Alvaro Q. Barriga

Relationships Between Problem Behaviors and Academic Achievement in Adolescents The Unique Role of Attention Problems

Numerous studies have documented relationships between a variety of problem behaviors and academic achievement measures. However, the results of these studies should be interpreted cautiously, given the considerable comorbidity of problem behaviors that often exists among school-age youth.This study addressed the relationships between 8 teacher-reported problem behavior syndromes (withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety/depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior) and standardized measures of academic achievement (overall, reading, spelling, arithmetic, performance). The sample comprised 41 boys and 17 girls ages 11 to 19 years (M = 15.02, SD = 1.90) enrolled in an alternative school. Although withdrawn, somatic complaints, delinquent behavior, and aggressive behavior syndromes exhibited significant zero-order correlations with the academic achievement measures, each of these relationships was mediated by attention problems. A post hoc analysis suggested that the observed association between attention problems and academic achievement was primarily due to the inattention component of the syndrome rather than the hyperactivity—impulsivity component.The findings are discussed with reference to theoretical, research, and treatment implications.

Cognitive Distortion and Problem Behaviors in Adolescents

The authors investigated the prevalence of self-serving and self-debasing cognitive distortions and their specific relations to externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors in 96 incarcerated male and female delinquents and a comparison sample of 66 high school students. The incarcerated participants evidenced higher levels of cognitive distortion (self-serving and self-debasing) and problem behavior (externalizing and internalizing) than did comparison participants. Both self-serving and self-debasing cognitive distortions were associated with unique variance in overall problem behaviors. Most notably, self-serving cognitive distortions specifically related to externalizing behaviors, whereas self-debasing cognitive distortions specifically related to internalizing behaviors. The theoretical and treatment implications of the findings are discussed.

Developing the helping skills and prosocial motivation of aggressive adolescents in peer group programs

Abstract Peer-group and skills-training treatment approaches are integrated in EQUIP, an innovative group program for aggressive and other antisocial adolescents. Peer group programs such as Positive Peer Culture generally have had only mixed success, perhaps because they do not sufficiently counteract the negative youth culture and the helping-skill limitations of antisocial youth. These helping-skill limitations include: (a) delay or immaturity in moral judgment and egocentric bias, (b) social information-processing deficits and distortions, and (c) social skill deficiencies. Single-component skills-training interventions addressing one or another of these limitations have also had only mixed success. EQUIP introduces “equipment meetings” to remediate these limitations by incorporating into a peer-group treatment approach multicomponent skills training (cf. Aggression Replacement Training, cognitive therapy). Equipment meetings also promote the development of a positive youth culture and hence the prosocial motivation of group members. A recent favorable study encourages continued evaluation research for multicomponent group programs that are designed to motivate and equip aggressive youth to help one another.

Specificity of cognitive distortions to antisocial behaviours

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND Cognitive distortions have long been posited to facilitate antisocial behaviours, but the specificity of such distortions has rarely been studied. AIMS To replicate findings of specificity between particular cognitions and externalizing or internalizing behaviours; to test for specificity of relationship between particular cognitions and different types of externalizing behaviours. METHODS The participants were 239 male youths aged 10 to 19 years (mean (M) = 14.22, standard deviation (SD) = 1.64) from schools on the island of Curaçao. Their cognitive distortions and problem behaviours were investigated through self-report. Results In controlled analyses, self-serving cognitive distortions were associated with externalizing behaviours whereas self-debasing cognitive distortions were associated with internalizing behaviours. Within the externalizing domain, self-serving distortions with overt behavioural referents were linked to aggressive behaviour while self-serving distortions with covert behavioural referents were linked to delinquent behaviour. Within the aggression domain, distortions with opposition-defiance referents related to verbal aggression whereas distortions with physical aggression referents related to physically aggressive behaviour. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The degree of cognitive-behavioural specificity documented by this study was remarkable. The observed pattern suggests that cognitive interventions designed for externalizing versus internalizing behaviours should differ in therapeutic approach.

Dialogue and Exchange of Information about Grade Inflation can Counteract its Effects

This investigation documents an intervention that successfully counteracted a grade inflation trend at a small, Catholic, liberal arts university in the eastern United States. The intervention produced a significant drop in grades awarded by full-time faculty, but not by adjunct faculty who were not yet included in the intervention. Institutional factors affecting grade inflation (i.e., class size, course level, academic discipline, day and semester of delivery) were also analyzed before and after the intervention.

Psychometrical properties of the "How I Think" Questionnaire (HIT-Q) in adolescents

BACKGROUND The How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) was developed to measure the main categories of self-serving cognitive distortions. METHOD The present study analyses the psychometric properties of the HIT-Q Spanish-Version. The sample consisted of 1.490 Spanish-speaking adolescents recruited from various schools in Madrid (Spain). The participants had a mean age of 15.37 years (SD = 1.67). RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that the underlying structure of the HIT-Q was best explained by a six-factor solution (Self-Centred, Blaming Others, Minimizing/Mislabelling, Assuming the Worst, Anomalous Responses and Positive Fillers). CONCLUSIONS After examination of its psychometric properties, it was concluded that the Spanish version of the HIT-Q is a reliable and valid measure of self-serving cognitive distortions in Spanish adolescents.