When one sibling has autism spectrum disorder, the sibling relationship is often characterized by poorer quality with fewer interactions. Because sibling relationships provide a vital social framework for development, they have the capacity to be a risk or protective factor, depending on the quality of the relationship. One way to improve the quality of the sibling relationship is through typically developing sibling participation in a support group. In this study, researchers randomly assigned typically developing siblings to a 10-week support group or attention-only control group. Typically developing siblings in the support group showed significant improvements in the quality of their sibling relationship and interactions with their sibling with autism spectrum disorder compared to the control group. Autism spectrum disorder severity and externalizing behavior moderated the effects of the support group on positive affect. Findings suggest the positive impact of a support group on sibling relationships, a relationship that has the potential to be protective. Lay abstract The sibling relationship can be negatively impacted when one child has autism spectrum disorder. One way to improve the quality of that relationship is through typically developing sibling participation in a support group in which they learn about autism spectrum disorder and coping skills, develop a peer network, and discuss their feelings. Compared to participating in a similar group without a focus on autism spectrum disorder, siblings in the support group showed improvements in the quality of the sibling relationship. Findings suggest that sibling support groups can be a valuable resource to improve sibling relationship quality when one sibling has autism spectrum disorder.

How should the design of incentives vary with the time preferences of agents? We formulate predictions for two incentive contract variations that should increase ecacy for impatient agents relative to patient ones: increasing the frequency of incentive payments, and making the contract "dynamically non-separable" by only rewarding compliance in a given period if the agent complies in a minimum number of other periods. We test the e cacy of these variations, and their interactions with time preferences, using a randomized evaluation of an incentives program for exercise among 3,200 diabetics in India. On average, providing incentives increases daily walking by 1,300 steps or roughly 13 minutes of brisk walking, and decreases the health risk factors for diabetes. Increasing the frequency of payment does not increase e↵ectiveness, suggesting limited impatience over payments. However, making the payment function dynamically non-separable increases cost-e↵ectiveness. Consistent with our theoretical predictions, agent impatience over walking appears to play a role in non-separability's e cacy: both heterogeneity analysis based on measured impatience and a calibrated model suggest that the non-separable contract works better for the impatient.

Reconsolidation theory has supported the notion that active memory is vulnerable to the effects of an amnesic agent. An extension of reconsolidation theory posits that active memory, while necessary for creating vulnerability in memory, is not sufficient. Prediction error (i.e., when expectation is inconsistent with reality) may be a key factor in the destabilization of memory. The present study examined the role of prediction error in appetitive memory reconsolidation. Rats learned to dig in cups of scented sand to retrieve buried sweet cereal rewards. Forty-eight hours following acquisition, a single reactivation trial was given during which a prediction error or no prediction error was included. The prediction error consisted of a single extinction trial, while the no prediction error condition consisted of an additional reinforced trial. Cycloheximide (CHX; 1 mg/kg) or vehicle (VEH: distilled water; 1 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally immediately following reactivation. One week following reactivation, rats received 2 nonreinforced test trials. Results showed longer latencies to dig for rats that received CHX following a prediction error (CHX/PE) compared to rats that received VEH (VEH/PE) or did not receive a prediction error (CHX/NoPE or VEH/NoPE). These results add to a growing literature demonstrating that protein synthesis is necessary in appetitive memory reconsolidation only when reactivation includes a prediction error. (PsycINFO Database Record

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