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PubMed1978

Verbal information gathering strategies: the child's use of language to acquire language.

Recent investigations suggest that normally developing infants are active participants in a language-transmission partnership with the mature speakers in their environments. In a recent paper, (Snyder, McLean, 1977) we noted that available data suggest several specific language acquisition strategies exhibited by children in these interactions. While the earlier paper focused on a set of posited nonverbal strategies, this sequel focuses on two broad types of early verbal behavior that function as effective strategies for the language-learning child. These posited verbal acquisition strategies are referred to as selective imitation and metalinguistic utterance production. The conflicting theory and data on the role of early verbal imitation are reviewed, and it is concluded that selective imitation is most functional at specific stages of the language acquisition process. A hierarchy of metalinguistic utterance types is suggested, ranging from those reflecting the highest apparent intentionality (that is, interrogative utterances) to those reflecting the least (referred to as evocative utterances). Suggestions for future research are offered and implications for language intervention are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Social perceptions of failures in memory monitoring.

Can repetitious verbal behavior elicit negative stereotypes about age, memory, and competence? Young adults (n = 102, M age = 19.3 years) and community-dwelling older adults (n = 98, M age = 67.3 years) read a script containing a hypothetical conversation between 2 female targets. In the experimental condition, 1 of the targets repeated several statements during the conversation. Significant Target x Condition interactions were obtained on measures of perceived age, competence, and memory ability. The results demonstrate that conversational behavior may contribute to negative age-related perceptions in the same way as other external markers of age (e.g., vocal and facial features).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Maternal language environment of children with mental retardation.

Maternal language directed towards children with mental retardation and children matched either for language ability or chronological age was compared in free-play and instruction situations. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that mothers of children with retardation match their verbal behavior to their children's language ability while at the same time adopting a more pervasive teaching role. Specifically, they were more directive, but only in free-play. When explicitly asked to instruct their child, they changed very little in comparison with control mothers, whose directive behavior altered to levels previously adopted in free-play by mothers of children with mental retardation.

Child Language↗
PubMed1999

The application of a computerized measurement of the content analysis of natural language to the assessment of the effects of psychoactive drugs.

This article aims to answer the question whether developing technology is now capable of measuring objectively and accurately the effects of psychoactive pharmacological agents by means of computerized assessments of psychological states and traits through the analysis of content and form of people's speech. At the present time, psychopharmacological researchers involved in clinical trials rely on DSM-IV criteria and standardized self-report measures and observer rating scales to assess psychoactive drug effects. Attention is drawn to the potentially unrecognized measurement errors and relatively low interrater reliability by these methods--for example, all raters are not free of observer bias and every subject administered a drug is not equally and accurately well-informed about the self. The computerized content analysis methods tend to avoid these biases and measurement errors. A review is provided describing the Gottschalk-Gleser method of measuring psychobiological dimensions from the form and content of short (usually five-minute) speech samples of verbal behavior, generally elicited by standardized and purposely ambiguous instructions to talk about any interesting or dramatic personal life experiences. Norms have been obtained by this method of speech elicitation, adjusted for age, sex and educational level. Sections are provided covering cross-cultural and language validation research on the Gottschalk-Gleser content analysis method, the influence of medical or psychiatric illness as well as psychoactive drugs on verbal content analysis-derived scores, and the research carried out for more than 20 years computerizing this content analysis procedure through the development of artificial intelligence software enabling these measurements to be done from typescripts of speech samples on computer diskettes. A brief review deals with the general applications of this method of measurement to basic and clinical psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine, neuropsychology, the diagnostic process in a psychiatry outpatient clinic, children's mental health problems, dream research, and assessment of mental processes during PET scanning of the brain. This is followed by a review of the applications of this method of content analysis of speech to neuropsychopharmacological testing of antianxiety, antidepressive, antipsychotic, and other psychoactive drugs, as well as to pharmacokinetic variables and clinical response. This method is now in the process of being used in clinical trials in psychopharmacology and is recommended for more extensive use in this research area.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed1994

Linguistic abilities in children with Williams-Beuren syndrome.

