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PubMed2000

Assessment of the influence of background noise on escape-maintained problem behavior and pain behavior in a child with Williams syndrome.

We examined the influence of background noise on levels of problem behavior and pain behavior under functional analysis conditions for a child with a diagnosis of Williams syndrome and hyperacusis. Background noise was associated with increases in escape-maintained problem behavior and increases in pain behavior such as clasping ears and crying. When the child was fitted with earplugs, there were substantial reductions in both problem and pain behavior under the background noise condition.

Child Behavior Disorders↗

PubMed1981

The local organization of behavior: discrimination of and memory for simple behavioral patterns.

A procedure was developed to enable nonverbal organisms to report what they remember of the temporal organization of their recent behavior. A baseline behavior with known temporal structure was established by a concurrent variable-interval variable-interval schedule for two temporal patterns of behavior (two different classes of reinforced inter-response times). The five pigeon subjects emitted these two temporal patterns on a center key and were occasionally given a short-term memory probe for their most-recently-emitted pattern. The probes consisted of symbolic delayed matching-to-sample tests, in which a response on a green side key was reinforced if the most recent pattern belonged to the shorter reinforced class, and a response to a red side key was reinforced if the most recent pattern belonged to the longer reinforced class. All subjects could report with over ninety percent accuracy what their most recently emitted behavioral pattern was when a retention interval separating the pattern from the memory probe was only .1 seconds. The retention interval was then manipulated, and it was found that recall for a pattern was frequently above chance after a delay of as much as eight seconds. Thus, pigeons can remember their most recent interresponse time not only right after it is emitted, but for several seconds thereafter. In other conditions, the patterns themselves were manipulated. It was found that as the patterns became more similar, discrimination became poorer. These results agree with the view that reinforcement tends to organize and integrate the local structure of behavior to the extent to which that structure is remembered.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of changes in eating behavior and weight loss in type II diabetic patients. Which behaviors to change.

To identify the behavior-change strategies that are most clearly related to weight loss, 106 patients with type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes completed the Eating Behavior Inventory (EBI) before and after participating in a behavioral weight-loss program and at 1-yr follow-up. The EBI is a standardized questionnaire that assesses behavioral strategies typically taught in a behavioral weight-loss program. Pretreatment scores on the EBI were not related to weight-loss outcome, but changes on the EBI in the direction of more frequent use of appropriate strategies were related to weight loss at both posttreatment and 1-yr follow-up. Specific strategies related to weight loss at both times were 1) eating foods that help in losing weight, 2) recording foods eaten, 3) refusing food offered by others, and 4) being able to stop eating when appropriate. However, few patients maintained frequent use of these strategies at follow-up. It is concluded that weight-loss programs should focus on the strategies most strongly related to weight loss and try to improve long-term use of these techniques.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗

PubMed2006

Elimination behavior patterns of domestic cats (Felis catus) with and without elimination behavior problems.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of litter box location as it relates to cats' use of space in the house, elimination problems, and certain behaviors associated with elimination. SAMPLE POPULATION: 40 cats in single-cat house-holds with or without elimination behavior problems (20 cats/group). PROCEDURES: Camcorders were used to record the cats' behaviors at the litter box and other areas in which they eliminated during a 72-hour period. Use of space in the house was recorded by direct observation during 400 minutes of the 72-hour period. Elimination behaviors and other cat- and litter box-associated variables were compared between groups; litter box location with respect to inappropriate elimination was assessed. RESULTS: Litter box location did not differ between cats with and without elimination behavior problems. An inverse correlation was found between time spent sniffing and the distance of the litter box from the central core area. Cats with elimination problems spent significantly less time digging at the litter box than cats without elimination problems. There was no significant difference in the time spent pawing in litter box, sniffing, or covering excreta after elimination between the 2 groups of cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Times spent digging in litter boxes by cats with and without elimination problems have been determined, and data suggest that actual digging times could be used as a means to test for litter preference and litter aversion. This information may also be used to identify cats with litter aversion prior to the development of an elimination problem.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Attitudinal, social, and practical correlates to fitness behavior: a test of the theory of planned behavior.

