This dissertation intends describing and understanding my development as a therapist over a two year period. The question which prompted the research is to what extent the therapist directs change within the therapeutic process. It therefore considers the issue of intervention in therapy. The social constructionist theory is utilised to understand more fully the issues around intervention in therapy. A qualitative research methodology is followed, which has as its foundation an emergent design. The raw data takes the form of a journal, which is a case determined diary. The conclusions drawn at the end of the study are idiographic and reflective. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The present study was concerned with the development and maintenance of (precurrent) behavior that increases the probability of reinforcement for another (current) behavior. A single-subject methodology was employed. Nine human subjects responded on a computer mouse that contained two buttons. One (current) button was reinforced according to a probability schedule (p = .02 or a minor deviation thereof), Depending on the condition, the other button either had no scheduled consequence (i.e., the precurrent contingency was absent) or increased the probability of reinforcement (p = .08) for current responding for 15 s (i.e., the standard precurrent contingency was present). Generally, with the precurrent contingency absent, precurrent responding quickly dropped to near zero levels ; with the precurrent contingency present, precurrent responding maintained at enhanced levels. Between- and within-subject replications suggest that the precurrent contingency was responsible for the maintenance of precurrent responding. Initial exposure to the precurrent contingency resulted in the acquisition of precurrent responding for four of eight subjects. For the four other subjects, a special conditioning procedure was enployed. which included either: (1) increasing the degree to which a precurrent response raised the probability of reinforcement for current responding; or (2) decreasing the probability of reinforcement for current responding to zero unless a precurrent response had occurred within the previous 15 s. Both of these procedures produced enhanced levels of precurrent responding which eventually maintained when the standard precurrent contingency was reintroduced. For four subjects, a OOD was later imposed onto the precurrent contingency. Specifically, a precurrent response produced a brief timeout followed by the period of enhanced reinforcement probability for current responding. In two cases, the CDD reduced precurrent responding to near zero levels, suggesting that reinforcement for current responses immediately following a precurrent response can play an important role in maintenance. In another experiment, the acquisition of precurrent responding was observed when the OOD was part of the precurrent contingency from the beginning, suggesting reinforcement for current responses immediately following a precurrent response is not necessary for acquisition. Current responding generally occurred at a high stable rate within sessions, between sessions, and between conditions. Efficiency (defined as the proportion of current responses in a session emitted under the enhanced probability state) rarely approached maximal levels and generally did not Improve with extended exposure to the precurrent contingency. Post-session verbal reports were recorded for six subjects. The conditioning and extinction of precurrent responding was demonstrated in the absence of "awareness" of the precurrent contingency. The accuracy of the reports varied both between- and within-subjects, and like efficiency, did not Improve with extended exposure to the precurrent contingency. Some issues considered in the discussion include (1) the role of frequency of contact with the precurrent contingency in acquisition and (2) discriminative control by the reinforcement schedules. Directions for future research are also discussed. / Graduate

M.A. / Tho history of education for black learners with learning disabilities and education support services in South Africa (S.A), like much of the history of this country reflect massive deprivation and lack of provision for the majority of people. These inequalities can be ascribed to those social, economic and political factors which characterised the history of South African society in the past (Department of Education, 1997) . It becomes evident that the educational system, is a system which has been designed for the majority of learners and is therefore insensitive to those who learn differently. An inability to access services, if they do exist, essentially means that these children have nowhere to go for assistance.

