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Development of knowledge about communication: children's evaluations of explicitly ambiguous messages.

Kindergartners and second graders evaluated the communicative clarity of brief oral instructions under 3 conditions: (1) unambiguous: referentially unambiguous instructions that the subjects saw a puppet listener correctly carry out; (2) no closure: ambiguous instructions that the puppet explicitly identified as ambiguous and refused to try to carry out; (3) closure: equally ambiguous instructions that the puppet also explicitly identified as ambiguous but nonetheless carried out, confidently asserting that he thought the speaker meant a specific 1 of the 2 equally possible referents. The younger, but not the older, subjects were influenced by the listener's behavior as well as by the speaker's: That is, they rated the closure instructions as clearer than the no-closure instructions, although less clear than the unambiguous ones. These results suggest that the growth of children's knowledge about communication includes the developing awareness that, in communication situations like the above, an ambiguous message is intrinsically unclear and remains a poor message regardless of the listener's response to it.

Child↗

Interviewing young sexual abuse victims with anatomically correct dolls.

Two groups of children were interviewed with a structured format to elicit their responses to sexually anatomically correct dolls. Significant differences were found between the responses of children who had not been referred for suspected sexual abuse and those who had. Nonreferred children (n = 25) revealed very few behaviors indicative of abuse whereas referred children (n = 25) demonstrated significantly more sexually related behaviors when presented with the dolls. Of the age groups studied (2-6 years), 3 year olds were the most responsive to the dolls, while older children tended either to reveal their experiences or to become very nonresponsive. The authors argue for the use of structured interview techniques with use of the anatomical dolls and the collection of normative comparison data relative to the evaluation of suspected sexual abuse.

Child Abuse, Sexual↗

A longitudinal study predicting patterns of cigarette smoking in late childhood.

Early initiation of cigarette smoking so strongly predicts future smoking that several investigators have advocated delaying the age of initiation as a prevention strategy. To complement retrospective studies of early initiation, this study assessed prospectively patterns of smoking behavior in a sample of 401 children who were surveyed in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. The principal findings were (1) modeling of smoking by parents and friends is sufficient to influence children to initiate smoking, particularly when children also have low behavioral self-control, and (2) when modeling occurs in combination with poor adjustment to school, low parental monitoring, easy access to cigarettes, and other risk attributes, early initiators are significantly more likely to continue smoking. The results suggest that delaying initiation of smoking without also modifying child attributes and socialization factors that predict early initiation and persistent smoking is unlikely to reduce the proportion of children who become habitual smokers.

Adolescent↗

Interviewee matching of interviewer temporal speech behaviors as related to perceived empathy, warmth, and genuineness.

The present study used an experimental analogue of the initial interview to examine the relationship of therapist durational speech characteristics to therapist empathy, warmth, genuineness and the state of the "therapeutic relationship" as rated by the interviewee. Cross-validated results revealed a modest direct relationship between interviewee speech modelling (DOU) and all process variables examined, with the exception of genuineness. Efficacy of the automated standardized interview as a research tool also was demonstrated. The results implicate the future examination of the relationship between therapist-client speech and silence measures and process variables.

Empathy↗

The effect of proxy voice intervention on couple softening in the context of enactments.

In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of proxy voice (therapist acting as client's "voice") intervention, embedded within couple enactments, on client-perceived softening. The primary research question was whether use of proxy voice would be more likely to bring about softening, or if its use was counterintuitive to enactment conceptualization and would elicit struggle behavior (e.g., withdrawal or negativity). Results indicate that proxy voice has a significant, positive association with softening and is inversely related to withdrawal or negativity. Preliminary findings suggest that proxy voice intervention embedded within a fluid, carefully delineated, and discriminating model of enactments effectively facilitates essential elements of couple interaction (expression of primary affect and articulation of self-concept and attachment threats) while promoting self-reliant couple interaction and increased softening.

Adolescent↗

Effects of a model on food neophobia in humans.

In study 1, subjects who were high and low in trait food neophobia made a series of choices between novel or familiar foods in the presence of no model, a neophilic model who chose mostly novel foods, or a neophobic model who chose mostly familiar foods and made another series of choices in private from foods which were not modeled. Subjects who were low (but not high) in trait neophobia behaved in accordance with the behavior of the neophilic (but not neophobic) model in the model's presence (but not absence). Study 2 clarified the results of study 1, revealing that the phenomenon was modeling and not conformity, that even highly neophobic subjects can be influenced by a stronger modeling manipulation, that food neophobia can be both increased and decreased, and that the reduced neophobia induced by exposure to a neophilic model does not generalize to non-modeled foods.

