Type A behavior in preschool children

Type A behaviors were observed in a group of 48 preschool children in different free-play and competitive situations. Interrater reliability was assessed on the Matthews Youth Test for Health (MYTH), and the children's and their parents' type A scores were compared. Scores on the MYTH were used to classify children as either type A or type B. Comparisons were made between type A and type B children's play in classroom and in laboratory situations. For the laboratory situations, 24 same-sex type A-type B dyads were formed, and the dyads were observed in free play, followed by car racing, by a tower-building contest, and by an interview. Type A children more frequently showed annoyed facial expressions, gross motor activity, interruptions during classroom free play, and gross motor activity and aggressive play with an inflatable Bobo doll during the laboratory free-play situation. Type A children more often won the car race and the tower-building contest, and they answered a greater number of questions and more frequently answered first during the interviews. These data are consistent with other findings on type A behavior in preschool children and suggest that the behavioral dimensions of type A (competitiveness and impatience-aggression) may emerge as early as the preschool years, particularly in competitive situations.     

Choice and goal-directed behavior in preschool children

Preschool children (3–4 years old) were trained to perform two actions to gain different outcomes, in the form of video clips from different cartoons, before one of these outcomes was devalued by noncontingent exposure. The effect of outcome devaluation was subsequently assessed in an extinction test by giving children the opportunity to perform both actions in the absence of any outcomes. When the two actions were trained concurrently, performance during the test was modulated by outcome value and children showed a preference for the action trained with the currently valued outcome. By contrast, when each action was trained separately on different trials, test performance was insensitive to outcome devaluation. These effects of the training schedules are interpreted in terms of dual-process theories of action control.     

Storybook models and achievement behavior of preschool children

The effects of orally presented storybook models on children's cognitive achievement behavior were assessed in two experiments. Experiment I involved 100 preschool-age children who were given one exposure to either a story depicting achievement behaviors by a male/female model, or a control story describing no achievement behavior. Subjects then were asked to perform a related achievement task. No significant modeling effects were found, but a significant relationship existed between the children's recall of the story content and their performance on the subsequent task. Experiment 11 employed 60 preschool-age children who were given repeated exposures (3 to 4) to, and group discussion of, the same achievement stories or non-achievement control story. A significant relationship was observed between type of story and type of solutions to the subsequent achievement task. These findings are discussed in the context of modeling theory, with practical implications.     

学前儿童攻击性行为的原因及对策分析

学前儿童攻击性行为是幼儿园中比较常见的问题行为之一,也被称为侵犯性行为。根据学前儿童攻击行为的性质可以划分为无意性、表现性、工具性和敌意性这四种类型。学前儿童攻击行为产生的原因主要有来自个人的生理学因素和理解歪曲因素,家庭的教养方式,幼儿园教师的关注度程度和强化方式以及社会影响等。有效解决学前儿童的攻击性行为可以从教给儿童正确解决的问题的方式方法,提供给儿童适合的模仿榜样,强化儿童亲近社会的行为以及引导学前儿童正确观看动画片内容这些方面着手。     

The effects of parental teaching on compliance behavior of children

In this study, we examined how effectively parents learn and apply the techniques of reinforcement, effective praise, instructive praise, direct teaching, and corrective teaching with noncompliant children in their homes. Four children considered at risk for antisocial behavior problems participated with their parents in the project. The parents received training from a parent coach in techniques that they then implemented to teach their child to be compliant. A multiple baseline‐probe design was used to evaluate the procedures. Throughout the study, the parents' implementation of the techniques and the children's responses were observed. The results showed an increase in the parents' application of these skills and an increase in the children's overall compliance in the home. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 337–350, 2004.