A behavioral package was used to shape and maintain the adherence of 5 subjects with vascular headache to a program of aerobic exercise training. Repeated measures of exercise behavior were examined through the use of a bidirectional changing criterion design. Repeated measures of headache activity were also collected. Results demonstrated a functional relationship between the behavioral package and exercise adherence, because all 5 subjects showed exercise behavior that matched bidirectional changing exercise criteria. The results also indicated clinically significant collateral reductions in vascular headache activity in 4 subjects. Subjects whose aerobic fitness levels were not masked by vasoactive medication also showed measurable increases in aerobic fitness. The results are discussed in terms of the methodology used to demonstrate a functional relationship between the adherence package and exercise behavior and the possible mechanism(s) by which aerobic exercise activity might affect vascular headache activity.
In order to investigate the relationship between stimulus equivalence class formation and age differences, two groups of elderly (ages 62-81) and young (ages 19-22) adult men and women mastered a series of simple and conditional discriminations. Subsequently, they were administered a test for the emergence of equivalence relations. There was a significant age difference in the emergence of equivalence relations, with the elderly subjects less likely to demonstrate equivalence relations. Measures of response latencies evidenced a general slowing of behavior for the elderly group across tasks. There were no gender or Age by Gender interactions. Possible explanations for the age differences are discussed.
The 1980s have been depicted as a decade of revolution for theory and practice in modern clinical psychology. Some have postulated a move toward eclecticism and the integration of the major theoretical orientations. Others have posited trends away from some major orientations, such as behaviorism, or a renewal of commitment to classical views, such as psychoanalysis. Unfortunately, the data supporting these assertions are typically lacking or flawed. This study offers a more methodologically sound analysis of changes in theoretical orientation during the 1980s. The proclaimed shift to eclecticism, death of behaviorism, and resurgence of psychoanalysis were not confirmed. However, the possible beginnings of a move to the cognitive perspective and the continuation of the behavioral, interpersonal relations, and psychoanalytic orientations as major forces in clinical psychology were identified.Disagreements about the ascendence, dominance, and decline of the major theoretical orientations within psychology have long characterized the profession (e.g., Hook, 1959;Knight, 1950;Watson, 1924Watson, /1958. Unfortunately, data were seldom provided in support of earlier assertions about the acceptance or endorsement of the various orientations (Norcross & Prochaska, 1983). More recently, however, surveys and citational investigations analyzing trends in theoretical orientation shifts in psychology and related disciplines have appeared (e.g.,
Two experiments were conducted (1) to explore the application of token reinforcement procedures in a maximum security correctional institution for adult male felons and (2) to determine to what extent the reinforcement procedures disrupted the day-to-day lives of inmate participants. In Experiment 1, an expanded reversal design revealed that the combination of praise and token reinforcement was more effective than the combinations of praise and noncontingent token award or direct commands on four common institutional activities. The latter two combinations were not found to be any more effective than praise alone. Experiment 2, which also employed a reversal design, indicated that the high levels of performance observed during the token reinforcement phases of Experiment 1 could be attained without subjecting participants to undue hardship in the form of increased deprivation of either social intercourse or the opportunity to engage in recreational and entertainment activities. Client safeguards are discussed in detail.DESCRIPTORS
Three intervention packages consisting of (a) enhanced prompts, feedback, and social reinforcement; (b) a lottery; and (c) serving as a confederate were added and removed in sequence as adjacent conditions in an extended withdrawal design to assess their effects on the dietary choices of elderly persons. Participants were 3 elderly residents of an independent living facility who were identified as making consistently poor dietary choices and who had medical conditions that necessitated changes in their eating habits. All 3 participants demonstrated a marked increase in healthy choices of food items in response to the package of enhanced prompts, feedback, and social reinforcement. No additional increase occurred with the introduction of the lottery and serving as a confederate. Food-choice data indicated that most of these improvements could be attributed to healthier entree and dessert choices. Group data for all residents suggested small improvements in dietary practices during the three intervention conditions, with the largest proportion of the group's healthy choices occurring when the lottery was added to enhanced prompts, feedback, and social reinforcement. Food-choice data indicated that most of these improvements could be attributed to healthier dessert choices alone.
scite is a Brooklyn-based startup that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.