Adolescent↗

Goal contagion: perceiving is for pursuing.

Six studies examined the goal contagion hypothesis, which claims that individuals may automatically adopt and pursue a goal that is implied by another person's behavior. Participants were briefly exposed to behavioral information implying a specific goal and were then given the opportunity to act on the goal in a different way and context. Studies 1-3 established the goal contagion phenomenon by showing that the behavioral consequences of goal contagion possess features of goal directedness: (a) They are affected by goal strength, (b) they have the quality of goal appropriateness, and (c) they are characterized by persistence. Studies 4-6 show that people do not automatically adopt goals when the observed goal pursuit is conducted in an unacceptable manner, because the goal will then be perceived as unattractive. The results are discussed in the context of recent research on automatic goal pursuits.

Adult↗

Jeopardy in community placement.

As part of a broader research effort, a survey of the adaptive behavior of 424 community-placed retarded persons was conducted through small group, tape-recorded interviews with their 109 caretakers. From 1252 incidents of problem behavior cited, 203 were judged to contain jeopardy. Seventy-seven percent of these incidents involved jeopardy to health and/or safety, 4 percent to general welfare, and 18 percent contained legal jeopardy. In 79 percent of incidents, the client jeopardized himself, in 12 percent he jeopardized a fellow client, and in 9 percent he jeopardized a member of the community at large. The evidence exposes need for full examination of this problem and ways to minimize it.

Adult↗

Family variables and physical activity in preschool children.

Correlates of the physical activity habits of preschool children were studied in a multiethnic sample. Physical activity levels of 33 low-income children were observed systematically during free-play periods at preschool. Children spent 58% of free-play time in sedentary activities (e.g., sitting), and were vigorously active only 11% of the time. Independent variables studied were child body mass index (BMI), teacher-rated Type A behavior, and parent-reported mother BMI, father BMI, parent vigorous activity, and family cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The multiple regression of moderate-intensity activity was significant, with family CVD risk, parent vigorous activity, and father BMI accounting for significant amounts of variance. The results suggest that the effects of parental role modeling on child physical activity levels may extend to free-play settings far beyond the confines of the home environment.

Body Weight↗

Personal violence in infantry combat.

Thirty-one soldiers who had killed while in combat and who had subsequent psychiatric examinations were asked about acts of 'personal violence' in Vietna m (acts against persons at close range judged to be unnecessary from a military point of view.) Fourteen reported engagement in personal violence, while nine others reported witnessing such behavior. In this group, all who reported participation in personal violence had volunteered to serve in Vietnam. Significantly more participants reported killing four or more persons in Vietnam than did nonparticipants, and the participants more frequently had a history of arrest prior to military service. As a group, participants could be distinguished from nonparticipants by the average number of positive items present in each of several groupings of precombat variables. Personal violence in combat results from an interaction of individual, group, and situational factors.

Adult↗

Non-human primate models of childhood psychopathology: the promise and the limitations.

Although non-human primate models have been used previously to investigate the neurobiology of several sensory and cognitive developmental pathologies, they have been employed only sparingly to study the etiology of childhood psychopathologies for which deficits in social behavior and emotion regulation are major symptoms. Previous investigations of both adult human and non-human primates have indicated that primate social behavior and emotion are regulated by a complex neural network, in which the amygdala and orbital frontal cortex play major roles. Therefore, this review will provide information generated from the study of macaque monkeys regarding the timing of normal social and emotional behavior development, the normal pattern of anatomical and functional maturation of the amygdala and orbital frontal cortex, as well as information regarding the neural and behavioral effects of early perturbations of these two neural structures. We will also highlight 'critical periods' of macaque development, during which major refinements in the behavioral repertoire appear to coincide with significant neural maturation of the amygdala and/or orbital frontal cortex. The identification of these 'critical periods' may allow one to better predict the specific behavioral impairments likely to appear after neonatal damage to one or both of these neural areas at different time points during development. This experimental approach may provide a new and important way to inform and stimulate research on childhood psychopathologies, such as autism, schizophrenia and Williams syndrome, in which the development of normal social skills and emotional regulation is severely perturbed. Finally, the promise and limitations inherent to the use of non-human primate models of childhood psychopathology will be discussed.

Amygdala↗

Hero/heroine modeling for Puerto Rican adolescents: a preventive mental health intervention.

