The principle of least effort suggests that animals should minimize effort to reinforcement. Thus, not pecking should be preferred over pecking. However, pigeons often peck when it is allowed but not required (e.g., fixed time schedules) but pecking may be adventitiously reinforced. In the present experiment, to better compare a schedule of reinforcement that requires pecking with one that requires the absence of pecking, we compared a fixed-interval (FI) schedule in which reinforcement follows the first peck after the interval has elapsed and a differential-reinforcement-of-other behavior (DRO) schedule which requires pigeons abstain from pecking for a similar interval. The delay to reinforcement was matched on a trial-by-trial basis by extending the duration of the FI to match the DRO schedule that preceded it. Of 12 pigeons, 6 preferred the DRO schedule over the FI schedule and 6 did not show a schedule preference. Those that were indifferent between the schedules had acquired the contingences, as they responded appropriately to the two schedules but had a spatial preference stronger than their schedule preference. Individual differences in the preference of the pigeons may be related to their behavior during the DRO.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a video model, graduated exposure (i.e., touch, smell, try, eat), and positive reinforcement to first increase food exploration, and then increase consumption of non-preferred foods in young children that exhibit food selectivity in a school setting. A multiple probe design across behaviors replicated across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment package. The treatment package consisted of a video model of each target behavior (touch, smell, try, eat) and positive reinforcement which included preferred foods and materials. The results indicated that the treatment package was effective in increasing the food exploration and consumption of non-preferred foods for one participant, and was inconclusive for the second participant.

Attitudes are usually defined as feelings for or against something (Remmers and Gage, 1955). They are very important in the lives of people because they help determine future success in an individual's life. Because of them one works to get the things he wants, one votes for or against certain issues, one joins a cause, opposes something, or attempts to influence others.

Implicit association of racial stereotypes is brought about by social conditioning (Greenwald & Krieger, 2006). This conditioning can be explained by attractor networks (Sharp, 2011). Reducing implicit bias through meditation can show the effectiveness of reducing the rigidity of attractor networks, thereby reducing subjectivity. Mindfulness meditation has shown to reduce bias from the use of one single guided session conducted before performing an Implicit Association Test (Lueke & Gibson, 2015). Attachment to socially conditioned racial bias should become less prevalent through practicing meditation over time. An experimental model is proposed to test this claim along with a reconceptualization of consciousness based in meditative practice.

This study looks at alternative models of follow-up album success in order to determine if there is a relationship between the decrease in Metascore ratings (assigned by Metacritic.com) between the first and second album for a musician or band and the 1) music genre or 2) the number of years between the first and second album release. The results support the dominant thought, which suggests that neither belonging to a certain genre of music nor waiting more or less time to drop the second album makes an artist more susceptible to the Sophomore Slump. This finding is important because it forces us to identify other potential causes for the observed disappointing performance of a generally favorable musician’s second album.