Professional management personnel (N = 73) who exercise were studied to assess the efficacy of the theory of planned behavior in predicting intention to exercise and amount of exercise. Four rating scales were used for the assessment of attitude toward fitness, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention to exercise. In addition, frequency of exercise was measured and recorded for five months. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that 26.6% of the variance of intention to exercise was contributed by both fitness attitude and subjective norm, with the unique contribution of attitude toward fitness (part r = .36) slightly greater than that of subjective norm (part r = .33). 8% of the unique variance of exercise was explained by intention to exercise. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses also indicated that perceived behavioral control did not account for a significant variance in intention to exercise but did account for a significant variance in amount of exercise (R2 change = .21). In the environment in which it was tested, results support the theory of planned behavior for understanding the exercise behavior of professional management personnel who exercise.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Understanding Air Force members' intentions to participate in pro-environmental behaviors: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

At a single installation, a cross section of 307 active duty Air Force members completed questionnaires to assess whether the theory of planned behavior was useful in explaining the service members' intentions to participate in three environmentally protective behaviors-recycling, carpooling, and energy conservation. While the individual tenets of the theory of planned behavior, i.e., attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived control, accounted for differing amounts of variance in intentions, the results indicated that the intentions of these Air Force members to recycle, conserve energy, and carpool were moderately explained by the tenets of the theory of planned behavior collectively when the results of a multiple regression were analyzed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Prediction of recreational therapy behavior of hospitalized adolescents from a behavior classification instrument.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the validity of an instrument of the Adolescent Behavioral Classification Project in predicting behavior patterns of emotionally disturbed adolescents in an inpatient setting. Subjects (n = 126) were adolescents admitted to a state residential treatment unit across a period of 35 months. Predictor variables were scores on 17 or 25 factors of the instrument from both adolescents' own responses and their mothers' responses on their behalf. Criterion variables were 10 recreational therapy factors, especially 4 temporally stable factors, and length-of-time in treatment. 3 phases of the project were (I) behavior during initial stages of the therapy, (II) behavioral change after 3 months of therapy, and (III) length-of-time in treatment. In Phase I, both mothers' and adolescents' responses produced significant correlations with criteria; however, in Phase II only the adolescent students' 25 ABCP factors predicted behavioral change. In Phase III, adolescents' responses but not their mothers' responses classified the adolescents by length-of-time in treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Changes in behavior and behavioral intentions among middle-age women: results from an osteoporosis prevention program.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in behaviors and behavioral intentions that occurred among 342 middle-age women (M age 49.5 yr.) after participating in an Osteoporosis Prevention Program. The valid and reliable Osteoporosis Preventing Behaviors Survey (developed by Doheny and Sedlak) and a survey developed for this work were measures. Significant changes in behaviors were reported, especially increases in weight-bearing physical activity, dairy product intake, and decreases in consumption of caffeine-containing beverages. Many subjects reported intentions to increase physical activity and calcium intake. An Osteoporosis Prevention Program may help promote osteoporosis prevention behaviors, but intents must be followed up to check actual change.

Female↗

PubMed1994

The behavioral component of the ram effect: the influence of ram sexual behavior on the induction of estrus in anovulatory ewes.

The objective of this study was to test whether the sexual behavior of the ram affects the ram effect. Rams exhibiting either high (HP) or low (LP) levels of sexual performance (on the basis of serving capacity tests) were exposed to 89 anestrous ewes for 28 d. Thirty-two anestrous ewes were not exposed to rams. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of estrus induction by HP (n = 4) vs LP (n = 4) rams. Plasma progesterone concentration was used as an index of ovarian activity. Groups of ewes were exposed to either an HP or an LP ram in a .32-ha pasture. Courtship behaviors of rams were recorded for 6 h on the initial day of exposure and for 30-min periods on alternate days thereafter. A greater percentage of ewes exposed to HP rams ovulated (95%) compared with ewes exposed to LP rams (78%) (P < .02). On the 1st d of exposure, the HP rams exhibited more courtship behavior and spent more time near the ewes (P < .04). The HP rams spent more time within 1 m of ewes during the 28-d exposure. There were no differences in the amount of contact with rams (LP or HP) between rise in progesterone indicate of ovulation tended to occur earlier (P = .06) in ewes penned with HP rams. A greater percentage of ewes exposed to LP rams (P = .03) had early elevations of progesterone with no concurrent sexual behavior. These data imply that in addition to a pheromone the sexual behavior of the ram may be important in initiating ovarian cycle activity.

Anestrus↗

PubMed1999

Prepubertal boys' sexual behavior and behavior problems.

The increasingly early initiation of penetrative sexual practices and the implication for prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases requires the study of childhood sexual behavior and its determinants. In adolescence, early sexual initiation is associated with other "problem behaviors" (Jessor & Jessor, 1977). To explore an analogous association for the middle childhood years, we studied 126 boys aged 5 to 11 years at increased risk for the development of conduct-disorder-related behavior with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/4-18 (Achenbach, 1991) and reevaluated 112 of them 15 months later. At both time points, the boys scored higher on the Sex Problems scale as well as on the nonsexual CBCL scales than Achenbach's nonclinical norm sample. Within the at-risk sample, the Sex Problems scale was significantly related to externalizing problem behaviors, but also to the other CBCL scales of behavioral/emotional problems. These data point to childhood precursors of the association observed by Jessor and Jessor (1977) in adolescence.

