Thomas M. Achenbach

DSM-III in Light of Empirical Research on the Classification of Child Psychopathology

Abstract DSM-III and empirically derived syndromes are viewed as complementary approaches to the taxonomy of child psychopathology, an enterprise differing fundamentally from taxonomy of adult disorders. Efforts to derive syndromes empirically have been spurred by the need for reliable descriptions of childrens behavior patterns. Multivariate statistical methods, such as factor analysis and cluster analysis, reduce complex interrelations among signs and symptoms to more manageable syndromal groupings. Despite diversity of methods, samples, and informants, multivariate studies have shown considerable convergence in the identification of 14 narrow-band and 4 broad-band syndromes. Comparison of the empirically derived syndromes with DSM-III shows substantial overlap, but some DSM-III syndromes have not been found in empirical analyses, while some empirically derived syndromes have no clear DSM-III counterparts. Comparisons of the predictive power of DSM-III and empirically derived syndromes are needed to identify their respective strengths for use in future taxonomies.

SURPRISE AND MEMORY AS INDICES OF CONCRETE OPERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Normal and retarded childrens use of color, number, length, and continuous quantity as attributes of identity was assessed by presenting them with contrived changes in these properties. Mean Binet MAs were 6.3 for normals and 6.2 for retardates. Surprise to the change of color occurred at lower MAs than surprise to all quantitative properties among normals and to continuous quantity and (nonsignificantly) to length among retardates. More retardates than MA-matched normals were surprised at the change of quantity (p = .058), but there were no other significant group differences. Study II employed normal children with mean MA = 5.2. Significant relations between surprise and both recognition and reconstruction memory were found for color and number. Surprise and correct memory responses for color preceded those to number, which preceded logical verbal responses to a conventional number-conservation task.

The Effects of Four Kinds of Tutoring Experience on Associative Responding

The Children’s Associative Responding Test (CART), a multiple-choice analogy test designed to identify children who rely excessively on associations to obvious cues rather than using their reasoning abilities, was administered to 204 fifth graders and 315 seventh graders. 10 fifth graders identified as associative responders were then tutored by an adult, 10 were tutored by seventh grade associative responders, 10 were tutored by seventh grade nonassociative responders, 10 served as proximal controls, and 10 served as distal controls. Associative seventh graders were similarly chosen for tutoring by adults, tutoring of fifth graders, proximal controls, and distal controls. After 10 weeks of 2 half-hour tutoring sessions per week in which instructional materials unlike the CART were employed, children participating in tutoring showed significantly greater decreases in associative responding and in error scores on the CART than did children in the control conditions. Differences among tutoring conditions were insignificant. CART error score correlated significantly higher than did IQ with school performance measures among fifth graders and as high as did IQ among seventh graders.

The Historical Context of Treatment for Delinquent and Maladjusted Children: Past, Present, and Future

I t is no wonder, then, that professionals who work with chi ldren f ind i t easy to blame tack of success on obstacles to Progress, such as bureaucrat ic and legal structures, red tape, lack of resources, etc . When these obstacles seem to prevent effective implementation of new ideas, rhe ideas often become ossif ied without a fair and flexible tr ial in pract ice . Without the chance to develop and mature through practical application, such ideas then become straw men, vulnerable to displacement by newer ideas that, in turn, may not receive a fa i r t r ia l e i ther. I [ is th is aspect of our history-past, present, and futuref hat needs to be understood before the helping professions can hope to construct a better future for chi ldren.

THE CHILDREN'S ASSOCIATIVE RESPONDING TEST: ITS RELATION TO INDIVIDUAL TESTS OF RECALL, COMPREHENSION, AND CONCEPT FORMATION

The Childrens Associative Responding Test (CART) was administered to 139 fifth graders. 20 identified by the CART as nonassociative responders generally outperformed 20 associative responders on individual tests of recall, comprehension, and concept formation. Marked differences between the two groups in correlations among the tasks and between the tasks and grade average indicated that associative responders use the same approach to school work as to serial recall, while nonassociative responders approach school work as they do comprehension and concept formation tasks.