In recent studies children with Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) have been characterized as having a distinct neuropsychological profile with verbal abilities being superior to visuo-spatial and motor skills. An unusual command of language, including excessive use of verbal stereotypes, social phrases, and clichés has been noticed. The aim of this study is to establish whether the quality and quantity of verbal behavior, and the articulation and tonal quality of the voices of children with WBS differ from other children with nonspecific developmental disabilities. A group of 25 children with WBS and a control group of 25 children matched for age (4-10 years), sex (12 girls; 13 boys), and non-verbal reasoning abilities (mean IQ = 79) were investigated. The Heidelberg Language Development Test and a picture story were administered. The mothers were asked to answer a questionnaire to assess the articulation and the vocal characteristics of their children. The results show that children with WB syndrome do not differ in most qualitative and quantitative tasks with regard to verbal competence. They produce significantly more correct plural-singular formations than the control children (t = 2.49, P < 0.01) on a primitive level of grammatical competence. In general, their articulation was reported to be more exact and clear (t = -2.73, P < 0.006). More mothers of children with WBS noticed a production of stereotypes, the use of social phrases, and clichés than did mothers of the control children (Chi square = -6.67 P < 0.005). Children with WBS were less likely to lisp as compared to the control children (Chi square = 2.08, P = 0.074).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Articulation Disorders↗
PubMed2000

Behavioral markers for self- and other-attribution of memory: a study in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVES: The correlation between clinical measures of memory and subjectively reported memory is often poor. Regarding this we investigated in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) whether there is evidence that persons mistake other cognitive performances for memory due to subjective memory theories. METHODS: a neuropsychological test battery comprising measures of attention, verbal/figural memory and other visual or language related functions was applied in patients with left (L-TLE, n=24) or right temporal lobe epilepsy (R-TLE, n=21) and healthy volunteers (n=20). In addition, subjective self- and other-reported memories were assessed by the subjective memory questionnaire (SMQ). RESULTS: subjective measures as well as objective measures indicate significant cognitive impairment in TLE and in L-TLE in particular. Self-reports and other-reports are interrelated but only self-reported memory correlates significantly with objective memory performance. Regression analysis indicates that self-reported memory is best predicted by word fluency followed by verbal memory and vocabulary, and other-reported memory is best predicted by word fluency, vocabulary, confrontation naming, and verbal recognition memory. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that attribution of memory refers to a subjective view of memory which is wider than its neuropsychological definition. It furthermore differs dependent on the observer's point of view. Memory is preferentially concluded from verbal behaviors. These reflect language skills and access to vocabulary rather than declarative memory. Consideration of subjective memory theories and associated attribution processes can significantly contribute to our understanding of the often-poor relationship between objective test results and subjective impairment in TLE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

[Characteristics of communication of schizophrenic, neurotic, and healthy adolescents].

Research on communication skills in psychotic patients demonstrates that in dialogues schizophrenics neglect the needs of the listener. There are only few linguistic studies which investigate the speech of schizophrenic children and adolescents. The verbal and non-verbal communication of schizophrenic, neurotic, and healthy adolescents during a problem solving situation was transcribed and compared by a content analysis. The transcripts were screened for dialogue control and communication disturbance of verbal/non-verbal activities of the speaker and listener: Dialogue control was defined by the variables signals of the speaker or signals of hearer and eye or body contact of the test person to the experimenter. Communication disturbance was defined as the amount of incomprehensible articulation and selections. Neurotic test persons produce the highest signals of speaker rate. In dialogues with neurotic and schizophrenic test persons the experimenter uses more signals of hearer than in dialogues with healthy test persons. In dialogues with neurotic test persons the experimenter shows more signals of the speaker than in dialogues with healthy test persons. Schizophrenics neglect more often the statements of the experimenter than in other dialogues and vice versa. Although the experimenter was instructed to restricted verbal behavior the communication intensified in the neurotic group. The communication in the schizophrenic group was characterized by frequent communication disturbance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Patient exposition and provider explanation in routine interviews and hypertensive patients' blood pressure control.