Child↗

PubMed2000

The impact of past relationships on interpersonal behavior: behavioral confirmation in the social-cognitive process of transference.

This study extended research on transference in social perception (e.g., S. M. Andersen, I. Reznik, & L. M. Manzella, 1996) into the realm of social behavior by examining behavioral confirmation (e.g., M. Snyder, 1992) in transference. Each perceiver participated in a brief conversation with a naive target participant, who either did or did not appear to resemble the perceiver's own positively or negatively regarded significant other. Trained judges rated positive affect expressed in targets' behavior. As predicted, targets expressed more positive affect in their behavior when they allegedly resembled the perceiver's own positively versus negatively toned significant other, an effect not found in the control condition. This evidence demonstrates behavioral confirmation in transference, suggesting a means by which present relationships may resemble past ones.

Cognition↗

PubMed1992

Predicting intentions to use condoms among African-American adolescents: the theory of planned behavior as a model of HIV risk-associated behavior.

The relation of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control to intentions to use condoms was examined among 179 adolescents who completed a confidential self-administered questionnaire prior to participating in a minority youth health conference. Approximately 72% of the adolescents were African Americans. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that attitudes and subjective norms predicted intentions to use condoms and that, consistent with the theory of planned behavior, perceived behavioral control added a significant increment to the squared multiple correlation. Although adolescents' perceptions of their friends' approval of condom use was unrelated to their condom-use intentions, adolescents' behavioral beliefs about the effects of condoms on sexual enjoyment, normative beliefs regarding partners' and mothers' approval, and control beliefs regarding technical skill at using condoms were associated with such intentions. These results suggest the utility of the theory of planned behavior as a model of condom use among adolescents. Implications for HIV risk-reduction interventions are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Evaluating behavioral and emotional problems with the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report scales: cross-informant and longitudinal associations.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the inter-rater agreement between parents' reports and adolescents' self-reports of behavioral and emotional problems using cross-informant scales both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects were participants in a longitudinal study of 695 school-aged children from the general population, aged 7-10 during the first assessment. They were evaluated with the Child Behavior Checklist (completed by parents) and later, from 11 year-old, with the Youth Self-Report. The scoring format and factor structure of the two assessment instruments are similar; cross-informant syndromes constructed from the two instruments are based on parents' and self-report information. Measures included anxiety/depression, withdrawal, somatic complaints, aggression, delinquency and attention problems. RESULTS: Findings indicate that there is longitudinal stability in parents' ratings of children's behavioral problems. Our findings also confirm that adolescents, especially as they grow older, are indispensable informants about their problem behavior, because many of the problems they experience remain unnoticed by their parents. Adolescents reported higher levels of anxiety/depression, withdrawal, somatic complaints, aggression and delinquency, but lower levels of attention problems than their parents. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reflect the typical level of parent-child agreement in reports of problem behaviors as it occurs in other samples. Other investigators could use these data as a background, for testing of longitudinal associations and parent-child agreements in different samples.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Behavioral drive or behavioral inhibition in evolution: subspecific diversification in Holarctic passerines.

Behavioral changes have long been hypothesized to be an important driver of evolutionary diversification in animals, as they expose individuals to new environmental pressures and thus favor evolutionary divergence. There have been few empirical tests of this hypothesis, however, and the mechanisms linking behavioral changes and diversification processes remain controversial. We show here that Holarctic passerines with large brain size relative to body size, a character correlated with a high propensity for behavioral changes, generally have experienced more extensive subspecific diversification. This effect appears to be largely independent of other well-known mechanisms thought to promote diversification. As suggested by path analysis, relative brain size seems to affect diversification directly rather than indirectly through its presumed effect on range expansion, which is consistent with the original formulation of the behavioral drive hypothesis. Thus, the results support the long-held, intuitive hypothesis that behavioral changes facilitate evolutionary diversification.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

[Cholinergic modulation on stereotyped behavior and behavioral hypersensitivity (reverse tolerance) in rats].