The effects of a video modeling intervention, given to six children with ASD, were evaluated through a multiple-baseline and multiple-probe design across children. The research targeted teaching children with ASD to assertively respond to physical bullying, verbal bullying, and social exclusion, as well as telling one’s mother. In baseline, the participants demonstrated inconsistent to no skills for responding to the bullying in the vignette movies (SAAS) and the generalization probe skits. During intervention the participants watched a video of a person assertively responding to bullying, and were assessed through VM questions and SAAS. Post-intervention the children participated in generalization probe skits. The researcher and a blind rater scored the participants’ responses using a four-point scale. A pre-intervention survey of bullying was also given to the parents to assess their child’s victimization. The results showed that video modeling effectively taught all of the participants to assertively respond to bullying and resulted in generalization for 4 of the 6 participants.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:40:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Luiza Mesquita.pdf: 1339144 bytes, checksum: 96e23145c62c671a2f420c67daa9ed7f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Prader Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the absence of the paternally derived PWS region of chromosome 15. Some patognomonics symptoms of this disorder are hyperphagia and obesity, which in most cases happens before the age of six and they severely harm the quality of life of such patients. The present study has focused on the behavioral area and aimed at identifying the daily frequency of eating habits and the caloric intake of children with PWS; identifying the variables of family interaction which control the eating behavior and tracing a cognitive and behavioral profile of the PWS patients. The sample was made by eleven children with a PWS genetic diagnosis, between the ages of 7 and 16 and their parents. The data collecting instruments were: a questionnaire for the eating habits record of the children, an interview to identify controlled environment variances of the eating behavior and the Brazilian version of the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18 (CBCL/6-18) by Achenbach and the WISC-III test (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- 3 rd edition). The data went through an evaluation which included topographic record and functional analysis of eating behavior and others types of children´s non- adaptive behaviors and analyses and comparison of frequency distribution of these behaviors in relation to cognitive and behavioral profiles of the patients. The group was characterized as obese according to the BMI calculation. The main results showed that 82% from the total classified in the WISC-III test as mentally retarded, 100% of the sample was at clinic level and in at lest one of the syndrome scales, competences or problems of the instrument CBCL/6-18. One of the high frequency behavioral classes was the negotiations to obtain food from their parents. There is a behavioral chart configured as pathological in terms of response for tantrums, manipulation, aggressiveness, breaking of rules and oppositionist behavior. Psychiatric comorbidity has also been identified, associated to high consumption of psychotropic drugs. / A Síndrome de Prader Willi (SPW) é uma doença genética de origem paterna causada pela perda de expressão de genes no cromossomo 15. Alguns sintomas patognomônicos da doença são a hiperfagia e a obesidade que, na maioria dos casos, ocorre antes dos seis anos e compromete severamente a qualidade vida desses pacientes. O presente estudo se concentrou na área comportamental e teve como objetivos: - identificar a freqüência diária de comportamentos alimentares e ingestão calórica de crianças com SPW; - identificar as variáveis de interação familiar que controlam os comportamentos alimentares e; - traçar um perfil comportamental e cognitivo dos sujeitos com SPW. A amostra foi composta por onze crianças com diagnóstico genético de SPW, na faixa etária de 7 a 16 anos e seus pais. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados foram: um questionário para o registro de hábitos alimentares da criança, uma entrevista para identificar variáveis ambientais controladoras dos comportamentos alimentares, a versão brasileira do Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18 (CBCL/6-18) de Achenbach e o Teste WISC-III (Escala de Inteligência Wechsler para crianças 3ª edição). Os dados passaram por uma avaliação que incluiu um registro topográfico e análise funcional de comportamentos alimentares e de outros tipos de comportamentos desadaptativos das crianças e análise e comparação das distribuições de freqüências desses comportamentos em relação aos perfis cognitivo e comportamental dos sujeitos. O grupo foi caracterizado como obeso de acordo com o cálculo do IMC. Os principais resultados apontaram que 82% do total classificaram-se no teste WISC-III como débil mental, 100% da amostra pontuaram na faixa clínica em, pelo menos uma das escalas das síndromes, competências ou problemas do instrumento CBCL/6-18. Uma das classes comportamentais de alta freqüência foram as negociações para obter alimentos dos pais. Há um quadro comportamental configurado como patológico em termos de respostas de birra, manipulação, agressividade, quebrar regras e oposicionismo. A comorbidade psiquiátrica também foi identificada, inclusive associada a um consumo elevado de psicotrópicos.

Insecure cyber behavior of end users may expose their computers to cyber-attack. A first step to improve their cyber behavior is to identify their tendency toward insecure cyber behavior. Unfortunately, not much work has been done in this area. In particular, the relationship between end users cyber behavior and their personality traits is much less explored. This paper presents a comprehensive review of a newly developed, easily configurable, and flexible software SPICE for psychologist and cognitive scientists to study personality traits and insecure cyber behavior of end users. The software utilizes well-established cognitive methods (such as dot-probe) to identify number of personality traits, and further allows researchers to design and conduct experiments and detailed quantitative study on the cyber behavior of end users. The software collects fine-grained data on users for analysis.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a debilitating personality disorder that impacts anywhere between 1% to 5% of Americans. Studies claim that women are significantly more at risk than men to suffer from this disorder and may experience stronger symptoms. Previous research has found that victims of childhood abuse such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect are more at risk for developing Borderline Personality Disorder as adults, particularly when abuse is paired with genetic susceptibility. Some researchers claim that there are no detectable racial differences in Borderline Personality Disorder, but previous studies often have very small sample sizes taken from clinical patients. To examine the sociological patterns of BPD diagnosis with a representative population sample, data was analyzed from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to examine gender, race, and childhood abuse as predictors. Results show that racial minority status is actually a stronger predictor than gender. Examining intersectional effects shows that black women and Native American men have significantly elevated risks for BPD in adulthood. Overall, a history of sexual and emotional abuse are the most significant driving factors of BPD, regardless of race and gender.

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) reports that 3.2 million deaths per year are attributable to physical inactivity, making it the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Physical inactivity is also a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes (WHO, 2018). Globally, 1 in 4 adults is not active enough and, therefore, foregoes a myriad of health benefits associated with Physical Activity (PA; WHO, 2018). In the United States, only about 1 in 5 (21%) adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018). The CDC currently recommends adults engage in 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week (CDC, 2018). Translated to steps, the recommendation can be met by taking 3,000 steps in 30 min, 5 days per week (Marshall et al., 2009). Physical inactivity is also a major contributor to obesity (WHO, 2018). According to the WHO (2018), worldwide prevalence of obesity almost tripled since 1975. In the United States, the medical costs of obesity were estimated to be $147 billion, or 10% of all medical spending (Finkelstein, Trogdon, Cohen, & Dietz, 2009). To combat the many problems associated with physical inactivity, the CDC (2015), the WHO (2018), and the American Heart Association (2018) prescribe increased PA. Furthermore, increased PA contributes to a variety of other health benefits, including a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, as well as improved mental health, and increased life expectancy (CDC, 2018).