Although previous research has shown the efficacy of self-control techniques such as self-monitoring and self-reinforcement in changing study behavior, the adequacy of the experimental procedures utilized in many studies may be questioned. This experiment re-examined the effects these operant conditioning procedures had on the study behavior of junior college evening students by using three groups of subjects exposed to different combinations of self-control techniques. Control Group subjects recorded their new thoughts (ideas relating the course material to their everyday lives) in an attempt to control for the effects of novel procedures, motivation and other non-specific variables. Self-Monitoring Group subjects complied with the control procedure, monitored their study time {by recording study start and stop times) and monitored the number of facts learned (by self-administering quizzes). The Self-Reinforcement Group complied with the self-monitoring procedures and self-reinforced their study behavior (by listing their reinforcers, the cost per reinforcer in minutes of study time and recording the number of reinforcements received). Additional data collected consisted of concurrent weekly quiz scores, final examination scores and the extent to which subjects complied with the treatment procedures. Results showed no significant differences among the three groups on either concurrent quizzes or on the final examination. The Self-!

Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Major Depressive Disorder is a prevalent psychiatric illness that poses critical risk factors to families. Risk factors associated with depression are widely researched, but limited South African and international research exists with regard to family resilience factors and intervention programmes associated with these high-risk families. The aim of the present study was to address these limitations by (a) identifying and describing the qualities of resilience in families in which a parent had been living with Major Depressive Disorder, (b) developing a family intervention programme for parents to strengthen and enhance a quality of resilience and, finally, following the intervention programme, (c) to evaluate the impact of the intervention programme on the identified resilience quality. The research was divided into two phases in order to address the above-mentioned, namely the descriptive phase (Phase 1) and the intervention phase (Phase 2). The results of the descriptive phase revealed various statistically significant correlations between the independent variables and the dependent variable, namely family adaptation, as measured by The Family Attachment Changeability Index 8 (FACI8) (McCubbin et al., 1996). The strongest statistically significant correlation was found between family problem solving and communication, and family adaptation. This steered the development of the intervention programme, aiming it at enhancing family problem solving and communication as a family resilience quality. An experimental design was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention programme. Analysis 1 revealed a trend (not statistical significant on a 5% level), suggesting that negative communication decreased over a three-month period after the intervention programme. Analysis 2 supported this trend on a 5% level. The qualitative post-test data reveal that the participants perceived the intervention programme in a very positive light, namely as a beneficial and educational experience. Furthermore, the three-month follow-up assessment showed that the majority (81%) of the participants indicated that the intervention programme impacted positively on their family’s communication. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Major Depressiewe Steuring is ‘n bekende psigiatriese siekte wat gesinne met kritiese risikofaktore uitdaag. Hierdie risikofaktore is wyd nagevors, maar beperkte Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale navorsing bestaan met betrekking tot gesinsveerkragtigheidsfaktore en gepaste intervensieprogramme wat met hierdie hoë risiko gesinne geassosieer word. Die doel van die huidige studie was om hierdie beperkings aan te spreek, deur (a) veerkragtigheidsfaktore te identifiseer en te beskryf in gesinne waar ‘n ouer met Major Depressiewe Versteuring leef, (b) om ‘n gesinsintervensieprogram vir ouers te ontwikkel wat ‘n spesifieke veerkragtigheidsfaktor kan versterk en ontwikkel, en (c) om die impak van die intervensieprogram op die geïdentifiseerde veerkragtigheidsfaktor te evalueer. Die navorsing is in twee fases verdeel, naamlik die beskrywende fase (Fase 1) en die intervensie fase (Fase 2) om bogenoemde aan te spreek. Die resultate van die beskrywende fase het verskeie statisties beduidend korrelasies getoon tussen die onafhanklike veranderlikes en afhanklike veranderlike, naamlik familie aanpasbaarheid, wat deur The Family Attachment Changeability Index 8 (FACI8) gemeet is (McCubbin et al., 1996). Die sterkste statisties beduidende korrelasie was tussen gesin probleemoplossing en kommunikasie en gesin aanpasbaarheid. Hierdie verhouding het die ontwikkeling van die intervensieprogram bepaal wat ten doel gehad het om gesin probleemoplossing en kommunikasie as ‘n gesinsveerkragtiheidskwaliteit te ontwikkel. ‘n Eksperimentele ontwerp is gebruik om die impak van die intervensieprogram te evalueer. Analise 1 het ‘n tendens (nie statisties beduidend op ‘n 5 % vlak) uitgelig wat daarop dui dat negatiewe kommunikasie verminder het oor ‘n periode van drie maande na die intervensieprogram. Analise 2 het hierdie tendens ondersteun op ‘n 5% vlak. Die kwalitatiewe na-toets data het aangedui dat die deelnemers die intervensieprogram in ‘n baie positiewe lig ervaar het en as voordelig en opvoedkundig beskou het. Die drie-maande opvolgassessering het ook aangedui dat die meerderheid (81%) van die deelnemers gevind het dat die intervensieprogram ‘n positiewe impak op hulle gesinskommunikasie gehad het.