The failure in the mutual balance between striatal/mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons and the inhibitory system, and a decreased activity of mesocortical dopaminergic neurons may account for biological base of paranoid schizophrenia. We tested this hypothesis by investigating stereotyped behavior and "reverse tolerance" in dopaminergic supersensitivity co-existing with a low-level activity of the inhibitory cholinergic system induced by the chronic administration of methamphetamine (MAP) 4 mg/kg in combination with scopolamine (SCOP) 0.5 mg/kg, in male Wistar rats. For investigating the influence of mesocortical dopaminergic neurons, experiments were designed to compare these behavioral responses in isolated rats, in which the activity of mesocortical dopaminergic neurons seemed to be reduced, to those in group-housed rats. The treatment with MAP plus SCOP produced significantly more potent effect in enhancing stereotyped behavior and "reverse tolerance" than the treatment with MAP only. Stereotyped behavior and "reverse tolerance" induced by the MAP plus SCOP treatment were more intense in isolated rats than in grouped rats. Effects of haloperidol (1 mg/kg) and pimozide (2 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg) on stereotyped behavior were less in MAP plus SCOP treated rats and isolated rats. The data may support a working hypothesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Pre-operative preparation: effects on immediate pre-operative behavior, post-operative behavior and recovery in children having same-day surgery.

This study explored whether preoperative preparation affects the immediate preoperative behavior, post-operative behavior, and recovery in children undergoing same-day surgery. An experimental design was utilized. Three hypotheses were tested: that children who receive pre-operative preparation will (1) display fewer intra-operative and post-operative complications; (2) use lesser amounts and less frequent administration of pain medications post-operatively; and (3) exhibit fewer behavioral problems during pre-, intra-, and post-operative periods than children who do not receive such preparation. Sixty children, ages 2-10 years, were observed at a community hospital's same-day surgery facility, with subjects randomly selected. Subjects were directly observed during the pre-, intra-, and immediate post-operative periods. Parents of each child completed a questionnaire within 7-10 days post-operatively, describing demographics, type of pre-operative preparation, and post-operative recovery and behavior. Subjects were retrospectively divided into groups according to their type of pre-operative preparation. Data were analyzed with multiple Pearson Correlation coefficients, ANOVA using General Linear Models, and Scheffe's test. There was only one significant difference: the group which played with hospital equipment showed less negative behavior changes at home (p less than .05).

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

Acceptability of behavioral interventions for self-injurious behavior: replication and interinstitutional comparison.

Using a case description methodology, Tarnowski, Rasnake, Mulick, and Kelly (1989) examined the effects of behavior problem severity and intervention type on staff ratings of six behavioral interventions used to treat self-injurious behavior (SIB). Results indicated that accelerative interventions were judged more acceptable than reductive treatments, and acceptability of treatments varied as a function of SIB severity. We hypothesized that judgments of treatment acceptability might vary as a function of specific institutional characteristics and conducted a replication of the previous study in a setting where the institutional treatment philosophy was explicitly behavioral. Results indicated that (a) accelerative interventions were preferred to reductive treatments, (b) acceptability ratings were not significantly influenced by SIB severity, and (c) interventions were generally found to be more acceptable by staff working in a behavioral treatment milieu.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Patterns of dietary behavior associated with selecting diets low in fat: reliability and validity of a behavioral approach to dietary assessment.

This report describes the development and evaluation of a behavioral measure of dietary patterns related to selecting low-fat diets. An 18-item questionnaire, based on an anthropological theory of dietary change, was developed to assess four relevant dimensions of dietary behavior: (a) excluding high-fat ingredients and preparation techniques, (b) modifying high-fat foods, (c) substituting specially manufactured low-fat foods for their higher-fat counterparts, and (d) replacing high-fat foods with low-fat alternatives. In this study, 99 women completed the diet behavior questionnaire twice and, to characterize precisely their dietary fat intake, also completed two 4-day food records and a food frequency questionnaire. Participants were aged 45 to 59 years and were selected to have a wide range of fat intakes (19.4% to 49.4% of calories from fat). Confirmatory factor analysis identified five scales that corresponded to those hypothesized, except for exclusion, which split into avoiding meat and avoiding fat as a seasoning. The scales had high test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities, and correlations with percent of calories from fat ranged from 0.34 to 0.57 (p less than .01). The correlation of the sum of the five scales (18 items) with percent of calories from fat was 0.68 (p less than .001) and, in multiple regression models, the multiple R2 using all factors to predict percent of calories from fat was 0.47. Overall, these findings supported the validity of the theoretical model of dietary patterns related to selecting diets low in fat. We conclude that a standardized, behavioral approach to measuring fat-related dietary behavior may be useful for designing and evaluating nutrition intervention programs.

Algorithms↗