John E. Bassett

Applied behavior analysis in a penal setting: targeting “Free world” behaviors

Two studies are presented in which potentially adaptive “free world” behaviors were increased among a group of male prisoners participating in a token economy on a county penal farm. In the first, percentage of time watching television news and comprehension of the content of the news were targeted behaviors which were experimentally analyzed using instruction, noncontingent quizzes, and quizzes on which correct answers earned points in the token economy. The last condition proved to be the most effective over a prolonged period. In the second, attending a remedial education center during evening free time was the targeted response. Manipulation of the token economy, primarily through awarding additional points for attendance, was experimentally analyzed and shown to be effective in increasing this target behavior.

Psychopathy and Delay of Gratification

Groups of adult prisoners (white normals, n = 32; white psychopaths, n = 29; black normals, n = 31; black psychopaths, n = 33) were asked to choose between a small reward available now and a reward three times as large available after delays of one hour, four hours, one day, and one week. Assignment to groups was on the basis of MMPI scores on scales 4 and 9, with psychopaths being defined by T scores of 70 or greater on 4 or 4 and 9 and normals by T scores all below 70. Preliminary analyses showed that psychopaths were significantly younger at first arrest and had significantly more previous arrests. Further analyses showed no effects due to race of experimenter. The principal analysis revealed a significant three-way interaction of diagnosis x race x delay interval. Further analyses revealed that white psychopaths and black normals showed more decrease in willingness to delay gratification between one day and one week than was shown by white normals and black psychopaths.

Utility of the behavior problem checklist with preschool children

Determined the utility of the Behavior Problem Checklist with preschool children, a sample of 101 male and 103 female children initially rated on this scale. Ss ranged in age from 42 to 72 months and currently were enrolled in Maine Headstart programs. Sixty-six of these children also were assessed on a preschool rating system developed to assess hyperactivity and withdrawal. Results revealed that the conduct disorder and socialized delinquency dimensions correlated most highly with the hyperactivity scales, while the personality disorder and immaturity dimensions correlated most highly with the withdrawal dimensions. The BPC was found to be sensitive in differentiating clinical from nonclinical groups. These findings suggest that the Behavior Problem Checklist, although not specifically designed to assess preschool age children, may be effective with this population.

Birth Order and Perceptual Motor Performance.

To examine the relationship between performance on the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception and birth order, 578 first-graders were tested. Later-born children performed significantly better than did firstborns on specific subtests of the Frostig (Visual-motor Coordination and Figure-ground Perception). There was a significant interaction on Perceptual Constancy which indicated that later-born males performed significantly better than did firstborn males. A secondary finding was a r of .547, a stronger relationship between intelligence level and global perceptual performance than previously reported.

Efficacy of the mini‐mult validity scales with prisoners

The authors studied the ability of the Kincannon Mini-Mult validity scales to detect invalid standard MMPI protocols of adult male prisoners. The original MMPI records of 1407 Ss were rescored by use of Kincannons items for the L, F, and K Scales. Analysis consisted of examining the frequency with which the Mini-Mult would detect an invalid protocol when at least one of the original MMPI validity scales also was elevated and invalid. Results indicate that the Mini-Mult failed to detect nearly 75% of the profiles that were invalid due to an elevated F scale on the parent MMPI. Similarly, over 50% of the profiles invalid due to elevated L and/or K scales were not detected by the Mini-Mult. Despite the appealing brevity of this 71-item short form of the MMPI, caution is advised with regard to its use in penal settings.

Performance of retardates on the Stroop Color-Word test.

Institutionalized retardates were examined on a special format of a task requiring them to name the colors of 36 color patches and to name the color of the ink in which 36 incongruent color words were printed on separate cards. Mean reaction time for the incongruent condition was significantly longer than that for the color patches and the difference was independent of fatigue and stimulus size. The color-word interference effect previously reported with normal populations when given the Stroop test was demonstrated for this retarded sample using a special format.

Norms for prisoners and reliability on two value surveys.

Norms and reliability data were established for 487 male prisoners on the Survey of Personal Values and the Survey of Interpersonal Values. Means were significantly different on 11 of the 12 values measured by the two tests when compared with the norms provided in the respective manuals for college males. Estimates of test-retest reliability were comparable to those reported in the manuals. Users of the surveys with male prisoners are cautioned against use of the college norms provided in the manuals. Specific norms may have to be developed before these measures can be used in a prison setting. The possibility that the two surveys are contaminated by a social desirability response set should also be considered.

On determining reinforcing stimuli: Armchair versus empirical procedures*

Reinforcer item selections of two inmate groups (new, inmates incarcerated less than 3 months; old, inmates incarcerated more than 6 months) were determined with a 10-item questionnaire. Using the same questionnaire, four predictor groups (prison administrators, college students, mental health workers with penal experience, and mental health workers without penal experience) were asked to indicate the order in which they thought the prisoners would select the reinforcers. There were marked similarities in the reinforcer choices of new and old prison inmates. Three major clusters evolved from the prisoner selections of the 10 reinforcer items reflecting a preference for (1) early release from prison, (2) contact with the “free world” while incarcerated, and (3) in-prison privileges in the order listed. Of the four predictor groups, prison administrators were the most accurate in predicting the rank order in which prisoners selected the reinforcers. Education and training did not seem to help the mental health workers make more accurate predictions than either the students or prison administrators. Moreover, work experience in a penal setting did not significantly improve the accuracy of prediction of mental health professionals. Implications for mental health workers engaged in consulting to prison behavioral programs are discussed.

THE FROSTIG TEST AND TREATMENT PROGRAM: A COMPREHENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY

During the past fifteen years we have witnessed a phenomenal rate of publication on learning disorders, specifically concerning the development of our understanding of the multifaceted problems involved and our improved ability to provide better diagnostic and remedial services. Among the major contributors to the advances in this field has been Marianne Frostig, whose test and program of remediation has had widespread use in service-delivery settings as well as critical examination in research investigations. A survey of the literature suggests that, in general, the Frostig has held up well under empirical examination and appears to have adequate psychometric characteristics. Similarly numerous studies have reported favorable results concerning the efficacy of application of the Frostig program for the development of visual perception. In short this literature suggests that when the Frostig test and remediation program are used in a judicrous manner, as intended by the authors, it is possible to identify and effectively treat many of the perceptually handicapped children early in their educational careers. This bibliography cites over 350 published and unpublished articles dealing with either the Frostig test or the treatment program during the past 15 years. References are divided into seven areas: journal articles; books, chapters in books, and monographs; doctoral dissertations; Masters theses; ERIC documents; papers presented at professional meetings; and unpublished manuscripts.