that in nonsteroid-treated controls. In the second experiment to determine the biochemical specificity of PRL's action, adult nulliparous rats were ovx, implanted with bilateral cannulas directed at the MPOA, treated with both P and E2, injected with CB-154, and infused centrally (five times) with 40 ng (per side) of bovine GH, ovine LH, or vehicle. Central infusions of either bovine GH or ovine LH failed to stimulate maternal behavior, suggesting that the stimulatory actions of PRL are related to its lactogenic properties. In the final study, rats were ovx, fitted with bilateral cannulas directed at the MPOA; treated with P, E2, and CB-154; and given a single set of bilateral infusions of rPL-I or rPRL (40 ng/side.infusion) on day 11, three sets of infusions of rPL-I or rPRL (days 11 and 12), or vehicle infusions. Rats given three infusions of rPL-I and rPRL responded faster than controls, although the effect was not as robust as that in animals given five infusions in the initial study. rPL-I and rPRL groups did not differ from one another. Together these studies indicate that 1) both P and E2 are required for lactogenic stimulation of maternal behavior; 2) the stimulatory actions of PRL and rPLs on maternal behavior are related to their lactogenic properties; 3) extended treatment of females with lactogenic hormones is more effective in stimulating the onset of maternal behavior; and 4) the neural potencies of rPRL and rPL-I are similar. These findings provide support for the idea that the induction of maternal behavior is stimulated by the central actions of lactogenic hormones.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The role of attribution and self-perception in behavior change: implications for behavior therapy.

In this report extrapolations were made to behavior therapy from two related lines of social-psychological research: attribution and self-perception. A review of the relevant research literature on attribution suggested that (a) the perception and causal attribution of physiological arousal is an important determinant of emotional behavior and (b) self-attribution of behavior change increases the likelihood of maintenance of that change. A review of research concerned with Bem's self-perception theory indicated that inferences arising from self-observation of one's own overt behaviors may affect subsequent behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. These two lines of research converge in suggesting that an individual's perception of himself (in terms of overt behavior, situational circumstances, and physiological states) may have a marked influence on behavior change and the maintenance of that change. In the major body of this paper the implications of this research are discussed, particularly in terms of new procedures and specific modifications for existing procedures in behavior therapy. The major areas of behavior therapy discussed include: (a) behavioral assessment; (b) role playing (behavior rehearsal); (c) operant procedures; and (d) self-control strategies. Emphasis was placed upon treating the specific implications delineated as hypotheses requiring empirical investigation in the clinical arena. Strategies for such research were outlined.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1985

The basis of superstitious behavior: chance contingency, stimulus substitution, or appetitive behavior?

This research examined three explanations for the "superstitious" behavior of pigeons under frequent fixed-time delivery of food: accidental response-reward contingency, stimulus substitution, and elicited species-typical appetitive behavior. The behavior observed in these studies consisted of occasional postfood locomotion away from the food hopper, and a predominant pattern of activity directed toward the hopper wall (wall-directed behavior), including approaching, stepping side to side, scratching with the feet, bumping with the breast, pendulum movements of the extended neck, and head bobbing, though not pecking. The consistency of these behavior patterns argued against explanation by accidental response contingencies, and the complexity of behavior was incompatible with the classic stimulus-substitution account. These studies also showed that: (1) response contingencies and prior stimulus experience can modify wall-directed behavior, but within definable limits; (2) pecking sometimes can be obtained in birds of specific strains, and by providing extended training; (3) placing the hopper in the floor at the center of a large chamber replaces wall-directed behavior with circling in a manner that resembles ground foraging for food. We conclude that superstitious behavior under periodic delivery of food probably develops from components of species-typical patterns of appetitive behavior related to feeding. These patterns are elicited by a combination of frequent food presentations and the supporting stimuli present in the environment.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory as a predictor of disruptive behavior during an initial pediatric dental examination.

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), a parent rating scale of children's behaviors at home, and children's disruptive behaviors during an initial dental visit. Behaviors of 18 Headstart children, 40 to 55 months of age, undergoing an initial exam were observed. Four possible negative behaviors based upon the North Carolina Behavior Rating Scale (NCBRS), were recorded by two observers for each subject during five phases of an initial dental visit and statistically compared to the total ECBI score and individual answers within the ECBI questionnaire. Overall, the majority of subjects displayed clinically acceptable behavior. Four disruptive behaviors explained 92.9% of the variation in responses by the subjects to the initial visit. These were: high hand movement during the intraoral examination, crying or verbal protest during prophylaxis, oral physical resistance during prophylaxis, and oral-physical resistance during fluoride application. The following 6 questions explained 99.3% of the variation in ECBI responses by parents or guardians: (#9) refuses to obey until threatened with punishment, (#15) whines, (#18) hits parents, (#24) verbally fights with friends his own age, (#28) constantly seeks attention, and (#35) is overactive or restless. While the total number of subjects observed were too low to generate statistically significant results, the trends appear to indicate that a child's disruptive or nondisruptive behavior at home is not a reliable predictor of disruptive or nondisruptive behavior within the dental setting. These findings are independent of gender or race.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Predicting early onset of male antisocial behavior from preschool behavior.

