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Biomedical subjects

K A Christoff

Publications and source records attributed to K A Christoff.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Self-monitored smoking motives.

The motives for smoking in 73 low, medium, and high rate smokers were surveyed and were evaluated the validity of the Reasons for Smoking scale (RFS) by correlating RFS scores with self-monitored reasons for smoking. Combined sample correlations were significant for 5 of the 6 RFS reasons. However, all correlations were modest, the number of correlations varied with smoking rate, and the RFS was not a valid measure of pleasurable relaxation, the reason most frequently reported during self-monitoring. The unexpected finding that pleasurable relaxation, not reduction of negative affect, was the most frequently endorsed reason conflicts with previous surveys, almost all of which sampled older smokers. Smoking behavior of younger smokers may differ from older smokers in ways important to the study of smoking motivation. These differences may explain why experimental studies with undergraduates generally find no relationship between smoking and negative affect while studies with older subjects do.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Group conversational-skills training with inpatient children and adolescents. Social validation, generalization, and maintenance.

Two groups of inpatient youths (n = 4 and n = 5) received group conversational-skills training. Conversational component behaviors of both groups at baseline were compared to the behaviors of normal youth from the community. For each inpatient group, component behaviors on which they were most discrepant from normal youths were selected for training. Multiple-baseline designs across component behaviors were used and patients were trained to socially-validated criterion levels. Effectiveness of training was demonstrated through (a) behavioral ratings during dyadic, unstructured conversations with other members of their group, (b) behavioral ratings during conversations with unfamiliar nonpsychiatric persons, (c) global ratings of conversational effectiveness by nonpatient peers, (d) generalization to in vivo conversations, and (e) maintenance of improvement at 1- and 3-month follow-up assessments. Results were replicated across both groups and indicated that training effects were socially validated, generalized to conversations with unfamiliar persons and to in vivo conversations, and maintained over time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The use of skills training procedures in the treatment of a child-abusive parent.

Recent behavioral formulations suggest that child abuse can often be conceptualized in terms of skill deficits of the parent. In the present case study, training was used to improve an abusive parent's anger-assertion, child management, and personal problem-solving skills; deficits in all three areas were functionally related to prior episodes of violence. Treatment across these skill areas was introduced in multiple baseline fashion. The effectiveness of treatment was demonstrated by assessments of assertion, child management, and problem-solving knowledge following each training session; parent monitoring data on the frequency of child-related and anger problems at home throughout the intervention; performance on skill generalization measures; and objectively-rated parent-child interactions during pre- and post-training home observation probes.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Job interview training for the mentally retarded: issues and applications.

Vocational training has long been a major part of habilitation programs for mentally retarded adults. However, even after retarded persons develop work habits and skills, they may be unable to convince potential employers of their vocational competence. The present article discusses the rationale for systematically teaching mentally retarded persons job interview and other job finding skills, and reviews applied job interview training research with mentally retarded clients and other low functioning populations. Implementation of training techniques is also discussed.

Employment↗