Hypertensive patients' expressing themselves in their own words (Exposition) and providers' giving information (Explanation) during medical interviews were hypothesized to be associated with subsequent blood pressure control. Transcripts of routine return visits to clinics in low-income areas of Houston, TX, were coded using the Verbal Response Modes (VRM) system. VRM indexes of Patient Exposition and Provider Explanation were tested in relation to systolic and diastolic blood pressure obtained during home interviews 2 weeks after the clinic visits. Patient Exposition was significantly correlated with reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure from clinic visit to home interview, and Provider Explanation was significantly correlated with lower diastolic blood pressure at home interview. The results suggest that patients' and providers' verbal behavior in medical interviews should be included in predictive models of blood pressure control.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Task clarification, performance feedback, and social praise: Procedures for improving the customer service of bank tellers.

Customer service for bank tellers was defined in terms of 11 verbal behavior categories. An audio-recording system was used to track the occurrence of behaviors in these categories for six retail banking tellers. Three behavior management interventions (task clarification, performance feedback, and social praise), applied in sequence, were designed to improve overall teller performance with regard to the behavioral categories targeted. Clarification was accomplished by providing clear delineation of the various target categories, with specific examples of the behaviors in each. Feedback entailed presentation of ongoing verbal and visual information regarding teller performance. Praise consisted of verbal recognition of teller performance by branch managers. Results showed that clarification effects emerged quickly, producing an overall increase in desired behaviors of 12% over baseline. Feedback and praise effects occurred more gradually, resulting in overall increases of 6% and 7%, respectively. A suspension of all procedures led to a decline in overall performance, whereas reinstatement of feedback and praise was again accompanied by performance improvement. These findings extend the generality of behavior management applications and help to distinguish between possible antecedent and consequent effects of performance feedback.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Generalized Social Phobia and social judgments: the salience of self- and partner-information.

Individuals with Generalized Social Phobia (GSP, N = 25) and community controls (N = 26) participated in a social interaction task. They then rated how well they had performed in the situation and assigned weights and valences to the different types of information they used to arrive at this judgment. The GSP group weighed anxiety-related self-information more heavily than did the Control group. In contrast, their conversational partners weighed verbal behavior more heavily. These findings are generally supportive of cognitive models of social phobia and point to the negative interpersonal implications of relying on different social information than others.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A methodology for assessing the functions of emerging speech in children with developmental disabilities.

An approach based on Skinner's (1957) theory of verbal behavior has been developed to understand and teach elementary communication skills to children with autism and developmental disabilities (Sundberg & Partington, 1998). However, few studies have directly examined the characteristics of emerging language in children with developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an assessment for identifying the elementary functions of vocal speech in children. Participants were 4 children with developmental disabilities, aged 6 years to 12 years, who exhibited at least one distinguishable vocal response (word or phrase) frequently in the natural environment. The assessment focused on three verbal operants delineated by Skinner (mand, tact, and intraverbal). One or more functions were identified for at least one vocal response of each child. Results suggested that this assessment would be useful for (a) evaluating Skinner's theory, (b) guiding decisions about language training for individual children, and (c) studying the nature of expressive language development in children with developmental disabilities.

Child↗
PubMed1984

Hyperactive children: a study of the content analysis of their speech.