Culturally sensitive treatments of the special mental health needs of high-risk Puerto Rican adolescents are lacking. The hero/heroine intervention was based on adult Puerto Rican role models to foster ethnic identity, self-concept, and adaptive coping behavior. 90 nonclinical Puerto Rican 8th and 9th graders were screened for presenting behavior problems in school and randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. After 19 sessions, the intervention significantly increased adolescents' ethnic identity and self-concept and reduced anxiety. Treatment outcomes varied as a function of grade level, sex, and household composition. Self-concept was negatively affected among girls from intact families. The study supports the effectiveness of the culturally sensitive modality as a preventive mental health intervention for high-risk Puerto Rican adolescents, especially from single-parent families.

Acculturation↗

The discouragement of smoking in a hospital setting: the importance of modeled behavior.

The present study looked at the importance of modeled behavior of hospital employees on the smoking behavior of patients and visitors. A high status model meant to resemble a medical doctor and a "peer" model meant to resemble a patient smoked in the presence of patients and visitors waiting in a no smoking area. The results clearly show an increased smoking rate among subjects when models smoked, with women slightly more influenced to smoke than men. No significant difference was found between models. The findings tend to support the importance of health personnel, particularly doctors, refraining from smoking in the presence of patients.

Female↗

[Violence in the school--imported or self-produced?].

The empirical results of the Bielefeld Research Project "Violence in Schools" provide information about the kind and frequency of violent behaviors of pupils, about a possible increase in the level of violence in German schools since the 1970s and about relevant risk factors inside and outside of the school which influence the number of violent acts committed by pupils. The identification of specific conditions in different areas of socialization makes it possible to determine to what degree violence is imported into the school from outside or is produced from within. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are made for the prevention of violence in schools.

Adolescent↗

Assessing the "modeling effect" in parasuicidal behavior: a comment on Platt (1993)

This article provides a critical evaluation of Platt's [1993] research investigating the role of modeling in the acquisition of parasuicidal behavior. The discussion focuses on general theoretical and methodological issues related to research in this area, as well as on specific concerns regarding Platt's investigation. In addition to presenting a critique of this research, a hypothetical model is presented that should lend credibility to future investigations into the theoretically posited casual relationships within the modeling paradigm. Model selection was based upon a recognition that an adequate test of the observational learning theory would need to appropriately employ correlational data commonly found in research in suicide and parasuicide. The implications for clinical practice are presented.

Attitude↗

Using videotape modeling to prepare children psychologically for surgery: influence of parents and costs versus benefits of providing preparation services.

Sixty pediatric patients having first-time elective surgery participated in this study. Surgery preparation using videotape procedures was employed. The research design included two viewing conditions (with parent present and without parent present) and three treatment procedures (adult-narrated videotape, peer-narrated videotape, and control/no-videotape condition). Results suggested that children who viewed the videotape with their parent present exhibited less preoperative arousal compared to children who did not. The patients undergoing preparation using the videotape model exhibited less arousal, less self-reported anxiety, and less behaviorally rated anxiety when compared to patients who did not view the videotape preparation. There was no difference between the patients who viewed the adult-narrated versus the peer-narrated videotape. In addition, parents who viewed the videotape or whose children viewed the videotape without them exhibited less arousal prior to the operation than parents who did not and whose children did not view the videotape preparation. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis revealed that preparation services could reduce individual and overall medical costs.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Youth violence directed toward significant others.

This study explored violent behavior of high school students toward their parents, using a self-report questionnaire. The families of the students were characterized as having high, moderate, or low levels of family functioning, and these levels were correlated with the amount of violent behavior manifested by the youths. It was found that violence by young people toward their parents tended to be concentrated in households with strong manifestations of intra-family violence or aggression between the parents, between parents and children, and between siblings. Low levels of family functioning, characterized by disagreements over money matters, inappropriate disciplining of children, few share activities, and alcohol abuse, also correlated strongly with youth violence toward parents. It was also found that youths involved in deviant peer group activity had higher levels of violence toward parents than youths who were not involved in this way.

Adolescent↗

Parental influences on aggressive behavior: a social learning approach.

This research tested the social learning propositions that parents influence a child toward aggressive behavior by modeling and encouraging such behavior. It further tested the social learning propositions that the more a child identifies strongly with a parent who models aggression and communicates with a parent who encourages aggression, the greater will be the influence. Support was found for the general propositions on modeling and encouragement of aggression, and in the case of the father, support was found for the propositions on identification and communication. However, the results for identification and communication with a mother who modeled and encouraged aggression were opposite from the predicted direction. Implications of the predicted findings are discussed as well as possible explanations for the unexpected findings.

Adolescent↗