METHODS: Data from a large longitudinal study of boys who were between kindergarten and age 13 years were used to (1) test whether Gray's and Cloninger's personality dimensions measured in kindergarten predicted the early onset of stable, highly delinquent behavior; (2) test whether 1, 2, or 3 dimensions were needed; and (3) test the predictive value of a categorical approach. RESULTS: The impulsivity dimension was the best predictor of the early onset of stable, highly delinquent behavior. Anxiety and reward dependence made significant but weaker contributions. The categorical approach corroborated Cloninger's suggestion that boys who are high in impulsivity, low in anxiety, and low in reward dependence would be more at risk for delinquent involvement. Boys who were high in impulsivity and low in anxiety but high in reward dependence were much less at risk for delinquency. Differences in antisocial behavior among extreme kindergarten personality groups were stable from ages 11 to 13 years. CONCLUSIONS: The behavioral activating system appears to be the major dimension underlying the propensity toward early onset of antisocial behavior, but both the behavioral inhibition system and the need for social rewards play important roles. The behavioral style (personality) that results from the interplay of these systems is clearly in place by the kindergarten year. Preventive efforts should target preschool children with at-risk behavior profiles. However, longitudinal-experimental studies with at least yearly assessments between birth and school-entry age are needed to understand the extent to which the behavioral styles are antecedent to preschool disruptive behavior disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effects of cholecystokinin on male copulatory behavior and lordosis behavior in male rats.

Because the distribution of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) within the hypothalamus and limbic system overlaps with steroid concentrating regions, and because these areas are involved in the regulation of reproductive behaviors, we examined the effects of exogenous CCK-8 on male copulatory behavior and lordosis behavior in the male rat. Peripheral administration of a dose of CCK-8 that altered lordosis behavior in females (3 micrograms/kg, intraperitoneal) was ineffective in altering male copulatory behavior in males, either before or after gonadectomy, and was also ineffective in altering lordosis behavior after estrogen priming. In a separate experiment, CCK-8 injected into the lateral ventricle also did not affect male copulatory behavior, but lordosis behavior was increased dramatically after gonadectomy and estrogen priming. Although these results do not answer the question whether CCK-8 is acting to inhibit a neural system that normally suppresses lordosis behavior or is acting to stimulate a facilitatory circuit, these results do indicate the existence of an estrogen sensitive neural substrate in males on which CCK can act to facilitate lordosis behavior.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1996

Estimated magnitude of behavioral effects of phenytoin in rats and its reproducibility: a collaborative behavioral teratology study in Japan.

A collaborative study was conducted by 30 laboratories that participated in the Behavioral Teratology Meeting in Japan. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats from four breeders were orally administrated 200 mg/kg of phenytoin each day from day 10 to day 14 of gestation. The offspring were tested for behavioral teratogenic effects at various ages. The effects were estimated in terms of common effect size, which should be very resistant to the variation inevitable in behavioral teratology results, and thus yield a different type of information from that reported in the usual behavioral teratology studies. The common effect size also gives information on the magnitude of the behavioral teratogenic effects that previous studies could not provide. A breeder difference in the effect of phenytoin for several measures was found in terms of common effect size. The estimated phenytoin effect was found to be large enough to be detected by using a sample size of 20 per group. As to reproducibility of results, estimation by standard deviation across laboratories disclosed that there was almost no difference in magnitude between behavioral and non-behavioral measures, indicating that much of the variation in behavioral teratology results of phenytoin might not be due to measurement error from behavioral tests but rather to the phenytoin effect itself administered via the mother. How seriously a single study is affected by uncontrollable variation of results was illustrated by plotting the respective laboratory results on a dimension. A standard practice in the interpretation of discrepancies among results obtained from single studies is criticized; it is pointed out that such interpretations rely on an optimistic assumption: that is, that results obtained from single studies would be free from the usual variation of results found in behavioral teratogenic research.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduction of physiological, behavioral, and self-report responses in type A behavior: a preliminary report.

Recent reports indicate that Type A Behavior may be reducible by behavioral and other psychotherapeutic methods. To date, however, there has been virtually no demonstration of reduction of the actual, observed behavior. Furthermore, the physiologic hyperresponsiveness that seems to characterize many Type A individuals when under stress, has received relatively little therapeutic attention. This preliminary, uncontrolled report describes a cognitive-behavioral group intervention program, before and after which patients underwent assessment on physiologic, behavioral, and self-report assessments. These included heart rate and blood pressure responsiveness under stressful conditions, trained observer ratings of Type A Behavior, and a variety of subjective measures of Type A Behavior and psychological distress and symptoms. Results showed limited improvement on most behavioral and self-report indices. Relatively greater reduction of Type A Behavior was associated with higher pre-treatment levels of Type A Behavior, with the absence of coronary artery disease and with male gender.

Adult↗