A group of hyperactive boys with attention deficit disorder (DSM-III) (n = 13) was compared to a group of normative, nonhyperactive boys (n = 16) with respect to Gottschalk-Gleser scores derived from 5-min speech samples they produced in response to standardized and purposely ambiguous instructions. The hyperactive boys had significantly higher mean scores than the normative boys for cognitive impairment, social alienation-personal disorganization, and total depression. Of the eight depression subscales, the hyperactive boys had significantly elevated scores on hopelessness, self-accusation (a cluster composed of shame, guilt, and hostility inwards), and psychomotor retardation. Problems with the classification of the hyperactive syndrome, which is equated with the attention deficit disorder, are briefly discussed. The present study gives some support to the concept, as adjudged from the content analysis of verbal behavior, that hyperactivity, at least in boys, may be associated with cognitive impairment, increased general psychiatric morbidity, and depression. Whether single or multiple etiological factors are involved in this disorder cannot be ascertained from this study.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1994

Intrafamilial relationships and the course of schizophrenia.

This paper describes efforts to explicate the significance of schizophrenic patients' sub-clinical psychopathology (SCP) to affective attitudes expressed by relatives about these patients. Using data from two 10-minute interactions between patients and close relatives (usually parents), verbal and non-verbal behaviors were scored for signs of SCP by the patient. Scores reflective of more overt signs of SCP were highly related to relatives' expressed emotion status and their affective style when interacting with the patient, suggesting that a complex transactional model best explains the connection between high EE status of a relative and the risk for patient relapse.

Affect↗
PubMed2001

Agitation in Chinese elderly: validation of the Chinese version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory.

The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CCMAI) were studied in 164 demented patients. The agitation pattern in Chinese elderly was also examined in this study. The CCMAI demonstrated high validity, test-retest reliability, and interrater reliability. Eighty-five percent of demented patients manifested one or more agitated behaviors at least once a week. Factor analysis yielded three subtypes of agitation: physically aggressive behaviors, physically nonaggressive behaviors, and verbally agitated behaviors. There was a linear upward trend in physical aggression as one progressed from one Global Deterioration Scale stage to the next. Community-living patients showed higher physically nonaggressive and verbally agitated behaviors, whereas institution residents exhibited a significantly higher level of physical aggression. The differences between residential and institutionalized patients need further research. Future study should focus not only on the behavioral disturbances; medical, psychological, and environmental factors should be taken into account to provide a more accurate profile.

Aged↗
PubMed1981

Transfer of verbal responses across instructional settings by autistic-type children.

This investigation assessed the generalization of verbal behavior by autistic-type children across different settings. Six youngsters who learned responses to common questions under two different training conditions at school were probed to determine transfer of learning to a novel instructional environment. Four children demonstrated only low rates of generalization to a novel environment regardless of the type of training. The other two children generalized most responses across settings irrespective of the original training conditions.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1995

Dysfluency and topic orientation in bereaved individuals: bridging individual and group studies.

Discourse of bereaved individuals talking about the deceased and other topics was examined using computer-based text analyses and judged ratings of verbal behavior for patterns indicating dysfluency and orientation toward topics. Using factor analysis, the discourse structure of low-distress bereaved individuals was compared with that of high-distress bereaved individuals and with that of single bereaved individual both early and late in psychotherapy. Meaningful differences were observed for the distress groups and for the single individual early and late in therapy, and these findings indicate possible quantitative and qualitative means for detecting maladaptive responses to stressors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Communicating fatigue in general practice and the role of gender.

The aim of this study has been to obtain more insight into the health condition of fatigued patients, their expectations when visiting the general practitioner (GP), the way they communicate, and possible gender differences. Data consisted of 579 patient questionnaires and 440 video-observations of these patients and 31 GPs. Results showed that fatigue is a common health problem but seldom on the agenda in general practice. More women indicated symptoms of fatigue than men did. Fatigued patients' health was worse than that of non-fatigued patients, and they expected more biomedical and especially psychosocial communication. Furthermore, male fatigued patients expected more biomedical communication than fatigued female patients did. While the GPs accommodated their verbal behavior to fatigued patients by giving more psychosocial information and more counseling, they were not more affective towards the fatigued than towards the non-fatigued patients. Female GPs were more affective than their male colleagues, and they used gender-specific communication strategies to explore the patient's agenda. It seems necessary to use a gender-sensitive approach in communication research.

Adult↗