The effects of three school psychological consultation modes on selected teacher and pupil outcomes

Six Kansas school psychologists structured their teacher consultation in terms of three consultative modes which varied primarily in the number of follow-up contacts. The findings indicated that follow-up contacts led to greater teacher implementation of recommendations, greater perceived pupil behavior improvement, and greater sense of cooperative planning by the teachers. These outcome differences occurred between follow-up contacts and no follow-up contacts, with outcome differences not occurring between more and less extensive contacts.     

Conceptual impulsivity as a consideration in test interpretation

A discussion of the influences of impulsivity on test performance is presented, along with suggested procedures for ascertaining more accurately the cognitive abilities of impulsive children.     

Ethical issues of behavior modification research in schools

Behavior modification research in the classroom was examined by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects because of the increasingly widespread use of behavioral procedures in the schools, the effectiveness of these procedures in changing academic and social behavior, and the consequent concern about potential misuse. In order to foster the responsible use of behavior modification procedures in the schools on a practical as well as a research basis, the following ethical issues being considered by researchers and the involved public are discussed: informed consent, determination of classroom goals, legitimacy of rewards and aversive controls in the classroom, conceptions of behavior modification as manipulative and mechanistic, who can implement the procedures, research design, and accountability. The authors conclude that the issues regarding protection of human subjects in behavior modification research are no different from other treatment-oriented research with children. However, the high degree of parental and teacher involvement in both research and practice requires shared responsibility for the prevention of misuse of behavior modification procedures.     

A comparison of the WISC information and arithmetic subtests with a multiple choice procedure using kindergarten,first-, and second-grade children

Fifty-nine children in kindergarten, first, and second grade were given the WISC information and arithmetic subtest. Approximately three weeks later, the subjects were presented with the same questions, and four multiple choice answers were shown and read to them. The number of correct responses on each subtest for each presentation method was recorded. The multiple choice method of presentation response yielded significantly higher scaled scores than did the standard WISC presentation with the free response mode of testing.     

The effect of acute aerobic exercise on central arterial stiffness,wave reflections,and hemodynamics in adults with diabetes: A randomized cross-over design

BackgroundIndividuals with diabetes have greater central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics, all of which promote the accelerated cardiovascular pathology seen in this population. Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to be an effective strategy for reducing central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamics in healthy individuals; however, the effects of acute aerobic exercise in reducing these outcomes is not well established in people with diabetes. Recently, implementation of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) has shown superior improvements in cardiovascular health outcomes when compared to traditional aerobic exercise. Yet, the effect of HIIE on the aforementioned outcomes in people with diabetes is not known. The purpose of this study was to (i) describe the central arterial stiffness, wave reflections, and hemodynamic responses to a bout of HIIE and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in adults with diabetes; and (ii) compare the effects of HIIE and MICE on the aforementioned outcomes.MethodsA total of 24 adult men and women (aged 29–59 years old) with type 1 (n = 12) and type 2 (n = 12) diabetes participated in a randomized cross-over study. All participants completed the following protocols: (i) HIIE: cycling for 4 × 4 min at 85%–95% of heart rate peak (HR_peak), interspersed with 3 min of active recovery at 60%–70%HR_peak; (ii) MICE: 33 min of continuous cycling at 60%–70%HR_peak; and (iii) control (CON): lying quietly in a supine position for 30 min.ResultsA significant group × time effect was found for changes in central systolic blood pressure (F = 3.20, p = 0.01) with a transient reduction for the HIIE group but not for the MICE or CON groups. There was a significant group × time effect for changes in augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min (F = 2.32, p = 0.04) with a decrease following for HIIE and MICE but not for CON. For all other measures of central arterial stiffness and hemodynamics, no significant changes were observed (p > 0.05).ConclusionA bout of HIIE appears to lead to a greater transient reduction in central systolic blood pressure than the reduction observed following MICE; however, both HIIE and MICE improved augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 beats/min in people with diabetes. There was no significant difference in response to HIIE and MICE in all outcomes. This provides preliminary evidence on the role of HIIE on such outcomes in people with diabetes.     

Race differences on the developmental test of Visual Motor Integration,the Slosson Intelligence Test,and the ABC Inventory

Preschoolers' scores on the Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI), the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT), and the ABC Inventory (ABCI) were analyzed for race and sex differences. Separate ANOVAs revealed no race effect on the VMI, whereas race differences favoring whites were found for the SIT and ABCI. There were no effects for sex on any measure, nor were there any interactions. Results are discussed in terms of the inconsistent findings for race effects in the perceptual-motor literature.     

Learning disabled and emotionally disturbed: Will the labels affect teacher planning?

Teachers' conception and use of the terms “learning disability” and “emotional disturbance” was investigated in two studies to determine the implications for developing educational programs. In Study I, experienced teachers in a special education certification program categorized 106 child characteristics as LD, ED, or both LD and ED. In Study II, in-service teachers specified annual achievement goals and extent of regular class placement for the same child bearing either the LD or ED label. Results from Study I showed that the majority of child characteristics were considered by teachers to be relevant to either LD or ED labels. A subset of 23 characteristics was significantly related to one or the other label—LD characteristics representing academic and health/development areas, and ED characteristics representing psychological and behavioral areas. In Study II, teachers recalled the ED label significantly more often than the LD label, but did not specify significantly different goals or regular class participation for the child under the two labeling conditions. The findings support the conclusion that teachers can treat the LD and ED constructs as mutually exclusive when eligibility for special service is the decision, and as mutually inclusive when program-planning decisions are made.