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of a conflicting instruction on FR-5 performances by an ABABC design. After all four college students were consistently pressing 1-5-3 followed by sound-clips, the schedule value changed to FR-5 (A). Then they were presented with the written instruction "Press 426" (B) in addition to the previous condition. In the last condition (C), 1-5-3 responses were then scheduled for extinction in three participants and the reinforcer was changed from sound-clips to points for one participant. The results showed that unlike previous experiments, instructions did not override the scheduled contingencies. Instruction-following occurred only when there were no other contingencies (i.e., extinction of 1-5-3) or the scheduled reinforcer for FR-5 performances was weak.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of human operant behavior. One area of study reflecting this interest is the study of the formation of equivalent classes of stimuli by human subjects. The focus of the present research was the study of the conditions under which classes of equivalent stimuli can be inferred to be under conditional control. In Experiment 1-A, three college students were trained to respond to a balanced five-term contingency via a visual-visual simultaneous matching-to-sample task with two choices of comparison stimuli. Probe tests showed that subjects' behavior could be described as being controlled by positive and negative stimulus relations. When the second-order stimulus was removed during subsequent probes, none of the three subjects demonstrated strong correct responses to the four-term unit relations. Also, none of the three subjects demonstrated the expected transitive relations when the second-order (five-term) stimulus was removed. In Experiment 1-B--with the same three subjects--explicit training of the four-term unit relations showed the expected transitive relations in the absence of the second-order stimulus. In Experiments 2 through 5--using a matching-to-sample task similar to that used in Experiments 1-A and 1-B--five subjects were trained to respond to comparison stimuli C and E in the presence of sample A and second-order stimulus X and to comparison stimuli Band Fin the presence of sample D and second-order stimulus X. Likewise, the subjects were trained to respond to comparison stimuli Band Fin the presence of sample A and second-order stimulus Y and to comparison stimuli C and E in the presence of sample D and second-order stimulus Y. Probe tests for transitive relations showed that four of the five subjects eventually demonstrated four three-member classes of equivalent stimuli that functioned separately under the control of the second-order stimuli. The four subjects demonstrating the classes of equivalent stimuli either a) demonstrated the transitive relations immediately orb) demonstrated the transitive relations after explict retraining of the underlying four-term unit relations. The results of all experiments together indicated that the composition of classes of equivalent stimuli can be conditionally controlled by either a) removing the second-order stimulus orb) training subjects to respond to classes of equivalent stimuli under the control of other explicit visual second-order stimuli. The results are discussed in terms of verbal behavior, emergent behavior, and conceptual development.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-97). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-97). Also available on the Internet.

Three children between the ages of 3 and 3 1/2 were asked to choose a colored object from an array of 5 colors in a baseline condition. After color preferences were established, stickers, small toys and praise were made contingent on choosing the least preferred color. After the first experimental condition resulted in consistent choosing of the least preferred color, a second experimental condition was implemented. At the beginning of each session a contingency-specifying stimulus (CSS) was presented, each CSS specifying a different color to be selected. Both contingency-shaping and CSS presentation resulted in stimulus control over responding. However, CSS presentation resulted in immediate redistributions of behavioral units across CSS sessions.